Was Easter warmer when we were children?

It's never been the same since those girls were encouraged to do war work has it? I can't understand. I always provided nice uniforms and gave them a week off every year.

Oh JessM You can't get the staff these days! (This is a Mornington-Crescent-type post – 85 million house points to absent.)

absent I found that the supply of properly trained French ladies maids really dried up and one had to make do. sigh.

JessM Surely your own maid ironed your frilly things. I would never trust a housemaid to do it right but then I wear few things that frill. On the other hand, the last footman but one was very into frilly undies himself, but he had to iron his own in his own time.

Actually, at one time I had a very camp male cleaner who used to go into ecstasy or agony about my lingerie, depending on whether he approved of the colour or not.

Granny23 It's lovely to see that you are posting again and I'm sure that there are lots of other grannies who are delighted that you are back with us.

Absent My sister kept hers in pristine condition until they eventually went mouldy whereas I (the greedy one) ate mine immediately and transferred the 'scene' into a small cardboard box with a peephole cut in one side. We became adept at making these peepshows and I remember making snow and nativity scenes for Christmas from old cards.

PS: Thanks for re-activating me

Kept the housemaids busy ironing my frilly things absent and you should have seen the size of the boiler!

We had central heating in the late 50s. My dad knew about pipes and hot water as he was an engineer. I remember it took ages to install with huge pipes and was run by coal. Welsh granny used to count the bags into the coal shed. She never trusted the coal men, her husband had been a miner!!! She also used to slip meat bones in the boiler when no one was looking. What a smell!!!

Were we discussing Easter? Sorry, just off into memory lane.

Yes JessM last year at this time the weather was beautifully warm and we had lunch in the garden and the children played in their little tent.

Always had new sandals, dress and cardigan for Easter too GlassortwoWe got all dressed up and watched/followed the Easter parades. if we were lucky we went to the fairground too. It never seemed cold although perhaps the excitement of the weekend blocked out the bitter cold NE wind !

JessM Why did your footman double as a housemaid?

Last year, the last week of March was so warm people were sunbathing.
This year we are getting some chilly air from NE Europe, bearing smuts from their coal fired power stations. Makes you wonder why people plan easter weddings but it used to be the end of the tax year thing
CH did exist but not gas CH as that came after NS gas didn't it.
Coal boilers. The footman used to have to roll up his sleeves and stoke ours several times a day in severe weather I seem to recall.
Keep cosy everyone.

Even if the date of Easter didn't vary, the weather still would. Variable weather is what we get all the time.

As the date of Easter varies, so almost inevitably does the weather. I can remember my mother telling me how, as a young woman, she always bought a new dress, shoes, hat and gloves for Easter but sometimes it was far too cold or wet to be able to wear them.

Granny23 I was given one of those sugar eggs and kept it untouched for several years. It eventually went brown and started to disintegrate. The scene inside the peephole was one with rabbits. I thought it was utterly wonderful.

Used to go back to the grammar school in our summer uniform. I remember often feeling cold for the first few weeks of the summer term. And then it was back to winter uniform in September and often feeling too hot.

"Ne'er cast a clout till May be out". People understood the seasons better in the past.

I remember an Easter wedding ,very windy. The next day we had four inches of snow but it had all melted by lunchtime. Another Easter we were on our narrowboat and woke up to inches of snow. We had to dig ourselves out with a dustpan! I think the diference with the snow this year is that it isn't going! When we were very young my sister and I always had a new straw hat for Easter .I can remember one with cornflowers and red poppies and my sister had a straw bonnet with ruched blue ribbon inside the brim and lilies of the valley to decorate the edge of the crown.

I remember the sugar eggs with the peephole and scene, they were lovely.
New dress and sandals with crepe soles because we had to be smart for church on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I am sure I had cream lace gloves too.

Easter is early this year. Could that be something to do with it?

glamma tried to google but nothing came up!

Easter was warmer LAST YEAR - never mind when we were young. I had an Easter Egg Hunt in the garden in the sun. I am sure. Maybe false memory.

I too always had a new dress and sandals. One Easter a mauve duster coat and my sister a pale yellow one.

I used to go to Woolies in Wisbech (we always spent Easter in Wisbech with my father's family) and bought large chocolate eggs with sugar flowers on. No extravagant boxes, just cellophane.

I remember that day as cold!

I remember having toast and marmalade one Easter Sunday that we were eating in my fathers waiting room. It doubled as our dining room out of surgery hours.
I lost my two upper incisors on the toast!
I've never eaten marmalade since!

Remember the sandals. Always got a new dress and was forced to wear layered net petticoats underneath it to make it stick out. They were itchy and scratchy and when I sat down they would leave patterns on my legs.

My mother despaired of my long thick hair, so I had to wear it up in a bun. This was sheer torture and involved lots of battles which ended up with me getting my legs slapped.

Easter always seemed sunny and warm although I'm sure it wasn't.

Quite! I was just surprised that anyone had central heating in the 50s when I was a child - but you may be younger than me!

Ana... 1965 ? No central heating for me until I was married in 1976. My parents didn't have a it until 1987.

Yes I remember it well. Also new white ankle socks. Ribbons for my curly haired sister but none for me - they simply slid out of my poker straight hair. I also remember fondly the hard sugar eggs with a peep hole and a scene inside which father's cousin sent from the USA year after year - anyone else remember these?

glamma my hair was always short (think basin cut) so no ribbons.
We were used to the inside of the windows freezing and I cant remember feeling especially cold.