We forget just how hard our mothers and grandmothers had to work. The stone was either a "donkey stone" or an "ashley stone (sic) The blue bags were used at the Co-op and similar bags in different colour for currants, rice etc. , I remember my mothers Co-op number was 2901 and my grandmothers was 372, surprising what stays in your mind isn't it. It was my job to do Mothers step and grandmothers step every day, if you had a dirty step you were looked down on no matter how poor you were your steps and your windows, were spotless. Cocunut matting well remember in the back kitchen. and peg rugs being made in the evenings for in front of the large shiny black ranges with the oven at one side and a boiler for water at the other (in our case). but the brasses and the curbs shone. Washing day you mostly had soup made from leftovers from the Sunday dinner, not that there was very many leftovers during the 1940's. As a child I remember going to my other grandmothers and seeing her doing her washing in the wash-house at the side of the kitchen with tubs, and dolly, and posser to hand. there always seemed to be baking cooling on the windowsill as well, she made bread, pies, and large cakes for slicing up . This grandmother was exceptional, she had had 20 children 4 sets of twins. three sets were boy/girl twins and one set of boy twins besides the other 12. now washing and ironing and cooking for that lot must have been horrendous besides the housework and on top of that she was a "doctors assistant". There were also the huge stoneware containers for bread, and for stoneware pots for cooking in , usually hotpots or stews put in the oven at the side of the fire to cook slowly using the heat that was warming the room and the water at the same time. Regards Eileen (St Helens)

Now a days we have women complaining about handling 2 kids and a part time job. How things have changed. And the men help with the house work and cooking now. Betty Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: <Littlmum@aol.com> To: <eng-manchester@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 2:05 AM Subject: Re: [ENG-MAN] Memories of our hard working Mums. > We forget just how hard our mothers and grandmothers had to work. > > The stone was either a "donkey stone" or an "ashley stone (sic) > > > The blue bags were used at the Co-op and similar bags in different > colour > for currants, rice etc. , I remember my mothers Co-op number was 2901 > and > my grandmothers was 372, surprising what stays in your mind isn't it. > > > It was my job to do Mothers step and grandmothers step every day, if you > had a dirty step you were looked down on no matter how poor you were your > steps > and your windows, were spotless. > > Cocunut matting well remember in the back kitchen. and peg rugs being > made > in the evenings for in front of the large shiny black ranges with the oven > at > one side and a boiler for water at the other (in our case). but the > brasses and the curbs shone. > > Washing day you mostly had soup made from leftovers from the Sunday > dinner, > not that there was very many leftovers during the 1940's. > > As a child I remember going to my other grandmothers and seeing her doing > her washing in the wash-house at the side of the kitchen with tubs, and > dolly, > and posser to hand. there always seemed to be baking cooling on the > windowsill as well, she made bread, pies, and large cakes for slicing up > . > > This grandmother was exceptional, she had had 20 children 4 sets of > twins. three sets were boy/girl twins and one set of boy twins besides > the > other 12. now washing and ironing and cooking for that lot must have > been > horrendous besides the housework and on top of that she was a "doctors > assistant". > > There were also the huge stoneware containers for bread, and for stoneware > pots for cooking in , usually hotpots or stews put in the oven at the side > of > the fire to cook slowly using the heat that was warming the room and the > water > at the same time. > > Regards > > > Eileen (St Helens) > > > > > > > > ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ > > Except for personal messages, please post replies to the list. > Other people can learn from them! > > ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-MANCHESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message