Today is washday. My Mother hooks the old tub to faucets over the slate sink, wrestles cotton sheets through wringers, hangs them outside on the sagging clothesline. Tuesdays she irons, setting up the heavy board with its scorched pad dampening our blouses and skirts with a Coke-bottle sprinkler, testing the iron’s heat with her finger. We wait for the middle of the week, when she wears a flour smudged apron to fill date cookies, stir Kiss pudding shake warm doughnuts in a bag of sugar to feed our impatient hunger Thursdays she claims as her own translates Latin essays, scours Readers Digest Condensed books crafts poems on backs of grocery slips, weeds her flowers and studies birds. On Fridays, she cleans for the weekend, scrubbing the kitchen linoleum on her knees pushing the tired Electrolux over the carpet, shaking fresh-smelling sheets onto the beds, waxing the piano my sisters play. Most days, my Mother nearly forgets the life she’d once intended for herself. Laurel Mills
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
Beautiful and free to download at the lovely PoppyTalk. The perfect Friday morning project methinks… Other Things To Do At BrocanteHome Browse the Bookstore Discover a curated list of books to enhance and support life the BrocanteHome way Browse the Bookstore Life…
Congratulations to our lovely Cath, who has been awarded an MBE for services to business in this years Honours List. It gives me great pleasure to know that a woman who has effectively shaped the lifestyle aesthetic of a nation is being…
Enid Blyton Saves the Day! When the big bad world of being a grown up gets too much for me, I retreat under my duvet, with a glass of milk and a biscuit or seven and read Malory Towers or The St…
Next time Clare from Vintage Home goes shopping I want to go in her pocket please. She always manages to find the quirkiest, most lovely of lovelies, (in just the right colour palette) and every time I receive one of her happy…
A Muchier May I sometimes think that it takes me until May to really get into the year and that when I do my urge to get further along the journey to my own life less ordinary suddenly feels all the more…
Outside the ground is crunchy with hail that kept you wide awake in the small hours. Inside the house is slouching and you aren’t in the mood for helping her pull her socks up so you pin the morning away, downing coffee…
17 Comments
Thank you Alison. This poem is lovely and familiar. Like somewhere I've been before. Sally
Alison, it's funny, but I have vivid memories of mymother ironing. And that was quality time with her – talking with her as she ironed. Thanks. for sharing.
You are so welcome Betty. I too remember sitting on the floor watching Mum iron, with the homely scent of steam filling the room and rows of clothes hung from the picture rail…
Alison, it's funny, but I have vivid memories of mymother ironing. And that was quality time with her – talking with her as she ironed. Thanks. for sharing.
You are so welcome Betty. I too remember sitting on the floor watching Mum iron, with the homely scent of steam filling the room and rows of clothes hung from the picture rail…
Hi Alison, This also bought a tear to my eye. The Thursday part sounds good to me! I just finished ironing a few things and my spray bottle broke so I remembered an old Sydney Poiter movie where the wife spends all day ironing with a shaker bottle as did my mum so I thought I should make one out of a water bottle. It did the job and made me smile as I did a little vintage housekeeping ;0)
Hi Alison, This also bought a tear to my eye. The Thursday part sounds good to me! I just finished ironing a few things and my spray bottle broke so I remembered an old Sydney Poiter movie where the wife spends all day ironing with a shaker bottle as did my mum so I thought I should make one out of a water bottle. It did the job and made me smile as I did a little vintage housekeeping ;0)
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":300,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"http:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/tipjar-2.png","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"BrocanteHome","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"BrocanteHome","form_subtitle":"Help Me to Keep BrocanteHome Online","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you so much: helping me keep Brocantehome online really means the world to me.","payment_confirmation_title":"BrocanteHome","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
Thank you Alison. This poem is lovely and familiar. Like somewhere I've been before. Sally
And that is surely a sign of good poetry Sally? Have a lovely Sunday.x
This made me cry.
Oh Honey, I'm sorry! But sometimes it is good to have a little weep right…?
Alison, it's funny, but I have vivid memories of mymother ironing. And that was quality time with her – talking with her as she ironed. Thanks. for sharing.
You are so welcome Betty. I too remember sitting on the floor watching Mum iron, with the homely scent of steam filling the room and rows of clothes hung from the picture rail…
Alison, it's funny, but I have vivid memories of mymother ironing. And that was quality time with her – talking with her as she ironed. Thanks. for sharing.
You are so welcome Betty. I too remember sitting on the floor watching Mum iron, with the homely scent of steam filling the room and rows of clothes hung from the picture rail…
Hi Alison,
This also bought a tear to my eye. The Thursday part sounds good to me! I just finished ironing a few things and my spray bottle broke so I remembered an old Sydney Poiter movie where the wife spends all day ironing with a shaker bottle as did my mum so I thought I should make one out of a water bottle. It did the job and made me smile as I did a little vintage housekeeping ;0)
Oh Kellie, isn't is just bliss when strands from yesterday add up to inspiration for today? I love this little story. Thank you.x
Hi Alison,
This also bought a tear to my eye. The Thursday part sounds good to me! I just finished ironing a few things and my spray bottle broke so I remembered an old Sydney Poiter movie where the wife spends all day ironing with a shaker bottle as did my mum so I thought I should make one out of a water bottle. It did the job and made me smile as I did a little vintage housekeeping ;0)
How utterly beautiful! Thank you Alison,I too want to make kiss pudding! xx
I found this recipe Gena, if you want to kiss your family today…
http://www.vintagerecipes.net/books/cookery_blue_…
Happy Sunday!x
How utterly beautiful! Thank you Alison,I too want to make kiss pudding! xx
That was a wonderful post.
That was a wonderful post.