I Wish I had ....

A wishful post this evening, just for something a little different.  A combination of real life, past events and if wishes were fishes.

*********************************

....... I had a working fireplace or two with and without Logburners and a hybrid range cooker such as this one Thornhill Hybrid Range Cooker.  That is all pie in the sky though at the moment.

However that does not stop me dreaming. I have always been a Dreamer, and sensitive. Sometimes you have to dream  to take you away from stressful situations.  It is a coping mechanism, and probably does not suit everyone but for me it works.  It gives me a way of distancing myself from reality and from people when I just cannot cope with things which is more often than people realise.  When things are not right for me I tend to retreat and keep my own company.  I try not to inflict the dark side of me on anyone else.  It is bad enough I have to deal with it.  However I see it for what it is a phase, a period of time where I literally need to rest and come too!

I grew up with Range cookers as several members of the family had them Both Aga and Rayburn.  We did not have central heating in those days just coal fires to keep us warm and the winters were totally bitter. Often if we were at my Nan's our PJs were warmed on the Rayburn, and we got ready for bed in front of it. Loads of thick blankets and quilts were the norm for going to bed often being dressed in thick pjs and dressing gowns to go to bed in as well as thick flannellette sheets all in an effort to keep us warm.

For me a fire has always been necessary. The Lodge Cottage at Gunthorpe Hall is the first place I remember as a child. It is also the cottage where my brother was born at home. There was a metal stove in the kitchen/dining room and a proper hearth fire in the front room.  My Ginger Tom Cat Captain loved the warmth from the fire and he was a devil at sleeping in the hearth itself which was a tile hearth.  The fire kept me warm. It was a big part of my childhood when I was growing up.  Mum always cleaned the fire up first thing of a morning and re-laid it after cleaning up the ashes, laying the kindling and sticks to form the base.  We also used to make "balls" out of rolled up pleated strips of old newspaper to help the fire take when it was lit.  Dad always used an axe and an old tree stump to chop the sticks up with.  He used to deal with this on a Saturday morning and make sure that there were enough sticks for the week.  In turn the coal scuttle later became a drum and a cymbal for my brother and I in our play.  Helped with a pair of my Mum's knitting needles.

My Nan always made "Clippie" or "Rag Rugs" for in front of the Rayburn cooker and the fires in the kitchen and the dining room. This is something I am keen to have a go at in the future - make some clippie rugs to keep that traditional theme going. At home, there was always a good wool rug in front of the fire which I used to curl up on in front of and read.  I have always been reasonably self-sufficient and well able to keep myself occupied and of no bother to anyone else.

The reality is that we do not have any working fires here which is a real shame.  However, that does not mean that I cannot learn about what are the best woods to use or indeed learn how to make fire-starters from the remains of herb stems and herb leaves as well as old spices and the ends of old candles to create something useful.  These can always be gifted on if needs be.

I do however have a lot of copper and brass ornaments including one of my Nan's Copper kettles (which were actually used during her childhood - my brother has the other).  I inherited quite a few of my Nan's copper and brass display as well as buying in other pieces from antiques fairs and the like which I chose for myself.

I would love a Range Cooker. Not an Oil or a Gas one though.  For me oil is too expensive, and I believe that Gas is being phased out in favour of electric in any event.  Therefore for me at the moment the hybrid cooker mentioned above would seem to be the best bet at the moment.  With me feeling the cold so badly the older I am getting, having access to a fire, fires or a range would help an awful lot on a practical basis. 

Range Cookers are a way of life, and a useful support system to a busy housewife. The work horse. Somewhere to dry the laundry and air it.  Not just to cook and make delicious meals or preserves for the Pantry shelf.  I do not think we should be tied to one option either in forms of energy and think this should be mixed up a bit so that you are not totally reliant on one form as this can limit your capacity to keep yourself and your loved ones warm.

So one simple thing leads to another and forms a cascade or stepping stone linking everything at the end of the day. Whether that be reality, dreams, hopes or wishes.  I was always taught that you could never have everything, but that you could have something.  We were never told outright by my Dad that No - we could not have something.  He always used to say one day, one day.

Apologies if this post is a little diverse for you, just part of who I am and who I am aspiring to be.

Have a lovely evening.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x