Rural Leicestershire

[Growing up] [School] [Home] [Church] [Leaving]

Lots of chores to do

2.35 mins

[627 kb]

Interviewee:

There was always a lot to do at home, you see, and by the time, I mean, wash-day was a regular thing in the village on Mondays, so you went home and you folded the clothes and then you put the baby in the pram and you were allowed to go out, take the baby with you. And my mother used to say, well, you didn't want to sit around with the baby. So I put some, sewing was put into the pram, socks to mend and things like that. You could do that while you were sitting. I never thought anything of it, I mean, it was just one of those things. But Grandma used to see me and she'd say, "Have you got any mending there?" And she'd take it. But, then we came out of school at half past three or a quarter to four and then of course the routine would start. We'd have to do all the jobs, set the table for tea, have our tea then set the table again for my father coming at six o'clock for his tea.

EMOHA:

And he was a labourer on the land?

Interviewee:

After he'd, he was, well he was a cowman so he had to milk, you see. Well at four o'clock when we came out of school we used to go to my grandma's and collect a can of tea, that was a milk can of tea and take up to him while he was feeding his cattle. And in the, in the farm there was a, were they churned, they cut up all the turnips and everything in this mixing thing and we would feed that in for him while he drank his tea. He'd be watching us. There was nothing, we wouldn't get hurt. And that was another thing that we had to do everyday, one of us had to do.

EMOHA:

How often would you take his tea.

Interviewee:

Well as often as I could but there was always someone else to want to do it. 'Cause, I mean, if we could get away from home doing the jobs, we would.

EMOHA:

So how did you make sure that you were the one who was chosen to take tea?

Interviewee:

Well, I don't know really. It was just one of those things. If mother said I'd got to do so and so, I'd got to do it and you didn't argue. You just did these things.

Last updated: 21/11/03
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