Ok let’s talk about what Christmas dinner was like back in the late 1800’s. As those first Australians were from Britain more or less it isn’t surprising that our idea of a Christmas feast involved the type of food from there.
Now of course for many Christmas Dinner or what most of us now call Christmas Lunch was made up of whatever they could find with money being short or absent.
That said many still had money and some a lot of it and they would rush the stores after the imported goods had arrived from the far corners of the globe. It was during the mid 1800’s that the sale of Christmas foods and beverages swelled a bloody lot, with shopkeepers furiously competing for trade. Their shelves were stocked with ever more tempting delicacies and some would offer special services to customers in isolated areas.
Family and bachelor packets containing that need for the season were prepared for immediate delivery, with the festive thirst being taken care of in the form of champagne, wines and spirits and even in some cases French cocktails.
The food consisted of things like ham, turkey veggies, mince pies, plum pudding and such. Of course the preparations for the meal would begin in early December with the housewife and their staff and often the children all chipping in to help. The Christmas pudding took time to prepare, cook and then be stored ready for the day.
It was around the mid 1800’s that shopkeepers made an attempt to do up or “dress” their windows for Christmas, with an example set by Messrs, Soloman & Nephews of Henry Street in Fremantle whose windows were splendidly lit and decorated with green Christmas Trees, toys, plums, currants and candied peel as well as other Christmas delicacies.
Until the 1870, most people would chose to have their Christmas meal beside a popular watering hole or under a leafy tree of some sort. However, this fell out of favour and was replaced by the English style Christmas Lunch.
Hello everyone since Christmas is so close and getting closer this week’ I will be posting a few things out of the above book called: Christmas in the Colonies by Maisy Stapleton & Patricia McDonald.
While Christmas in Australia is intensely traditional and also intensely Australian. As Christmas comes at the end of the year it is a time of climax followed by rest and relaxation.
During the early days of Australia this festive season held little importance to the early settlers, many missing the old ways and the cold and snow of the season.
It was around the 1830’s that with the growing amount of immigrants and the feeling that this country wasn’t doing it quiet so hard that the traditional celebration of the season kicked in.
Then came the Victorian customs of a Christmas Tree and Christmas presents that quickly caught on here in Australia. It was the English tradition of decorating ones house using native plants and such.
Up at 4.40am had to pee and felt awake so got up. I turned the air con off and opened the front and back sliding doors, the breeze feels good and a tad cool.
Kathy and Summer arrived around 9.30am and left after an hour or so, Summer wanted to see Tasha.
Not long after that Kelli and her girls arrived, she left the girls with Jonathon while she went out shopping.
Jonathon brought the girls down to see me and Tim and he had a chat with Tim about his job.
Then Sandy arrived to pick up the 2 minute noodles Jess said she could have.
It hasn’t been as hot today but it did get hot.
Had a better nights sleep, the last few nights I have had some strange and upsetting dreams about Tim, in them he was a right asshole and treated me like shit. That is not what Tim is like he loved me and treats me well doesn’t swear at me or call me stupid like he did in the dreams.
Sam brought down his washing to toss in the dryer so he can have something to wear to school.
Sue called in to see me just before Tim left for his doctors appointment she had a cry as she misses seeing her grandchildren.
It has got very hot again around 26 degrees and it didn’t help that I was in the bedroom sorting out Christmas presents with sweat dripping off me.
The woman in unit 5 walked down to Tasha’s complaining about the dog and she slapped Tasha across the face. The woman pushed Tasha into her house where a punch up took place with Tasha beating on the woman who pulled Tasha’s hair. Tasha ended up with a bleeding ear when her hair got caught in an earring.
Tasha called the cops, who after talking to people asked Tasha if she wanted to press charges Tasha said she did.
Tasha has security cameras and the start of the fight is on camera, it shows the woman approaching Tasha, Tasha told her to go away she didn’t want to deal with her and the woman slapped Tasha’s face.
BLAIN’S 18TH BIRTHDAY
A cool morning but suppose to be another pretty hot day they say around 25 degrees. I thought about turning the air con on when it got to 26 but Tim said not yet so I didn’t turn it on and I managed to cope.
