REMEMBER WHEN ?

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, You must have looked a picture with your Dolly Blue skin. Yes, I remember the old zinc baths by the fireside. My mum used to use the old bath water for washing down the flags in the back yard (nothing went to waste). It brought back memories of the Dolly Blues as well......I managed to buy one a few years ago in a Hardware Store near where I lived, so they must still make them somewhere. The clothes washer you refer to was called a POSSER which was used for getting the dirt out of clothes. Children today would not believe it if we told them how clothes were washed in the 40's and 50's, would they?

[Brian]

Hi Lisa,

Didn't know it was called a Posser but you knew that you had used it after only a few minutes dunking it up and down.
You are absolutely right about the kids of to-day they wouldn't believe what we had to do and put up with.
I went into our Village "Chippy" the other day and tongue in cheek asked for Fish, Chips and Scratchings. The Chinese proprietors looked at me as though I was from another planet. Didn't get my sratchings either.
As kids we used to go into Woodvines Chip Shop on Helen Street and ask for... "scratchings with fish in'em if you've got any!" Old man Woodvine used to go mad with us. In those days it used to be a Penneth of Chips. Last of the big spenders. And talking about Chips I used to be fascinated watching Old Man Woodvine making his load of chipped potatos on a device which had a long handle that when pulled (Like a beer pump)used to squeeze the potato through a mesh base the chips falling into a pristine white enamal bowl placed underneath. Not a bit like McDonalds micro chips. of to-days ilk.
This board has certainly brought back out of my memory bank a lot of things I had long forgotten. Magic!!!

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, Great to see your picture. Here's another one to tickle those memory-buds........On washday, which was usually on a Monday, all the clothes were neatly put into piles on the skullery floor (stone floors - no lino in the kitchen!!) according to how dirty they were. My mum would then take out the washer board (later used in Skittle music) with its corrugated knobbly glass, and work the soaped clothes up and down to get the dirt out. I would sit on the skullery step as a child just watching my mum work hard with sweat pouring down her face. Washed clothes were then put on the washing line outside to blow in the wind. If it was raining, it was like a Chinese Laundry indoors, all steamy. The clothes would be hung on a Clothes Horse or Maiden to dry in front on the roaring fire. Mondays always had a certain 'smell' about them. Then Thursdays came around for the BIG iron......now thats another memory!!

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, Our 'Chippy' was called FRANK'S CHIPPY in Clayton and Friday was usually 'Scratchings' day. On Friday evenings everyone seemed to have Fish and Chips and I was usually sent to fetch them along with a pudding bowl for the mushy peas. I could hardly reach the marble counter when it came to my turn and I would often hear bits of local 'gossip' while waiting in the queue. I, too, would love to watch Frank or his wife making the chips with a 'chipper' as they fell through the contraption into the while enamel bowl, BUT the object of my desire was when they cleared out the scratchings from the fish frier......because I knew Frank would put them into a paper bag for me, along with vinegar and salt, and I would eat them on the way home. Greasy fingers and all!!! I wonder what Health and Safety would think of the newspapers that the F&C's were wrapped in?

[ravydave]

Hi Lisa, Remember Franks chippy well I lived at the other end of the row next door to the grocers shop, always had butter beans with my fish.

[Brian]

Hi Lisa,
Can't believe you are posting on this board at 3 something in the morning. I'm still comatoze at that time.
You are right about Mondays. Our house too took on the climate of the Amazon jungle and wearing glasses my specs used to steam up some.
Mam went "HighTech" of course to dry the washing. She got dad to put up a rack fixed to the ceiling in front of the old bungalow range. Didn't take long to dry up there.
The old cat used to hate wash days too. He would lie just in front of the Ash Hole between the brass fender and the old "rag rug" Dad used to put the shovel up to the fire front with the statutory sheet of newspaper to blow it up. The old cat never moved though and I have seen his fur smoking fom time to time. Scorched from head to toe.
He did move one day though.
My brother and I had made a steam engine and in our eagerness to get it going we nearly killed the cat. We had bought some meths from the local chemist for the burner and our kid placed it on the mantle shelf whilst we had dinner. No sooner finished, table cleared and Alan went to get the meths. As he reached up he knocked the bottle over and the meths dropped down in front of the grate onto the cat. Old Tommy casually opened his eyes just as there was a muffled "Poof" as the meths ignited. It's eyes shot out of it's head like Chapel Hat Pegs and it flew out of it's sleeping quarters screaming blue murder. As it tore around the living room I could hear my father shouting "Keep the B....y thing away from the curtains. Dad used to stammer badly but not on that occasion I might add.
Mam with great presence of mind grabbed the cat and dumped him into the old Slopstone in the scullery which fortunately was almost full of water. I could swear I could hear the cat breathe a deep sigh of relief as it all but emptied the sink. Never slept in front of the fire from that day on.
Our scullery used to be stone flagged too.
Boy those were the days.
No P.C. or H&S Brigade to make life miserable.

