Then I must get them when I next visit! Sovereign Hill (Ballarat, Victoria - gold country)- same sort of thing as the Black Country Living Museum - used to sell them. I got two. Now they only sell it in cubes, paper wrapped - not at all what I remember. What happened to the two I got and saved carefully? Husband thought he would help me when packing for the move - took the fabric wrappers off, and three them away - presented me with a fast vanishing blue lump - it was a few days later, too, he was so proud of himself, too. Rag and bone man has long since gone, too. We only had one or two that I remember - and the rabbitohs. Rabbits were cleaned and skinned, very cheap per pair. You never got just one from the rabbitoh. He had most likely killed them himself. These days, I cannot afford rabbit - it is a gourmet farmed meat! Wild bunnies abound and cause no end of damage to crops, soil, whatever. Thanks to the nice Englishman who felt like a spot of hunting in about 1860 and released about six pair. Never saw gas lighting in streets, it had long gone by 1947 when I came along. Houses - all electric I think - but.. remember, a house is VERY old here if it is say older than 100 years - very early ones, a handful, might be from the 1840s. Mine is old and it was built mid 1960s! Dawn -----Original Message----- From: staffordshire-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:staffordshire-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Alan Sent: Monday, 5 March 2012 11:04 AM To: staffordshire@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [STAFFORDSHIRE] LIFE in the 1870-1900s Dawn wrote "Then - the whites went into a rinse with blue added - blue bags used to colour the water - I remember them but my American husband had no idea - and then, dripping almost, out onto the line." Dolly blue bags - we used to get them from the rag and bone man. Another fixture of my childhood that has long disappeared! You can still buy dolly blue here in the UK if you know where to look. Angela ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.927 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/4249 - Release Date: 03/03/12 19:34:00 ****************************** ATTENTION TO ALL:- When replying please remove the details that do not apply to your mail and change the SUBJECT LINE for best useage of ARCHIVED MATERIALS. ------------------------------- ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to STAFFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6938 (20120305) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6938 (20120305) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com