It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

GreyQueen

Greetings from the sunny part of the country (sorry Mar) where I will be up to the lottie with my flask and sarnies in an hour or two.

Yesterday was quite a productive late afternoon as I got half the shed treated with Cuprinol. Mum got me a huge pot of it for £2 from a bootfair a few years ago and this will be the last treatment from that pot but I have another £2 pot of the same colour "Autumn Gold" from another bootfair to go on with. On both occasions, the original purchasers chose it, took it home, decided they didn't like it and ended up selling it for a pittance.

I really would've liked green but I'm prepared to be very flexible if there is a bargain to be had.

Mr Pumpkin had just been swung from the Stilsons and weighs 12lb and has a 32" midriff. That means as a visual that the critter is a bit bigger than a football. I shall choose my recipes and make my shopping list for what I'll cook tomorrow in a while as will be most of the way to a seriously-big supermarket (as in aircraft-hangar size) when am at the lottie so might as well pedal up there afterwards and use the energy wisely.

I have been whacked out following my sojourn with the mad bushcrafters and have only just regained equilibrium and have decided I need to use my brain to save my energy a bit more and work out the most efficient ways of doing what I have to do so that there is some spare juice in the system for doing the fun stuff. Trouble is, my natural inclination is to go at life like a bull at a gate.

OK, am off onto the recipes which HJ kindly posted a few pages ago.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Mar, have you ever considered emirgration down into England? We have a lot better weather.............:rotfl:

meg72

Charis wrote: »

You'd have to be extremely careful about leaving the house, you step straight from the hall into the road :eek: Not a good place if you've got littl'uns.

My first house was like this, Nightmare, when kids were small. To make it even more difficult our garden was divided by a right of way
leading to an Entry out onto the road. Could never leave a door open in summer. Kids soon learnt though and were very road safety aware at a very young age.

[Deleted User]

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ceridwen

Hmmm...trying to remember how long oranges have been imported into Britain for - and vaguely recalling them being sold back in the 17th Century. I dont know whether they were "everyday" back in that era for "yer average person in the street" - and would imagine they were and were only regarded as luxuries by the poor (like my fathers family for instance).

...and back in the Baby Boomer generation (my own) I guess the equivalent would be buying "necessity" clothes for birthday and Christmas presents. I can recall some years of getting a piece of clothing or two as "presents" and thinking "But I clearly NEEDED a new skirt/coat/shoes/etc ANYWAY - so why am I being told its a Christmas/birthday present...". I was aware that it seemed to be the norm amongst my friends that they would get bought all the clothes they actually needed throughout the year anyway - and often get bought a lot extra as well - and only ever got "proper presents" at Christmas/birthday. I remember, as a teenager, specifically requesting that I wasnt given clothing as presents any more and only wanted "luxury items" as presents thereafter (eg books) to ensure none of my "present ration" was necessities I had to have anyway.:rotfl:

KITTIE:
There wasnt much in the way of "flavourings" for foods when we first turned adult was there either? I remember the vegetarian recipes of the 1970s - and the only flavourings called for were marmite, tomato puree or curry powder. That was IT...and there wasnt even garlic and wine vinegar or the like. I've still got my first ever cookbook I bought - and its SO basic in today's terms - but I do still use recipes from it occasionally.

Now really must try out that "latest modern flavouring" I bought - ie sesame oil. I still havent quite figured out what to do with it - other than drizzle it over soups.

GREYQUEEN
Dont forget to tell Mardatha about the huge amount of development/paying for prescriptions/etc as well G.Q....and that we're all planning on emigrating up, to the left or over.....LOL..now what was that county (the next one up from Cork) that I dont wish to go to (I made a note of the name) and I worked out the distance away from there as about 50 miles - but I'm watching and waiting on developments all round to "figure out the future" and I figure the rest of Ireland would be okay...and South Wales..

thenanny2die4

My parents both lived through the second world war. I wish I'd spoken to them more about their upbringing when I had the chance. I do remember my mum once describing a childhood Christmas...

Her mother was abandoned by her husband, leaving her with three daughters, living in rural Kent. The story my mum told was about how an aunt and her own children had come to their home and the children were all banished to the bedroom for a while. When they were allowed back downstairs, there was a decorated holly bough and a few lit candles. That was Christmas!

