Originally Posted by Dragonlady 25:
“Mrs T, what a fab thread you've started.
”
“Mrs T, what a fab thread you've started.
”
It's been a happy one Lady D and fun to read.
How Did We Cope With Blankets, One Coal Fire and Freezing Windows and Rooms?
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Originally Posted by tuppencehapenny:
“Oh yes, I well remember chapped legs! And how uncomfortable and cold it was wearing wellies when your socks slid down under your feet, your legs were bare and the tops of your wellies rubbed your legs when you walked or ran.”
“Oh yes, I well remember chapped legs! And how uncomfortable and cold it was wearing wellies when your socks slid down under your feet, your legs were bare and the tops of your wellies rubbed your legs when you walked or ran.”
I'd forgotten the chapped legs! The skin on my shins used to be cracked every winter, sometimes so badly they bled. My mum used to put Vaseline on them.
My mum used to tell a story about me and my brother when we shared a bed when we were little..........and it's a cold related story !
She said that one night she'd looked in on us to find that we'd decided to pull our jammy trousers down and sleep on our fronts with our bare bottoms stuck up in the air........apparently she saw two blue bottoms.......
She said that one night she'd looked in on us to find that we'd decided to pull our jammy trousers down and sleep on our fronts with our bare bottoms stuck up in the air........apparently she saw two blue bottoms.......
Originally Posted by Dragonlady 25:
“I was born in 1952 and have never seen rickets, though I remember kids wearing calipers as a result of polio.
My sister always got chilblains from toasting her toes too near the fire. I suffered from sties (sp?) in my eyes. Again, something else you don't hear of today.”
“I was born in 1952 and have never seen rickets, though I remember kids wearing calipers as a result of polio.
My sister always got chilblains from toasting her toes too near the fire. I suffered from sties (sp?) in my eyes. Again, something else you don't hear of today.”
Oh yes Polio. What a dreadful disease. I remember the horror of the iron lungs.
How I hate that I can't multi quote on the phone!
Someone responded to my "corned beef legs" reference earlier - I thought maybe it was a regional thing. Are you Scottish?
No nylon sheets here thankfully. Flannelette. I remember the satin trimmed cellular blankets too, wee ones for babies.
My mum still calls duvets continental quilts and she still puts her candlewick bedspread on. She says it beats any trendy throw. To be fair they're in perfect condition, other than the style you'd never know they were 40 years old.
Someone responded to my "corned beef legs" reference earlier - I thought maybe it was a regional thing. Are you Scottish?
No nylon sheets here thankfully. Flannelette. I remember the satin trimmed cellular blankets too, wee ones for babies.
My mum still calls duvets continental quilts and she still puts her candlewick bedspread on. She says it beats any trendy throw.
To be fair they're in perfect condition, other than the style you'd never know they were 40 years old.
Originally Posted by too_much_coffee:
“Fab wasn't it? I feel sorry for the respectable way that students / young people live now. We'd have rather died than have our parents within a five mile radius of where we lived whereas now it seems to be expected that parents ensure that all home comforts are provided.
No wonder we're producing a generation of wimps...
”
“Fab wasn't it? I feel sorry for the respectable way that students / young people live now. We'd have rather died than have our parents within a five mile radius of where we lived whereas now it seems to be expected that parents ensure that all home comforts are provided.
No wonder we're producing a generation of wimps...
”
Our whole leaving home thing was based on escaping as far away and as quickly as possible.
Then more teenagers left education and had to complete in the adult world a lot sooner. I loved it when it was my turn.
Originally Posted by Aarghawasp!:
“How I hate that I can't multi quote on the phone!
Someone responded to my "corned beef legs" reference earlier - I thought maybe it was a regional thing. Are you Scottish?
My mum still calls duvets continental quilts and she still puts her candlewick bedspread on. She says it beats any trendy throw. To be fair they're in perfect condition, other than the style you'd never know they were 40 years old.”
“How I hate that I can't multi quote on the phone!
