Hi Lister Friends, As Betty says, "things are quiet", so I am bursting in to print again to fill the void, and perhaps tempt some of the lurkers from out of the woodwork! I had things on my mind, anyway! Last week, walking down Market St., I spied the prettiest dress that I have seen for many a year, at the front of a shop window. It had a fitted strapless bodice and flared skirt and was in what I call "a bedroom wallpaper striped" print .It was straight out of the 1950's, that era of such pretty and feminine dresses in lovely cottons. Does anyone remember the brands "Californian Cottons" and "Brilkie"? Of course it was in my hey day when I was the right age and shape to wear them and naturally mixed up with other pleasurable memories! Next to this dress was one with a handkerchief pointed hemline, in vibrant colours; the style, if not the colour reminiscent of the 1920s. My mother was a physical type that suited the styles of that decade and the following 1930s. Bobbed hair, but not too drastically, cloche hats and the loose fitted garments became her. I remember one vivid blue dress with a creamy oyster draped collar, which she wore to a 21st, when I was very small. A chain and pearl necklace was around her neck. She leaned over me for a goodnight kiss, smelling delightful and very different to her workaday self; transformed into a glamorous being. I have two photos to treasure of that period. One as a young woman, wearing that necklace and a pretty dress of the 1920s.The other was on her wedding day, 31st July 1930, when she wore a dress in beige, and brown voile, (I think), with a pattern of acorns, topped by a sweet little cloche hat. She looked lovely. With what joyful abandon and delight my mother's generation threw away constricting corsets and cut off their long tresses. A feeling of light-headedness! Freedom! War is not to be recommended but apart from the downside it did loosen womens' bonds in so many ways due to them being needed in the war effort. It was reflected in shorter and less confining clothing, which in the 1920s was taken much further. Older ladies were often slow to follow the trends---if at all. When I was very young many of them still stuck to long black or dark coloured apparel, others were glad to "ease their stays" and be comfortable. I had a grandmother in each camp! There is a photo taken of Grandma Parritt circa 1930, in strong sunlight, and a hard line in her clothing must surely denote the edge of very sturdy "foundations"? She had a very upright carriage, which she has bequeathed down the family line, but in anycase I think that her corsets would have "stood alone"!!! I did mention hair, didn't I? I have a photo of Fanny Mary Campbell, later to be my Grandma Lucas, when she was 17 or 18. She is wearing a high necked dress with leg o' mutton sleeves; her silver "Fanny" brooch pinned to it. Her long hair was pulled back into a bun, and the front fringe area was "frizzled" in the fashionable "Alexandra" look. Society ladies achieved this appearance with an attached hairpiece. The "hoy poloi" did so with heated curling tongs! Can you imagine the smell, burnt fingers and other disasters that accompanied this operation? "Singed hair"----"Mmmmmmm, one of my favourite aromas, since as a 7 and 8 year old I passed a small blacksmith's forge, en route to Grandma's for lunch and piano practice.The smell wafted into the street as I paused to watch him shoeing a horse, because there were still a lot of delivery horses around, prewar. I think the hair ritual, with its problems, was described in "Little Women", by Louisa M. Alcott or if not that book, one of the subequent volumes. Continuing with hair. How little girls suffered with hair rolled up in rags each night to produce ringlets or curls. I can remember only one such occasion, myself, and the result was less than successful as a short time later the curls were gone and I was left with what was known as "sore fingers", where the hair sticks out at an ugly angle.Our elders went in for the Marcelle wave for sociable occasions, and hairdressers premises were proliferating. I still have some wave grips around, somewhere! Dinky curlers afflicted most of us as we passed into our teens. I was adept in their use, unfortunately, as very often I was roped in by my mother to help my sister. It restored the peace! They were uncomfortable to sleep in and the results in the dampish winter canal mists of Foleshill didn't last long, unless you combed it into a roll and secured with pins. Not the most flattering coiffeur for a fourteen year old! This was pointed out to me by the family, but defiantly, when out of sight of home I restored it. Sneaky, see? Women in war-work were rolling their hair over a ribbon tied around their heads---at least it kept tidy for hours Before then there had been some accidents when young women, aping their favourite filmstars, got their locks caught in the machinery. They risked a scalping, at the very least. I'm trying to think who had such long peekaboo tresses. Was it Veronica Lake? (Betty will know! Rescue