I have always been solidly built, I remember clearly my mother telling me I was “built for comfort, not for speed”
Granny Spear
Granny Spear was born in a small cottage in Devon, Southern England in 1925. Married to farm labourer Ernest, she raised her family in the heart of the countryside without any of the amenities we rely on today. Using skills passed down from her mother, who had learned those same skills from her mother, she not only survived but positively thrived living a self-sufficient, off grid lifestyle. Outliving her husband, one of her children and two of her grandchildren she stayed in the cottage until 2003 when a serious fall saw her hospitalized. She now lives with her daughter just four miles from her old home. For her 89th birthday her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her an iPad, which she instantly rejected until they showed her Angry Birds...After much persuasion she has agreed to share some of her knowledge with us about what she calls the 'old days'
Oh What Do You Do With The Leftovers?
Whatever day you chose to eat it on I have always found that one of the main problems with turkey is what to do with the leftovers.
The Throwaway Generation
We need to get back to basics. Children are the next generation of parents and if we get it right with the kids then those habits will be passed on, just like they used to be.
Toothpaste Was Far Too Expensive So We Used Soot
Well I’m sorry this is a bit short Tess, but there’s not much more to say about boar hair toothbrushes and soot toothpaste is there?
You Will Not Believe How We Used to Get Moisturizer
For those without a pot full of money there was only one choice back in the day and that was lanolin.
Keeping Warm in Winter
Heating the cottage with just the firebox on the range and no mains back-up made you very inventive at keeping the heat in.
Peg Looms: A Simple Way to Create Home Furnishings
All the rugs at Knowle were made on a peg loom, as were cushion covers and the thick toppers that we used on the beds in cold weather.
What Age Has Taught Me
I can read and write, but I’m not what you would call an educated woman. Most of my learning has come from life and what it has to offer, the good and the bad.
Christmas at Knowle Cottage
Life was very simple, and we may not have had much money but we were rich beyond compare with our family and our little home.