She said it was the most magical thing she ever saw; no mention of any presents - I don't imagine there were any. She often spoke of her mother feeding the girls and going without, herself. Mum also hated having to wear clogs rather than shoes.

westcoastscot

mardatha wrote: »

Horrible day yesterday and horrible night last night. Am grumpy.:D Was reading on BBC about the generation that lived longest of any of us - those born between 1925 and 1935. They are trying to work out how this one slice of the population lived longest. Saying they were born in the great depression and grew up during rationing, so probably had healthy food and not too much of it. But one thing is they say they were happiest - with the war on while they were kids and the community blitz spirit etc.
If we were of our grannys generation we wouldn't have the forum, but we would be saying the same things to each other only over the garden fence or in a queue for sausages
But I don't think being young today is much fun at all, all the new stuff coming out now is just fripperies that involves lots of money. FB and online sites are a great weapon for bullies, and having the latest phone or gadget is a weapon for snobs. In the generation born between 1925-35 they didnt have anything at all and maybe that's why they were happier.
And poverty is a lot less grim if nobody in the village/street has anything and you're all in it together. It's turned on its head now - like everybody has to have the house/the car /the iphone/ the this/the that. Then everybody just wanted stuff, and shared dreams of someday getting it. Now everybody has it & cant pay for it, or wants more!

I agree Mar, I was shocked when we moved from the Island to see first hand how people live, and how much money you "need" to live. Most of the newest technology had passed us by - we didn't have a mobile phone signal or a TV signal, and the kids were busy fixing tractors and riding bikes. We had a real community spirit - lots of caleidhs once the tourists had gone, where we liked to dress up and have fun, but mostly it was the same stuff we always dressed up in, or new home made, the men/boys in kilts of course. We didnt use the pub a lot 'cos of course you couldn't drive home, so we used to have open house where friends would come, the whole family of course - no babysitters there - and spend a lovely day/evening and then stay over and go home in time to milk the next day. It isn't that long ago either - we moved here in 2004!
We still live the same way on the mainland, by and large, but I see neighbouring families struggling to give their children mobile phones, laptops, etc at very young ages.

WCS

meg72

rachbc wrote: »

I swim in North see in jan - I'm hardy!

OMG, do you really, I had to put on a extra fleece just reading that. I cant even have a bath if its not steaming hot.

GreyQueen

ceridwen wrote: »

Hmmm...trying to remember how long oranges have been imported into Britain for - and vaguely recalling them being sold back in the 17th Century. I dont know whether they were "everyday" back in that era for "yer average person in the street" - and would imagine they were and were only regarded as luxuries by the poor (like my fathers family for instance).

...and back in the Baby Boomer generation (my own) I guess the equivalent would be buying "necessity" clothes for birthday and Christmas presents. I can recall some years of getting a piece of clothing or two as "presents" and thinking "But I clearly NEEDED a new skirt/coat/shoes/etc ANYWAY - so why am I being told its a Christmas/birthday present...". I was aware that it seemed to be the norm amongst my friends that they would get bought all the clothes they actually needed throughout the year anyway - and often get bought a lot extra as well - and only ever got "proper presents" at Christmas/birthday. I remember, as a teenager, specifically requesting that I wasnt given clothing as presents any more and only wanted "luxury items" as presents thereafter (eg books) to ensure none of my "present ration" was necessities I had to have anyway.:rotfl:

Probably a case of them being on the ration and shipping by diverted to move other things. I can remember hearing one old boy recalling how he spent his wartime childhood hearing about these wonderful things called !!!!!!!s" which he'd never had nor even seen once in his life. And, how when the legendary banana did appear in his life he found out that he didn't even like them!

My Dad did an hour at the Archive whilst they were up during the week and found the records of my great-grands x 5, a couple who were born in the 1700s and lived into the 1800s. Simple country folk and the both lived into their nineties. This is fairly common in my family although you do see that they often ended their days in the workhouse, which was preferable to starving in the hedges, I suppose.

My Nan's generation are pushing 90 and have seen things grow steadily better for ordinary people since WW2 and now think things are going backwards and that things are much tougher for their grandchildren and great grandchildren. My Dad often says that there was plenty of work about in the late fifties and sixties - often didn't pay very much but you could always get a job. The Labour Exchange would keep sending people to jobs until they took one, so if you wanted to be idle, you wouldn't get a chance at it.

Has anyone else had the experience of finding an old newpaper from your area lining a chest-of-drawers and seeing exactly how many jobs were on offer? Note the smallness of the adverts so that they could fit them all in. Not like now when they have about 4 ads to a page and sometimes only 2 and have the cheek to call it a Jobs Supplement!