[Melissa B.]

Heylo Brian,

What amusing stories!
"Mam went "HighTech" of course to dry the washing." & the tales of your persistant cat! I enjoyed a good chuckle this morning.

Thank you!
Melissa B.

[Tigger]

...and talking about Chippy's.... don't forget the TRIPE... (in light vinegar of course)... and sometimes (though not very often) you would see hard boiled eggs in a jar - never EVER saw anybody buy one of 'em.

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, Your story of the cat made me chuckle this morning and, believe me, I need a laugh after coming back to reality from the outside world. Your steam engine reminded me of my two brothers taking a bath one evening together (as you did in those days!!). They had a submarine which could be powered by paraffin and often played with the lighted toy in the bath without any accidents. Can you imagine the newspapers today and the H&S people plus the Social Services getting hold of the story?? I also forgot about the Rag Rug in front of the big black range and I used to often watch my gran pull bits of wool from old clothes through the base of the carpet with a hook as she sat rocking back and forth in her rocking chair. In one side of the range she used to have special bricks warming for bedtime. These would then be wrapped in flannelette pieces as hot water bottles and you'd go off to bed with one tucked under your arm. There was also ALWAYS a large kettle on the boil over the fire and the fire never seemed to go out. We also had a rack on the ceiling to air the clothes and when I think about it most of the things they had in those days were sensible and cost effective - nothing went to waste - my mum even unpicked old cardigans, washed the wool, and knitted a new garment rather than throw it away. In these days of the new economy, we could do with a bit more Make-do-and Mend.

[Lisa]

Hi RavyDave, You will also remember then Frank's brother's shop on Ashton New Road.......Wolstenholme's Bakery. I used to love his Meat and Potato Pies and sometimes the bakery door would be left open and I could see him working with his flour-encrusted apron on. His wife would serve in the shop at the front and I always got the impression that being a shop assistant was a bit beneath her as she looked at you with that snotty look as only she could!!! There was also Howard's Bakery just past the Carlton Cinema.....how come pies dont taste the same as they did in those days??

[Brian]

Hi Lisa,

You are talking about real meat and potato pies like the ones my Mum in Law used to bake in her confectioners on Eccles New Road. She also had on a large pan of gravy so you had the choice of "Is it pies with or without luv?"
Never quite got into tripe though but the old man loved it (honey comb I think it was) and for a change he might even have pig's trotters.
Ugh!
But in answer to your question Lisa , the reason they don't taste the same is I believe is that they have gone METRIC. Surprised that Brussels hasn't made us put garlic in them.
One of my favourite snacks was Black Pudding with mint sauce off Bury Market. "Real working class fodder" as they used to say.
And of course you never heard of many people with tummy trouble. But there weren't any Chinese takaways then were there?

Just had another memory tweak writing about the old lady's shop. Do you remember those wonderful "Crawford Biscuit Display Stands". Boy! I do. When I was in the RAF Anne and I did most of our courting at the back of one of them in mam's shop. Used to disbable the shop bell so they wouldn't here us come in from dancing at the Broadway in Eccles.
Whenever I went back to camp I always took back loads of cakes etc that hadn't been sold over the weekend. The favourate seemed to be "Maids of Honour!" would you believe. I used to be the most popular man in the billet.

Halcyon days.

[Brian]

Hi Melissa,

Glad you had a good chuckle. Nothing like it to set one up in the morning. All absolutely true as well.
Must put to paper some of the times me and our kid nearly killed dad during WWll. At the time were really funny but could have serious consequences.
Course were H&S, Social Services or the rest of the jobs ariound in those days I'm sure we would have been declared a Mad House.
Oh! my cousin Peter lives in Ontario whilst I think about it. He is from Eccles too. Had loads of laughs with him and his brother George too.

[Brian]

Wartime experiences in Eccles, WWll that is.

Do any of you remember as kids after the "All clear " had sounded and everyone had left their air aid shelters tearing off round the streets looking for and collecting shrapnel. Well me and our kid did.
Imagine this and to do so do you remember those air raid shelters that they built at the bottom of the yards? Well they were so constructed that they had part of the outside wall "Common bonded" (Weak point built in) about three foot square. Escape purposes.
Well at that time Dad who was badly disabled was put in charge of the local ARP Terrorist Unit and most evenings he and his squad would meet (and drink) in our shelter.
We, that is me and our kid and been out searching for schrapnel when on the local allotments we came across a large piece of aluminum covered in German text and complete what appeared to be some mechanical device or other. Of course we explored it and soon found a small switch which when flicked caused it to tick quite loudly and rapidly. Boy we were really chuffed with our find.
So we made or way back home, went into the yard to sounds of merriment coming from the shelter and peeered in and said "Dad we have found something strange on the plots" "What is he said?" (Took him a while as he stammered badly too). At that our kid said" Don't know but when you push this...... which he did.
It starts ticking. He thrust it into the shelter. All hell broke loose. Dad came past us both at the heck of a lick giving us a clout behind the ear as he did and in the ensuing panic five ARP Terrorists burst out of the shelter by way of the escape area into the back entry which had be demolished in no time at all.
When they had got over the shock they were all helpless with laughter. Mr Mannering had nothing lon that lot I can tell you.
It turned out to be part of the timing mechanism from a German A/c bomb doors and was handed over to the local Ack Ack Unit. Only of course after it had benn thoroughly doused by their stirrup pumps. Boy! and we won the War.

