That is some list.

However
There’s something odd about this thread…….

what did my mother do that my wife doesn’t?

1) account for every penny she spent until the day after my father died
2)darn her husbands socks
3)boil whites in a copper
4) go fruit picking to get some extra money
5)the Church Flowers and involve us kids
6)grow Maggie Mott violas
7)make the children turn the mangle
take part in am dram so she could see Dickie Bird!!!
9)eat butter while the rest of us had margarine (Stork not Echo)
I’ll stop there!

Things that my father did that I don’t do
1) get up at 4-30 every morning to milk the cows
2) smoke
3)
4)
5) send my sons to a state (no fees) boarding school
6) eat a bar of Cadbury’s dairy milk every week after sweets came of ration (even if he was out of work)
7)eat cold stew sandwiches

9) poach pheasant and rabbits; the former with whiskey soaked grain and raisins.
10)make a fool of himself with a rotovator that ran away with him!!!!
11) ride a motor bike for teh first tiem at the age of 53 and die at 55!

I think the things I do that he did are almost as interesting…

You have a way to go yet. My mother would be 94 now if she lived. Nowadays we have life easy with all the gadgets to do the work at the push of a button.

As for the mother and what she did - I suspect I am that mother’s age and I never baked every day. I baked on Saturday, did laundry on Monday, ironed 7 shirts on Tuesday, ironed sitting down when I was pregnant and did write with pen and ink, but rarely on bond stationery. I only wore hat and gloves on Sunday for Church.

I’d say the choccie was a sure winner!

Men

@Jen - Giving your mother support and plenty of hugs will help her on her road. Have you read this today : http://biopsy.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/cancer-is/

@Judy - Where would we be without Nancy and her stories?

@Steph - I never had need of a lunch box, I found little notes in my knicker drawer sometimes attached to a bar of chocolate.

GM,

Talking of notes in lunch boxes… when I make up a sandwich for myself for a long day at the nursing home, I sometimes open it up only to find a little note saying “Love Ya!”.

These little surprises means more to me than any valentine card and it always succeeds in making me smile