Thursday, July 31, 2008

Diversion?

After all the palava of making sure people, dishes and clothes where washed, buckets at the ready etc etc, we woke up to water? Odd? Continued getting water???? Took daughter No 1 to work, still had water, Daughter No 2 to driving lesson, still had water!! So phone the water company to find out what was going on

and the answer was.............

they did it overnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hrmph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whilst number 2 was on her driving lesson I went and bought various bits and pieces for chutney making, all will be revealed on my blog later! I then perused the charity shops for books and bought one that caught my eye
'Ration Book Cookery'! I know, I know, I don't really like cookery but with all this hoo haa about the water it got me thinking, how did they do it. Makes for fascinating reading, just for your interest:-

Chronology of Rationing

29 Sept 1939 National Register set up. Identity cards issued.
8 Jan 1940 Food Rationing begins. Bacon, Ham, Sugar and Butter 'on the ration'!
March 1940 Meat Rationed
July 1940 Tea, Margerine, Cooking Fats and cheese rationed.
March 1941 Jam, Marmalade, treacle, and syrup rationed.
June 1941 Distribution of Eggs controlled
November 1941 Distribution of milk controlled.
December 1941 National dried Milk introduced.
June 1942 American dried egg powder on sale.
July 1942 Sweets rationed
December 1944 Extra tea allowance for 70 yr olds and over.
Jan 1945 Whalemeat and snoek (fish like barracuda) available
July 1946 Bread Rationed!!!!

It took all the way to June 1954 until there was no more rationing!

When you look at the above they are your average everyday foods. People grew alot of there own veg and some where even able to keep a pig and 'A limiting factor for many would-be poultry farmers was the fact that grain for chicken food was as scarce as for bread manufacture' so maybe I would not have been able to keep my chickens!!!

OOoooo! don't forget Spam! Who used to get Spam sandwiches in there lunch box for school!!! lol!!

I'm sorry for my diversion but I sometimes think, although I would never wish a war on us, that if we all fell on harder times and foods became scarce that we would appreciate everything more including are neighbours!

Just to prove you are still on the right blog..............

I bought some plants today!!!
This is Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'



and this very cute one is........
Eucomis vandermerwei 'Octopus'

3 comments:

Cheryl said...

Hi Libby aaaahhhh spam, remember it so well....spam fritters every Thursday....I used to love them....must say I wouldn't give them a second glance now.....

Love your plants, you always have the unusual......

Auntie Noo said...

They used to feed their chickens solely on kitchen scraps - veggie peelings and the like. I think egg production was slightly down as the food wasn't perfect, but I understand it worked ok!!

I often think that we could do with learning to appreciate our food (and fuel) better. People's diet would be so much better for the necessary diversity.

(phew off soap-box now!) Bet it's a great book though.

ChrisJ said...

Don't forget the slop bucket for the pigs. We lived in Finchley, London about 1942. They would come and pick up the pigs' food regularly. But I mostly remember the sweet rationing. I don't know how I made it through that period!