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Showing posts from March, 2019

Ode to the Blue Stool with the Steps Attached

The village hall stool with the steps attached Brings nearer those bits that are out of reach, Provides a spot for the worker to rest And ponder the floor’s need of a good bleach The blue vinyl top has battered edges But the chrome legs and hinges still give shine, It’s the sturdiest tool in the kitchen Its inventor among the divine. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08D4SJWRZ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Man in Jam Making Incident

It is probably quite a well-known fact that during World War Two, Womens’ Institutes came into their own in terms of food provision for their villages and towns. Jams and chutneys were produced in record amounts by women in the spare moments between other essential war work. Apparently, approximately 4,700 tonnes of jam was made throughout the conflict. Village halls were often the headquarters of the production lines. You can imagine the sort of person who would be in charge, can’t you…the school mistress, the doctor’s wife or the parish clerk’s wife? Or how about the local bobby? Rosedale Abbey, a tiny village near Pickering on the North Yorkshire Moors, was flying against stereotypes in 1945. There, the village policeman was in charge of jam production and was, according to the Food Ministry Liaison Officer, “Adept in the processes.” I imagine that the jam making centre was housed in this lovely little building here: I delight in the Yorkshire Post’s handling o