Bremilham Terrace was a short distance from the centre of Malmesbury, approximately a mile and a half, and situated on the Bristol Road. We didn't have cars in those days to travel into town like you do today, to do the shopping, so you used what is known as Shanks's Pony, i.e. you had to walk everywhere.
On a Saturday morning I must have been about 10 or 11 years old at the time, it was my job to take my mother's weekly meat order to the Butcher's as well as the weekly order for groceries to the Grocers. I also had to pay the Butcher and the Grocer for the previous weeks order. There could also have been other shopping that needed doing, such as buying stationery, or a cotton reel for sewing etc.
The Butcher's shop was situated in what is known as The Triangle at Malmesbury and after giving the Butcher the new order and paying for the last one I then walked on to the Grocer's shop, that was situated around the old medieval Market Cross in the town, and repeated the same as I had done at the Butcher's, that is to pay for previous weeks groceries and hand over the list for the coming week.
I can remember on one occasion when I got to the Grocer's shop this particular Saturday although I still had the new list of groceries my mother wanted, I had lost the big old white £5 note, which was the legal tender in those days, with which I was to pay the Grocer for the previous weeks grocery bill.
I was so upset over this and in tears that I ran to my mother's sister Aunty Mary, who lived not far from the Grocer's at no 67 High Street, to tell her what had happened. Aunty Mary in her usual calm way sat me down and questioned me as to what had happened and when I felt better she took me back to the Grocers and paid him what was owed then she took me home. Aunty Mary explained to my mother that I was really too young to have the responsibility of paying these tradesmen and after that day all I had to do was take the new orders into the shops.
After I got home from walking to the shops and walking home again I had to help my mother with changing the bedding on all the beds, this was done weekly, and giving the house a good clean in readiness for the weekend. We also waited for the Butcher's and Grocer's boys to deliver the orders on their delivery bikes, that I had taken in.
Of course the Butcher only delivered the meat that was required for that weekend but the groceries was a much larger order.
I can remember standing and watching the Grocer measuring out, the sugar and tea from the large crates and the flour from the large canvas sacks, the required amounts my mother had ordered and packaging it in the appropriate coloured bags that he used to denote the different ingredients.
Sugar was always weighed and packed in a blue bag. I am unable to remember the colour of the other bags used; just they were different colours for different products. Bacon was always cut from a large joint on the hand-slicing machine, and depending on your choice of size, it was cut either very thin or much thicker.
Biscuits, oh lovely biscuits, came in large metal containers with a glass lid that lifted up so as you could see the different types of biscuits inside, you made your choice from these tins, the tins were placed all along the front of the counter. If you had broken biscuits, they were, of course, much cheaper than whole ones, and you could also have a selection of different biscuits, if you were very lucky occasionally you would get a whole biscuit included.
Of course at this time many foods were still on rations and you had a ration book in which the grocer, or whatever tradesman you went to, cancelled the appropriate coupon that allowed you to purchase the allotted amount of the item you wanted.
There was always a lovely smell from the old-fashioned grocery shop, because as well as all the usual things you could buy they also used to grind different types of coffee beans. As we didn't own a percolator, which used the fresh ground coffee, my mother always bought a bottle of Camp Coffee, in those days you didn't have the choices you get today with instant coffee etc.
On Sundays, at home, we always had a large roast joint of meat. This could be Beef, Lamb or Pork depending on what my mother had ordered and I suppose what my father would have liked. This joint of meat was always large enough so as my father could have cold slices made into a sandwich with pickle for his supper.
Mondays being washing day we always had again cold sliced meat with potatoes and vegetables and providing there was enough left over, the rest of the meat from the joint was minced up to provide either shepherd's or cottage pie on the Tuesday.
Wednesday's, Thursday's and Friday's meat would be, could be a choice of either chops, liver, or even Steak & Kidney Pie or Steak & Kidney Suet Pudding. Saturday's meals were always quick and easy and usually Fish and Chips.
Of course we also always had a pudding. This could be a lovely creamy milk rice pudding, or creamy macaroni, a jam rolly polly or even a treacle tart, and if my mother had the time it could also have been a jam or treacle suet pudding. In the summer months my mother would also make fruit tarts from the fresh fruit my father had grown in his garden.
Outside the front of our house was a small garden that ran right up to the edge of the property, and in this garden, apart from flowers and a lawn there were 2 trees. One of these trees was an apple tree and the other was a pear tree. The apples were delicious to eat but the pears were of the conference variety and these had to be stored to soften them up before you could eat them.
I learnt to do my cooking by watching and helping my mother as well as Aunty Mary so by the time I was taking domestic science, as it was then known, at school I had a good grasp of cooking skills, and could cook a basic meal.
I have tried to pass my cooking skills, although only very plain and basic meals, on to my two daughters and I have never heard a word of complaint from either of their husbands as to their cooking skills.
It was during this early period of my life that my mother had a nasty accident.
She was taking my younger brother shopping, it was a cold bright day, although there had been a frost the night before, as my mother went down the steep entrance to Bremilham Terrace, she either tripped or slipped on the frosty surface, and in consequence she broke the bones in her left elbow. This was in the 1950's, when plastic surgery was in its infancy, and my mother was given a plastic elbow. From that time onwards she was unable to do any heavy lifting or carrying. This put a lot of pressure on my father as it meant he had to help my mother with a lot of the heavy housework, such as turning the mattresses on the beds on a regular basis.
Of course, this in turn also meant I had to help a lot more with the housework than I had done up to
then.
