Keeping warm

I can remember all these keep warm things.I was born in 1944
Overcoats on the beds, getting dressed under the bedclothes in the morning, my mother warming our night clothes in the kitchen range and getting undressed in front of the fire.
The oven on and the door left open to warm the kitchen.
Paraffin stove in the outside toilet,being warned not to knock it over or you will die!
Coal mining neighbours leaving their excess coal outside of the back door for the res of us t help ourselves to ( we lived in North East, my dad was not a miner, he worked in the shipyards)
Jack Frost drawing patterns on the bedroom windows.

SunnySusie

I remember very clearly huddling round a fire in the living room as a child. The front of you would be scorching hot and the back draughty and cold. As kids our nightclothes were hung in front of the fire and we got changed before venturing into the unheated bedrooms, sleeping in PJs, dressing gown and nightsocks. We had so many blankets piled on the bed it was difficult to turn over. In the morning we got dressed under the covers and ran into the living room to toast bread on a long brass toasting fork over the fire. The house was horribly damp as well as cold and we had bronchitis, chest infections and earache off and on all winter.

Was there an army greatcoat on top of that bed as well?

When we moved to the coast my dad and I would scrape sea coal from the beach every weekend, dry it off and pack it into twists of newspaper to put on the fire. Added to the joys of the coal fire, we then had the thrill of dodging fragments of red hot mussel shells as they shot out of the fire and whistled past our ears like bullets.

Georgesgran

In mining villages, the miners put their Davy or Geordie lamps in the outside loos (netties) to stop the water freezing.
Coal wasn’t a problem, as it was seen as part of their ‘wages’ working for the NCB. Sometimes miners would sell half a load for extra money, or give non-mining neighbours a couple of bucketsful. In those days the coal was just tipped - no bags, so the women would turn out with shovels and buckets to move it from the road into the coal house.

In the mid 1940's I remember our coalmen delivering the coal from the back of their waggon and putting it down our coal shute into the cellar. We and our friends (if they came before school time) be out with our shovels and buckets collecting any dropped coal.

Same with horse manure, when the milkmen had been there was always horse droppings from their horse and cart so we went out to collect that too. My dad would put it in an old tin dustbin and fill it with water and then put the lid back on and use the fertilizer to water all his vegetables in the garden, we always had a bumper crop.

Yes, the good old days, coal fires, fireplaces in all the rooms, even bedrooms and if we had enough wood and coal, mum would light fires in the bedrooms before we went to bed but in the morning the fire had gone out and all the windows were frozen up inside. Then it was a rush to use the outside toilet and take the guzunder (potty) with us to empty if used.

We were not poor but did live week to week but our parents gave us a weeks holiday once a year and a lovely Christmas, god bless them. I wish now that I could have told our parents how very much we loved them and thanked them for looking after us and giving my late sister and I memories to cherish.

I remember my parents having a “Glo baby” It was a white frame with a red bulb in the middle. It was such a treat when it was placed in my bed to warm it through on a cold night or I was poorly.

Maggiemaybe My gran was a very independent woman. Widowed at 30, she brought up four step children and four of her own. She did all her own decorating, sewing, laundry and looked after her invalid daughter. I loved her to bits.

Dad was the local bobby in the 60s in a mining village so we got a (monthly?) tip of coal too. I remember coming home from school with my brother and we had to help move it up the steps and round the back of the police house into the coal hole!!

I bought an electric blanket last year.. It can be separately controlled for the top and bottom and is the best thing possible for these ultra cold days.. I hunker down with a pile of books and my laptop and it is bliss..

Curtains at the doors, homemade draft excluders, not being allowed to leave the doors open for more than a second, some sticky tape stuff around the windows, having to wear lots of clothes especially cardigans, lots of heavy bedding, flannelette sheets.

We still do all of this! Live in a mid 19th century stone built house in the middle of nowhere. I was up the stairs putting stuff away this afternoon wearing several layers, inc two thick fleeces, a neck warmer, hat and wrist warmers. I made the wrist warmers out of an old pair of cashmere socks where the heels had gone. So I snipped off the bottom bit and I roll them up my wrists and lower arms. I do typing work at home so it also helps with dexterity.

I use that kind of heating in my greenhouse in the worst of the winter. I think I got it from one of the gardening catalogues. (Natural Gardening, possibly)

Curtains at the doors, homemade draft excluders, not being allowed to leave the doors open for more than a second, some sticky tape stuff around the windows, having to wear lots of clothes especially cardigans, lots of heavy bedding, flannelette sheets.

We had hot water bottles made of stone. Lovely and warm at night but would be freezing cold the next morning. I had to avoid putting my feet near them. They were extremely heavy and thankfully neither my sister or I dropped one on our toes.

MaizieD

Welshy

MaizieD

My father made electric bed warmers out of a light bulb fixed inside a big toffee tin.

I shudder now to think how dangerous that could have been..

That brought back memeories.
My father did exactly the same thing and plugged it into the celing light. He used either the empty Quality Street or Roses tins and punched holes in the lid.

Ours were Sharps toffee tins.

We all survived, worriedwell 😆

Glad to hear it. It is the sort of thing my DH would do, he loves fiddling with anything electrical. Gives me nightmares.

