Grandparents - What makes you smile??

[Tephra]

That's a lovely photo Emmaline, and I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to come away from the dustbin . . . they made such wonderful noises and hid all manner of things.

I notice your Great Grandmother had the full 'pinny' on, does anyone else remember the pinny and the contents of the pocket ??   Handkerchiefs, sweets, dishclothes, dusters, pins, hair clips, pencil, paper . ... . . etc, etc.  It always seemed like a bottomless pit containing whatever was needed at that particular moment - the hand would go in and  . . . . ..  out would come the required object . . . . . As far as I was concerned, that darned pocket was MAGIC                 

Barbara               

[yn9man]

Barbara -

Just another note to say thanks for starting this thread. Just reading through the thread and some of the stories / memories brought a smile to my face and the memories of my kin.  Hoping my relatives will think the same of me in future years.

yn9man

[Emmeline]

Hello Barbara - Yes, all the grandma's seemed to wear the full pinny in those days  - always spotlessly clean !
I especially love that photo as it is the only one I have of us together and I do remember it being taken.

Ellen - your photo is lovely. Talking of learning to knit reminded me of my attempts.  It was written at the time that when Queen Mary was teaching grand-daughter Elizabeth to knit she said that  - '  No child ever tried harder '  and my mother's comment was ' I know one that did '   
I learnt eventually.........

[goggy]

Can I 'jump to' my G'G'MA? Missed out on G'Parent's,,but the Woman who reared me whilst Mam was earning her corn did an excellent job of work on me.
So many thing's to mention,most already spoken of,but one thing I'd like to add is that I was her 'Little Bordie'.Being as Irish as a shilleliegh,that's her pronunciation of Birdie.
Another thing,for exploring her tall Chinese vase's,chest's of drawer's,cupboard's etc; the slap on the back of me little leg's!
Oh yes,and being rocked to sleep on her lap,in front of the range at night.
               Gogy.

[PaulaToo]

Sounds as though you loved your Great Gran, goggy. To mention the slap on the legs but in spite of that the cuddles in front of the range at bed time. It conjures up a picture of a woman who was strict but kind. Just the sort you need behind you when you are growing up.
Unfortunately they don't seem to make 'em like that any more.

[Su]

My Mum's Mother always wore the long wrap around pinny, and my Mum carried on the tradition up until a few years ago when she became ill (she only goes in the kitchen now if it is absolutely necessary  ).  Mum (herself a great grandma to 12) always had a duster in the pocket of hers.

Mum and I used to go to the pictures on the bus every week, and one night we were in a hurry.  We just made it to the bus, plonked down on the seat and Mum's coat gaped at the bottom to reveal...yes...the pinny    We laughed all the way to the pictures, all the way through it (as it was George Cole and Alistair Simm The Green Man) and all the way home.

As for knitting...Neither of my grannies knitted, but Mum was a super knitter and knit all our cardi's and jumpers.  I was 37 before I eventually took up the needles and my hubby's first jumper reached his knees and the sleeves his ankles    After that I got the hang of it, until I discovered cross-stitch, then knitting went out the window.

I don't recall either of my grannies having any kind of hobbies, I suppose they just didn't have the time for them.  I suppose Granny's 'hobby' was baking and looking after Grandad.

Su

[pennine]

What a lovely thread. I lived with my paternal grandparents from the age of three until I was ten and adopted by my aunt my late father's sister.
My grandfather had a wonderful garden and it had masses of peonies his favourite flower. My grandmother was a strong woman who was very strict but fair. Her hobby was competitions, She was always sending off to the competitions that appeared in Woman's Weekly, where you had to choose the best woman's outfit or hat. I remember her telling me that as a girl of 15 she went to work in a hat shop. A rich lady came in and tried several hats and could not make her mind up. She asked grandma who was attending to her every need, ' which do you think is the best dear?' Grandma replied ' I think you look a proper twerp in all of them!'
Needless to say she got the sack!
She then trained to be a nurse and ended up as matron in one of the large Sheffield hospitals before she retired. My Grandfather was probably one of the first house husbands as he stayed at home during the general strike of 1926 to look after the children whilst grandma went private nursing to earn the money.
Pennine

[ozlady]

I'd love to have some of those full pinny's! So practical. Can you still get them?

[Elliebob]

Have you tried ebay ozlady?  You can get anything on there 

Ellen