Snippet 19

Do you remember some of the rituals you went through as a child, never used to tread on a crack, remember the ditto, stand on a crack and marry a rat, and tinker tailor soldier sailor, sure there were lots more.

& peacock feathers..I remember the 'tread on a crack' one.. Walking under ladders. (never worries me)..But boy.. you try sticking a brolly up inside around me.. even in a shop

superstitions: breaking a mirror 7 years bad luck. Peacock feathers, wattle, that white flower stuff that grows on trees in a vine (sorry best I can do can't think of the name - I really have been away from NZ too long) were NEVER allowed in our house. Also if a fan tail flew in that was a big drama

Another thing that springs to mind are some of the ecconomies that our parents and grandparents practise. My grandmother used to recycle her bed sheets by turning sided to middle, used to hate the seam down the centre but guess she got several years more use out of them that way. Always wore an apron. Flour bags washed and made into pillowcases and all sorts of things, string was always saved. Sugar bags made into oven cloths. Dripping from the meat saved into a tin. Wrapping paper carefully folded and saved for use again. Socks darned also new cuffs knitted onto jerseys. How many would bother these days.

our sheets were split too and the seam ran across the middle and once thin were cut up and the "good" bits used for pillowcases!

hand me downs Do families still do that? I didn't have sisters but got all the cousins ones.They were much older so the clothes were out of fashion if we had such a thing then

My older sisters wore flour bag pants as did most of the kids back then.Yes I made sugar bag oven clothes and our sheets were split too. used to turn the shirt collars to. I dont do that any more.Loved darning socks.My elder sister 82 had to darn a sock for a competition a couple of weeks back. So many of the young ones didnt know how to darn.

Hand me downs, what a laugh my older sister got new clothes obviously, then my next sister got her hand me downs, and when I came along years later I got new clothes. Middle sister has always moaned that she was the only one not to have new clothes hahaha.

agree having a strict upbringing, learning manners, values, respect for others and to be thankful for what you have hasn't done us ANY HARM. AS an "old school" ex Primary Teacher though I do admit to not having a lot of patience with those who lack such characteristics and self discipline.