[sweet nasturtium]

I used to work with a lot of people from the East End (all moved to Essex now) and they used to go fruit picking in the summer as children - their parents earned money and kids had a holiday at the same time.

[WG.]

Schools in Scotland still close for a week in October for the "Tattie Holidays" but no-one harvests tatties with gangs of schoolkids these days.  All mechanised.

[sweet nasturtium]

Sounds like hard work all that digging... ours would have been fruit & veg I suppose.  We have gangs of poorly paid migrant workers now instead while local holidaymakers fly to spain / croatia.

[Selkie]

when i was in school towards the summer there'd always be lads missing because they were helping with the turf;

also lads bunking off to work as caddies on the golf course.

[Nevthedigger]

A true story from a regular customer of mine... when he was a kid just after the war his family were very poor. One Christmas his dad couldn't afford to buy him a present, so... seeing as he had just cut down a tree in the garden, he decided to make him a present instead. He made a railway engine, everything made from the tree trunk and the wheels cut from the branches. He painted it up and made it real grand. Don came down on Christmas morning, fully knowing that his parents had no money, yet hoping (like we all did) that a miracle meant that a new bike could be there as if they were from santa. His dad gave him his breakfast, and full of pride he led him out into the back porch, where his new engine was stood waiting for him. Holding back a tear in his eye he smiled and thanked his dad for the present, which he knew was his best effort, and promised himself that HIS kids would always have HIS best efforts to make sure THEIR Christmas was as good as he could possibly make it.
Anyway, according to Don, on boxing day there was nothing left to burn, and the engine went on the fire. True story that. Lets think ourselves lucky we have what we have, and remember those less fortunate...
(Lump in my throat now, where's my whisky??!.... )

[crowndale]

Is now a good time to say that I had a very privaleged childhood, full of warm and fully centrally heated housing, indoor bathrooms, warm soft towels, 3 square meals a day plus supper, santa never left coal (coz I was a good little girl) and mummy and daddy always gave us at least one present each (not to mention the ones from aunties, grandparents and family friends).  A lot of them were homemade but i always especially loved the auntie that every single year gave us a selection box, the fun we had with those (and not just the eating of the chocolate!).  Isn't nostlagia great?!

[DD.]

Isn't nostlagia great?!

Yes, but it's not what it used to be.    

[Ruby Red]

When my dad was a child (one of 5 )  he lost his dad in the first world war and his mum bought old meat for the kids that was fly blown. They soaked it in vinegar overnight to kill the maggots and cooked it as normal. Can you imaginr the health and safety now.

[WG.]

Oh for those halcyon days of England long ago

indeed    

[Ruby Red]

I d still swop lots of the life we have today for that of years ago.  

[Selkie]

I d still swop lots of the life we have today for that of years ago.  

what? maggoty meat? :x

[Aunt Sally]

You can learn lessons from the past.  And today is almost gone.  All we have therefore, is the future.....   So enjoy and make the best of it  

[Ruby Red]

I d still swop lots of the life we have today for that of years ago.  

what? maggoty meat? :x

 I didnt say I would swap that part of it. But it makes me so sad and angry with how a lot of life is today not just in England but worldwide. When ppl say they are poor today they just have a different sliding scale of poverty. There wasnt any safety net of income support then but look how its abused now.

[GrannieAnnie]

When I was a child, we didn;t have much money, but my Mum went to work as well as dad, and she always bought us as much as she could, although I was always jealous of the kids who had more.  But we were always warm, and had full bellies.

My Brian hates Christmas, but I keep trying to tell him its not just about the shops taking all your money.

My bro and SIL don't have much either, but bro spends weeks and weeks before Chistmas buying little things for my SIL.  It might be something that cost him a £1 or it might have cost him 10p.  But he wraps them all up separately so she has lots of parcels to open and he always buys her an advent calendar with chocs in.  She still loves them, even though she will be 59 on Christmas Eve!

When my Nici and her family come up this coming weekend, I want to give them a slightly different Christmas.  Nici does really well for her family, probably spoiling them too much bless her!!  But the mince pies will be homemade and not only will the sausage rolls be homemade, but so will the sausagemeat!  And the bread rolls and the pudding and cakes etc.  I'm really looking forward to it, but then I keep saying that, sorry!!!!!

[Selkie]

oh grannie hope you all enjoy your early Christmas!! it sounds lovely