Well, a new month has started and with it a new Take it Further Challenge. If you click here you will see my original post setting out the main parameters of these challenges. So this month the instruction is to stop and think what are you old enough to remember. You do not have to declare your age (!) - but simply what you are old enough to remember. As usual there is an alternative colour choice which you can see here.
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Since I am well into my 50's I have half a century (Aargh!) to look back on! Considering I'm at that 'pause' time of my life it will be a miracle if I can remember anything ;) Funnily enough, I have been looking back a lot lately. I think that's probably got more to do with reading lots of blogs and seeing other people's work focussing on their early lives and influences.
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As Sharon has said in her introduction to this challenge, I can remember back to when it was rare for a household to have a telephone or television, milk arrived on the doorstep in bottles, vegetables came with dirt on them in paper bags or straight into your shopping bag! Cars were few and were angular in shape, the toilet was outside and had a paraffin lamp in it to stop it freezing up, a mangel squeezed the water out of the washing which had been boiled up in a copper (metal tank with a gas fired jet underneath). The bath was a tin that hung up in the outhouse and had to be filled from pans of hot water. Jam, chutney, pickles, pickled onions were all made at home and given away as gifts to anyone who called at the house. Hot water bottles were made of pottery, central heating was a coal fire in the kitchen and frozen windows (on the inside) in the bedrooms. I could go on and on but all these memories bring me to one thing or rather, person.
This is my beautiful Nanna who I spent quite a lot of time with when I was young. This wonderful lady was formidable, a force to be reckoned with. Woe betide any butcher or greengrocer who sent me home with tough meat or soft vegetables! I always had to say "Could I have ..............for Mrs N please" so there was no doubt and back I'd go if it was wrong! :))
You may have gathered by now that I am drawn to base this month's challenge on my indomitable Nanna. While she was a strong lady she had a great charisma, generosity and warmth about her and was a huge influence on me.
At this stage I do not know what form my piece of work will take and for the next day or two I shall be giving this lots of thought.
9 comments:
wonderful Post Julie
Well I can remember most of those things (not the copper, mangle or tin bath though) and I'm only in my 30s. Your Nanna sounds like an amazing woman and I'm looking forward to seeing how you take this further.
You took me right back too Julie, I remember all those things. :))There were a lot of 'Nanna' people around once, maybe if we were all like her we wouldn't be ripped off or have to put up with shoddy goods.I wonder too, if Nanna ever felt as vulnerable as we do when she was on her own and had to walk past a group of young people?
BTW I also remember buying tea loose and getting the vinegar bottle refilled and a quarter of sweets and ...........
Great memories Julie, I share quite a few, especially the ice on the insides of the windows!!
Good luck with this months take it further challenge Julie. I loved all those memories... brought it all back! I remember having a bath in a tin tub in the kitchen in front of the gas stove! The water had to be heated on the stove too as there wasn't any hot water! You Nanna sounded fabulous!
Thanks for the link to the CYber Fibre exhibition too. I'm swapping an ATC!
Gina x
Your Nanna sounds like a memorable woman Julie. I can't wait to see how you memorialize her in your work. It's great to have such a muse to inspire! Thanks for posting on my blog.
Frost on the inside of windows, oh yes, now I remember when Jack Frost would visit and leave his calling card on the windows. Thanks for the memory :)
I look forward to seeing your tribute to your Nanna.
CA
Hi Julie
It's been lovely whizzing around reading all the TIF challengers memories! What a strange world we live in, I wonder if our generation, (the late 50's) have seen the greatest changes in the shortest time of any generation, certainly feels like it, when you put it into print :-)
Your Nanna sounds a wonderful lady, you were very lucky to know her so well.
I hope my grandchildren will remember me with such affection and respect.
I love your Nanna Julie. I had a great grandmother who told off the coalman when she was 99 years old and DH had an aunt who made him go and get fish and chips and remember to say they were for Mrs Dowell (smile) I will have to share your Nanna story with him.
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