Someone responded to my "corned beef legs" reference earlier - I thought maybe it was a regional thing. Are you Scottish?
My mum still calls duvets continental quilts and she still puts her candlewick bedspread on. She says it beats any trendy throw.
To be fair they're in perfect condition, other than the style you'd never know they were 40 years old.”
No, I think 'Corned Beef legs' is a British phrase, I always got told to stand back from the fire in case I caught them.......I think it may have been a nicer way of saying "Get out of the way you are blocking the heat"
Originally Posted by flower 2:
“No, I think 'Corned Beef legs' is a British phrase, I always got told to stand back from the fire in case I caught them.......I think it may have been a nicer way of saying "Get out of the way you are blocking the heat"”
“No, I think 'Corned Beef legs' is a British phrase, I always got told to stand back from the fire in case I caught them.......I think it may have been a nicer way of saying "Get out of the way you are blocking the heat"
”
You could be on to something there!
Originally Posted by Aarghawasp!:
“How I hate that I can't multi quote on the phone!
Someone responded to my "corned beef legs" reference earlier - I thought maybe it was a regional thing. Are you Scottish?
No nylon sheets here thankfully. Flannelette. I remember the satin trimmed cellular blankets too, wee ones for babies.
My mum still calls duvets continental quilts and she still puts her candlewick bedspread on. She says it beats any trendy throw. To be fair they're in perfect condition, other than the style you'd never know they were 40 years old.”
“How I hate that I can't multi quote on the phone!
Someone responded to my "corned beef legs" reference earlier - I thought maybe it was a regional thing. Are you Scottish?
No nylon sheets here thankfully. Flannelette. I remember the satin trimmed cellular blankets too, wee ones for babies.
My mum still calls duvets continental quilts and she still puts her candlewick bedspread on. She says it beats any trendy throw.
To be fair they're in perfect condition, other than the style you'd never know they were 40 years old.”
I was corned beef legs respondent. No, I'm not Scottish, brought my family up in Cornwall though I was born in the Midlands. The expression must be more common than I thought, I really thought it was just our family!
I always thought of corn beef legs as orphanage legs. Across the road from church was an orphanage and the girls were brought to church on a Sunday morning. They always wore their uniforms, and no matter how cold the weather, they wore brown ankle socks, hence orphanage or corn beef legs.
God, I felt sorry for those girls.
God, I felt sorry for those girls.
ok...own up! Who mentioned chilblains first?
I'd managed to forget them but the memory of that dreadful itch has resurfaced. Mum bought some cream that worked 'sort of' but smelt strongly of ..........
Anyone know? 1960's
I'd managed to forget them but the memory of that dreadful itch has resurfaced. Mum bought some cream that worked 'sort of' but smelt strongly of ..........
Anyone know? 1960's
Originally Posted by Tess-g:
“ok...own up! Who mentioned chilblains first?
I'd managed to forget them but the memory of that dreadful itch has resurfaced. Mum bought some cream that worked 'sort of' but smelt strongly of ..........
Anyone know? 1960's”
“ok...own up! Who mentioned chilblains first?
I'd managed to forget them but the memory of that dreadful itch has resurfaced. Mum bought some cream that worked 'sort of' but smelt strongly of ..........
Anyone know? 1960's”
Was it Belosa or something like that ? Or Zambuk which seemed to cure every ailment ?
Although Zambuk had a lovely minty smell
Originally Posted by Tess-g:
“ok...own up! Who mentioned chilblains first?
I'd managed to forget them but the memory of that dreadful itch has resurfaced. Mum bought some cream that worked 'sort of' but smelt strongly of ..........
Anyone know? 1960's”
“ok...own up! Who mentioned chilblains first?
I'd managed to forget them but the memory of that dreadful itch has resurfaced. Mum bought some cream that worked 'sort of' but smelt strongly of ..........
Anyone know? 1960's”
calamine lotion, germaline or TCP
Between them they cured everything.......
Originally Posted by swingaleg:
“calamine lotion, germaline or TCP
Between them they cured everything.......”