[lin]

HI LISA, BRIAN...BEEN EATING A LOT OF MEAT AND POTATO PIES LAST WEEK I CAN TELL YOU.. ;D ;D ;D ;D NOT QUITE THE SAME AS THEY USED TO BE BUT I STILL LIKE THEM, TROUBLE IS THEY DON'T LIKE ME, I NOW LOOK LIKE ONE ;D ;D ;D ;D

[june]

hi Brian ..lisa ..am a bit young to remeber the war ;D but have enjoyed reading all your stories ..my mam used to go to the wash house on Mondays till they opened the bendix near us then she used to send me hated it ;D

[Brian]

Hi June,

Too young to remeber the War, lucky you June. Boy! when I think back at what we experienced as kids. Diving under the kitchen table for instance when we were being bombed. And sometimes watching the "Dog Fights" going on overhead.
I once remember old blind man Golt ( a neighbour) who once said "Quiet everyone I can hear a motor bike coming". We all scattered when we saw it was in fact a "Doodle Bug (V1) being chased by a fighter A/c from Barton Airport. Held our
Great times though in one respect as all the schools were closed. Dad was a right spouilsport though and packed us off to a private tutor, a Miss Jolly in Eldon Place. Right stickler she was. Looked for all the world like our dear old Margaet Rutherford except she had a cane.
There were days too when me and our kid would wait alongside the Manchester Ship Canal for the American Liberty Ships en Route to Salford Docks. The crew would throw us Chewing gum, Oranges, Apples and the occasional banana. They really could throw things some distance and we became expert cathers.

[Lisa]

Hi June, Yes, you are still only a nipper aren't you? I'm squashed in the middle, as Brian seems to have a few years on me. I cant remember the War because I was still only a babe when it ended but I can certainly recall the austerity afterwards!!

Oct 13, 2008 9:21:23 GMT -1 @june said:

hi Brian ..lisa ..am a bit young to remeber the war ;D but have enjoyed reading all your stories ..my mam used to go to the wash house on Mondays till they opened the bendix near us then she used to send me hated it ;D

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, Loved the story of the shrapnel.....you naughty boy .....I would have loved to have been there and seen their faces as you threw the 'bomb' into the shelter. ;D . Why wouldnt they let you keep your 'prize'

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, Yes, they were REAL meat and potato pies, without any preservatives or E-numbers, in those days. They were sold as soon as they were made, so they didnt need any preservatives in them !!! My dad used to love the tripe, chittlings, and trotters from the UCP Shop near Grey Mare Lane, but I used to pull my face when I saw him eating them. I was almost sick once when my mum explained to me what Wassocks(?) were. My mum used to always have some Sweetbreads ready for me when I came home from college UNTIL she told me what they were and which part of the animal they came from!!! I remember well the Co-op in Clayton with the sawdust on the floor and the Crawford Biscuits in glass-topped tins all lined up on the floor in front of the counter. The assistant would get them out with a brass scoop and put them in a brown paper bag and I loved to watch her carefully and deftly fold the top of the bag into neat points, then fold them down. I could also watch for hours as half a pound of Best Butter was patted and folded into Greaseproof paper. When I think of the speed that assistants go now in supermarkets, it makes our shops then look positively antiquated and slow.

[Brian]

Hi Lisa,
You're quite right. It was real food in those days.
I don't know about you but all this reminissance is making me start to feel my age. Over 21 again ,again and again plus a few years and to satisfy the board readers curiosity I'm the ripe old age of 74 years young.
Yes I too remember the saw dust on the co-op floor and the immacutlately turned out "Bacon packer and Butter tapper" I used to think they were jugglers. What precision too.
I wonder though how many of you actually walked to the Continental Butchers on Cross Lane, Salford to get the only meat we could buy in the war years viz: Horse meat and not wishing to upset horse lovers, it was lovely too in mam's Tater Pie (with thick crust and gravy coming through a hole in the middle). Made in a dirty big brown enamel dish in one of the ovens of the oldRange.
Starting to make my mouth water when I think about ).
Those certaily were the days.