me, please!). Permanent waves at this time required you to be strung up to a device above. The skill and concentration of the operator determined whether you left, smiling, with a head of tightly arranged waves and curls, or a sour expression due to numerous burns! Joyce and I experienced this, just once when for a treat we had our "ends" permed. We achieved some curls, but also a row of small burns on our necks! Sore, but curly! Fortunately, relief was not too far away as someone invented other types of perms---namely based on the application of lotions. Not that this affected me---until the advent of the Home Perm. How this liberated us! Mind you the lotions could be smelt throughout the house and those involved, and bystanders, wept copiously! Still, as they say, "no pain, no gain!" My first Home Perm was the most memorable as seeing me struggle my father volunteered to wind for me. Now he was in the engineering trade and took the instructions very seriously. He almost measured the length for each curl and parted so precisely. The process was going forward, oh so slowly, because of this, until my mother rescued me. If not, I fear that he would still have been winding it to this day! I feel that the inventor of the Home Perm deserves a Nobel Prize for freeing us from "bondage and misery"! Over the years I have lived in some weird and wonderful places, and many were far from a town, let alone a hairdressers. I have become adept at perming my own hair, through necessity at first and by choice nowadays. Of course the extremes of hair fashion, require an expert, so are not for me. Do you remember the bouffant and teased hair of the 60s? Nowadays I am fascinated by the myriad tiny plaits some sport; ethnic in origin and looking fabulous on the heads of some North African races, who also have wonderful facial structure. I have, more recently admired this style on an ashblonde pharmacy assistant, who by the way had wonderful cheekbones and brow bones to complete the look. Still---not for me, as I like to get a brush or comb through my hair! I can remember fashion following the Jackie Kenedy look, and sitting at home in the fastness of Nydia Bay, making a fur fabric pillbox hat to wear on my next visit to the capital! It was also the era of crimpelene (Sp?) I had reason to be grateful to the goodnature of this fabric and will relate why.(Ian, get ready to hold your sides!). My four year old son, Colin, broke his arm and had to be transported by boat and car to Wairau Hospital, where it was Xrayed and put in plaster. We had to stay overnight so that the plaster could be checked next morning, so our neighbour promised to collect us then. En route he said that we were stopping off for lunch at his home. We lived in neighbouring bays, but with no road access I had never been there,so I was pleased. We tied up to his wharf, and it being not too far from low water there was a stiffish climb up a vertical ladder onto the decking itself. "Don't stand on the lower rung as it is rotten" I was cautioned. So I stepped up higher----and crack, the rung broke; the momentum pushed out the launch, and I was left hanging in mid-air whilst my friend endeavoured to swing the boat in.The inevitable happened as my wrists gave out and into the water I went.Colin, meanwhile was frantic, and I had to make reasuring noises without taking aboard any more water! It proved impossible to hoist me up the side of the boat, so I elected to swim alongside the wharf shorewards, until my feet touched bottom. A sodden Muriel Wells emerged, still in her crimpelene suit, shoes, stockings and handbag over my arm. I was very grateful that I had remembered how to swim, as with 4 little ones aged between 1 and 5, my supervisory water duties hadn't given me opportunities to do more than paddle for some years. I was dried off and wrapped in my hostess's very voluminous clothes and we had lunch.Suddenly I realised something was missing. Oh, my glasses! We trouped back down and there, with the tide dead low, we spied them on the bottom. Some deft work with the boat hook and they were soon on my nose! But---look! Low water revealed broken off piles and huge ballast stones littering the sea-bottom. I'm glad that I 'd timed my plunge when I did! Like so many happenings, all turned out well, but it might not have done so. Tragedy and comedy are often close bed fellows! The history of the Sounds abounds with tragedies-,--and comedies, too, I suspect, as it can be an unforgiving environment. I was lucky! I hope that I haven't bored you. Perhaps I may have even encouraged you to look at some of your memorablia with fresh eyes, or triggered off a few memories. I do hope so. It brings our past alive. Regards, Muriel.

