Chitchat thread #24

[greenishfing]

My husband remembers his mother doing the washing in the cellar in a "copper" which she put water in and lit a fire beneath. She then grated soap into the hot water and used a "posser" to agitate the washing. Everything then had to go through the mangle. Then be rinsed and mangled again. Washing for her husband, four children and herself must have been hard work. Wash day really took all day. I imagine babies were toilet trained at the earliest possible opportunity.... can you imagine all the nappies?

Bath night, in the tin bath in the kitchen, must have been a nightmare. I can remember one set of grandparents having no bathroom but a plumbed in bath in the kitchen (usually hidden under a formica worktop. They were fortunate to have a fireback boiler to heat the water.

I also have vague memories of my uncle, 12 years older than me, other side of the family, having a bath in a tin bath in the kitchen while I played on the rug in front of th fire.

[bramble]

Good morning all.dull with rain on the way.
A visit to our local stores this morning to pick up a few bits we need for the house.

How lucky we are to have all the mod cons.i remember my grandmother cooking on a big oprn range
She had no running water and had to bring buckets of drinking water from a pump.
Rainwater collected in a barrel from the gutters and heated for washing clothes.
Our ancestors had a very hard life.

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

I have a friend who lived in a stone cottage just down the road, she only had her bathroom fitted around 30 years ago.
She gave me her tin bath it made a handy coldframe with a piece of perspex on top.

[Florence Fennel]

We started out married life in a two up two down with a cellar and no bathroom. I gave our tin bath to our milkman. He used it as a water trough for the cows on his farm. Had I known how interested in growing I would become when we moved into this house I would have kept it!

[Florence Fennel]

I can't remember who told me to plant the raspberry "sticks" (was it MH?), but thank you - they have sprouted leaves!!

[greenishfing]

I can't remember who told me to plant the raspberry "sticks" (was it MH?), but thank you - they have sprouted leaves!!

It was me, Flo. They have an incredible will to survive!

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks GF! I'm amazed - I was convinced they had no chance

[Florence Fennel]

I put them into two flower tubs, three in each, so they're probably too close together, but I can separate them if they put on plenty of growth. I'm really pleased!

[rary]

Good afternoon, quite a bit of cloud today, though no rain so far have been busy potting on some flowers and think i will need to start making up me baskets to make some room, also planted out some kelsae onions as well as some lettuce, now going out to cut up some wood for the fire, so enjoy the afternoon and pass on the smiles

[Nicos]

Just going back to the ‘old days’…I recall an elderly nurse telling me when I first started working that she was a nurse on a TB ward when she first qualified …and they had to hand wash all the sheets on the ward by hand every day

Good to hear your raspberries have survived Flo! Yummy times ahead this summer!

I'm feeling rather chuffed. After swimming we popped into L!dl as I had heard they were selling geraniums…oh yes!…I’ve bought 24 small plants and 2very nice looking acers. Funny how they just jumped into my trolley isn’t it?

[Bren In Pots]

I've spent most of the afternoon in the garden mostly potting on plants its just starting to drop cool so time to come indoors to sort out dinner.

enjoy your evening.

[mothhawk]

Morning all.

It's a bit grey outside, often a sign it will brighten up later.

Domestics for me today. The vaccuum needs to earn its keep, and I need to find the duster before people start leaving their autographs on the furniture. One of the cons of living close to a quarry, when there is a prolonged dry spell the quarry dust blows about and quietly sneaks in. That's my excuse anyway.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

I always wondered where my dust came from MH…now I know!

I think today has to be a domestics day here too..,I was too tired after swimming to do any yesterday and now I’m pretty far behind. Well, I was already waay behind without taking a day out Friends and paying guests next weekend…so it all needs to look good. Got a lot of other things on before they come too. Yikes…that’s what comes of escaping into the garden for days at a time…..we’ve all done it eh?

So, I best get a wiggle on!…Anyone fancy fresh croissants today?

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

I'll pass on the croissants thanks Nicos I've had sourdough pikelets earlier.

Domestics and laundry here as well MH we have half price electric between 11 and 4 at the weekends so we like to make the most of it, think how much we'd save if we ironed.

enjoy your day

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Quite dull here today. Have a good day