These jugs were my mum's. My earliest memory of these jugs is of them sitting on a mantlepiece in mum and dad's bedroom. This was when we lived in Ebbisham Road, Epsom, Surrey, England.
It was quite a large house considering it was a "council house" but maybe everything appeared large to me then as I was only tiny. It was quite a well designed house too, looking back. You went in the front door and the stairs were directly in front of you. To the right was a door into the lounge room which stretched from the front of the house to the back. To the left along a small hallway was the bathroom then, around the corner, the kitchen which faced out onto the back garden. In the corner of this hallway under a small window our dad built a cupboard into the corner. I remember its round shaped door and on top mum placed a blue hyacinth that filled the house with its exquisite perfume.
Up the stairs and to the right were our bedrooms and to the left, mum and dad's bedroom which stretched from the front of the house to the back. So, being directly over the kitchen where the boiler was, the bedroom had a fireplace and, hence, a mantlepiece. But I can't remember dad ever making a fire in that grate. I do remember a real fire in the lounge room fireplace though and watching chestnuts roasting on the little shelf directly in front of the coals.
I was very young when we lived in that house so it probably wasn't as 'huge' as I imagine. I spent alot of time at home as I was in my pre-school years which explains why I have these clear images.
Up the stairs and to the right were our bedrooms and to the left, mum and dad's bedroom which stretched from the front of the house to the back. So, being directly over the kitchen where the boiler was, the bedroom had a fireplace and, hence, a mantlepiece. But I can't remember dad ever making a fire in that grate. I do remember a real fire in the lounge room fireplace though and watching chestnuts roasting on the little shelf directly in front of the coals.
I was very young when we lived in that house so it probably wasn't as 'huge' as I imagine. I spent alot of time at home as I was in my pre-school years which explains why I have these clear images.
Next to the fireplace in mum and dad's bedroom was the 'airing' cupboard where all the clean clothes were stacked neatly. Mum ironed everything. The one thing I remember about this cupboard was bodices! We went to this cupboard for clean clothes each day and that included the dreaded bodice. Oh, how my sister and I hated having to wear a bodice! A sleeveless, white, thick, fitted, button-up cotton top that mum insisted we wear underneath to keep us warm.
One particular memory I have of mum and dad's bedroom was when some family came to stay. I can't remember who but the extra people staying meant they put up a camp bed in their room for me to sleep on. Well, how exciting! It was what they called "the Z bed". It was like a big concertina which stretched out longways until it was a bed but could be closed up and stood in a corner with its lid acting like a little table. This bed was so much fun. I know why I have no idea who was staying - because most of the time the visitors were there I was upstairs crawling under this wonderful 'cubby'. It was so cosy, so secret and all mine.
One particular memory I have of mum and dad's bedroom was when some family came to stay. I can't remember who but the extra people staying meant they put up a camp bed in their room for me to sleep on. Well, how exciting! It was what they called "the Z bed". It was like a big concertina which stretched out longways until it was a bed but could be closed up and stood in a corner with its lid acting like a little table. This bed was so much fun. I know why I have no idea who was staying - because most of the time the visitors were there I was upstairs crawling under this wonderful 'cubby'. It was so cosy, so secret and all mine.
Gill, our eldest sister had a bedroom all to herself. She was the eldest, afterall. Marion and I shared the front bedroom in which we had bunk beds. Well, they probably looked like a set of bunk beds but in actual fact they were "a ship"!! Yes, thanks to my sister's vivid imagination, we had many an exciting adventure sailing our "ship" across raging seas (the floor).
Happy days. I just have to look at my little blue jugs.
1 comment:
This is a lovely piece H. So evocative of time and place.
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