DS_2011.31.03

The Cedars Daily Sparkle

The Reminiscence Newspaper

TM

Thursday 31st March 2011 THE WAY WE WERE

TODAY IN HISTORY

Daily Mail

On 31st March, 1953, the funeral of Queen Mary took place. She always looked so strict and upright on photographs but she was very popular. She was the wife of King George V, and the mother of Edward VIII (who abdicated) and George VI who took his place. Queen Mary lived to see her grandaughter Princess Elizabeth ascend to the throne. Portraits show Queen Mary wearing lots of jewellery. She almost always wore a pearl and diamond ‘choker’. She always looked very regal, and dignified.

One of the most luxurious things in the world is the feel of fresh crisp bed linen. When we were young, my sister and I always had flannelette sheets. They were good in winter because they never felt cold, even on a winter’s night. But in the summer they felt a bit too warm. Pure cotton sheets felt cool and smooth but were hard work to iron. One of the best inventions was the non-iron cotton and polyester mixture that came in some time in the 1950s. One of the worst was bri-nylon for sheets - it snagged on your toe-nails!

DO YOU REMEMBER?

OVER TO YOU

primrosedesign

Do you remember Tony Hancock? I thought Hancock’s Half Hour was one of the funniest programmes of its time. Tony Hancock played the part of a small-time comedian who had fallen on hard times. The character lived at 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam and his name was Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock. You always felt that there was a lot of the real Tony Hancock in the fictional character. The series transferred to television and was equally successful. Who could forget the episode about the Blood Donor! Poor old Hancock said he had given at least an armfull. Or the Radio Ham, and The Bowmans - all brilliant!

Dear Mary and Jack Does anyone wear an apron these days? I wanted to buy one as a present for an old neighbour of mine. My daughter-in-law took me shopping, but with no success. There were Butcherstriped aprons, and aprons for men cooking on barbecues, but nothing pretty. I remember when women wore a serviceable cross-over apron to do messy jobs in. Things like cleaning the cooker, or the fireplace. Then in the afternoon they would change into a pretty halfpinny to prepare for serving afternoon tea to visitors. Best wishes from Shirley

NAMES QUIZ Here is a quiz about famous names. 1. Who was England’s first woman Prime Minister? 2. Who was Robinson Crusoe’s ‘right hand man’?

3. In the nursery rhyme, who was frightened by a spider?. 4. Who invented the jet engine? 5. What was the name of the American General who fought in the battle of Little Big Horn? 6. Who was ‘The Lady of the Lamp’?

SINGALONG Here is one of Fats Waller’s cheeky songs. Do you know any more of the verses? My very good friend the - - - - - - - says That I've been losing too much -----. He doesn't like the hours I ----. He suggests that you should marry - -. My very good - - - - - - the mail man says That it would make his burden ---If we could have the same ------And - - suggests that you should - - - - - me.

ANSWERS 1. Margaret Thatcher 2. Man Friday 3. Little Miss Muffet 4. Sir Frank Whittle 5. General Custer 6. Florence Nightingale

ANSWERS 1. milkman 4. me 7. address

2. sleep 5. friend 8. he

3. keep 6. less 9. marry

The Daily Sparkle Carer’s Notes Thursday, March 31st 2011 PAGE 1 • TODAY IN HISTORY • through the years • 31st March 1953 Background: Although Queen Mary looked like an austere and aloof figure, she was much

admired during the two world wars and for the support she gave her husband George V. She outlived her husband and two of her sons. Although she saw her grandaughter Princess Elizabeth become Queen, she did not live long enough to attend the Coronation which took place in June that year. Questions: Do you remember Queen Mary? Where did you read about her or see pictures of her? Did you ever see footage of the Royal family on Pathe News at the cinema?

PAGE 1 • THE WAY WE WERE • from Mary’s point of view Bed Linen Background: Fresh clean bed linen is one of life’s pleasures! It may be a bit of a chore to

iron bed linen, but worth it. Flannelette needs less ironing and is warmer to the touch than cotton or poly-cotton. The addition of polyester to pure cotton made fabric ‘easy-care’ or ‘minimum iron’. Questions: Which do you prefer, flannelette or cotton? What does it feel like? Do you like blankets or duvets? Did you like ironing? Which items took the most effort to iron? Did you starch bed-linen? Do you like pale colours, dark colours or white for bed-linen?

PAGE 2 • DO YOU REMEMBER? • from Jack’s point of view Tony Hancock Background: Hancock’s Half Hour was a popular radio series with Tony Hancock playing a

lugubrious disgruntled character rather like himself. In episodes like The Blood Donor, things kept going wrong and the character he played was full of anxieties. The episode called The Bowmans was an irreverent spoof of the popular radio serial called The Archers. It ended with them all dying by falling into a threshing machine. The series transferred successfully to television. Questions: Were you a Tony Hancock fan? Did you prefer the radio version or the television version? Which was your favourite episode?

PAGE 2 • OVER TO YOU • Readers’ Letters Aprons Background: Lots of women wore aprons to do housework in, even over their working

clothes. Many of them would change into something smarter in the afternoon when the main chores were done, but would still wear an apron to protect their clothes when washing up or making tea. Questions: Did you wear an apron when you were doing housework? What sort of aprons did you like? Did you make your aprons or buy them? Did anyone ever give you an apron as a present? What was it like? Did the men in your family ever wear an apron?

PAGE 3 • QUIZ • Famous Names PAGE 3 • SINGALONG • My Very Good Friend the Milkman Says

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