[Lisa]

Hi Brian, You only look 21 !!! My mum used to live near Heaton Park and she told me that during the war she once joined a queue at a Butchers.....she didnt know what she was queueing for (you never did in those days!!) but when it came to being served she found out that it was horse-meat. So it could have been the same butchers you mention as she walked for miles to get food. She made a big pan of stew out of it with the onions, carrots and potatoes that were readily available. She didnt tell anyone what was in the stew, but they all ate it with relish, only telling my dad later what meat it was. Needs must in the War years. Regaling these stories doesnt make me feel old, it just makes me realise how well-fed we were nutritionally and how lucky we were to survive on so little.

[Brian]

Hi Lisa,
Only look 21 in deed . Flattery will get you nowhere Lisa. MInd you you look lovely too.
Your mam probably did visit the Continental Butchers at Cross Lane and there was always a big queue. Always remember when I got home mam said "Not a word to your father now or else!"
When dad came in from work he sat down at the table and said to mymother "Come on Annie I'm famished, I could eat a blloming horse! Mam nearly died and looked over to us to see if we had spilt the beans as it were. If he had known he never would have eaten it.
Heard her and my Aunt Gertrude having a good laugh about though when they had their usual cup of tea.

[codger]

We used to go into Sam's chippy on Gorton Lane, his surname was Holroyd and just he and his missus ran the place. You would stand in the queue just inside the door and move around on to the wooden bench then onto the hessian sacks full of hard peas. If he went behind the screen to chip some spuds I would pull myself up to the counter and peer over at what all the racket was, he would then slice across your fingers with the blunt side of his knife much to everyone's amusement. He continually had a piece of straw, from the pea sacks, in his mouth, and if you ordered pudding, would put your pudding basin or plate to warm. Some people used to order a special, I think it was Haddock, and I used to think that when I grow up and could afford it I will stride in and in my best gorton voice, order one. It was only 3d dearer, but pennies did count in those days, and he never quibbled if you asked for scratchings. On the way home you would tear the newspaper where the vinegar had softened it and sneak a couple of red-hot chips out. If Hollands were to raise the price of pies by 1/2d they used to pin a letter on the wall apologising, due to rising costs. Nowadays, never!!

[lin]

OH I WISH PPL WOULD NOT KEEP MAKING MY MOUTH WATER WITH TALK OF HOLLANDS PIES OR ANY OTHER PIES FOR THAT MATTER ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ...BEEN MISSING THEM SINCE I GOT BACK FROM M/C ... MAY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ANOTHER TRIP UP THERE AGAIN NEXT YEAR JUST FOR A WEEKEND BUY A PILE OF PIES AND BRING THEM BACK HOME TO PUT IN THE FREEZER..NOT QUITE THE SAME BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT THEM I CAN AT LEAST GET MY HANDS ON THEM ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Lisa]

Hi Lin, When Chris lived in Kent, she used to stock her car up with Hollands Pies.....now she has moved back to Manchester she can eat them to her hearts content.......how about this for making your mouth water......I have just made an enormous pan of Neck End Stew with Pearl Barley......warms the c*ckles of your heart, as my dad used to say.

[lin]

LISA ARE YOU TEASING ME JUST COS I AM GOING AWAY FOR CHRISTMAS TO EGYPT? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D SOUNDS DELICIOUS TO ME.

[Lisa]

Not teasing you Lin.....just trying to make your mouth water just as you are going get your digs in when you're ready for the off on your holiday in the sun while we freeze over here. You made my mouth water the other day when you mentioned you had just made a large Lasagne......why is it that as soon as someone mentions a dish, one wants to go and make one?

Oct 17, 2008 14:12:38 GMT -1 @lin said:

LISA ARE YOU TEASING ME JUST COS I AM GOING AWAY FOR CHRISTMAS TO EGYPT? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D SOUNDS DELICIOUS TO ME.

[lin]

I'M NOT TEASING YOU EITHER LISA...I WOULD BE QUITE HAPPY GOING BACK TO M/C FOR THE MEAT AND POTATO PIES.. ;D ;D ;D I ALWAYS FIND THAT AS WELL, MENTION A FOOD AND MY MOUTH WATERS LIKE CRAZY..DO YOU STILL GET CABBAGE AND RIBS THERE?

[Lisa]

Funnily enough Lin, I saw some Bacon Ribs in my Food Hall this morning and wondered.......should I?.......shouldnt I?.......I decided against it but now I wish I had because I also bought a Savoy Cabbage and it would have gone nicely with the Ribs. Making my mouth water just thinking about them.

[lin]

LISA..ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAD CABBAGE AND RIBS...NOW YOU GOT ME THINKING ;D ;D ;D I ALSO LOVE CHICKEN BARLEY (BROTH) I GOT TO STOP THIS ;D ;D ;D