Monday, November 16, 2009

I thought this was quite amusing and an award......

only because I live in an old farmhouse and this makes sense.

First let me say this was first written in the December 2009 issue of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine which I subscribe too and is a super magazine, especially for the Canadians out there, as it is a Canadian magazine.

Anyhow to get on with the article.

SPEND ONE WINTER IN A DRAFTY OLD FARMHOUSE AND YOU WILL QUICKLY REALIZE WHY:



  • hooked mats were scattered over wooden floors (so bare feet need never touch the cold wood on the way to the bathroom.) We also have mats scattered over the bathroom floor as it is slate tile and it is freezing cold!! Why they didn't put underfloor heating in the bathroom when they renovated the bathroom is beyond me.......oh wait ....just as well they didn't as they would have screwed that up as well, like everything else they did!!
  • every room had a door (so that you could contain heat to a single room or close off rooms that weren't in use.) Actually this applies to old homes in Britain as well, as they have doors to every room, whereas in Canada houses are more open plan especially downstairs. We do have doors on the bedrooms and the bathrooms for privacy.
  • footstools were invented (to raise feet off the floor - sounds trivial, but it made a difference)
  • wing chairs were the easy chair of choice (their solid arms and backs were effective in keeping drafts at bay) Pleased to say where we sit in the family room we don't have that problem, as we have replaced all the windows and patio door. Not to say there aren't any drafts, its just that we can't see daylight anymore through the door frame, like we did when we moved in!!
  • bedsteads were enclosed by curtains (to conserve body heat)
  • why kids slept three and four to a bed (again, body heat)
  • folks wore nightcaps to bed (to keep their heads warm) Mental note to myself get dh a nightcap as he's always cold!!
  • hot stovepipes meandered across upstairs bedrooms instead of being safely confined within a chimney. We have evidence of that in our house, as we have a hole in the kitchen ceiling that goes through to the landing floor, which is where a pipe went. We are putting a fan in the hole to blow hot air from downstairs to the upstairs for that same reason. There are decorative iron grills on the hole.
  • no one slept naked. I can see me wearing my "winter nightie" for the first time in years (hot flashes and all that) when the weather does get cold!!

I got an award from Daily Decadent or it could be a Meme, not sure? Anyhow I have to think of six things to tell you about myself, that you don't know about me. This is going to be hard, as you know everything about me..........so I'm going to have to think hard.

1. When I was taking my "O" levels, I had an abscess in my tooth, so had to have the tooth extracted. It was the same day as I had to take my "O" Level maths exam. Anyhow, they let me take it when I got back from the dentist in a room by myself. And yes I did manage to pass it!!

2. I will not watch any scary shows or movies, as I can't sleep.

3. In the same theme, I can have a full blown conversation with you either on the phone or in person, when I am fast asleep. The latest episode was a couple of weeks ago with dh, and I generally have no recollection what so ever the next morning of the conversation.

4. I love milk chocolate, I love white chocolate, but cannot tolerate dark chocolate AT ALL, it gives me migraines; and I am really picky with what brands I eat, as I am used to British chocolate, and US/Canadian chocolate, is not the same!!

5. I really enjoy listening to music, and was even humming along to the tunes in the grocery store the other day. However I am tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune if my life depended on it!! I would LOVE to have a go on a karaoke machine, but would never use it if anyone was around.

6. I don't drink alcohol as it makes me fall asleep. I used to drink, and due to an unfortunate "incident" (drunk as a skunk!! though in my defence I mixed my drinks and that's what did it) in my younger days, I would never ever have a cherry in a drink.....I used to love "Cherry B, and BabyCham."

Then Finally:

Six Truths of Life


1. You cannot touch all of your top teeth with your tongue.


2.. All idiots, while reading the First Truth, will try it.


3. And they will discover that the First Truth is a lie.


4. You’re smiling now because you’re one of those idiots.


5. You soon will forward this to another idiot.


6. And there will still be a stupid smile on your face while you’re doing it.

I do not apologize about this and I do not feel sorry about sending it to you.I’m an idiot too and I just needed company!!! Thank you Tracey for this!!!

16 comments:

Tracey said...