----- Original Message ----- From: "pollyp" <pollyp@xtra.co.nz> To: <ENG-BANBURY-AREA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 8:36 PM Subject: [BAN] Remember------this and that? It was Veronica Lake. I can remember sing songing "Veronica Puddle". Enjoyed your memories as always! Barb USA > Hi Lister Friends, > As Betty says, "things are quiet", so I am bursting in to print > again to fill the void, and perhaps tempt some of the lurkers from > out of the woodwork! I had things on my mind, anyway! > Last week, walking down Market St., I spied the prettiest dress > that I have seen for many a year, at the front of a shop window. > It had a fitted strapless bodice and flared skirt and was in what I > call "a bedroom wallpaper striped" print .It was straight out of > the 1950's, that era of such pretty and feminine dresses in lovely > cottons. Does anyone remember the brands "Californian Cottons" > and "Brilkie"? Of course it was in my hey day when I was the right > age and shape to wear them and naturally mixed up with other > pleasurable memories! > Next to this dress was one with a handkerchief pointed hemline, > in vibrant colours; the style, if not the colour reminiscent of the > 1920s. My mother was a physical type that suited the styles of that > decade and the following 1930s. Bobbed hair, but not too drastically, > cloche hats and the loose fitted garments became her. I remember > one vivid blue dress with a creamy oyster draped collar, which > she wore to a 21st, when I was very small. A chain and pearl > necklace was around her neck. She leaned over me for a goodnight > kiss, smelling delightful and very different to her workaday self; > transformed into a glamorous being. I have two photos to treasure of > that period. One as a young woman, wearing that necklace and a > pretty dress of the 1920s.The other was on her wedding day, 31st > July 1930, when she wore a dress in beige, and brown voile, (I think), > with a pattern of acorns, topped by a sweet little cloche hat. She > looked lovely. > With what joyful abandon and delight my mother's generation > threw away constricting corsets and cut off their long tresses. A > feeling of light-headedness! Freedom! War is not to be recommended > but apart from the downside it did loosen womens' bonds in so many > ways due to them being needed in the war effort. It was reflected > in shorter and less confining clothing, which in the 1920s was taken > much further. > Older ladies were often slow to follow the trends---if at all. > When I was very young many of them still stuck to long black > or dark coloured apparel, others were glad to "ease their stays" > and be comfortable. I had a grandmother in each camp! There > is a photo taken of Grandma Parritt circa 1930, in strong sunlight, > and a hard line in her clothing must surely denote the edge of very > sturdy "foundations"? She had a very upright carriage, which she > has bequeathed down the family line, but in anycase I think that her > corsets would have "stood alone"!!! > I did mention hair, didn't I? I have a photo of Fanny Mary > Campbell, later to be my Grandma Lucas, when she was 17 or 18. > She is wearing a high necked dress with leg o' mutton sleeves; > her silver "Fanny" brooch pinned to it. Her long hair was pulled > back into a bun, and the front fringe area was "frizzled" in the > fashionable "Alexandra" look. Society ladies achieved this > appearance with an attached hairpiece. The "hoy poloi" did so > with heated curling tongs! Can you imagine the smell, burnt fingers > and other disasters that accompanied this operation? > "Singed hair"----"Mmmmmmm, one of my favourite aromas, > since as a 7 and 8 year old I passed a small blacksmith's forge, > en route to Grandma's for lunch and piano practice.The smell > wafted into the street as I paused to watch him shoeing a horse, > because there were still a lot of delivery horses around, prewar. > I think the hair ritual, with its problems, was described in > "Little Women", by Louisa M. Alcott or if not that book, one of > the subequent volumes. > Continuing with hair. How little girls suffered with hair rolled > up in rags each night to produce ringlets or curls. I can remember > only one such occasion, myself, and the result was less than > successful as a short time later the curls were gone and I was left > with what was known as "sore fingers", where the hair sticks out > at an ugly angle.Our elders went in for the Marcelle wave for sociable > occasions, and hairdressers premises were proliferating. I still > have some wave grips around, somewhere! > Dinky curlers afflicted most of us as we passed into our teens. > I was adept in their use, unfortunately, as very often I was roped in > by my mother to help my sister. It restored the peace! They were > uncomfortable to sleep in and the results in the dampish winter > canal mists of Foleshill didn't last long, unless you combed it into > a roll and secured with pins. Not the most flattering coiffeur for a > fourteen year old! This was pointed out to me by the family, but > defiantly, when out of sight of home I restored it. Sneaky, see? > Women in war-work were rolling their hair over a ribbon tied > around their heads---at least it kept tidy for hours Before then > there had been some accidents when young women, aping their > favourite filmstars, got their locks caught in the machinery. > They risked a scalping, at