As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

Hardup_Hester

My education was a mix of private/grammer school, was expelled before I took GCE's, I speak like a 1950's BBC announcer & I still ended up in a carp job earning minimum wage, but I don't feel inferior or superior, just incredible lucky, I have a roof over my head, plenty of food & my beloved hubby.
Hester

mrswive

ceridwen - re leaf miners; I don't know if this will help, but there was a herb grower at the Chelsea Flower Show on TV the other day, and she said that a sure fire way to get rid of whitefly and other bugs was to crush some garlic, cover with water, leave for about 6 hours, strain and use as a spray. I can't remember if it was cold or boiling water; maybe a web search will turn up that info.
Some of my runner beans have blackfly, so I might give it a go, though there was also a ladybird and I wouldn't like her to go hungry!

sb44

mrswive wrote: »

ceridwen - re leaf miners; I don't know if this will help, but there was a herb grower at the Chelsea Flower Show on TV the other day, and she said that a sure fire way to get rid of whitefly and other bugs was to crush some garlic, cover with water, leave for about 6 hours, strain and use as a spray. I can't remember if it was cold or boiling water; maybe a web search will turn up that info.
Some of my runner beans have blackfly, so I might give it a go, though there was also a ladybird and I wouldn't like her to go hungry!

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Garlic-Garden-Spray

TudorRose

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

My education was a mix of private/grammer school, was expelled before I took GCE's, I speak like a 1950's BBC announcer & I still ended up in a carp job earning minimum wage, but I don't feel inferior or superior, just incredible lucky, I have a roof over my head, plenty of food & my beloved hubby.
Hester

I am the same as you Hester except I didn't get expelled & don't have a husband.
Love reading everyones stories about school. Didn't realise so many of you took Latin.I did as well & achieved the lowest pass rate at O level. I was useless at it even though I was taught by the chap who had written the series of text books we used. He always addressed us as 'Miss .....' not or by are 1st names & on the rare ocassions he gave a detention the girl in question had to go sort out the lost property cupboard.

Did 2 years of sewing & was bored stiff by it as they didn't let me work at my own speed (fast!). My mum & dad had been teaching me to sew since the age of 3 due to the work they did. My father actually wanted to go into school on parents evening to tell the sewing teacher the error of her ways in how she was teaching us. Luckily Mum persuaded him not to. I would never have lived down the shame if he had.

Raining here but will be good for the gardens.

Going to do some photos this morning & put some of my dresses on my ebay shop this afternoon. Need to get a grip as haven't sold anything for over a week.

cat_smith

TudorRose wrote: »

I am the same as you Hester except I didn't get expelled & don't have a husband.

:rotfl::rotfl:I did the expelled bit. But do have the husband:D Who happily is due back tonight so I can sleep for the first time in about 10 days.

redlady_1

I am another Grammar school girlie but as a child of a single parent it wasnt fun. School did little to encourage me to reach for the skies and my mum just wanted me to work in an office rather than the land, which is what she did. But I have to praise Mr Jarvis for showing patience and giving me time as I now have a love of maths. He was very influential over me.

I am trying to remember the name of the lady who taught sewing. Miss someone and she also taught home economics.

I had a husband but traded him in for FK and am currently retrading jobwise.

Molly41

Im a comp girl hence the GCSE/ CSE in Home Economics. I surprised everyone by doing really well in the GCE bit of my exams having been doubly entered for both so ended up doing a marathon set of exams starting in May and ending in July. I remember my Home Economics teacher and classroom very well and it was my most favourite of subjects.

redlady_1

Actually, thinking about it, it was my mum who taught me all the girlie stuffas well as some of the blokey stuff. How to sew, knit, cook, embroider, dress like a girlie, act like one (although I struggled with that!) my great grandma taught me to crotchet. Nan taught me how to remove stains.

I am very lucky to have such influential women in my life. My mum is tops!!!

[Deleted User]

I was a grammer girl and remember wearing a boater and having a satchel on my back. I still remember the smell of that leather and the smell of the lovely polished wood in the school, run by nuns. I was always 6th in the year, until I was 15 and got a p/t job in a pharmacy to help out at home. 3 evenings a week and all holidays and weekends as well. Did ok at o level though, A level next then training college and later ou. I survived but never reached my potential due to circumstances. I don`t know how my parents managed to keep all 7 of us at school until 18. I was the oldest and dad died when I was 21

Married my dh who came via the sec mod and p/t poly route. He started work at 16 and stayed in the same co until he retired. He worked his way up and became a very respected director

My mum would never let me hang around with the local girls after 7 pm as they would go walkabout, getting chatted up. Some got pregnant

You do become what life makes you and I am resourceful and very happy with my own company and can survive comfortably on very little. I appreciate very much having a comfortable warm home and everything I need and a loving kind husband, the same one that I married almost 42 years ago.

kidcat

All this talk of school days - today me dd leaves school. She still has exams to go back for but officially today is her last day. Her Food tech has been poor throughout high school.

I went to a top all girls church school and hated it, was bullied and felt out of place. My mum eventually caved (after I got very ill) and moved me to the local comp. It had the worst reputation and was very rough. I settled immediately - not that I am rough!! but the caring of the teachers and the friendships were incredible. Yes it didnt have great results - the teachers worked on the theory that if you wanted to learn they taught you - otherwise they ignored you. Needlework I was banned from - I always broke the machines, cookery was hit and miss and not particularly helpful. Woodwork - did give me the basics and i was never allowed metal work- they had seen the state of the sewing machines so sensibly banned me. Basic cookery I learnt from a neighbour, my grandad taught me trifles, and the rest I learnt from books and TV. I remember my head teacher refusing to close the school when the teachers went out on strike again and getting a few of us to help - as a result I taught GCSE to kids who were older than me, younger than me and my contemporarys. After second year I didnt do PE - I helped teach instead. I remember teaching a sixth former to read over a term and then onto basic maths - he had ignored school for years but had an epiphany at the last day and begged to stay for sixth form to do GCSEs over the two years. He sat his exams the year before I sat mine and got decent grades - he owns a butchers now apparently.

Well tomorrow we will finally complete our house purchase - and to be honest I really dont know how to feel. i expected excitement but am so tearful, it worries me.
We will not move for another week as we have work to do - but I will be cleaning carpets etc over the weekend. Then its onto the move proper.
My plants are all growing well, and they will be moved into teh new garden tomorrow too, allowing me to get the wigwam thingy built over the courgettes and cucumbers before the plants get too big.