“calamine lotion, germaline or TCP
Between them they cured everything.......
”
Dont forget Gentian Violet . !!
Originally Posted by duckylucky:
“Was it Belosa or something like that ? Or Zambuk which seemed to cure every ailment ?
Although Zambuk had a lovely minty smell”
“Was it Belosa or something like that ? Or Zambuk which seemed to cure every ailment ?
Although Zambuk had a lovely minty smell”
Originally Posted by swingaleg:
“calamine lotion, germaline or TCP
Between them they cured everything.......”
“calamine lotion, germaline or TCP
Between them they cured everything.......
”
Originally Posted by duckylucky:
“Dont forget Gentian Violet . !!”
“Dont forget Gentian Violet . !!”
We were an Acriflex family so not that..
None of the other names ring any bells. Damn, anyone got an ouija board handy?
Originally Posted by duckylucky:
“Dont forget Gentian Violet . !!”
“Dont forget Gentian Violet . !!”
Gentian violet was for impetigo AFAIK.
The smell of paraffin heaters pervaded my childhood. Just the smell mind, they gave of little or no heat.
Candlewick bedspreads are still available, and currently in use (although mine is not pink).
As are cellular blankets but no flanelette sheets these days. Everyone seemed to have the candy stripe ones.
As are cellular blankets but no flanelette sheets these days. Everyone seemed to have the candy stripe ones.
Originally Posted by benjamini:
“Gentian violet was for impetigo AFAIK.
The smell of paraffin heaters pervaded my childhood. Just the smell mind, they gave of little or no heat.”
“Gentian violet was for impetigo AFAIK.
The smell of paraffin heaters pervaded my childhood. Just the smell mind, they gave of little or no heat.
”
Gentian Violet was for thrush too I remember having a very purple and very sore mouth when about 5 . It was painted on the gums and tongue or on babys bums for thrush
Originally Posted by nanscombe:
“Candlewick bedspreads are still available, and currently in use (although mine is not pink).
As are cellular blankets but no flanelette sheets these days. Everyone seemed to have the candy stripe ones.”
“Candlewick bedspreads are still available, and currently in use (although mine is not pink).
As are cellular blankets but no flanelette sheets these days. Everyone seemed to have the candy stripe ones.”
Yes , always the stripey ones !! And I remember my mum had a blue candlewick dressing gown at some stage
Originally Posted by Tess-g:
“We were an Acriflex family so not that..
None of the other names ring any bells. Damn, anyone got an ouija board handy?”
“We were an Acriflex family so not that..
None of the other names ring any bells. Damn, anyone got an ouija board handy?”
It wasn't Snowfire?
Originally Posted by duckylucky:
“Gentian Violet was for thrush too I remember having a very purple and very sore mouth when about 5 . It was painted on the gums and tongue or on babys bums for thrush”
“Gentian Violet was for thrush too I remember having a very purple and very sore mouth when about 5 . It was painted on the gums and tongue or on babys bums for thrush”
I don't remember that. Just kids with cold sores painted purple
. I remember candlewick bedcovers. And big slippery eiderdowns. And filling glass bottles with hot water as we didn't have proper ones.
beds were freezing and never warmed up . It was like getting into an icy bath. Fireside tartan legs too. Front of legs burnt. Backs frozen from draughts.
I suppose it is all insulation when you look at it.
The government keeps telling people to insulate their homes to stop the heat escaping well it's the same with our bodies.
Our bodies are giving off heat so to stop feeling the cold we either raise the temperature of our surroundings or insulate our bodies with pullovers and / or blankets.
The government keeps telling people to insulate their homes to stop the heat escaping well it's the same with our bodies.
Our bodies are giving off heat so to stop feeling the cold we either raise the temperature of our surroundings or insulate our bodies with pullovers and / or blankets.
I have just turned 47 (today in fact!) and I remember candlewick bedspreads, no central heating, single glazing and overcoats on the bed. I am one of 7 and we also had to make do with Alpine bottles filled with hot water when there was not enough hot water bottles.
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