Turning into my Gran?

You are wonderful!!!love your post!!

I remember scouse served with pickled beetroot and also with piccalilli. Yum.

Joesoap

Chrissyoh,I am a scouser too I havent heard of pastry being in a Scouse, its meat and veg then served with beetroot, delicious,I suppose the pastry was more filling and went a long way.Im getting hungry now!

I’m from Liverpool originally and I make scouse with lamb neck (I think it used to be called scrag end) or breast of lamb, onions, celery, carrots and swede with roughly cut floury potatoes - and a tablespoon of barley. Lob scouse was made without meat - usually by boiling a lamb bone after it had been used for the roast on Sunday and whatever it was used for the next day, then adding the veg to the broth. I’ve heard of scouse pie, but more usually, to make it go further the scouse was served on a slice of bread to soak up the gravy.

Nannina

As a student nurse 50 years ago we had to wear particular stockings as part of a strict uniform policy. The only place to get them was Cole Brothers which later became John Lewis. They were in pale grey shade, expensive and were soon laddered by unforgiving hospital equipment. I became very popular as my waist length blonde hair made the ladder repair almost invisible. We’d have been straight in front of matron if we appeared with a ladder and carpeted for even a hint of nail varnish ?

Having been born with Spina Bifida I spent most of the first 15 years of my life in hospital. Your post brought back lovely memories of the dedicated nurses who made life comfortable and fun for those long stays after surgeries. I spent a good deal of my childhood in Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool and I remember how strict things were. The nurses had to be in full uniform with a clean apron over the dress every day, cap in place and a cape worn when going on or off duty. I remember lights being snapped on at 6am every morning and the smell of toast being prepared for breakfast, bedlinen being changed every day and beds pulled out into the middle of the ward every day for cleaning, meals being served from big metal trolleys, and the staff practically standing to attention when the consultants did a ward round !! I also remember listening in horror at one nurse being carpeted by the ward sister for going off the hospital grounds in uniform and told she was irresponsible for risking bringing infection back into the hospital as a result. How things have changed.

I have my wonderful grandmother's darning egg. I have displayed it ever since I've had it. My grandmother was very artistic with sewing, embroidery, lace tatting, crochet, knitting, rug hooking. Plus, she made the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I miss her.

Urmstongran

Not me, but Himself mentioned the other day he’d not had ‘cabbage and ribs’ for 50 years (since he married me I suppose) that his gran used to make in a big pan on the hob. Said the meat ‘fell off the bones’.

Poor neglected man.
I’m a mean woman.

He’s not neglected and you’re not mean. Get bacon ribs from your local butcher (I’ve never seen them in a supermarket, so wouldn’t even try). Soak them in cold water for about an hour before cooking and it really is what he said - you leave them to cook until the meat falls off the bone. To be traditional the cabbage was cooked in the liquor from the ribs, but I tend to cook it quickly in fresh water as I do normally and serve the ribs with the cooked cabbage, a baked potato and some mustard sauce - made with a butter and flour roux, then some milk mixed 50/50 with the cooking liquor from the ribs, a bit of cream if you have it, a good spoonful of English mustard and seasoned to taste. Fab.

If my mum couldn’t find her darning mushroom she would use a lightbulb.

I have a mushroom. I bought it years ago and used it to darn a sock quite recently

My mother made all my and my sisters dresses and we loved going to the shop to choose the material. Fourpence halfpenny a yard or sixpence a yard for special dresses. We used to unpick wooden jumpers and cardigans and reknit or retro net them. Socks and stockings were darned. We were a fairly wealthy family.
When my children were little it was necessary to have coupons to buy clothes so everything was hand made. When I was teaching my daughter how to knit for her Brownie badge my husband was interested. The first thing he knitted was a layette for his sisters baby and after he made all his pullovers and socks. Those were the days.

Chrissyoh,I am a scouser too I havent heard of pastry being in a Scouse, its meat and veg then served with beetroot, delicious,I suppose the pastry was more filling and went a long way.Im getting hungry now!

My Dd never learnt to sew at school or at home.

So whenever she needs something mended, she asks me to do it.

I don’t mind, as I quite like getting a needle and thread out.
I used to do patchwork sewing years ago and always enjoyed it.