You're welcome! Some folk just don't know how lucky they are to live in warm house with no holes!!! Now when I was a kid....blah blah blah...LOL At this point my kids tell me to shut up! xxx

ChrisJ said...

Yes, I'm an idiot too. Your comment about the Canadian/US chocolate -v - British is absolutely true. Also, the constant loud refrain in our house (in England) when anyone left the room was "Shut the door!!!"

BadPenny said...

great fun reading these tips - mum always has thick lined velvet curtains at her front door for draughts
and ALWAYS has a hot water bottle handy !

Hope your Beagle's health improves !

bubble said...

LOL That list is true. My house is a fairly old farm house...new windows but old doors and wow the draft blows through!! xxx

Jo said...

great post! nice to find out more about you!
Josie x

landcuckoo said...

Oh dear oh dear, such an idiot I am!!!!
Love the article about doors and draughts, we have plenty of them here, both of them!! I woke up the other morning to find that Hubby who had been on a late shift was fast asleep with his new hat on the bedpost! The reason being was that he was so cold when he came home in the middle of the night that he had actually got into bed and fallen asleep with his woolly hat on!
Off to sort out a big curtain to help with our back door draughts.
Take care
Sarah x

Lindsay said...

Lost your post with your very good photo of the fungi which you now use as your header. Pop over to mine - you might see a photo (taken by Husband, as I could not clamber into the ditch).

Scrappy quilter said...

I always read Harrowsmith magazine. Hubby wears a toque when he goes to bed!!!

In regards to the floors in our home. I'd love to redo them, however the cost would be outrageous, their is linoleum glued to them and in some areas the wear is just to nasty to do. Hugs..

CannedAm said...

Gil -- I can have a full-blown conversation in my sleep, too. Did you know you can't lie then? Not enough inhibition. (Don't tell hubby lol) My dad always talked in his sleep and his mom and sister would quiz him on where he'd been and what he'd done that night. They'd greet him with a retelling of his previous night's escapades (and they were escapades -- buick in the cornfield and all!) he could never get away with anything, but that didn't stop him. I caught my oldest son telling my daughter when he was about 5 that if she wanted chocolate cake for breakfast to ask mom while she was still sleeping because mom never says NO when she's sleeping! I once woke up to find my oldest son playing basketball in the driveway at 5am! When I asked him what the *#&$ he was doing, he said, "But I asked and you said it was okay!" Lil buggar. lol!!

And yes, I can touch all my top teeth with my tongue, too. LOL

Prairie Farmstead Ponderings said...

Your post about the farmhouse reminded me instantly of a post I did a while back regarding "You know when you live on a farm..." Heehee!
http://farmnsanity.com/wordpress/?p=607

I bet before too long, you'll be able to relate to a few of those things, too ~ if not already!

It's fun being a country girl!

ChrisJ said...

Hi Gil:

You asked where we are going. To Kauai!! No wonder I'm excited! I'll check up on you if I have access there, otherwise see you when I get back. Also: Did you ask about the spider's web? Someone did. They're just garden spiders but rather too large for my taste. I have to take a newspaper with me when I go into the back yard to sweep away the webs. They're quite harmless, and I understand it they eat their webs as the day comes on and re-spin the next evening. But I wouldn't know for sure.

Evelyn said...

love it Gill1 can really relate as I have an old drafty house too. not old enough to have charm though. I also fall asleep when i drink.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Hi Gill! I continue to enjoy reading your blog! I totally agree with you and the article about the farmhouse--It's the same here in (warmer)Northern Virginia too! We always have a 3-4 dog night, even in warm weather! :-) Gotta go shut the door--Hope your week is going well! ~Kim~

The Witch said...

Gill,

That's just too dam funny.
It gave me the biggest laugh of the day.
Can't wait to send this on.

Anonymous said...

Oh you are too funny, Gill! Thanks for all those tips about keeping warm. Even down here in TN we need them too. As for the phrase, as the snow flies, we even use and we don't get hardly any snow here. I think it does mean a certain period of time at the end of fall, beginning of winter. Maybe early December. :-)
Frances

Heidi D said...

Idiot is a bit strong. ; )

{{{SIGH}}}

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