The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

VJsmum

Wow - so many de-lurkers, please stay!

Loving the memories. JackieO you have a wonderful way of bringing it all back.

I am approaching my 50th birthday (I keep saying it, in the hope that eventually I will believe it ) so a little younger than some and a lot older than others. My nylon sheets were yellow! We used to have can of paraffin outside the kitchen door (of all the stupid places to keep it) and I used to take the cap off it for a sniff every so often, cos I liked the smell :eek: There was no central heating in the house until after I left home at 19 - tho I don't think they waited for me to leave before having it installed :rotfl: we had a gas fire in the front room and one in the "other room". The paraffin stove in the bathroom was lit on Sundays and christmas day.

There were between 4 and 6 children at home over the years - the oldest was 17 when the youngest was born and moved out young so not 6 for very long - and money was tight. My mum wasn't really a domestic person but the way she managed to feed and clothe us all was amazing. Roast on Sunday, stew on monday, some bacon scraps and some suet to make bacon pudding. We were never hungry, though being so active made us skinny as whippets. One thing I've never been able to reproduce is the taste of the porridge mum used to make, I've tried it different ways, she told me how she did it but it still isn't the same. I have a feeling it's due to the aluminium pan she used and I wonder whether we've ingested a load of that particular metal :eek::p

We walked a mile to school and back every day - I started school at 4 and after day one I walked by myself (at my own insistence) or with the girl over the road. Who was 6!:cool: I was allowed a comic a week - mine was "Twinkle" - anyone remember Nurse Nancy and the Dolls Hospital? My favourite TV programme was "The Double Deckers"

I remember a bath on a Sunday and "Sunday night at the London Palladium" eating cold meat sandwiches and then sitting with my knitting (poet!). Mum taught me to knit when I was about 7 and I continue to this day. I also crocheted a huuuge blanket of scraps of wool. It took so long that I cant bring myself to get rid of it - or wash it as it is all kinds of different wools. SO it sits in a cupboard somewhere.

We used to have a grocery van come round and that had a smell or atmosphere I can still remember and have never come across since.

We played in the streets from dawn till dusk, we lived on the coast and would go in on or by the water all the time - we couldn't swim, but no-one bothered about it. Having 2 older brothers meant I got into all sorts of scrapes because of them - they sent me down a steep hill in the go-kart and I had no idea how to steer it!, when they played football, I ended up as a goal post (I think it's cos I soon got whacked with the ball and then ran off and left them alone!), In the summer I was the cricket stump. WE had a playground at the bottom of our street and my brothers taught me to play spitfires off the swings - yep, you've guessed, work your swing up as high as you could and see who could spit the furthest :rotfl:One day I ran away from home to the top of the slide cos we were having beans for tea and "I don't like beans, do i?" Brothers were despatched to get me - one came up the slide, one came up the steps, for a brief moment I contemplated jumping to get away from them, but thought better of it.

Gosh - that was an outpouring! The weather is foul today so gardening is out. I have a lecture to write for tomorrow and some documents for work to sort, the house needs hoovering, there's the biggest pile of ironing in the world (GQ! ) cakes to bake for the week. DS lurves lemon drizzle so i think I'll do that and maybe some twinks.

And packing - for GLASTO!!!!! :j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

Mrs_Veg_Plot

recoverydust wrote: »

Thank you for starting this new thread, I lurked on the previous one, reading daily maybe I can feel able to contribute a bit.
Question? Does anyone know of a summery recipe for butternut squash? It's pretty cheap at the moment, but I am stuck for something simple and tasty to cook with it
Thank you
X[/QUOTE


Welcome to the thread recoverydust. I like a butternut squash risotto. I make a risotto as normal and add oven roasted pieces of butternut squash. If I fancy something with a bit of spice I add chirozo.

My primary school was also a two roomed school. There was a a folding dividing wall separating the two rooms. I can not remember how the infants classroom was heated but the juniors was heated by a coke stove with a fireguard around it. On cold wet days there was always the smell of drying mittens and socks. The school secretary's office was the juniors cloakroom.

Have just had poached duck eggs on toast for breakfast, so much tastier than hens eggs.
OH is doing a 12 hr overtime shift today so I am going to crack on with the housework and if the rain stops I will sort out the greenhouse now that all of the lottie veg has been moved out of it. it really is a tiny greenhouse but it is amazing how many plants I can fit in it.

Enjoy your day

Mrs VP

Mint1955

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3938/roasted-butternut-squash-with-goats-cheese

Any nuts will work or do without if you dont have them. I add mushrooms if I have any need using up. This is really tasty and easy prep it early and then pop in oven to re warm it doesn't spoil. I use feta instead of goats cheese but a lump of Brie will do as well.

