Could we all travel back to the old times?

moanymoany

Olliebeak wrote: »

Yes, moanymoany, grandmother did the tealeaves thing as well - lol!

At one stage, when grandad was on strike for a couple of weeks, she used the water from soaking the potatoes to starch his collars!

Although I grew up in the 50's, it was more like the 30's because I don't think she had changed her ways from when first married - apart from having a tv from 1956 (grandad thought they were a waste of money while there was only the one channel!).

This is, more or less, the cooker that we had until 1963 - think ours had a temperature indicator on the outside of the door though - it could be regulated a bit by sliding the little button thing to the left or right (or the switch labelled low/med/high). How the heck did Grandma ever manage to cook a Christmas Dinner for 6 on that?

In the winter gran did her cooking in the oven next to the fire. My aunty's fire had not only an oven but pan rings that could be moved back and forward over the fire.

As I remember, many people lived in the way my gran did. The gas cooker was very basic, but had a dial for setting the oven in the 'gas mark' system. As Kitty points out, there was still a great deal of poverty around during the fifties and early 60's.

When I was with my mother and father there were days when all I was given to eat was a slice of bread and salt water gravy, (salty water thickened with flour and coloured with sugar burnt on a spoon). As like many, many families, much of the money they both earned was spent by my dad - mostly in the pub. It was very common then for men to go to the pub every night and twice at the weekend. In my north east midlands town, when I had to wait outside the pubs my dad went to, I remember them being very crowded. I don't think that this happens so much today.

I had my tonsils out when I was 6, under the still 'new' NHS. No-one was allowed to come to see me and I was always called 'little girl', not by my name. I saw my first ice cube and was frightened because I thought they were tablets.

As with Kitty, this gave me the drive to 'get out' and have a very different life. Ironically, I am the only one prepared to pay the extra to allow my mother to live in a nice nursing home. :rolleyes:

Pink_Fairy_2

The house I was born in (late 50's) had no electric, and an outside lav. Later, I can remember rubbing ice off the bedroom windows, a rug on the lino beside the bed, washing in a bowl in front of the fire, because the bathroom was too cold, liberty bodices, Mum's first "automatic" washing machine, top loading with an electric mangle on the top. She had to wash everything, mangle it, rinse it and mangle it again! Mum passed away last May, but had bought a twin tub the year before, which someone was only too pleased to rip my arm off for. My parents became Salvation Army Officers when my sister and I were very small. Current Officers really don't know how lucky they are. Yes, my parents had a tied house, car allowance, but my shoes (due to Talipes) cost a week's wages. My mother was very talented a knitting and sewing (my sister sews, and I knit), but we also relied on ICI (It Came In) donations. For my parents and many others in that era, it truly was a vocation!:T

The Coal House was a brilliant programme, bringing most of Wales to a halt to watch. The largest family (7 children) didn't cope very well at all, but the other two fared better. I think the key was getting the fire going. Once that was sorted, you had hot water, your food was cooking, and you could dry the washing.

My washing machine gave up the ghost about three months before we moved, so knowing the move was coming up, I didn't replace it. I washed everything in the bath, putting things to soak over night if necessary, but took heavy stuff to the local laundrette (how do they cope on Eastenders???) My tumble dryer has started playing up, and with a post Christmas cash flow problem, I acquired a 2nd clothes horse via Freecycle and am managing fine! I am planning to buy a pulley to put up in the sun lounge. Who knows, I may not get the tumble dryer repaired!!!

We do have the heating on all day, as my son is home and has a health problem, but we also dress accordingly, use throws, wheat bags etc. We do cook most meals from scratch, and although we now have a breadmaker, when we first married, we did make all our own bread. We still make our own pizzas and burgers. Maybe we would cope quite well.

Hardup_Hester

I'm not sure I could do without my washing machine, but I don't use my tumble dryer, it stopped working last year, I know there is a reset button on the back, but I'm not resetting it as I know the lodger would have it running all day.

poppett

This has been a topic of conversation in our home many times. I really like the idea of 50's style living, the clothes included. My daughter said to me tonight though "mum you wouldn't like it without central heating." I explained to her that when I was growing u we didn't have it anyway. We had one fire (in the living room) to heat the whole 3 bedroomed house, sometimes in winter us for kids would bring our mattress' downstairs and all sleep in the only warm room! For someone who is constantly cold I do wonder myself sometimes how I got through it but then again we were more active then, instead of sitting in front of pc's, tele's etc.

Anyway back to the 50's.....good wholesome food was cooked, everyone pulled together and managed without the gadgets of today. If given the chance I'd love a retro home and wardrobe full of clothes...so glamourous.

Hardup_Hester

In the 50's most people didn't do recreational shopping, we shopped for food etc but I can remember the excitement of shopping for a bridesmaid dress, it was a really big event.
Also eating out, in that respect, hubby & I do still live in the good old days, we went out for a meal in November, with some friends, we only went out twice last year & I was so excited both times.

spookycat_2

This thread has really struck a cord with me, as we attempt to simplify our lives and live OS in every way.
So disheartened with the education system were we and convinced our children would not learn the skills they would need to manage successfully in the world, we deregistered them from school to teach them ourselves. Now 2 years later my children are happy, confident, learning about and living life everyday & understanding about community and our need to fully include ourselves within it.
We do have a landline and internet (obv) but no mobiles. We have freeview but they are only allowed tv for 30mins a day, often they don't even watch it this long. They have some video games but gain there's a 30 minute limit. Everyone helps around the house most things are made/mended not only to save money, but to cut down on our wastefulness. Our food is increasingly supplied by our allotment, but obv not all. We do have a washing machine, dishwasher and tumble dryer, but recently I've been trying to use these a lot less, making the children wear clothes that aren't dirty, rinsing dishes or waiting until there is hot water to wash dishes, air dryer, that kind of thing.
I think the temptation to think that life is better when something is doing it for us is an illusion. I do fear for children these days and how prepared for life they really are. Most kids in primary school don't seem to know that chips are made from potatoes, eek!
It's this kind of detachment from the natural world and from society as a whole that worries me.