Lavender Oil

[Robinia]

Can anyone recommend a good lavender oil please? I've bought them in the past and they just didn't smell right somehow. It's mainly for refreshing wheat packs, pillows etc.

[Robinia]

That's true woofy...me and my sister laugh about the household hazards we grew up with and think it's a miracle we survived!

[woofgang]

yes Robi, our parents did their best though.

[netibiza]

We still have kerosine heaters over here, but they scare me. I have no idea how we coped in the freezing weather all those years ago. Dad did not like spending money on heating, we used to have miserable Little coal fire in the living room(this was after mum left when I was 18) and we would huddle round it. Before that in other houses we also had an ideal boiler or an aga so the house was almost warm. I remember that our face flannels in the basins in the bedrooms would be frozen every morning, I liked to bite mine!

[netibiza]

Just back from lunch, it was lovely but they lit a log stove in the top part of the restaurant and it smoked everyone out, we had booked in the lower part next to a huge open fire and it was lovely until the smoke came swirling round and my eyes started to sting. We were one of the firs there so luckily we left before smog set in! All the diners from upstairs had to eat in the café part!

[jno]

still floating down here, have swept the driveway out into the street in hopes that I may make it out tomorrow, but I don't know. Very pretty, though.

[woofgang]

We all used to wash at the kitchen sink so nice and warm as dad had been up hours earlier to get the fire going and boil water. It was one of those huge deep porcelain sinks with one brass (cold water) tap. The outside toilet at the end of the garden used to freeze up in winter so we used to keep a paraffin stove going out there to keep it above freezing.
The oil shop was just over the road from us and it used to sell paraffin, petrol and also recharge big heavy batteries. He used to fix push bikes and sell bike spares as well. Our radio was a mains one but my nan's was run off one of the big batteries, I don't think her house had electricity. She had two batteries and one would be charging at the shop while she used the other.

[LoftyLottie]

Loved the smell of those paraffin heaters!

I think that people might have moaned Robi, because it sure was cold - but generally we all got on with life and people were more cheery. There was more neighbourliness. I am not saying I would want to go back to those conditions now - I wouldn't cope at all - but you don't miss what you never had.

[Jude123]

I'd like to hear what the young of today will be saying in 50 years time about the good old days...:)
I remember even in this house when it was so cold the windows froze up on the inside. Steady had loads of blankets on his bed in the days before duvets arrived from the continent. I've only had central heating for about 5 years and double glazing in the last 10. All we had was a gas fire in the lounge and I used to put the gas cooker on in the kitchen in the Winter. I'm not moaning. We just got on with it and it was our way of life.
I remember when I was a kid we always had coal fires and as many logs as my Dad could get hold of and I a;way remember the Fire Guard!

[woofgang]

never forgotten, my dad had really calloused hands. if a hot, not burning piece of coal fell out of the fire he could pick it up and put it back with his bare hand. Unfortunately aged about 4 I thought I could do it too! My hand has healed without so much as a mark but boy did Mum take it out on Dad.

[woofgang]

PS it makes me smile when you see posts on facebook that say "if you can remember when tv had only 4 channels yadda yadda that was when Britain was Great"

[netibiza]

As kids mum always made us take off our vest and knickers before putting on pj's and I so envied my friends who were allowed to sleep in the same underwear all week. I remember the beds were freezing when we got in them even with the Stone wáter bottle!!

[Robinia]

Just popping in with my egg mayo seedy bap...I don't feel like eating today...or doing anything for that matter. I did draw a face on it and shoved a big sharp pin in it's fat end before I boiled it which gave me a momentary feeling of relief. :)

lol woofy...I can remember (during the times we had a tv that is) having to turn it on ten minutes before the programme started so it warmed up.
That's the one thing I'd like to do Jude, look 50-100 years into the future to see what they've got that we haven't and whether they ever do find cures for horrible diseases.

[netibiza]

yes woofy my dad used to pick up the hot coals with his hands when they feel out of the grate, and he was a tailor. I loved it when he would put sheets of newpaper against the fireplace to draw it, and then occasionally it would catch fire and blow up the chimney. Oh dear where was 'elf and safety then??

[woofgang]

I know Neti, sleeping in underwear was so low class, we had to take ours off as well but could have a vest on under the jammies which was kept with the jammies and changed when the jammies were.

[Robinia]

we kept our vests on...no wonder my boobs didn't grow, no room for them.

[woofgang]

oh drawing the fire up. We used to watch with bated breath hoping for the newspaper to catch fire. Did you ever use a soot imp if it was a bit long between chimney cleans? It used to burn hot and burn the soot and tar out of the chimney....could fill the whole road with smoke, woe betide you if you didn't warn the neighbours.

[Robinia]

Don't forget chummies, Call The Midwife tonight, BBC1 at 8.

[netibiza]

Oh goody, Midwife and Mr Selfridge. Head is bunged with cold.

[jno]

oh dear, woofgang, did your dad serve in the Middle East at all?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEEVNX7dSCU

[woofgang]

lol jno, north africa was as near as he got but i can hear him saying that!