My Mum used to have a darning mushroom, she was so good at darning,I wish I had kept the mushroom, not that I would use it but to remind me of my Mum when she darned, bless her.

Urmstongran

Not me, but Himself mentioned the other day he’d not had ‘cabbage and ribs’ for 50 years (since he married me I suppose) that his gran used to make in a big pan on the hob. Said the meat ‘fell off the bones’.

Poor neglected man.
I’m a mean woman.

Ooh cabbage and ribs, bit had that for years! I did ask at our butchers a while back and they said they do have them in the freezer if I ever wanted them. ?

I have my maternal granny's silver thimble. It's too small for my fingers, but as I rarely sew, it doesn't really matter. She did lovely embroidery and did try to teach me. I once made a 'hostess' apron at school and the teacher told us to insert a 'richly embroidered' panel. I did try...
The other granny was a non-stop knitter who knitted socks for the troops during the war. So I have taken after her, and my aunt, and my mum. As for darning, my sewing teacher gave me 3/10 for that - or it might have been for a buttonhole, but you get the picture!

I have the mushroom and thimble from my mother and still use them for my 3DDs and GC.
However I remember another gadget to mend holes that was made of metal, an inch or so long with sort of needles on two levels. The top layer was woven with the wool and then a lever was pushed to be able to weave in the lower level giving a very professional look. Does anyone else remember this?

I've recently been doing quite a bit of darning because my friend has some knitted slippers that she really loves, had worn holes in them, but wouldn't throw them away. She knows I do a lot of sewing and knitting do asked me to mend them. I have knitted her a new pair of slippers, but she still wears the old ones.

I still have a silver thimble that my grandmother aged 10 (1896) won as a school prize for sewing. Although I have never used a thimble, it sits in my sewing basket and I always remember how she spoke so fondly of her teacher whose name was Miss Dale and came from the Scilly Isles. She was certainly an excellent teacher if my grandmother was typical of her pupils.

I told my husband only recently that he had my wonderful Gran to thank for how well looked after he is Gran taught me to cook and how to look after guests whether expected or not and the grandchildren will always find a battenburg in my tin I don't have my Gran's patience but I do hope I'm as loving and loved as she was

Glad these life skills of make-do-and-mend are making a comeback as reuse and recycle. My daughter bought herself a darning mushroom recently. The throwaway mentality needs to change.

We had a lingerie shop in my village and the lady was great at 'lifting' ladders in stockings and tights, with a tiny tiny hook. Do you also remember stopping a ladder with clear nail varnish!

The key with darning socks is to darn when an area is thin, but not yet broken. I use the up and down weaving method. So easy to do in fron of the telly, honest.

I use a wooden dibber meant for planting bulbs in the garden. I use to darn the heels of my dh thick socks he used in the winter, as long as the hole was not too big the top of the dibber was perfect.

Yup, I'm definitely a clone of my Grandma :

I darn things and if it's a torn blouse or dress I do some embroidery over it .
I've repaired all sorts of clothing even moth holes in knitwear .
I love handstitching .

I handwash my favourite clothes and she did .

Like her, I'll use a dustpan and brush rather than use the vacuum cleaner .

On a cold winter day I love a lamb casserole just as she made them .
Her cooking was great .In making her dishes I remember her .

Up early ,busy all morning and love a nap in the afternoon, read or better still a nice old black and white film on the TV with tea and biscuits as she did .

She despised snobs ,bullies ,cruelty ...
and so do I .

And I pray every day and usually read my bible - just as she did .

No Marg75 I don’t do elbow patches any more, but have to repair trouser pockets where the coins have worn through the fabric. Did a pair of my SILs the other day too!

As a student nurse 50 years ago we had to wear particular stockings as part of a strict uniform policy. The only place to get them was Cole Brothers which later became John Lewis. They were in pale grey shade, expensive and were soon laddered by unforgiving hospital equipment. I became very popular as my waist length blonde hair made the ladder repair almost invisible. We’d have been straight in front of matron if we appeared with a ladder and carpeted for even a hint of nail varnish ?

I've got my Mum's darning mushroom, but I must confess to never using it. My Gran used to knit all my Dad's socks, even when he married. I knit but have never tried socks. I have my other Gran's thimble and would use it a lot but it's full of holes. Had an Australian friend who was the most wonderfully neat darner. She darned all her husband's socks and put me to shame.