I'm Back

Brambling

The smell of brasso always reminds me of coming home from school and mum sitting at the table cleaning the brass and trying to avoid having to help 🙂 My last job had brass hand rails on the stairs and it would take me back when they use to clean them 🙂

Mum never wore perfume but there was a open bottle of her mum's favourite in her dressing table from from they cleared her belongings.  I use to sneak in and smell it 🙂 I can shut my eyes and smell it now and clearly see the bottle and the box it came in - long forgot what it was called but it was a old lady perfume 🤔

Other than the mobile library which came fortnightly and I was allowed ten books a fortnight as my dad told them I was getting his too, we shared a love of detective books and would both read all ten 🙂 my sister and I would also go to the library in the next village on our bikes approx 3 miles away, it was a big old house and definitely had its own unique smell.  They build the 'new' library after I left the village and it didn't smell the same

pollyanna_26

I know many used it back then but I grew to really dislike Windolene. It seemed to take forever to polish it off. Years ago I discovered ECloth . Bought the mop first then the window cleaning pack followed by a miini mop for bathroom tiles and awkward spaces on bathroom floors. It swivels around things and I also use it on the inside of the bathroom window.

Just plain warm water for all no cleaning products and you don't even need a bucket. There are other items including fluffy mop heads for floors which also dust skirtings as you go.

I would never go back to the old way of cleaning . Moneysaving and no cleaning products to buy.

pollyx

pollyanna_26

Brambling said:

The smell of brasso always reminds me of coming home from school and mum sitting at the table cleaning the brass and trying to avoid having to help 🙂 My last job had brass hand rails on the stairs and it would take me back when they use to clean them 🙂

Mum never wore perfume but there was a open bottle of her mum's favourite in her dressing table from from they cleared her belongings.  I use to sneak in and smell it 🙂 I can shut my eyes and smell it now and clearly see the bottle and the box it came in - long forgot what it was called but it was a old lady perfume 🤔

Other than the mobile library which came fortnightly and I was allowed ten books a fortnight as my dad told them I was getting his too, we shared a love of detective books and would both read all ten 🙂 my sister and I would also go to the library in the next village on our bikes approx 3 miles away, it was a big old house and definitely had its own unique smell.  They build the 'new' library after I left the village and it didn't smell the same

When I was in my early teens I noticed one of my aunties had a little dish of what i later discovered were Lavender bath salts on her bathroom window sill and every time I went to the tiolet I;d have a little sniff.

I'd never seen such a thing it was Lifebouy soap for us girls at home. I managed to get a Saturday job in a nearby chemist for a while  and the couple who owned it agreed to pay me in bath salts and talcum powder. I felt very grown up.

I still love the scent of Lavender and grow lots of different varieties.

Didn't like the smell of Brasso we had brass fenders at each fireplace and as the eldest daughter that became my job. Thankfully mum didn't have brass ornaments she liked china or pottery and looked after them herself.

pollyx

joedenise

The smell of violets reminds me of my nan, also Brasso as that was one of my jobs when I visited her on a Saturday - once every 3 weeks; the other weeks were window cleaning (she lived in a basement flat and I was the only one who could fit under the railings which were over the sort of balcony! and the other week in the summer was cutting the edges of the lawn with a pair of big scissors they weren't shears (I wish they had been at least it would have been a bit quicker!).

The smell of Wright Coal Tar reminds me of my dad as he worked for them all his life so all our toiletries were from there - shampoo, soap, Gumption (who remembers that stuff - I hated the smell!)?

mehefin

Love the way this thread has morphed from welcome back Jackie O to books, libraries and remembered smells. Highly entertaining.
As a trustee of our village community library I can only endorse the continued use by all users. Since Covid we have struggled with volunteers and user footfall(not helped by the restrictions in Wales). However the tide is turning, albeit slowly, and I am hopeful that we will be able to continue well into the future.
Keep using your libraries,please

skogar

Great to see you back Jackie O. We've missed you.

pollyanna_26

mehefin said:

Love the way this thread has morphed from welcome back Jackie O to books, libraries and remembered smells. Highly entertaining.
As a trustee of our village community library I can only endorse the continued use by all users. Since Covid we have struggled with volunteers and user footfall(not helped by the restrictions in Wales). However the tide is turning, albeit slowly, and I am hopeful that we will be able to continue well into the future.
Keep using your libraries,please

It's good to hear the tide is turning. We had two community libraries after losing all but one across the area. Our beautiful main library will never return I doubt any of the other public ones will either. At the moment we are down to a community venture in a converted Station Masters House which serves many different purposes and has been closed more often than open during the pandemic. Necessary but sad when apart from books there was an advice service and lots of other things there.

I never thought I would see such a time. Libraries and other things were always there. It reminds me of the song " The day the music died" I hope you will be able to continue in to the future.

pollyx

London_1

Hi Pollyanna I picked up the Helen Forrester 'Tuppence to Cross the Mersey' from my library this morning and will look forward to reading it . they texted me first thing to say it was in I think it looks really interesting  

pollyanna_26

London_1 said:

Hi Pollyanna I picked up the Helen Forrester 'Tuppence to Cross the Mersey' from my library this morning and will look forward to reading it . they texted me first thing to say it was in I think it looks really interesting  

Keep a hankie handy I cried reading that book!

pollyx

marisana_2

Just seen this.  Such good news as I was so sorry when you no longer posted. I rarely comment but have read this forum for some time (since Queenie and Matt) and have missed your positive and helpful presence.