Memories of my Gran

[JohnC]

Memories prompted by the contributions above.

My gran was born in Glasgow in 1876. She had six "brithers", so was part of large family. She was full of stories of the dire poverty in which they grew up. She told us that, at breakfast, the seven children took it in turns to get the top of their father's egg. (I wish I had asked what they had on the other six days.) At Christmas, the standard present was an apple, an orange and a penny. (I've heard others tell the same story - some say that, traditionally, it was a brand new penny.) Sometimes the stories got a bit far-fetched: once, when the end-slice of a loaf of bread had been rejected, Gran piped up, "When we were wee, that wis a delicacy." This became a standing joke - for years afterwards, we called the end slice the "delicacy".

Not surprisingly, any form of waste was unthinkable; "Waste not, want not" was one of her favourite sayings. Nothing must be thrown out, even if completely useless. One still-remembered event was when we bought a new bread-bin, but gran refused to allow the old one to be thrown out. "Dinna throw it oot! Dinna throw it oot!" rang threw the house. "But what are you going to do with an old bread tin?", we asked. The answer, as so often, was "Ah'll tak it intae ma room". Ma room became the treasure-store of all the things she had refused to throw out. The bread tin occupied pride of place beside her bed, to the surprise of the doctor who, on a visit, asked if she found it necessary to kep her food within reach of the bed. I don't know what she kept in it - probably a lot of other things she refused to discard.

Once, tea was accidentally poured into a cup containing instant coffee powder. "Dinna throw it oot!" was the cry, and she insisted on drinking this newly-invented brew.

There were many more episodes like these. Perhaps many other grans had similar backgrounds, and similar attitudes???? - or was mine unique?

Cheers,
John

[nelmit]

I enjoyed that John and yes I'm sure there were (and still are ) many like her. Here's to them.

[AnnetteR]

Hi John

Thanks for that - fond memories but in my case it was my Mum and still is to this day (she is 87 years old) and throws nothing away. Amazingly she finds uses for all the wee bits and bobs she saves (string, old Xmas cards, wrapping paper and many, many more objects that I would toss straight into the bin). I think it is a throw back to the war years. I hate to think what she has in her cupboards that she is sure she will find a use for some day

Cheers

Annette R

[DavidWW]

I like it

David

[pinkshoes]

I love your story John - laughed out loud at the doctor! My husband's grandad used to give the top of his egg to his wife every morning (I assume she had something else to go with it!) - I love the picture that wee anecdote brings to mind. We have a photo of them as an elderly couple and their love for each other is shining in their faces. Talking recently to their daughter (now an elderly lady herself), she spoke fondly of her ma and da, and spontaneously remarked "how that pair loved each other".

Maybe that's a lesson for us all - share yer egg wi' the yin/s ye love.

Pinkshoes

[Maud Jarvis]

My goodness, that brings back memories for me too, I many times was given a special treat, the top of my father`s egg, him being the wage earner, was of course given any special food luxeries, and before the second wae, an egg was that, he would be the only one with a whole boiled egg for himself, and at times I would be given the top of it (if my mother was out of the room though) or at other times, I could dip my finger of bread into the yolk, that was heavenly!
I have often mentioned to my son, that it was not until during the war, that I`d ever had a whole egg for myself, but then not long before the war, all the shipyards had been shut and there was very little work around, so it was of course out of necessity that the breadwinner in the home, be given the choice pieces of food, after all, they had to go out and either work or look for work, so it as vital that they be well fed.

When I come to think of it now, I do not really recall my mother sitting down to an egg for her breakfast, or many mealtimes, sitting eating with the rest of the family, I realise now of course, that she many times went wihout herself so that her children could be fed, she always seemed to be standing doing the cooking and serving up when in the tenement building, where I was born in the early thirties, she would be cooking at the range on the fire, she always eemed to be so busy cooking and serving, I suppose we just assumed that she would have eaten her fill when we had all finished, but, DID SHE ? Now I wonder!

[StewL]

Hi Maud

I recall my mother being a few "diets" when I was young, it was only later that I realised she was making sure we were fed if there was not enough to go around. It was funny that the diets were often just before my father got paid!!!

[Thrall]

Hi John, yes, the good old days when nothing was disposable and the bin the very reluctant ultimate resort. One pet hate of mine, being youngish, was washing the clear plastic bags that appeared in the sixties and lasted so much better than the paper ones. Lined up round the sink of a evening, four or five, with only slight remains of the previous contents and a fair bit of grease and water of course. Still damp and repulsive the next morning................ I'm sure there are still compulsive bag washers around. Lets keep the Arab oil flowing however and chuck 'em. It still take less energy to manufacture them than the paper ones!

Thrall