We used to have Coronas fizzy drinks. Mum filled an empty one with very hot water as we didn't have hot water bottles. My sister fell asleep against one and badly burned her leg. It scarred

MayBee70

I’ve got a whippet hot water bottle. Back in the day they were multi purpose dogs. Caught rabbits for the pot, raced for recreation and, at night, they used to sleep with the children to keep them warm.

I too have a sighthound hottie!
She has learned to keep to her own side of the bed (!) but I love that warm bulk in the small of my back (and the occasional panting in my ear!!!)

I had two younger brothers, who, as teenagers, would lift my little sister (who slept very soundly) into their beds to warm them, the last one to use her this way placed her back in her own bed so she never knew. The boys would argue who would get her first.

Welshy

MaizieD

My father made electric bed warmers out of a light bulb fixed inside a big toffee tin.

I shudder now to think how dangerous that could have been..

That brought back memeories.
My father did exactly the same thing and plugged it into the celing light. He used either the empty Quality Street or Roses tins and punched holes in the lid.

Ours were Sharps toffee tins.

We all survived, worriedwell 😆

MaizieD

My father made electric bed warmers out of a light bulb fixed inside a big toffee tin.

I shudder now to think how dangerous that could have been..

That brought back memeories.
My father did exactly the same thing and plugged it into the celing light. He used either the empty Quality Street or Roses tins and punched holes in the lid.

SunnySusie

I remember very clearly huddling round a fire in the living room as a child. The front of you would be scorching hot and the back draughty and cold. As kids our nightclothes were hung in front of the fire and we got changed before venturing into the unheated bedrooms, sleeping in PJs, dressing gown and nightsocks. We had so many blankets piled on the bed it was difficult to turn over. In the morning we got dressed under the covers and ran into the living room to toast bread on a long brass toasting fork over the fire. The house was horribly damp as well as cold and we had bronchitis, chest infections and earache off and on all winter.

I used to sit on the hearth and my mother said I was nesh.

The house didn't seem damp but upstairs was cold - ice on the inside of the bedroom windows on very cold days.

Perhaps we're all nesh today.

Vintagegirl

I remember the ice forming on the inside of the bedroom window and studying with a hot water bottle strapped under dressingown. Oh and chilblains.....I think from standing waiting on a bus to school 4 times a day.

Yes chilblaims horrible itchy painful things. I haven't heard of anyone having them for years. I do live in the south west so we don't generally get the coldest weather.

SunnySusie

I remember very clearly huddling round a fire in the living room as a child. The front of you would be scorching hot and the back draughty and cold. As kids our nightclothes were hung in front of the fire and we got changed before venturing into the unheated bedrooms, sleeping in PJs, dressing gown and nightsocks. We had so many blankets piled on the bed it was difficult to turn over. In the morning we got dressed under the covers and ran into the living room to toast bread on a long brass toasting fork over the fire. The house was horribly damp as well as cold and we had bronchitis, chest infections and earache off and on all winter.

Oh yes I remember the hot front and cold back and women with scorch marks on their legs.

One of my earliest memories is being blue lighted to hospital with bronchitis. I might have been just 2. I can see my gran standing at the front door with my sister as my mother climbed into the ambulance after me. Still suffering with a chest infection now, I wonder if it caused some long term problem although to be fair my main problems seem to have been since covid.

MaizieD

My father made electric bed warmers out of a light bulb fixed inside a big toffee tin.

I shudder now to think how dangerous that could have been..

I'm having a panic attack thinking about it. Thank God you all survived, I'm assuming you did all survive.

I remember very clearly huddling round a fire in the living room as a child. The front of you would be scorching hot and the back draughty and cold. As kids our nightclothes were hung in front of the fire and we got changed before venturing into the unheated bedrooms, sleeping in PJs, dressing gown and nightsocks. We had so many blankets piled on the bed it was difficult to turn over. In the morning we got dressed under the covers and ran into the living room to toast bread on a long brass toasting fork over the fire. The house was horribly damp as well as cold and we had bronchitis, chest infections and earache off and on all winter.

JamesandJon33

Georgesgran I remember my grandma,a widow, shovelling the coal. However I believe she had to give neighbours some very, very carefully. The coal board might have taken the coal away if they knew she shared it.

I don’t remember women shovelling the coal at all. My dad and other men used to shovel it in, their own and that of the retired miners and widows.

In my Grans house she used to a back to back boiler which was used a small range in the kitchen and a coal fire in the living room this heated the water. Years later the range was decommissioned and a gas fire installed in the living room. I used to lean on the wall in the kitchen where the range had been and heated my hands and legs on the wall. The gas fire was on from early morning until the national anthem was played on the TV, so her room was always really warm. My DH used to fall asleep when sitting in the armchair, he wasn’t used to the heat.

RosiesMaw2

I have just bought myself a Borg lined Oodie and it is heaven.
I can understand why the hoi polloi go round Tesco in their pj’s, dressing gowns and fluffy slippers.
If I thought I could get away with it in Fortnums or Waitrose … . I might never wear real clothes again.

I've just treated myself to an Oodie too. I may actually live in mine all winter - it's very cosy!