March 28, 2011

The Cedars Daily Sparkle

The Reminiscence Newspaper TODAY IN HISTORY

TM

Tuesday 29th March 2011 THE WAY WE WERE

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29th March was Ruby Murray’s birthday. She was born in Belfast in 1935 and died in 1996. Ruby Murray was one of the most popular singers in the UK in the 1950s. In 1955 she had 7 Top Ten hit singles. Ruby was a child star, and she made her first appearance on TV at the age of 12. She had been on tour, but being under 14, she then had to go back to school. What a contrast after the glitz and glamour of show business, having to go back to the classroom! Ruby Murray’s hits included Heartbeat, Softly Softly, Real Love and many more.

Somebody once told me that in the olden days cooks used strongly flavoured spices to disguise the fact that food was going off. That was in the days before refrigeration and preservatives. I like lots of spices, and I particularly like nutmeg. It’s a very hard kind of nut, and has to be finely grated. I used to sprinkle it very generously on top of egg custard tarts in a lovely thick brown layer. I always associated cloves with Christmas, but nutmeg was something I used to use all year round.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

We liked the south coast, and we had memorable holidays in Bournemouth and Eastbourne, as well as Devon and Cornwall. Sometimes we would head north, to the Lake District or Scotland. As long as there was a sandy beach the children were happy.

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I am always amused to see holiday advertisements on the television straight after Christmas. When my wife Maureen and I were planning the family holiday we didn’t even think about it until Easter. In those days I don’t think people travelled abroad to the same extent that they do now. When the children were young we usually went to a seaside resort in Great Britain.

OVER TO YOU

Dear Mary and Jack, When I was young, one of the most popular 21st birthday presents for girls was a smart powder compact. People liked to give things you could keep as a memento but something you could use as well. My parents gave me a beautiful Stratton compact with a matching perfume spray. I still have it, and the presentation box it came in. Stratton was a well known make. I used both the compact, and the spray, for years, and they always felt smart and luxurious when I got them out of my handbag. Best wishes from Ruth

GENERAL QUIZ

SINGALONG

Today’s quiz is General Knowledge.

The words and music to this Second World War song were by Hughes and Lake.

1. In which country did the Pharaohs rule? 2. Who was the reigning British monarch during the First World War? 3. A climbing orchid with bright green leaves, greeny white flower, and brown seed pods is used for flavouring. What is it? 4. Which instrument sometimes seen in an orchestra has 47 strings? 5. Who was the ‘Fat Owl of the Remove’?.

Bless 'em all, - - - - - 'em all The - - - - and the short and the - - - Bless all the - - - - - - - - - and W.O. Ones Bless all the corp'rals and their blinking - - - For we're saying good-bye to them - - As back to their billets they ----You'll get no promotion this side of the - - - - So cheer up my - - - - Bless 'em all

6. What is a Red Admiral?

ANSWERS 1. Egypt 2.King George V 3. Vanilla 4. Harp 5. Billy Bunter 6.A butterfly

ANSWERS 1.bless 4. sergeants 7. crawl

2. long 5. sons 8.ocean

3. tall 6.all 9. lads

The Daily Sparkle Carer’s Notes Tuesday, March 29th 2011 PAGE 1 • TODAY IN HISTORY• through the years • 29th March 1935 Background: Ruby Murray was born on this date in 1935. She was a very popular singer

who had a string of hits, especially in the 1950s. She was Irish, but moved to England and lived in Torquay. Questions: Do you remember Ruby Murray? Did you like her choice of songs? What was her voice like? Which other singers of that period did you like? Do you prefer to listen to male voices or female voices? Have you ever belonged to a choir?

PAGE 1 • THE WAY WE WERE • from Mary’s point of view Nutmeg Background: Nutmeg grows in Indonesia, which used to be called the Spice Islands. It is

about the size of a small walnut. It is very hard. The Elizabethans thought nutmeg could ward off the Plague, so it was widely used in dishes at that time. Questions: Do you like the flavour of nutmeg? What recipes did you use when you were cooking for the family? Did you grate it yourself, or did you buy ground nutmeg? What other spices did you use?

PAGE 2 • DO YOU REMEMBER? • from Jack’s point of view Planning holidays Background: Before the advent of cheap air travel and package holidays, many families

took their annual summer holiday in the UK. Seaside holidays were popular, especially for families with children. Before motorways, and when fewer families had cars anyway, people would travel by train, often to the nearest bit of coast to where they live. Midlanders had resorts like Skegness. There was Blackpool in the north west, and Margate was in easy reach of London for example. Questions: Where was your favourite UK holiday destination? How did you get there? Who went with you? When did you start planning the holiday? How long did you go for? Where did you stay?

PAGE 2 • OVER TO YOU • Readers’ Letters Powder Compacts Background: Powder was an essential item in any woman’s make-up bag. FIrst it was loose

powder, and compacts had a fine mesh inner lid, as well as the outer lid that had a mirror in it. Compacts were quite heavy and some were very ornate. Questions: Did you use powder? What sort did you use? What did you put it on with? Did you have a powder compact? What was it like? Did you choose it yourself, or was it a gift?

PAGE 3 • QUIZ • General Knowledge PAGE 3 • SINGALONG • Bless’Em All

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