Grannymar

Red Mum wrote about the difficulty of carrying large cumbersome purchases around busy shopping areas by hand. Nowadays shopping and goods are supposed to go magically into standard sized plastic bags. It is surprising how often that the larger the bag the weaker the handle.

Way back when Ya-di-da-di-da…

Well it was way back when I was a slip of a thing and growing up in Dublin. Everything you bought from 5 rolls of wallpaper, a pair of blankets, or a pair of shoes, to a fur coat (no I didn’t, but I did refuse a mink coat once!), they were always wrapped in strong brown paper and tied with string. Where do you think we old folk learned to wrap a neat parcel?

When we got home the parcel was unwrapped, the string rolled up and saved and the paper folded, for reuse to back school books* or to make a dress pattern. The string was always useful, for tying other parcels or with a weight attached it made a useful plumb line.

So back to tying the parcels…

When they were carefully wrapped in paper, the string was tied securely around the parcel lengthwise with a strong knot positioned about 1/3 of the way along the long side. The string was then taken over the top and back of the parcel and looped around the string at the back then on down under the parcel and back to the knot at the front. Leave no slack and knot it again around a T bar this time. Bring the line of string along the first string about another 1/3 of the way and loop and tie it. Again bring the string over the top and back of the parcel as before and loop it again, taking it on down and round to the front once more. Secure at the knot above and then take it back to the first knot, and secure with a final knot and trim end. You will note a double string in the middle and this can be used as a strong handle.

Now for the Grannymar special. I have my uses!!!!

You have heard me talk of my days living in Germany way back in the early 70’s. During my first week there I bought a duvet and it came in a cardboard box. This box was wrapped in brown paper and tied as I described above. The sales assistant was a pleasure to watch as he swiftly completed his task. Setting the parcel on the counter, keeping one hand on it he bent down and from some secret compartment he produced a little wooden handle which he attached. It was wonderful! I had no numb fingers from loss of blood supply, and my arms were not aching from trying to hold an awkward package up at elbow level.

I still have that wooden handle 36 years later and it has well served its time. The wood is worn at the edges and the wire replaced. I used part of a metal coat hanger for this purpose and my metal turning skills would never win prizes but it works! I have made several handles since using bamboo and the coat hanger wire.

If you attempt to make some from bamboo choose a smooth piece as the ridge marks hurt the hands when carrying a heavy load. Also remember to file the cut edges of the wire or it might catch and tear the skin or fabrics of clothing while on the move.

Now I will expect to see your handiwork very soon.

* When we were at school all school text and copy books had to be covered in brown paper to keep them clean. We then had to write our names and the title of the book on the new cover.

Over the years I have slept in many beds.

There was single, three quarter, double and King size.

I actually started my life in ‘Donal’s Cot’ as did my Elly, but that is a post on its own.

In my apartment in Wiesbaden, Germany there was a bed-settee in the living room. By day it was not recognisable as a bed. The seat was an upholstered mattress and the back rest was made of teak forming a hidden storage area for a duvet and pillows. It was used often and provided a comfortable nights sleep.

I have slept on fold-up & camp beds, and on one occasion while camping on Achill Island I slept in a tent, on a ground sheet with no bed! That bank holiday weekend in Achill, I went away with a bad cold. The mist was down and so thick we had to scramble around at snails pace. On the Monday we woke to glorious sunshine and I was able to see the scenery for the first time. Magically my cold had disappeared with the mist!

During one holiday travelling through mainland Europe, we were three young girls out to discover the world. We booked a room for the three of us everywhere we went, giggling about the adventures of the day as we waited for sleep to take over, was all part of the fun.

I remember spending a night in Liechtenstein where our room was enormous and contained four large beds. There was a door at the end of the room and when I opened it there was another room beyond with three beds. The only access to the three bedded area was through the first room. It was a wonderful elegant old building with high ceilings, elaborate plasterwork and each room had two heavy carved doors, the first one opened out to the corridor and once opened you discovered the other one that opened inward.

The Reception area was busy as we checked in, and we chatted and laughed while waiting for our keys and have our passports checked. We were told our bags would be delivered to our rooms in a few minutes. Elevators were not a necessity in those days. Having bounced on, and checked all seven beds I returned to the corridor to see if the cases had arrived. Several of the other guests were of the same mind and standing looking out of their rooms.

All of a sudden I was swept up in a strong pair of arms and carried down the hallway squealing with laughter to a room where I was deposited in the largest cot I have ever seen! The cot was placed at the foot of a King sized bed and was the full width of it. The strong arms were attached to a good looking gentleman who had checked in at the same time we did. He had heard me laugh and decided that I was a ‘fun’ person! The girls finally came in search of me, and only then was I lifted out of the cot! We had a good laugh about it and later at dinner the nice man had a bottle of wine delivered to my table.

Another comfortable bed I shared with my husband was during a self-catering holiday in Denmark. We were staying on a Pig farm! We were in site of the pig houses and there was something missing…… There was no smell! We only became aware of the piglets ten minutes before their feeding time. They started to squeal to remind the farmer it was time to eat. Once he appeared they stopped. Denmark provided wonderful memories and perhaps someday will be the topic of a blog post or Podcast.

Finally I come to the bed that inspired this post.

I made my one and only visit across the pond to the United States of America in November 2003. I was there to attend a family wedding. The Bride was from Cape Cod and the Groom’s family (my relatives) had taken a wonderful house Crocker Tavern in Barnstable Village on the Cape for the duration of the celebrations.

The bed I slept in was a great big Four-poster pictured above. The Bride’s mother called to meet us the morning following our arrival. We sat and had coffee at the dining table and she was able to tell us that her husband, the father of the bride had made the table. It was a work of art and he only uses recycled wood for his Studio Furniture.