General Chat

Godmanchester which is near where some of my ancestors come from.....have tudor style houses with the over hang.......and they were designed for that very purpose lol.

Mind there must have been times where you had to move aside so others could walk along the same stretch of pavement.......law of averages says if you bided your time and worked out their routine you'd be able to get em eventually lololol xx

Not sure some things have changed. I personally know of 2 families on benefits (the parish) because the husbands have been laid off for over 12 months. Behind with all utilities including rent. The wives working extra hours to bring in more money so HB is reduced. They are not sure when landlords (private) will serve them notice because of rent arrears. Only option then is B&B for wives and children, husbands elsewhere maybe (workhouse?).

These families have no landline/mobile, no car, no internet and are still struggling on minimum wage. Husbands looking for work within 200 miles from home (how I don't know with no transport).

The longer you are without work the harder it is to get it.

I think there is a price to pay for progress, Mel. Just look at the mobile phone. No matter where I am or what I'm doing my family or work can get hold of me - sometimes a good thing often a bad thing. The computer has put me in touch with family I never knew I had but it's opened us to fraud. Cars are improving all the time but more people are being killed on the roads. And as the gap between the haves and have-nots widens the crime rate rises.

Sue x

No they didn't Mel ...if you look at the oldest houses you will see the upper floors have an overhang....

"gardez l'eau (or maybe: Garde de l'eau!) loosely translated as "watch out for the water!") which was used in medieval times when chamber pots were emptied from a window onto the street."

:)

I have to go tis a school nite ~ thank you all for a very interestin discussion

Hi Igor, entirely true about Cromwell .... ( don't start me off lol I was being very restrained given my Irish roots )

sitting on my hands a lot this evening...do I get a prize? ;)

I am reading at the moment about my ancestors life on the Thames barges... my nan being in service at age 15... neither of which i would want to be doing .

I can remember when i was a kid, my mum putting sheets through my nan's mangle...fun for me to turn..but would I really like to do that to get the clothes dry as an alternative to the spin cycly which does it all for me? to turn the sheets outer edge to middle when they wore out rather than buy new? to go barefoot because I had to save my only pair of shoes for church or work? to go round the market as it closed picking up the dropped or discarded veg for soup because there was no money to buy it?

Simplicity of lifestyle is one thing...and one can have that as a choice still....but no I wouldn't swap!

Im pretty sure they only did that in films Muffy

I know what you mean Hayley.

I'd love to go back to Tudor England for a day but can you imagine the stink!!!!!! YUK !!!!!!!Mind I bet it was fun at times shoving your chamber pot out of the window to coincide with a disliked neighbour walking past lololol xx

you mean especially the rich people ~ nethertheless some interesting points ~ polite question what is display stuff I feel Im missing out here?

Yes Mel...............going back in time a............if only..............

I wouldntlike to live in the past people hardly washed even rich people poor people and had no display stuff at all ...I know that they knew no differant so it was excepted but it must of ponged in homes in the summer of BO, bet in 100 years it wll be scoffed at because people wipe their bums with loo roll.

lol Muffy if only but I've been this way the past 30 years

True Uggers if only we could travel back in time I'd take my risk assessment book, my child protection leaflets and Aggie and Kim {not newby or Viz} with me

My bones have been creaking for ages lol.....and my grey strands have at least doubled during the past year.

Doesn't mean you're ancient....or it's down to always having to look after people.......you're..just not 20 anymore that's all lol.xx

Hi Igor good points but surely progress alwes comes at a price?

I bet most of us on here relate to the past a good bit Mel, probably why most of us are here. But it's different being fascinated by the past and being transported to living the life isn't it;) Wouldn't mind a vist though

Sue and Sally have said what I was thinking but couldn't put in words:)

hi all
1 -the downfall of Ireland did not begin with the potato blight although it was a catalyst but with the ocupation by England i.e Oliver Cromwell
2 the industrial revolution spawned many an embryo for todays technology a lot of forward thinking people Telford, Stephenson, Farady, to name just a few.
The name of the game was greed mill owners, mine owners played on the poor , terrible working conditions etc knowing that a few coppers a week was better than the jack s**t they earned before
igor

possibly Muffy but at 39 my bones have started creaking more, I think its cos I have always had to look after someone and I grew up very fast

Whirley I aint sure where your coming from ~ if you mean my conscience its a clear as cyrstal but as an insomniac no I don't very often sleep at night

SueMaid good point about the media

Is that why you are always saying you are old when you are a spring chicken the same as me Mel? lol xx