Tasha had a visit from the ranger about the dog she has in her back yard, this is not her dog. He was told the dog was neglected it isn’t it does have an infected ear but Tasha has been treating it with the same stuff the ranger recommended, so all was good he didn’t fine her or anything. Of course we know who made the report the woman from yesterday who Tasha beat up. I have heard the lady now has a bruised faced.
Saw Kelli she locked herself out of her house and came to get Jonathon’s key so she could get in. I gave her a gift from Mrs Claus for Thea.
A new day I have a doctors appointment this morning and I hope I am able to go Coles after the appointment depends on Tasha’s mood.
Appointment went well and I did manage to go to Coles and do a little shopping. He is pleased with my progress and has reduced the strength of one medication.
I contacted Snapfish about my missing order and they gave me the name of the actual printing company saying I would need to contact them which I have done via Email. I hope they reply.
Tim had rehab and I turned the air con on when he left for his appointment.
In for another stinking hot day, up at 4.45am.
Gave Sam’s driver a Christmas Card and a $5 scatchie, Sam that that was really nice of me, but it is what Mum taught me to do.
I managed to sort our more Christmas presents it made my back pain flare up standing on my feet for so long.
I don’t have anything for Kathy or Jessica. Haven’t heard from the printing company about the parcel that went to the wrong to the address.
Tim said that tomorrow he will take me to the library and then to the reject shop.
Up early this morning at 4.35am I had a rough night took me ages to fully settle down due to my feet moving so much. Going to be hot but not stinking hot hopefully.
Tim went into work to arrange more time off, I went with him so I could go to the library then we went to the Reject shop (a large cheap shop)only bought a few things but it was good to go out.
It has warmed up but the breeze blowing through the house is nice.
When we got home we found the postie had been and we now had a parcel to collect at the post office. I have asked Tim to get me more stamps while there and he wrote down what I wanted.
Awake and up by 4.30am after a good nights sleep, I have to wear ¾ length pants as I don’t have any clean or dry shorts, Tim did a load of washing and hung it on the clothes hoists, he will take them outside when he gets up.
Tim got the postage stamps but mucked up the order I asked for 2 overseas card only stamps, he got 1 of them. Mostly though he got what I wanted.
A hot lazy day, too hot to do anything I had the house shut up and the air con going.
Here we are at Thursday again, hang on it is Friday I am a day late this week anyway I am sitting here drenched in sweat yet again like the fourth time this morning but that has nothing to do with this post.
Couldn’t find anything about Christmas in Australia in the late 1800’s so we have just another post from my information book.
One of the biggest and most time consuming tasks in that era was the washing of clothes, it was also the hardest of physical tasks a servant would have to do.
If they were lucky the home may have had one of the new-fangled washing machines, which ran on water power. Some even had gas fired hot water on tap.
Generally speaking though things went like this bed linen, tablecloths, and other such white things, had to be boiled in a wood fired copper. This meant that the poor servant girl had to stirred the clothes with a cooper-stick, can you imagine how hot it would have been hanging over a hot steamy copper in summer as well as winter but may not have felt as bad in the colder months.
She had to then remove these extremely heavy items into a trough or bowl for rinsing and starching as well as lifting them and putting through some kind of mangle or wringer. After that was done she then had to hang the washing out on a line to dry.
Once dried the washing would have to be ironed not with the type we use now days but an old flat iron that was heated on the coals of the stove or they may have had a box-iron which had red-hot coals contained in the iron, these were the most common types used.
It would have not been an easy task to judge how hot an iron was and it wasn’t uncommon for either the servant or the daughter of the servant to burn themselves. If something was scorched the servants wages may have been docked.
Well we are half way through the school or working week meaning it is Wednesday and the day for some Aussie slang.
What else did you get for Christmas: A derisive retort to someone showing off
Chrissie: Christmas of course well since around the 1960’s
A Christmas Hold: Now some will tell you it means to have a tight hold on ones testicles thus meaning to have a hand full of nuts. Others will say it means to simply have a good hold on something.
Hey hey it’s creature day and as I sit here I have been thinking what other animal is associated with Christmas and the turkey popped into my head.
The reason of course is that many eat turkey on Christmas Day, growing up my Nan always served turkey at Christmas Lunch not that I real like it to me it is often a bit dry.
