Friday 4 September 2020

Friday

How quickly Fridays come round - or any other day for that matter - and I suppose, like a lot of you, a calendar is vital to establish what day it is anyway.

 

I have just been reading about The Pilgrim Fathers.If you think we are having it tough under Covid conditions it makes tough reading.    It is 400 years next month since 102 of them set sail from Plymouth on the Mayflower, intending to set up a 'Spiritual Jerusalem' in North America - hopefully in Virginia.   Because the drinking water on board was so bad they were each allocated a gallon of beer a day  throughout the trip (6 percent alcohol) so it is hardly surprising that they actually ended up at  Cape Cod about 500 miles from their intended destination.   And to add to their troubles, within just over fifty years they had fought a fierce battle with the indigenous population in which they lost more than were lost in the American Civil War (per capita).   What dreadful trials and tribulations they must have gone through - makes our troubles seem light by comparison.   Each generation seems to have it easier (covid notwithstanding) - when I think what I have to do compared with my mother's generation and how I take things like my own car, a computer, dishwasher, washer, drier, fridge and freezer as essentials I am almost ashamed to own them.   My mother worked so hard and accepted it as her lot.   And I have no doubt our children will have it easier - relaxing behind the wheel of a self drive car before long I have no doubt.

 

The weather has deteriorated as the day has progressed.   I woke to a pleasant sunny morning with a light breeze but now it is cloudy and windy and chilly - and I have gone into winter-woollies. I have a Zoom with three friends in a couple of hours so I intend to go and put my feet up for that break in between - after several really good nights I had a bad night again last night and am feeling in need of sleep.   Have a good day and see you tomorrow.

 

 

 




 

 

 

 

19 comments:

Derek Faulkner said...

Seems those immigrants doing their daily trips across the Channel aren't a patch on the Pilgrim Fathers - a gallon of beer a day each - can't be bad!

Fifitr said...

Your comments reminded me of a book I enjoyed very much some years ago, and prompted me to look it out. Some of the Pilgrims' difficulties were self-inflicted in that, as Bill Bryson so delightfully put it "They packed as if they had misunderstood the purpose of the trip. They found room for sundials and candle-snuffers, a drum, a trumpet and a complete history of Turkey... yet between them they failed to bring a single cow or horse or plough or fishing line." Nor were most of them experienced in farming, hunting or practical trades needed for setting up a colony from scratch. But to their credit those first pioneers managed to arrive in America with more souls on board their, by our standards, tiny vessel than they set off with - one passenger died but two women gave birth, an experience that must have been made incredibly perilous by the insanitary conditions prevailing. Bryson's 'Made in America', which is primarily about the evolution of American English, has lots of interesting stuff about the early colonists and also has the advantage of being funny.

Librarian said...

Like you say, many of us tend to take our mod cons for granted. As I grew up in a house where we had to start a fire every time we wanted to have a hot shower, I am very much aware of how wonderful it is to simply walk into my shower now, turn up the tap and hot water comes out! No carrying of wood and coal, no cleaning of ashes.
Also, central heating is a wonderful invention I would not want to go without - but I have had weeks here without, when something was wrong and we were waiting for the repair service showing up. Therefore, such small reminders every now and then are good, making us see how fortunate we really are.
I hope you sleep better tonight. Weather-wise, it looks like summer has come back for a day or two - I am in shorts again, after I had to wear a cardigan and woolly socks around the house earlier this week!

Catrina said...

I have just recently started following your blog.im drawn to it because you are a lovley person who sees the cup as half full.and you always have something intresting you are learning .and teaching us. Id love to have a friend like you.

Terra said...

I did not know about the Pilgrims and their beer ration. It makes sense, as not too long ago worldwide beer and wine were healthier to drink than the untreated water. I am thankful for having a home, clean water, electricity and modern conveniences. I might like a horse for transportation though, I do love horses.

The Feminine Energy said...

Your sleep pattern sounds like mine... if I sleep really well for even one night, that's a guarantee that a bad night's sleep will follow. Sheesh. I wonder why that is?! Here's to hoping you have a good night's sleep tonight. Love, Andrea xoxo

Heather said...

In spite of all my mod cons, for which I am extremely grateful, I do sometimes wonder if we haven't lost something in life which our parents and grandparents had. Perhaps I am just seeing the past through rose-tinted spectacles, but I think we sometimes 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'.
Hope you sleep better tonight.

Bonnie said...

You are so correct about our ancestors having it hard compared to us. I imagine compared to them we would seem to be rather weak and lazy. Each generation has had the benifit of even more advancements. There are so many things we take for granted today that were not available in the past.

I hope you enjoy your Zoom call and have a very good weekend Pat!

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

On the other side of it, our ancestors never had to wait in line at the DMV, be bombarded with political news, worry about toilet paper, or drop a cell phone. If we were given a choice, I think some of use would go back to the good old days...if we could take our car, cell phone, laptop, ibuprofen, moisterizer, alcohol, eye drops, glasses, cough drops, and toilet paper with us. :)

Best Bun said...

I grew up near Boston Massachusetts. In 1960 my mother was an enumerator for the census. So we must have had a little extra cash that year. We drove down to Plymouth Ma. There was a big grate in the sidewalk and inside was a boulder marked 1620. "Is that all there is?" I asked my father. He smiled and said "Use your imagination and think about what it took to make that journey".

Last year a group of people dressed in Pilgrim garb were walking the aisles. They were on the way to a reenactment. I wished them a safe landing. My husband said he didn't realize who they were and thought they were just crazy. I smiled and said "Use your imagination".

Your blog is beautiful and always makes me smile. The only complaint I have is that your descriptions of food makes me hungry!

Best wishes from Best Bun.

DUTA said...

There's one thing that doesn't seem to change over the years , and that's the Brits' constant referring to their weather.

Mary M said...

Really insightful thank you. And, very much appreciated. There is an American 'colonial' re-enactor that does a great vlog on life in America in the 18th century. (https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson/about) One of the early Covid vlogs he did was about the realities of living on the 'frontier' in America. If you were a pioneer here in America (or Australia) you were likely completely isolated from friends or family, access to a town was easily days, if not weeks or months walk away, you had limited food supplies, no professional medical support, no one to talk to, etc. It was some really unique and interesting insight that reminded me that this is not the first time that we, as humans, have gone through something like this type of isolation--and probably won't be the last. And, we'll survive.

Joanne Noragon said...

I've slept like a log lately, though that does you little good.

Cro Magnon said...

Yesterday I swam in 22 C water, but got out to 32 C sunshine. I revived quite quickly.

the veg artist said...

I have vivid memories of my grandmother's farmhouse with only the one, cold water, tap indoors. The outdoor toilet was down at the bottom of a steep yard. I'm grateful daily for all my mod-cons! We can only presume that the concerns of the Pilgrims were more spiritual than practical!

Ursula said...

Yes, to think of a time when it was safer to drink beer than water.

Just before reading your post I'd put on the third machine (washing) this morning, the tumble dryer in the background sounding like the bass in a three piece line-up. I am still young enough to remember my grandmother's lot. Monday. Washday. Don't ask. By today's expectations shocking. Her being ever cheerful, no martyr, I didn't get her hardship until later in my life.

Fridge? There was a walk-in larder. North facing. Winter was great in absence of a freezer. Snow. Lots of it. Kept everything chilled. Come summer you might find the odd what's it winking at you from the cheese. OH MY GOD. I only found this out by accident, my grandparents sheltering me from the facts of a not refrigerated life as best they could.

As you say, what's Covid compared to pestilence?

U

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone.

Annie said...

Imagine how the Native Americans felt about the invaders.

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