Friday Afternoons At The Co-oP

Friday Afternoon At The Co-op On Friday afternoons, Mother, Aunt Francs, Aunt Mary, Miss Carter (who wore Pink) and George and I walked quite a long way to a new Co-operative Stores to buy our flour to bake our bread. The first time we went to the shop we saw little boys hurrying to the shop from school – it was to buy the flour and carry it home in pillowcases on their heads – nearly all the mothers baked their bread on Saturdays and if Aunt Frances took George and I and Gyp and Barney for a walk on Saturdays the delicious smell of home baked bread always made us hungry. The special flour that was sold in the Stores was from their own flour mill and was unbleached, and when it was baked it gave us ‘The Golden Loaf’. On my twelfth birthday mother said “Now you’re twelve you must take over the Bread baking”, so every Saturday morning I stoked up the fire oven and got on with the job of providing ourselves with seven two pound loaves and the year was 1912. Finished mounted size 20” x 21” Finished framed size 25” x 26”

The Park in Manchester

“The Park In Manchester” On Saturday Afternoon, whilst staying with Uncle John and Aunt Josephine in Manchester, we always went for a walk to the Park, because, as Uncle John said, the children could run about, the Ladies could take turns in pushing Marion in her pram, and the Gentlemen could talk to their hearts content. How George and I loved it. I always begged to walk as far as the little gate so that I could look through to the beautiful houses and the quiet road where only smart carriages drawn by dainty horses went and there were nurse maids taking tiny tots for a walk. It was very quiet and peaceful and someday, I told George, I would go and live in one of those lovely houses and he could come and live in it with me and the year was 1907. Finished mounted size 13” x 15” Finished framed size 16” x 18”

Going to Blackpool

Going To Blackpool Come Children”, said Mother, “The Cabs are here and Father is beginning to load up the luggage”. We could hear a great commotion with Father being very cross. “Jane, why do you have to take all this luggage whenever we go away?” Mother just replied, “Yes Frederick” and smiled. Then Father caught sight of Grandma and the Aunt’s luggage and Mr. Taylor (the Bank Manager) came with Miss Carter’s huge trunk and we could tell by the way Father stamped about that he was in a very bad temper. However, Mr. Taylor soon had everything sorted out, and in no time we were off to the station – and Blackpool and the year was 1908. Finished mounted size 22” x 28” Finished framed size 27” x 33”