Now here we are at another working life in the 1890’s last week I wrote about being a servant and this week I am also writing about being a servant.
The mistress of the household would normally have been taught to cook so she can instruct her cook on such manners. Knowledge of what a mistress should expect from her servants was part of the education of a “young lady”.
There were mistresses of the household who had themselves been a servant and these women were often feared by their servants as they would often impose harsher conditioners. One would have thought they would be more compassionate and understanding but no they were not.
There were of course many households that didn’t have servants and by 1901 only one in ten Australian households had them.
Women who did unpaid domestic work for their husbands and families ranged from lower middle-class women who did not work outside the home, to those who also worked in factories or were servants themselves.
Society of course expected every home to be spic and span regardless of how many servants they had or even if they had none. Housework is still considered “women’s work” by many even in the 21 century.
There were males servants and they earnt more then the women and like the work done by women the men also had very demanding jobs such as coachmen, grooms, gardeners and general handyman type work.
The family’s coachman was expected to always be ready to take the family on outings when required. Many coachmen found themselves chauffeurs by the end of the 19 century, when more well to do families acquired a motor-car.
There were many servants who did not “live-in” but worked part time at the homes of the well to do, also many took in washing and sewing. During the depression of the 1890’s these women would often be the only breadwinner in the home. Some considered themselves lucky if the made one pound a week, to support a family of more then 5 people.
Good morning all unless it’s not morning then good afternoon or good evening depending on where in the world you are. It is time for this weeks creature and it is then wraparound spider.
This spider is found on the western side of Australia and is only small females are 9mm in length and males only 5mm, they have venom but are not particularly dangerous to humans.
Their colour makes it easy for them to conceal themselves in trees as they are built for tree hugging its body is shaped like a shield with the underside concaved to fit snugly around a branch and its abdomen slightly raised to complete a line.
It builds large orb shaped webs between trees in order to catch its prey.
Hello everyone let me start by saying I believe God created Heaven & Earth and the human race, however, I respect that not all share such views do even though last weeks post and this week’s post are about the beginnings of Earth doesn’t take away anything from what I believe.
So here are this week’s facts about Earth.
Earth has a breathable atmosphere which when viewed from space looks like a thin blue layer surrounding the planet.
In one seconded the Earth travels about 30km (19 miles) around the Sun.
Although the planet is called Earth only about 30 per cent of it is Earth the rest is water.
From 1930 Pluto was believed to be the ninth planet in our Solar System but in 2006 it was removed from the list of planets due to being too small, it is now referred to as a dwarf planet.
The Earth is made up of different layers which are held in place by gravity.
Had a pretty good night up at 4.50am only because my hose to my Cpap mask came disconnected and I had to get out of bed to find it saw the time and decided to stay up.
My feet haven’t been as bad this morning
Tim has gone out to get Sam’s birthday present.
SAM’S 16TH BIRTHDAY
I was surprised to see it was 5.10am when I got up this morning it is a much cooler start to the day.
Sam came down and I gave them their birthday present which they loved nothing fancy 3 different packs of playing cards, as they have decided to collect playing cards. Also gave some things for their arms and a set of fancy fingerless cloves.
Tim gave more practical things as in screwdrivers, a tape message and a small hammer all of which Sam loved. Sam does like to take things apart just for the fun of it.
I turned the air con on at around 9am which I suspect annoyed Tim but I was hot.
What a night last night was I was very restless and it took me a bloody long time to settle down. I realised I had forgotten to take one medication and got up and took it after which I did at last settle down.
I managed to find a diary online I hope it is the type I want.
I have been restless most of the day. Managed to not turn the air con on at all today.
Tim had a doctors appointment to get his medical for his driver’s authority.
Had a good night slept pretty much straight through the night, I don’t recall getting up during the night at all.
Tim went with Jessica for her rego check and noticed that the automatic registration failed as her pension card has expired so it cost her $443. Good thing he noticed. Although like me he has a habit checking the rego online after that time Jess got caught without rego because her CTP didn’t go through even though we had paid it.
Tim had his Dr’s appointment with him was a woman called Sarah who has been appointed by the CTP company “Youi” to help Tim get back to work. If only it would all run smoothly but nope isn’t happening the company Tim works for are being difficult and one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing. Hell I feel that neither hand even knows what it is doing. This is very frustrating for both Tim and myself, I hate seeing Tim so upset and confused.
Up at 5am and opened the house up but there is no breeze this morning which is annoying. It is a real muggy morning I am feeling very sticky so I have turned on 3 different fans. When I checked the humidity was up at 96%.
I turned the air con on at midday, as I was fed up with the heat.
I have felt restless on and off all day.
Tim had a talk to his case worker from Youi and seemed in a tad better mood after that. He now has to have different physio on his hand to increase his strength, his lack of strength is one of the things preventing him driving a bus again.
In for another stinking hot and sweaty day how lucky am I.
Had only a short chat with Kathy as neither of us have any news to share.
