Name a chore....

The co-op dividend number is engrained in me. 90126, has not been used in 55 years but there it is, firmly planted in my head!

We had a go at all the jobs here. From the sweeping of the stairs to the cleaning of the silver.
The one thing that sticks out for me that I did but would NEVER allow any child to do was knock on neighbours doors and ask to be allowed to take the baby out! Anyone who had a baby......I just loved to push that prom and be in charge of a baby for however long I could and sometimes they( mothers) would give me a bottle and allow a wh9l3 afternoon I have no recollection of changing nappies.
It was just something we did in my neighborhood.

Yes I too was sent for said cotton! I couldn’t do it and asked the lady in the corner shop who sold everything, for “negro brown” thinking I knew better!

We never did "chores" my mother never worked and everything was done by the time we came home from school.She was a bit of a perfectionist too so ironing and sewing etc were her territory.
I do remember a friends mothers telling her we should be "doing our bit around the house" she said they'll have homes of their own to "do their bit " in so let them enjoy their lives.
I did enjoy cooking so I would be allowed to make sunday dinner or cheese puddings for supper from about 11 or 12 .Apart from that ,although she taught us basic sewing so we could have put a button back on or turned up a hem, she did it all.

Turning the mangle handle.
Shelling peas.
Watching the toast under the grill, often not very successfully, which was then scraped.
Turning the handle of the old singer sewing machine while my mum turned the sheets outside in.

Yes, Dogsmother, I too loved to take out babies in their prams, and yet I would NEVER have trusted a schoolgirl with my baby, the thing that brought it home to me was when the very baby I had taken out, grew up, and a schoolgirl herself, asked if she could take my baby out, and oh no, I was horrified and wouldn't let her ! Your post just reminded me !

No bathroom, so.my job was to white wash the outside loo every week and because no bathroom, I remember being washed in the sink as a kid,and being frightened of the Geazer, that was the hot water heater

My brother and I would be given the job of snipping off what our neighbour called 'them there bennets', the long grass stalks which remained after mowing. I was never sure whether it was the recognized term or a made-up one. I did hear that it was a corruption of 'bents' but can't see either on Google.

Walking up the road to get a gallon of paraffin for the "Beattie" oil heater in the bathroom!

Going with my friend to help clean out the horses at The Express Dairy round the corner from where we lived!

Neither to be allowed (or required) these days!

I can remember helping to unpick old jumpers and cardigans bought at the jumble sale (remember those?) and winding the wool into balls ready for my mother to knit into ‘new’ jumpers and socks.

I've loved reading these posts. I used to go down to the Co-Op office to pay in some money for what might have been the Divi I still remember the number, 845. I didn't have to do many chores really, the odd trip down to the village shops and sometimes to get 10 Woodbines or 10 Park Drive tipped for our dad. When I got to about 11 though, I had to do the ironing always on a Sunday afternoon until I left home and then my younger sister took over. At about 8 years old though mum used to send me down to her good friend Mrs.Williams house to dust her front room and then she'd send me to collect eggs from another friend. Also on a Saturday morning about 7 or 8 I'd go with my best friend to her nan's house to get some meat for her from the Co-Op butchers. For that errand we got offered a sweet from the sweet jar in the cupboard. I don't know why but I always said no thank you when really I did want a sweet. My friend used to say to me when we went " well if you don't want one, take one and give it to me" I suppose that's what I did after that. We got off lightly in the way of chores. There were six of us at home then and as I've got older I do wish I'd have done more for her. I never ever heard her moan throughout her life about what she's had to do. My dad neither. I was born in 1954 and none of the gadgets about then to make life a bit easier for people. The washing done in the 'copper' in what was called the wash house room of the house. then the mangle. and the washing had to hung out on the line even on freezing cold days in the winter for a blow. Then bring it all in, as stiff as a board and then it went on the clothes horses. They don't know they've been born some of them do they. lol

Going to the coop for my Mum and giving her coop number. Remember it began with a 6 ,but don’t remember the rest. Still go to my local coop regularly and show them my Coop card instead of a number!

I can remember brushing down the stairs from a young age too, about 6 or 7 I think. Breathing in all that dust has given me respiratory problems now I believe.
Also polished the brass door step which I hated, but I did like to see what sort of pattern the coconut door mat had made on my knees while down there!
Like others, I resented that the boys didn't have to do any jobs, even though my dad was happy to do a lot of the housework.
One job I did enjoy was sticking in all the Green Shield stamps in a book. No idea why as I seem to remember they tasted horrible.

I remember shelling peas sitting on the back step. I also went errands to the local shop for my mum and sometimes for a neighbour across the road. The neighbour 'paid' me by letting me choose an ornament from her shelf every time. I sometimes looked after the small children of another neighbour, taking the baby out in the pram and I taught the oldest child to read. When I was a bit older my mum used to pay me to do the ironing. There were set rates for each item and I soon learned which were the easiest to do and which were not worth the effort required! I must have been quite a mercenary child, but then we didn't get much pocket money - we could earn some extra for doing jobs. I also used to walk to school sometimes to save the bus fare. My brother thought that was unfair as his school was a bit further away so his bus was free!

We had to polish our shoes every morning before school and, between 3 of us, empty out the ashes, chop kindling and lay the fire then dust, mop and Hoover the sitting room , dining room and hall. And wash up the breakfast things.
At weekends we had to help on 2 allotments and I made cakes and did the ironing.
All this from the age of 10.

Anyone remember cleaning their white pumps/plimsolls with some whitening stuff on a sort of stick thing that went everywhere?

I used to clean the brass handles and finger plates on the doors at the church my mum still attends (as do I when I go home) - and yes, henetha Brasso is still around as I now clean the brasses (various commemorative plaques) in our local church!

I also used to have to do all the dusting when I was older, something our grandchildren like helping with now though I rather think they like playing with the long handled 'feather' (microfibre!) duster and my cordless Dyson!

Brassoing the taps and the back door knobs, I lived with my Nanno and Grandad. Later poishing the table I asked Nanna how she got it so shiny she said Elbow Grease I looked but couldn't find it.

Yes I remember that KatyK. Mum used to do our white leather? shoes/sandals with it too. Early 1960's I know she used to buy it from Timpsons the shoe shop.

Turning the handle of the mangle for my mother on Monday, wash day.

Trendygran I used to go to the Co-op for my Mum too, when I was old enough. Her number was 1652.

Jocork yes I also remember shelling peas from Dad’s vegetable patch and eating some as I went along - delicious!

KatyK yes I remember the white stuff too, I used it to cover the grass stains on white pumps. What was it called? I think we got it from Woolworths.

I can't remember what it was called. I used to love doing my pumps/sandals with it, although I used to get in a right mess!

Many of these chores were so unnecessary. My mother ironed nappies and sheets. All the bedding for a family of 7 was washed every week, all the beds were made every morning, all the children’s clothes were homemade as was every single meal.

Buying 3lbs of melts (stomach) or lights (lungs) for our lovely boxer, Candy, on my way home from school. They cost 6d for the 3lbs. My mum would then boil them to oblivion!

Me too!