Do you???

Thanks HelterSkelter luckily, I had a terrific Gran. My role model.

I am sending love and a hug to all those who didn't have kind and caring parents and hope that you found love and kindness in your lives.

Yes, it was crossed at the front then taken round the back and pinned!

Mine was crossed at the front too.

Callistemon my scarf was crossed over at the front to keep what my sister called my ‘little chesticle’ warm!

I think it was a crocheted length of wool, rather than string.

Did anyone else's Mum wrap their large warmed scarf round them, crossed over at the back and held with a safety pin? I can still feel the string that went through the sleeves of my coat, too, with mittens or gloves attached so they didn't get lost!

I had a cousin who married an American serviceman back in the 50s. She was considerably older than me and her eldest daughter was about my sister's age.

They were posted back to America and returned years later to the base at Alconbury - this would have been late 60s, early 70s. In the meantime they had had 6 children altogether, 4 girls and 2 boys.

We were all fascinated when she showed us round her American style home on the base which included one of those new-fangled tumble dryers. We had never heard of this and she explained it to us, saying that she would put all the children's clothes in it in the mornings to warm them up.

I still wonder how they sorted them all out when they came out of the dryer.

I never knew central heating till after I had left home. My bedroom was at the back of the house with three outside walls.
I think I was about 13 or 14 when I was given an electric fire for the room, as a birthday present!. It was on a long lead down the corridoor because there were no electric points in my room

Primrose53 I was always clean and very well kept. It's just that my mother didn't go in for cosseting children.

Aveline

Gosh. You all had kind mothers. It wouldn't have occurred to mine to do such a thing.

I remember discovering that not all Mums were kind and caring. I was shocked when I discovered a friend’s vest was nearly black when we got changed for PE. I had never seen filthy clothes before. We were quite poor but our clothes were always spotless. She lived in a big house and her father owned a car salesroom but I think her Mother was always out socialising.

I also met kids who saw themselves off to school as their mothers were still in bed and kids who literally had an old tin with a doorstep sandwich with dripping for lunch. I used to feel a bit guilty with my apple, homemade cake and a sandwich and maybe a bag of crisps.

I lived with my grandma, we had a black leaded range, before going to bed she`d put her clothes for the next day in the oven, never put mine in there though!

midgey gosh, you brought back memories of 🥰. Mam put a paraffin heater in my room too. Like you, I'm not sure how healthy it was. I can remember going to Mr Hendrick's hardware shop for 'pink paraffin'

I also remember ice on the inside of windows..

Sleeping with blankets and two eiderdowns...
And once, knocking over a jug of water from by the bed in my student accommodation, leaping up in panic - and finding it had simply staying in the jug becauseit was frozen solid! 🥶

Our house had a black leaded range, mother used to warm vest and liberty bodice on the oven door.
I shared a bedroom above the living room fireplace but the fire was allowed to go out by about 10pm so no residual heat overnight.
They got central heating installed when I left home.

We didn't have central heating until I was a teenager but an open fire with a back boiler for the water. I was lucky as my bedroom was above the fireplace in the living room so the chimney breast in my room probably gave me a little bit of warmth. It didn't feel like it but I probably benefitted from the warmest bedroom!

I also have memories of my mum coning in on cold days and standing in front of the fire with skirt hitched up to warm herself!

I have central heating but can't afford to use it as much as I'd like!

Granmarderby10

Well it took us so very long as a nation to click on to the idea that warm houses with hot running water and indoor toilets and baths were essential basics for everyone, didn’t it.

I still remember the days of coal fires, (though never had to build one) cold Lino in the bedroom and waiting for the tank to heat up for a nice wash
So….sorry enviro minded folk …but I am not rationing my hand washing/cleaning habits.
I fully appreciate this luxury still.

Quite a few items of clothing were singed before school back in the day from being left on the fire guard while Mum made the porridge ( in a double saucepan), it was just part of life then.

Well it took us so very long as a nation to click on to the idea that warm houses with hot running water and indoor toilets and baths were essential basics for everyone, didn’t it

We really should have listened to the Roman occupiers 😁

Well it took us so very long as a nation to click on to the idea that warm houses with hot running water and indoor toilets and baths were essential basics for everyone, didn’t it.

I still remember the days of coal fires, (though never had to build one) cold Lino in the bedroom and waiting for the tank to heat up for a nice wash
So….sorry enviro minded folk …but I am not rationing my hand washing/cleaning habits.
I fully appreciate this luxury still.

Quite a few items of clothing were singed before school back in the day from being left on the fire guard while Mum made the porridge ( in a double saucepan), it was just part of life then.

I remember my mum holding my clothes in front of an electric bar fire and seeing the steam come off them. A very cold damp house with ice on the inside of the window. I used to get dressed under the bedcovers as well. We're so spoilt now aren't we ?

Our house was freezing no central heating just a fire down stairs. I remember putting my woolly tights in bed with me to warm them up.

Yes I do. And my parents used to warm our clothes around the fire.

I have had for 13 years a neurological condition which would make warm clothes feel like they are burning my body so no I don’t put my clothes on the radiator. If I come in wet and put my coat and scarf on the radiator, then forget to hang them up when dried I can’t possibly wear them still warm in the morning.
I can’t imagine my mother putting our clothes to warm for our comfort in the winter and I took my underclothes and socks to bed with me in our freezing bedroom. In the morning I put them on under the bedclothes. To be fair, I cannot imagine my grandmother doing anything so caring for her either. She didn’t have the best of rôle models.

My youngest daughter always insisted on her cutlery bing warmed !

I sometimes put my underwear on the heated towel rail ( when it’s on in mid winter) whilst I shower, so it’s warmed ready to put on. I also put my PJs to warm on my husbands side of the bed as his side has an electric blanket! As a child the first sound in the morning in winter was my father raking out the coal boiler ( which usually went out over night) which provided warm water and warmth in the kitchen- sort of central heating as the chimney was in the middle of the house. The milk ( taken in half frozen from the door step) for breakfast was warmed for us on the boiler. By the time my much younger brother arrived we had radiators and I warmed his PJs ready for after his bath. ( bathing him was one of my jobs).

DanniRae

I don't know about putting on cold clothes I hate sitting on a cold loo seat! My downstairs loo is in an unheated part of the house and if i've left it a bit late to climb the stairs to a warmer loo (and seat) I dread my b*m reaching the freezing seat!!

I hate lowering myself on to an icy loo seat too!
Easy life catalogue have a fleecy stretch cover for the seat, but it looks most unhygienic and even though I fancy it in a way, the idea is repellent.

No warming of anything for me as a kid, I just remember those frightening stone ceramic hot water bottles, which if dropped on your foot, could cause serious damage…