But oh those lonely nights .........

[Scarlett123]

My brother and I were always travel sick when we were young. My parents had booked a coach (charabanc?) trip for us all as a special treat. Can't remember where now but possibly London or perhaps Windsor Castle. Anyway, my mother was so worried about us being sick and ruining the trip that she wrapped us both in brown paper secured with string under our clothes! Apparently she had been told this prevented travel sickness. Can't remember much about the day out but do remember bring wrapped up like a parcel and the relief of getting home and being released from it. I must say neither of us were sick tho. I'm sure if I had been older I would have refused but I think we were both under 10 and children were children in those days!

Verity - when I read this, I laughed until the tears ran down my face! And your last sentence was so true. If that's what you were told was going to happen - you didn't argue. I can remember my Mum doing all she could to coax my poker straight hair into ringlets, which, at the time, was a fashionable style, with a satin ribbon tied with a large bow.

Some nights, I would be "ragged", with each shoulder-length tress, twisted with bits of rag, and then twisted even further into circular shapes and secured with Kirby grips - I slept in those. Then another time, she would comb each piece through, having dipped the said comb in sugar water, and wind this round her finger, securing it each side, yet again with the Kirby grips. These methods were adopted, until I was about 4.

And then the real torture began. I was taken to Mum's hairdresser for a perm! At 4! You had your hair washed, sat in a chair, under a sort of umbrella, like a huge mushroom on a stand, from which loads and loads of contraptions, like rollers, were attached. The hairdresser pulled a roller down, which, in turn, was attached to a wire, and had anther piece clamped over it.

And, once all this was done, which took an hour, the electricity was switched on, and you sat like that for several hours, unable to go to the loo, or move. Eventually, you were released, and your hair dried, and beautiful ringlets appeared. But, the "perms" then were really permanent, and this torture only took place once a year.

I also remember quietly hating having Vic rubbed into my chest at the start of Winter, and having to wear a liberty bodice with rubber buttons. And I could smell the Vic. And I'm sure everyone else could smell it too, but then all my friends were dressed similarly, so I suppose we all had the aroma of Vic!!

Times have changed a lot and I am thrilled that today I'm having a facial, hair cut and blow dry.

 

[stanleypj]

Ah Vic! I remember it well. But when and why did Vic become VicKs? I'm wondering if the name was always Vicks in the States and, as so often, we have adopted US terminology (e.g, 'goose bumps'). But I'm glad you mentioned it Scarlett as I was starting to wonder whether my memory was playing tricks and it was never called Vic.

 

[Scarlett123]

Ah Vic! I remember it well. But when and why did Vic become VicKs? I'm wondering if the name was always Vicks in the States and, as so often, we have adopted US terminology (e.g, 'goose bumps'). But I'm glad you mentioned it Scarlett as I was starting to wonder whether my memory was playing tricks and it was never called Vic.

No your memory is perfectly intact. I think it had a multi purpose use in our house, used for squeaky doors etc, as I can't remember WD40 being around then! Mum used Vaseline for lots of things too. Patent leather shoes and handbags, cracked lips, "kiss curls" on her cheeks and forehead, the "best" leather pouffee.

And for the life of me, I can't remember what sour milk was used for. Would it have had a household use, or was it for making scones?

 

[nitram]

"And for the life of me, I can't remember what sour milk was used for"

Let it go off for a bit longer and then strain it to make 'cottage cheese'.

Refrigerator - what's that?

Water, muslim, beads,porous pot for milk.
Perforated zinc to stop flies getting into meat safe.
Strangely enough alergies were unknown.

 

[LYN T]

My Gran (died 1974) never had a fridge-just a larder with a cold slab), no washing machine either The laundry was started and completed on a Monday (why???) using a 'copper' and a mangle. She lived in a council house and when the council put in a bathroom and inside toilet she still had a bath once a week in an over sized tin bath in front of the fireShe DID use the inside toilet and stopped using the one outside. Her garden was the size of an allotment and she grew all her own veg. A different life in different times.

XX

 

[nitram]

Ah, the cold slab!
You also treated eggs with isinglass or paid extra to have pretreated eggs.

 

[Scarlett123]

Ah, the cold slab!
You also treated eggs with isinglass or paid extra to have pretreated eggs.

When I saw "Oklahoma", I remembered the line "with isinglass curtains you could roll right down .... in case there's a change in the weather". When I was in it, in 1966, nobody knew what "isinglass curtains" were. So was it a fabric that you put over your eggs? Fascinating!

 

[Aisling]

No your memory is perfectly intact. I think it had a multi purpose use in our house, used for squeaky doors etc, as I can't remember WD40 being around then! Mum used Vaseline for lots of things too. Patent leather shoes and handbags, cracked lips, "kiss curls" on her cheeks and forehead, the "best" leather pouffee.

And for the life of me, I can't remember what sour milk was used for. Would it have had a household use, or was it for making scones?

It was used for making white or brown soda cakes!!
Aisling

 

[Aisling]

I find if I don't use a top sheet, then the top part of the duvet cover looks "grubby" far quicker than if I use a top sheet and fold it over the top of the duvet. I only tuck the bottom part of the sheet in, and leave the top part "free".

And you're quite right, I think we might be "overclean" conscious, in some ways. When I was a child, I had blankets on my bed with "66" and "99" on them, which I think were utility marks.

Our house, in the East End, was absolutely freezing, and one day I was reading my Mum's Woman's Weekly, and on the "tips" page, someone had suggested we follow the tips from tramps, because newspaper keeps you warm. Thy suggested that you made the bed, putting a layer of newspaper between your blankets, and the writer won A GUINEA for suggesting this.

