Tonight when I go to bed I will slip below a quilted cover and snuggle up to my beautiful wife Sue (who will respond by pushing me back to my side of the bed whilst still reading her latest novel).
It’s always puzzled me how women can do two things at once. When my two girls (Alison and Helen) were at home, I would arrive home and seeing that everyone was engrossed in their respective books, magazines etc, I would proceed to change channels on the TV only to be met with WE WERE WATCHING THAT (Farmers weather forecast??). So I would sheepishly change back to the channel that they were not watching, go and make everyone else a cup of tea and lie across the floor to rest my eyes. I have always been badly done to.
But that’s not what I am here to talk about- see how easy I digress? The matter in hand is the wonder that is the modern duvet-(Tell me this and tell me no more- they keep you warm in Winter and cool in Summer. How??) I was born in Liverpool in 1948, a city battered by war. My family had little, my father worked for the railway and did not earn a good wage, but, it didn’t matter: I had a happy childhood regardless (more of that to come over the following weeks…).
My two brothers and I slept in one bed. It was an old iron bed with a mesh base and flimsy mattress. Over us would be a grey blanket and, when winter arrived, our very own duvet: a very special duvet, because this one had arms and pockets and a collar and metal buttons and a very special smell of my dad. We never had a problem getting to sleep….
And there is the difference: “smells”. Our current duvet smells clinical, but my God what comfort the smell of that old wartime overcoat gave to us and there he would be, my Dad, downstairs laughing and joking with mum, while we lay wrapped in the comfort of his history, safe and snugly in the scent of him.
Do you know what?Nearly every kid in our street and in our city had one. Every kid was as lucky as we were…
Many thanks for inventing the Duvet ADOLF!
BY GEORGE MAY. ***More where that came from next week!***
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.
No matter how awful the day (and trust me, this day of mine had the potential to be truly, heart-breakingly awful) I am glad to be the kind of she who can, with a little trawling find something that I will still…
Well Housekeepers, the culmination of of our frenzied efforts is nigh: Chrismas Eve is just two days away and I for one am declaring a blogging holiday… While I suspect I may suffer from a severe (but festively scrumptious) case of cold…
If I ever drop by and find you dangling sausages from your fake Christmas Tree there will be trouble, do you understand? Because yes indeed, click on the image above and you will see that this darling little vintage advert suggests poking…
Hmmmmm. Not long after I met Mark, his Dad left his Mum for a woman who went by the name of Mary. Trouble she was. Trouble in a feisty five foot small little Irish package. Soon after, cushions from the family sofa…
“Mostly they are clean-shaved, but I saw one the other day with a beard.” She lifted a warning finger. “The truth was revealed! My nose!” So there you have it, quite the most nonsensical captions ever to accompany really rather lovely turn…
I wanted to call this post Wordless Wednesday but then the very idea of zipping up my mouth and showing you images without explanation struck me as almost impossible and where I am concerned, slightly ludicrous, because as though who know me…
4 Comments
What a georgous piece from George. I had tears in my eyes as I imagined two little boys curled up in a big bed trying to keep warm. What a talented family you have Alison ! Look forward to hearing more from Dad. Lovely memories. Well Done !
George you're such a gem … and I can see where the May girls get their talents!!! I loved reading this. Thank you so much to dear ol' Dad. (I can hear my own Dad saying 'hey, easy on the old'…I abbreviated it for you so it doesn't hurt so much).
What a beautiful, evocative piece of writing! I really look forward to more stories in the coming weeks. This makes me think, that no matter how poor a family is in monetary terms, as long as it is rich in love, everything is just fine.
Oh, by the way, one of my favourite smells is the residual smell that onions leave on your hands for days after cutting them … because when I was little we had no tv where we lived (technology hadn't yet come to far north queensland!) and, as my Mum would read to us each night, she'd stroke my hair and I guess the onion smell was on her loving hands. To this day, that's a favourite smell. Bizarre huh?
{"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}
What a georgous piece from George. I had tears in my eyes as I imagined two little boys curled up in a big bed trying to keep warm. What a talented family you have Alison ! Look forward to hearing more from Dad. Lovely memories. Well Done !
George you're such a gem … and I can see where the May girls get their talents!!! I loved reading this. Thank you so much to dear ol' Dad. (I can hear my own Dad saying 'hey, easy on the old'…I abbreviated it for you so it doesn't hurt so much).
What a beautiful, evocative piece of writing! I really look forward to more stories in the coming weeks. This makes me think, that no matter how poor a family is in monetary terms, as long as it is rich in love, everything is just fine.
Oh, by the way, one of my favourite smells is the residual smell that onions leave on your hands for days after cutting them … because when I was little we had no tv where we lived (technology hadn't yet come to far north queensland!) and, as my Mum would read to us each night, she'd stroke my hair and I guess the onion smell was on her loving hands. To this day, that's a favourite smell. Bizarre huh?