the very least. I'm trying to think who > had such long peekaboo tresses. Was it Veronica Lake? > (Betty will know! Rescue me, please!). > Permanent waves at this time required you to be strung up > to a device above. The skill and concentration of the operator > determined whether you left, smiling, with a head of tightly > arranged waves and curls, or a sour expression due to numerous > burns! Joyce and I experienced this, just once when for a treat > we had our "ends" permed. We achieved some curls, but also > a row of small burns on our necks! Sore, but curly! > Fortunately, relief was not too far away as someone invented > other types of perms---namely based on the application of lotions. > Not that this affected me---until the advent of the Home Perm. How > this liberated us! Mind you the lotions could be smelt throughout > the house and those involved, and bystanders, wept copiously! > Still, as they say, "no pain, no gain!" > My first Home Perm was the most memorable as seeing > me struggle my father volunteered to wind for me. Now he was in > the engineering trade and took the instructions very seriously. He > almost measured the length for each curl and parted so precisely. > The process was going forward, oh so slowly, because of this, until > my mother rescued me. If not, I fear that he would still have been > winding it to this day! > I feel that the inventor of the Home Perm deserves a Nobel > Prize for freeing us from "bondage and misery"! Over the years I have > lived in some weird and wonderful places, and many were far from > a town, let alone a hairdressers. I have become adept at perming my > own hair, through necessity at first and by choice nowadays. > Of course the extremes of hair fashion, require an expert, so are > not for me. Do you remember the bouffant and teased hair of the 60s? > Nowadays I am fascinated by the myriad tiny plaits some sport; > ethnic in origin and looking fabulous on the heads of some North > African races, who also have wonderful facial structure. I have, > more recently admired this style on an ashblonde pharmacy > assistant, who by the way had wonderful cheekbones and brow > bones to complete the look. Still---not for me, as I like to get a > brush or comb through my hair! > I can remember fashion following the Jackie Kenedy look, and > sitting at home in the fastness of Nydia Bay, making a fur fabric > pillbox hat to wear on my next visit to the capital! It was also the > era of crimpelene (Sp?) I had reason to be grateful to the > goodnature of this fabric and will relate why.(Ian, get ready to hold > your sides!). > My four year old son, Colin, broke his arm and had to be > transported by boat and car to Wairau Hospital, where it was > Xrayed and put in plaster. We had to stay overnight so that the > plaster could be checked next morning, so our neighbour promised > to collect us then. En route he said that we were stopping off for > lunch at his home. We lived in neighbouring bays, but with no > road access I had never been there,so I was pleased. We tied up > to his wharf, and it being not too far from low water there was a > stiffish climb up a vertical ladder onto the decking itself. "Don't > stand on the lower rung as it is rotten" I was cautioned. So I > stepped up higher----and crack, the rung broke; the momentum > pushed out the launch, and I was left hanging in mid-air whilst > my friend endeavoured to swing the boat in.The inevitable happened > as my wrists gave out and into the water I went.Colin, meanwhile > was frantic, and I had to make reasuring noises without taking > aboard any more water! It proved impossible to hoist me up the > side of the boat, so I elected to swim alongside the wharf shorewards, > until my feet touched bottom. > A sodden Muriel Wells emerged, still in her crimpelene suit, > shoes, stockings and handbag over my arm. I was very grateful that > I had remembered how to swim, as with 4 little ones aged between > 1 and 5, my supervisory water duties hadn't given me opportunities > to do more than paddle for some years. I was dried off and wrapped > in my hostess's very voluminous clothes and we had lunch.Suddenly > I realised something was missing. Oh, my glasses! We trouped > back down and there, with the tide dead low, we spied them on the > bottom. Some deft work with the boat hook and they were soon on > my nose! But---look! Low water revealed broken off piles and huge > ballast stones littering the sea-bottom. I'm glad that I 'd timed my > plunge when I did! > Like so many happenings, all turned out well, but it might not > have done so. Tragedy and comedy are often close bed fellows! The > history of the Sounds abounds with tragedies-,--and comedies, too, I > suspect, as it can be an unforgiving environment. I was lucky! > I hope that I haven't bored you. Perhaps I may have even > encouraged you to look at some of your memorablia with fresh eyes, > or triggered off a few memories. I do hope so. It brings our past alive. > Regards, > Muriel. > > > > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >