[guide.chat] Pastimes
- From: "Elizabeth Kay" <ebeth.kay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Guide.chat" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:26:59 +0100
Interesting to know that so many of us remember what ilife was like in the
"good old days". Many of us feel nostalgic about some aspects of bygone days
but we would not want ever to return to them. I wondered Jennie if anyone would
remember the brick built boiler in the outhouse. We had a coal fired copper in
the corner of our scullery. There was a small iron door to open in order to
light the fire which was not easy and omeone had to get up early to "get the
fire going." There used to be a narrow boiler shovel and the quickest way start
the fire was to carry a shovel full of hot cinders from the house fire and
thrust them through the fire door. Even after boiling miner's clothes needed
scrubbing and this was often done on a table with a scrubbing brush and a thick
bar of carbolic soap. No wonder housewives hands were often red and rough.
Things had improved by the time I becane a housewife and as my husband was not
a miner as my father and brothers had been, I did not have such a hard time on
washing day.I had a gas boiler but still had to use a dolly tub and rubbing
board. By this time mangles wer out of date and wringers with rubber rollers
could be attached to the dolly tub. The first washing machines had to be worked
by hand as few houses had electicity. In later times wash houses have been used
to modernise kitchens by knocking through the wall adjoining the wash house to
the kitchen. Nowadays even at 94 I can do my own washing or perhaps I should
say I have a washing machine that doea it for me. Elizabeth.
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