I remember the cheese of my childhood

Just received this little ditty from our friend in Australia and I thought I would share it.



I REMEMBER THE CHEESE OF MY CHILDHOOD,

And the bread that we cut with a knife,
when the children helped with the housework,
and the men went to work not the wife.


The cheese never needed an ice chest,
and the bread was so crusty and hot,
The children were seldom unhappy
and the wife was content with her lot.


I remember the milk from the billy,
with the yummy cream on the top,
Our dinner came hot from the oven,
and not from the fridge in the shop.


The kids were a lot more contented,
they didn't need money, Just a game with our mates in the paddock,
and sometimes the Saturday flicks.


I remember the shop on the corner,
where a pen'orth of lollies was sold
Do you think I'm a bit too nostalgic,
or is it....I'm just getting old?


I remember when the loo was the dunny,
and the pan man came in the night,
It wasn't the least bit funny
Going out the back with no light.


The interesting items we perused,
from the newspapers cut into squares,
and hung on a peg in the outhouse,
it took little to keep us amused.


The clothes were boiled in the copper,
with plenty of rich foamy suds
But the ironing seemed never ending
as Mum pressed everyone's Duds


I remember the slap on my backside,
and the taste of soap if I swore
anorexia and diets weren't heard of
and we hadn't much choice what we wore.
Do you think that bruised our ego?
or our initiative was destroyed
We ate what was put on the table
and I think our life was better enjoyed.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

How true is all that...lovely poem thanks Kate....

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

I especially like the last verse.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

I like the last verse but how interesting to find that in Australia, Canada and England this little poem is relevant to us older folk.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

I enjoyed that Cate, it brought back happy memories. How happy and contented we were in those supposedly 'Bad old days'.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

I enjoyed it to Jem, I used to go to the bakers and get a real crusty loaf and break bits off on the way home. My mum pretended to be cross but she wasn't really. I remember washing my new son's nappies in a boiler it was a baby birco and I have a picture with him in it. He is forty four now.
I remember how cold the small third of a pint bottles of milk were in winter and how warm they were in summer but how nobody worried about health and safety. The penny chews and other sweets were all put into the little bags by hand, I wonder if we got belly ache from that or if it was too much sherbert dibs? you know the ones with liquorice.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

Ah yes that bread!, it was beautiful to eat even on it's own, not like the plastic bread they make now, I used to collect it from the bakers for me Ma, it was hot and covered with that light brown tissue paper they used to use, I'd start off with a tiny taste off the side of the loaf, it wont be noticed, by the time I got home there was a hole in the centre as big as a moon crater, manys the clip across the ear I got, but it was worth it.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

Somehow I remember those loaves being bigger than the loaves now cos even when I had nibbled a whole side off the sarnies were still huge and didn't we all wish for the knobby end, which of course dad got.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

I'd forgotten about those - used to love them!

Ditto on the comments about fresh bread... caraway rye was the best. Just can't find any with a really good crust nowadays.

Re: I remember the cheese of my childhood

Funny, you go to the supermarket and there are asiles and asiles of bread and bread products but they are all much of a muchness.

I am glad however to have met bagels because I love em and I like English muffins too, although when I was first introduced to them in America I had to confess I had never seen them before.