Tim and I went out for lunch and we ended up ordering the same dish and we both only ate half of it, I think next time we should get one dish to share. The meal was really nice, well I thought it was, Tim, however, thought differently.
I turned the air con on at 10am and thankfully Tim didn’t say anything.
Tasha isn’t able to come and help me this afternoon yet again she will not be home. This is more annoying to Tim then it is to me as I don’t need help as much as I like seeing her and having a short period of one on one time with my daughter.
Awake and up at 4.45am once awake I get up not one for just laying in bed. Thankfully not as sticky this morning.
Ok it is 8.30am I have just folded up the clothes and I am now drenched in sweat.
Air con went on at 10am, even then I suspect Tim thought it was too early.
Sandy called in to drop off an apple turnover for me and left with 10 small packets of cheese & onion chips and a packet of biscuits I didn’t want.
Tasha is helping get ready for bed this afternoon.
Hello everyone as many will know I was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease last year although the first sign of a tremor started way back in 2015, being told at first I had a Functional Tremor although back in 2016 or 2017 I was prescribed some kind of Parkinson’s medication for a short trial, which didn’t work. I was also told that the tremor wouldn’t get worse which of course it did.
When I went back and asked why I was getting worse I was referred to the movement disorder clinic which turned out to be one other neurologist who agreed it was a Functional Tremor and shouldn’t get any worse. It did.
In 2021 Tim and I decided to pay to see a private neurologist the other visit were through the public health system, this guy wasn’t sure he thought possible Functional Tremor with some Parkinson’s overlay and referred to another neurologist this time in Westmead, Sydney a 2hr drive from where I live.
This neurologist thought a Dystonic Tremor with some kind of Parkinson’s thrown in and arranged for me to see another team of movement disorder people, this time there was something like 15 in total who checked me out discussed my case amongst themselves and decided it was more Parkinson’s then anything else.
I was also started on Parkinson’s medication the first lot didn’t do much so she tried another type which helped more but still not satisfied I was changed to another, then another which is the Madopar I am taking now which works pretty well. I still shake and it has spread to my feet and I still breakout in sweat and have balance problems when tired but overall I am doing better.
This will be the first post of a few about Parkinson’s Disease.
Well how would you like to hear about what it was like to be a servant in the late 1800’s. There were servants that lived in as in their wages include food and lodgings, these servants would start their day around 6.00am earlier on wash days.
Tasks undertaken by the servants included house cleaning but also they might be expected to deal with deliverers of milk, bread, meat and vegetables that would be delivered to affluent homes. They may also have to mind the children and do the mending and sewing under the direction of the mistress.
From 7.30pm provided she had completed her daily duties she would be permitted free time and could go out, she would, however, be expected to be back and I bed by 10pm. There were no days off and she was expected to attend church on Sundays, sitting a few rows back from the family.
Some servants would be accepted into the family, respected by the mistress and master and loved by the children.
During the troubled 1890’s housemaids made around 10 shillings per week, cooks made between 15 & 20 shillings, laundresses got between 15 -17 shillings, nursemaids and general servants got paid between 6 & 12 shillings per week.
During the 1880-90’s there became a servant problem with many mistresses finding it difficult hiring servants as due to the increase in industry many preferred to work in factories. They could live at home and spend their free time with friends. This shortage made it hard on those who were servants who had more work to do.
For a little while this year I will continue to share some Aussie Slang words and phrases, why because I am only up to S in my list of slang and I can’t leave it there.
She’ll be right: To turn out ok
Shit House: To be of poor quality, unenjoyable as in this car is a shit house, a broken, run down mess. It also means toilet………Der
Der: I don’t think I have covered Der before it means stupid or obvious
Here we are at the start of another year, and to carry on from before the Christmas posts starting with a creature post and this weeks creature is the Platypus. Yes I did a post about it back in 2019 but here is another one.
When first discovered by Europeans this odd looking mammal was described as a cross between a duck and a beaver. Today we know it is as unique to Australia and one of two egg-laying mammals, the other being the echidna.
It has a rubbery bill, streamlined body and flat club-like tail that stores fat. The claws on its front feet are used for digging burrows in riverbanks, while its webbed legs and feet make it quite a swimmer.
The platypus is one of the worlds few venomous mammals the males have a sharp spur on their ankles which is connected to a venom gland in the upper leg. The venom won’t kill you but the pain is suppose to be excruciating.
Hello all this years Mondays are still my facts day, kicking off the year is a few facts about the Earth’s Beginnings, no one really knows how the universe came to be.
It is believed to have started around 14,000 million years ago with the Big Bang.
10,000 million years after the Big Bang our Sun and planets and solar system formed a galaxy called the Milky Way.
Each planet has a fixed path around the Sun, closest to the Sun is Mercury, then Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and lastly Neptune.
The Earth orbits the Sun at a distance of 149.6 million kilometres which makes it just the right temperature for water to exist as a liquid as well as ice and as a vapour.
The name Earth is believed to be 1,000 years old, all the other planets were named after Greek & Roman Goddesses the word “Earth” is an English/German word meaning “ground”.
Jo-AnneRamplings 