The turkey is a large bird native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey of eastern and central North America and another type turkey of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
So since turkeys are not found here down under the turkey we have is of course frozen and what is more popular is the turkey roll. My mum felt there was less wastage with the roll over the bird.
Wild turkeys can fly, sleep in trees and change colour their gender is determined by their poo.
Turkeys can live for up to 10 years but not if they are destined for the table.
I find turkey goes best with gravy, ham, pork and roast veggies like spuds and carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin, just saying you may disagree.
Another Monday has arrived it is the last week of school here in down under although some schools will have their last day on the 18th and others it is the 15th.
Well now for some more facts concerning Christmas.
As most people know Christmas here is in summer and it is hot but not stinking hot every year, some are stinking hot but others it is just nice, with no need for the air con.
Even though it is hot there are some who like fake trees with fake snow, something I don’t get. We even sing or listen to Christmas carols about snow such as Frosty the Snowman and Let it snow,let it snow.
Now every man and his dog should know that us Aussie’s like to drink and it is not unheard of for people to get drunk on Christmas Eve, then again on Christmas Day and maybe Boxing Day.
Now even though it can be stinking bloody there are those who still cook a full roast dinner and those who will do a roast such beef, lamb, pork or turkey or all three with of course ham and the meat is served with a salad.
Yes there are some Aussies who like to spend the day at the beach having a barbie but that is not something I have ever done but then I don’t like the beach, can’t stand the feel of sand on my body.
I woke up to find the clothes on the hoist which is better then using the clothes dryer. Started out in shorts then I changed into long pants.
Had a visit from Kelli and her kids and of course we loved seeing them they were here an hour or so. She came not only to say hello but to feed her kids so they didn’t have to eat in the car.
Up at 5am and dressed in shorts we are in for another warm day not hot just warm.
Sam walked in at 6.50am this was a surprise, and he stayed here usually he goes home after a few minutes.
Kathy said they had a good holiday even though it was cold and wet part of the time the rest of the time it was bloody hot.
Up at 4.50am no fruit for breakie just fruit in jelly and had the last of the chocolate milk.
Shopping came minus some items most importantly strawberries and mandarins.
Tim has gone to his counselling appointment he will be gone for a couple of hours.
Chrisco arrived just after Tim left only 6 boxes, 2 of grog and 4 of arts and craft stuff I will divide up as gifts.
Up at 4.50am as I woke up sweating, had to cut up the fruit but no strawberries as they are still in Tasha’s fridge.
I keep breaking out in a sweat even though the breeze is a cool one.
The laptop was playing up for a couple of hours then it came good and all was fine.
The cleaners came as they do every second week. As I look around the lounge-room all I can think is how much of a mess Tim makes on the other half of the 2 seater lounge he sits on. Oh well it is his seat and he can make a mess if he wants to.
Tim was late going to bed it was close to 4am when he came to bed and I got up at 5am as usual.
I added the window Christmas decorations to the front and back sliding doors. Well when I said I added I mean I asked Tasha to add them.
Tasha has changed her days when she comes and helps me of an afternoon from Monday, Wednesday and Friday till Thursday instead of Friday.
Tim has decided to make enquires about getting someone to look at the bedroom air con in case what’s wrong with it is an easy fix.
Had to turn the kitchen air con on around 1pm.
In for another hot day, hotter then yesterday but not as hot as tomorrow according the weather app.
Tim turned the air con on at 11am which was a surprise.
Our recycle bin wasn’t emptied yesterday so had Tasha ring the council to find out what was going on, they said someone may be back either today or Monday to empty it.
The bloke who does the back yard came today, at first he started to do the front lawn but Tim went and spoke to him, his cost is covered by Youi.
The recycle bin was emptied at 3pm and according to Tim they made a mess trying to add the contents of our full bin to another bin before emptying it. I don’t know why he did that.
Last night was a hot night, when I got up I found that Tim had left the kitchen air con going all night with a fan to help push the cold air towards the bedroom. I turned them off and opened the front and back sliding doors as it is ok outside at the moment.
He also had done the laundry and hung it out on the clothes hoists, which is a good thing as he would not get up till between 9 & 10am.