I think I had a better childhood 30-40 years ago than modern kids and can't recall coveting overmuch of other kids' toys except that blasted Space Hopper which one particular girl had, the only one on our street, and how she ruled the roost by allowing turns on it to favoured individuals.......

Hangabout....space hoppers......giant pumpkins.......some resemblence going on here.

ETA I have NO IDEA why the program has put a whole load of !!!!!! where I typed the name of a slightly curved yellow tropical fruit in quote marks but as it looks quite amusing, I shall leave it....;)

HariboJunkie

Morning Toughies! :hello:

It's bright and breezy here and we are child free all weekend so there is lots to be done in the garden and house.
The trees that came down last weekend need put through the chipper and the last of the tomatoes will come out of the greenhouse to make room for some unseasoned logs.

Our garden fronts onto a single track, unclassified road. Not a problem at all. Most of this town was built into a cliff 150 years ago so the roads that were designed for hooves not wheels couldn't be widened even if we wanted them too. Locals respect the speed limit and pedestrian rights but incomers and tourists need the odd reminder. There are very few pavements up here at all. The high street has them but the only residential areas are the modern housing estates. Certainly doesn't stop anyone snapping up houses around here.

Re the 1925 to 35 generation of course there are exceptions to any rule. In general in the late 20th Century we became more aquisitional with the advent of credit cards and new technology. Bad combination. Everyone wanted the latest gadget and everyone could put it on tick. That kind of thing wasn't around in the early decades.
Likewise I think that the work ethic was stronger then. I think personally that with this aquisitional era came a growing sense of entitlement and people began to expect things like work and education and good housing to "fall into their lap" without some serious graft. That, to me, is a dangerous combination. What the people of the generation in question did was pull themselves up by their bootstraps to get what was needed. If they didn't they went under. Yet I think that there definitely were people who were content with what they had got. Plenty of people in service in those decades where happy to be there and didn't want to move up the social or educational ladder.
What we have today is people who get older and look around and say "how did this happen?" "I expected more" and yet they didn't push to achieve more but like so many of our generation felt that their own sense of entitlement would get them what they wanted. One only has to look at the train wreck that is benefits' dependancy, and the whole underclass situation to see more evidence that people strove harder in bygone days. They had to. People took whatever jobs were on offer , not just the ones they thought were good enough for them.
Another contributory factor to anyone's happiness is their sense of community and family. Community was at the heart of life in those days now the hear has been ripped from towns and villages everywhere as people become insular and selfish. Family breakdowns and estrangement were practically unheard of back then whereas now it is common place to lose touch with family.

****All that and I'm not even on my third coffee of the day.:o:rotfl:
Have lovely days everyone. Still thinking of you Charlie's Aunt. x

ceridwen

GREYQUEEN

I think it would be interesting if anyone is able to give links to job sections from local newspapers of previous decades - for comparison purposes. There must be summat like that somewheres on t'Web.

I recall when I first started work that jobs were easy to get. I got the first job I asked for - despite the fact that I hadnt realised that the person coming down to fetch me was the one who would be doing the interviewing - and so was just chatting away casually to them. It was :eek: when they sat down the other side of the desk
and started interviewing me after the "chatter" they had had from me:rotfl:

For some years after that we all knew we could "walk out of a job Friday and into a new one Monday" if we wanted and that gave a peace of mind/security to jobs that has long gone nowadays. The job market started to get difficult back in the 1970s - as I recall thinking "Time for my promotion now - better start applying for better jobs" and finding myself not even getting interviews for jobs I expected to walk into and things started getting steadily more difficult and I was shocked to find that I was having periods of unemployment a bit on from that. These days - there is virtually nothing I would decide to ask for and not a lot of the type of jobs I wouldnt personally want to ask for. In my area - I do see signs up for jobs on a few places - but theres nothing for me unless I was "desperate" and I'm guessing a lot of my generation would just think "Thats it - game over" if we lost our jobs now. I'm just grateful to be as old/settled as I am - or I would have to ask for anything I could get if I lost my job (instead of just thinking "Its over then..."). Thankfully I can leave these jobs for people younger than myself - as I could manage without if I had to...just as well with my mothers strong views about a couple of people who are still working on into retirement (as she comments "Young people need those jobs now - they should give them up to them". I know a lot of older people cant afford to be without a job - any more than younger ones can (but count myself lucky not to have had to start up all over again because of a divorce and commence a mortgage on my own in my 50s or the like).