Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge: Y is for … Yesteryear
This week the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge brings us up to the letter Y, and for this I have decided that
Y is for … Yesteryear
For this I have decided think way back and come up with some memories I have of ‘yesteryear’. Ok, I’m not that old, but still much of what I have come up with are things that are not around today, so I’m counting them as yesteryear.
As I spent a reasonable portion of my childhood visiting my grandparents (on my mum’s side) on their farm and orchard at Cudlee Creek, which is a tiny (blink-and-you-miss-it) town in the Adelaide Hills, most of my ‘yesteryear’ memories relate to my grandparents or things at their place.
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So without further ado … here’s my yesteryear memories:
– when my grandma was home, she ALWAYS wore her apron. You know the regular ones that tied around the waist, but she had lots with the bib top too.
– my grandparents lived on a farm so there was morning tea and afternoon tea everyday. This usually included Sao biscuits with tomato and cheese, and often Rock Buns (does anyone else remember those)?
– Saturday was always roast day, with Sunday being leftover cold meat day
– the old telephone table, and phone with the twirly dial on the front
– the wood stove and the kettle that heats on the stove
An old milkcan similar to the one our milky used to deliver the milk in. His was bigger and less rusty 🙂
– my grandparents loved their tea, and I think later in life took to coffee, but they always drank it from a cup and saucer – never a mug
– my grandma did lots of preserves, to be honest I don’t even remember what, I just remember lots and lots of glass jars filing her pantry
– I remember a very ornate ceiling ornament in their loungeroom, the type that you could buy from an antiques or vintage house repairs type place
– and how could I forget my grandma’s garden – it was huge, and very colourful and she loved her garden. She was known for her flower arrangements for the local church they attended
– I also have memories of the local ‘milky’ delivering milk to our place. This was straight from cow, to a big milkcan, which he carted on his ute, then ladelled into containers my mum left out to be filled. These days, it’s simply go to the local shop and buy a litre or two.
– and while not completely ‘yesteryear’, I have to make mention of the tricycle that was at my grandparents place. All my cousins will remember this. The blue and yellow one. It was very well used, and kept us amused for hours at a time.
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And I couldn’t I have a post about yesteryear without remembering some of the quirky sayings that my grandma used to say:
– My giddy aunt
– little tackers or little nippers
– and for grace she was known to say “two, four, six, eight, bog in, don’t wait”
So that’s my ‘yesteryear’ memories. I know I’m guaranteed to think of more memories of things or sayings that I should have included, but this is all that comes to mind at present.
my grandparents, Cec and Evelyn Hannaford, 1996
4 Responses to “Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge: Y is for … Yesteryear”
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Lovely post! My grandparents didn’t live in Australia so I don’t have a lot of memories of them. I am so glad my boys will be able to have so many memories of their grandparents!
I found one of your grandmothers aprons. It is a green check smocked one. It is lovely, let me know if you would like it. I put it safe in the linen press because it is so pretty.
The preserving jars are still in the pantry! I use the juice bottles as well but we make mulberry cordial instead of apple juice.
Great post, Alona. I use ‘my giddy aunt’ on a regular basis probably because it reminds me of my own grandparents.
What a great idea for “Y”.
Your post prompted some memories of my grandmother that I haven’t written down yet, so thank you.
The Apron, preserving jars and garden are all things I remember fondly about my grandmother too.
I LOVE this post Alona. Brought so many memories flooding back. e.g. Sao biscuits with tomato & cheese… how ever did I forget them? The “pinnies” (aprons) and some with bibs. I still have a collection of my own… and the “bibless” apron was always the FIRST lesson in sewing something useful. How wonderful that your milk was delivered in a “milk urn”. I grew up in the suburbs and clearly remember the “billy can” left at the front door for the “Milko” to fill.
I could go on endlessly but will finish by saying that “my giddy aunt”… “little tackers”… “two four six eight” etc were all so very commonly used throughout my childhood too. Thanks for the reminding. Catherine.