I turned the air con again at 8am as it was getting hot.
It has been a stinking hot day.
I woke up to find the clothes on the hoist which is better then using the clothes dryer. Started out in shorts then I changed into long pants.
Had a visit from Kelli and her kids and of course we loved seeing them they were here an hour or so. She came not only to say hello but to feed her kids so they didn’t have to eat in the car.
Up at 5am and dressed in shorts we are in for another warm day not hot just warm.
Sam walked in at 6.50am this was a surprise, and he stayed here usually he goes home after a few minutes.
Kathy said they had a good holiday even though it was cold and wet part of the time the rest of the time it was bloody hot.
Up at 4.50am no fruit for breakie just fruit in jelly and had the last of the chocolate milk.
Shopping came minus some items most importantly strawberries and mandarins.
Tim has gone to his counselling appointment he will be gone for a couple of hours.
Chrisco arrived just after Tim left only 6 boxes, 2 of grog and 4 of arts and craft stuff I will divide up as gifts.
Up at 4.50am as I woke up sweating, had to cut up the fruit but no strawberries as they are still in Tasha’s fridge.
I keep breaking out in a sweat even though the breeze is a cool one.
The laptop was playing up for a couple of hours then it came good and all was fine.
The cleaners came as they do every second week. As I look around the lounge-room all I can think is how much of a mess Tim makes on the other half of the 2 seater lounge he sits on. Oh well it is his seat and he can make a mess if he wants to.
Tim was late going to bed it was close to 4am when he came to bed and I got up at 5am as usual.
I added the window Christmas decorations to the front and back sliding doors. Well when I said I added I mean I asked Tasha to add them.
Tasha has changed her days when she comes and helps me of an afternoon from Monday, Wednesday and Friday till Thursday instead of Friday.
Tim has decided to make enquires about getting someone to look at the bedroom air con in case what’s wrong with it is an easy fix.
Had to turn the kitchen air con on around 1pm.
In for another hot day, hotter then yesterday but not as hot as tomorrow according the weather app.
Tim turned the air con on at 11am which was a surprise.
Our recycle bin wasn’t emptied yesterday so had Tasha ring the council to find out what was going on, they said someone may be back either today or Monday to empty it.
The bloke who does the back yard came today, at first he started to do the front lawn but Tim went and spoke to him, his cost is covered by Youi.
The recycle bin was emptied at 3pm and according to Tim they made a mess trying to add the contents of our full bin to another bin before emptying it. I don’t know why he did that.
Last night was a hot night, when I got up I found that Tim had left the kitchen air con going all night with a fan to help push the cold air towards the bedroom. I turned them off and opened the front and back sliding doors as it is ok outside at the moment.
He also had done the laundry and hung it out on the clothes hoists, which is a good thing as he would not get up till between 9 & 10am.
I turned the air con again at 8am as it was getting hot.
Here we are at Thursday again and I am sitting here drenched in sweat yet again like the fourth time this morning but that has nothing to do with this post.
Couldn’t find anything about Christmas in Australia in the late 1800’s so we have just another post from my information book.
One of the biggest and most time consuming tasks in that era was the washing of clothes, it was also the hardest of physical tasks a servant would have to do.
If they were lucky the home may have had one of the new-fangled washing machines, which ran on water power. Some even had gas fired hot water on tap.
Generally speaking though things went like this bed linen, tablecloths, and other such white things, had to be boiled in a wood fired copper. This meant that the poor servant girl had to stirred the clothes with a cooper-stick, can you imagine how hot it would have been hanging over a hot steamy copper in summer as well as winter but may not have felt as bad in the colder months.
She had to then remove these extremely heavy items into a trough or bowl for rinsing and starching as well as lifting them and putting through some kind of mangle or wringer. After that was done she then had to hang the washing out on a line to dry.
Once dried the washing would have to be ironed not with the type we use now days but an old flat iron that was heated on the coals of the stove or they may have had a box-iron which had red-hot coals contained in the iron, these were the most common types used.
It would have not been an easy task to judge how hot an iron was and it wasn’t uncommon for either the servant or the daughter of the servant to burn themselves. If something was scorched the servants wages may have been docked.
Jo-AnneRamplings 