Possession

I love butternut squash in a warm salad with roasted peppers, sunblush (or just roasted) tomatoes and some kind of cheese, either grilled halloumi or goats cheese or some feta.

FairyPrincessk

Morning all! I see there are many joining, welcome!

Hugs to any who need them, and a gentle stroke to all of the poorly pets out there.

I'm enjoying reading all of the memories! In a bit of a rush this morning, just waiting for my turn in the shower before we head to a car boot sale. Unfortunately we had the dates/times wrong and missed the food festival. Just as well, we would have been tempted to try something, although there were supposed to be a few demonstrations that i'm sorry I missed.

I hope you all have a lovely day!

mardatha

JackieO, your memories are amazing. Bring back all sort of things I'd forgotten.
I hated those bloody nylon sheets too but everybody had them because they dried in minutes
And whoever mentioned the smell of the grocers van - I remember that too.

fuddle

Loving all the stories of back then. Being an 80'a kid my memories are completely alien in comparison. I wouldn't say progression through the decades means that they were better memories though.

DH and I were brought up in opposite ends of the county and lived miles away from the grandma. When we got together it became apparent that my grandma lived next door but one to his grandma. I have a black and white photo of both ladies sat in the step on the doorstep hanging on the landing. What are the chances of that?

Welcome to our new posters, ease keep posting your making such a welcome contribution to a thead that is much needed and enjoyed, dontcha agree?

Monnagran, I'd like to see you as your younger self

Pooky

Fuddle - how amazing that your grandmothers knew each other!

We found out just before DHs grandad passed away last year that he was stationed in Egypt at the same camp as my Garndad during the war, as they were both quite high up in the RAF they probably knew each other too.... DH and I met by chance online and would never have met under normal day to day circumstances. Spooky.

Fluffy kitten has eaten! Yay. She's also just been sitting in the garden sniffing the fresh air and came in for a stroke. (she won't like her tablet today) but much improved!

I've just cooked a full breakfast which was lovely but now need to tackle the dishes and get dressed. Today's aim is to fix the leak under the bath (groan), tidy the garage (even groaner) and look at AF to see if there's anything I need to order. Fun fun fun!

ginnyknit

Born in 59' and have many memories of the things others have mentioned. I always thought it was wonderful going to the chinese laundry for my uncles collars We didnt have much freedom here due to the Moors murders, I now live a few hundred yards from where Myra went to school and where Brady worked ( I think it was a printers). A recent documentary showed many of the places of my childhood. I went to school with a girl who was playing with Leslie Anne Downey the day she disappeared. As kids we didnt really know what was going on but I now realise how carefully we were protected, parents didnt discuss things with their children.

On a brighter note its pouring down which gives me a good excuse for staying in DGs just went home and has been fab again this weekend apart from waking me at 2 am as he was giggling his head off :eek: soon went back to sleep and sadly couldnt share the joke with me :rotfl:

Have to go make hobknobs and put toys away.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Thanks for all those flashbacks...I`d like to share a few too.
I was an only child, our village school was the stone-built Church. 2 rooms with a couple of divider panels in the bigger room to make it into 2 classrooms. The infants had the smaller room, but we could still hear them! In the week there was a big old wooden screen around the altar, and the rows of church chairs were piled in a store room. On Sundays the school desks were all piled into the infants room.
My mum WAS the `Nitty Nora`!
My Auntie discovered Brentford Nylons as she lived quite near them in London and used to get the `bargains` and send them to us. Soon after I escaped the `liberty bodice` period Aunty G bought me a pink nylon `baby doll` nightie and I loved it, briefly, at the time. Would you believe it, there are STILL lots of the horrible brushed nylon nighties around even now - many of our elderly female patients have them, and they are really nasty clingy things when the wearer is bed-bound.

Re the Robertsons golly badges - around the mid-nineties, we had a lovely Indian lady doctor who wore a doctor golly badge on the lapel of her white coat. Even then, they were considered inappropriate, but she loved hers and was proud to tell everyone it was a present from her family. I suppose officialdom has stopped her wearing it now, wherever she may be.

While we`re looking back - does anyone remember those AWFUL fibreglass curtains? Mum got some with leaves on, then we moved house and she wanted to shorten them to fit the new windows better, but the fibres snapped and frayed when you tried to sew the stuff on the old singer treadle. And the creases from previous sewing would never come out. Mum tried taking a whole pair to bits and re-sewing them by hand, but ended up with leaves growing up one curtain and down the other, didn`t notice till they were up on the window again. My dad found this hilarious, Mum replaced them all soon after that, but it was a family joke for ages. Any bargain or new household item she bought, dad would say `I hope it`s not another fibreglass curtain`.