So that night, I made my bed, and put the newspaper between a blanket, and the top sheet. The next morning, it was all crumpled up, and the sheet was smothered in newsprint. I thought my Mum was going to have a fit!

Nice one Scarlett!

 

[Aisling]

I think that's right. If you keep yourself and your night clothes clean how is the duvet cover going to get 'dirty'? I'm not suggesting months between washes but it probably doesn't need to be done as often as most people seem to do it.

As far as a duvet plus a top sheet are concerned, surely the whole point about duvets and why they have become so common in the relatively recent past is that you don't need any other bedding so 'making the bed' becomes a much more simple proposition. And how do you get the duvet and the sheet to stay together. Surely you don't tuck the top sheet in, thereby nullifying another advantage of the duvet? I'm half expecting someone to suggest a blanket or two on top of the sheet as well so that the duvet becomes an eiderdown.

You tuck the top sheet under duvet! Tuck in bottom corners. Put on duvet. Then finish it all off with a blanket throw. You tuck in the bottom of blanket and then voila the bed is ready for night time. Ideally in morning, you open window, mess all up so bed and room is aired! Leave for an hour and then launch into the bed making or bed dressing. We used latter term when I was a child!!

Now!

Aisling

 

[Aisling]

No your memory is perfectly intact. I think it had a multi purpose use in our house, used for squeaky doors etc, as I can't remember WD40 being around then! Mum used Vaseline for lots of things too. Patent leather shoes and handbags, cracked lips, "kiss curls" on her cheeks and forehead, the "best" leather pouffee.

And for the life of me, I can't remember what sour milk was used for. Would it have had a household use, or was it for making scones?

And for growing eye lashes!! I use it on them when I remember to do so.
I now have long, thick sexy eye lashes!! Well one can dream?

Aisling

 

[Aisling]

My Gran (died 1974) never had a fridge-just a larder with a cold slab), no washing machine either The laundry was started and completed on a Monday (why???) using a 'copper' and a mangle. She lived in a council house and when the council put in a bathroom and inside toilet she still had a bath once a week in an over sized tin bath in front of the fireShe DID use the inside toilet and stopped using the one outside. Her garden was the size of an allotment and she grew all her own veg. A different life in different times.

XX

Laundry was always done on Mondays in my home. Ironing on Tuesday's. Saturday was big cleaning day. Shoes polished on Saturday night and vegetables
etc prepared on Sat night also. Oh and the trifle was made too. I remember it well because the brother got away with everything and he was ten years older than me and the little sister was"a bit delicate (not at all) but she was always treated as the baby of the family!!

Cheers,

Aisling

 

[Aisling]

I find if I don't use a top sheet, then the top part of the duvet cover looks "grubby" far quicker than if I use a top sheet and fold it over the top of the duvet. I only tuck the bottom part of the sheet in, and leave the top part "free".

And you're quite right, I think we might be "overclean" conscious, in some ways. When I was a child, I had blankets on my bed with "66" and "99" on them, which I think were utility marks.

Our house, in the East End, was absolutely freezing, and one day I was reading my Mum's Woman's Weekly, and on the "tips" page, someone had suggested we follow the tips from tramps, because newspaper keeps you warm. Thy suggested that you made the bed, putting a layer of newspaper between your blankets, and the writer won A GUINEA for suggesting this.

So that night, I made my bed, and put the newspaper between a blanket, and the top sheet. The next morning, it was all crumpled up, and the sheet was smothered in newsprint. I thought my Mum was going to have a fit!

Nice one Scarlett!

 

[Kjn]

I love hearing takes of old .

 

[stanleypj]

You tuck the top sheet under duvet! Tuck in bottom corners. Put on duvet. Then finish it all off with a blanket throw. You tuck in the bottom of blanket and then voila the bed is ready for night time. Ideally in morning, you open window, mess all up so bed and room is aired! Leave for an hour and then launch into the bed making or bed dressing. We used latter term when I was a child!!

Now!

Aisling

See to me Aisling, 'duvet' and 'tucking in' are from different universes!

 

[Kjn]

How do you tuck a sheet under duvet?
We now have... Bottom sheet, top sheet , duvet on top , blanket on my side.
I started with sheet under duvet as mr "too warm in the night" can now have sheet over him not duvetand I can have all thing, blankets, hot water bottles, socks ....

 

[Kjn]

Stanley

 

[truth24]

Still keep vaseline for all kinds of purposes. Strangely enough I suddenly realised from looking at the ingredients that the Bio Oil I am massaging into hip scar seems to come from the same product! Which would probably make sense as when I had a fall a couple of years ago, cut my chin and had to have stitches, the nurse gave me vaseline to help heal the scar then. Luckily it disappeared into my wrinkles, the scar I mean!!

 

[LadyA]

Laundry was always done on Mondays in my home. Ironing on Tuesday's. Saturday was big cleaning day. Shoes polished on Saturday night and vegetables
etc prepared on Sat night also. Oh and the trifle was made too. I remember it well because the brother got away with everything and he was ten years older than me and the little sister was"a bit delicate (not at all) but she was always treated as the baby of the family!!

Cheers,

Aisling

Not forgetting putting the marrowfat peas to steep on Saturday night for Sunday lunch!

 

[truth24]

How about toasting crumpets at an open fire with a long metal toasting fork and roasting hands at the same time! But then the pleasure of smothering them with dripping! Would we do that now in this fat conscious world?? My mother loved a 'delicacy' called chittlings or chitterlings - literally pig's intestines - which, thankfully, no one else in the family developed a taste for, so that was her treat to herself. Lucky her! Ah memories