 John
Friday's a good day. Pay day. Now the older girls are working full
time Elizabeth can stay home. It was harder when they were small
and I didn't earn so much. There wasn't meat every day then.
 Elizabeth
worked half time as well as keeping house. My mother helped out
by looking after the babies when she could. Our little Mary was
named after my mother. We lost her in the cholera epidimic. She
was only 8 months. They've been talking about cleaning up the water
in Tiverton for years. Elizabeth's still got enough to do looking
after the house and the lot of us. She brings our lunch over every
day. I eat at my machine.
I'll call into the Racehorse on my way home for a pint or two
of beer and fourpence worth of tobacco. I go in there a couple of
times a week if I can, for the company.
There's a nice smell of warm bread and cakes when I get home. I'm
too tired to do anything but clean myself up, eat and put my feet
up. |
 Elizabeth
I try to get all the usual jobs out of the way as early as possible
because Friday's baking day. Hopefully there's enough flour, sugar
and butter in the house, even though it is the end of the week.
 The
eggs come from our chickens and there's still some of the jam I
made with the raspberries from the garden for making jam tarts and
rolypoly. Edwin likes to help. I'll make a nice big cake and biscuits,
and some bread and tea cakes. A nice boiled suet pudding and treacle
for supper too. The washing up takes a while but Alice helps. The
others are too tired after working all day.
 It's
getting dark earlier now so I make sure the oil lamps are filled
and the wicks trimmed. You can't do much when it's dark so we go
to bed earlier.
Fridays are pay day. They all bring home their wages, though they'll
keep a bit by for themselves. Can't complain. My John doesn't spend
all his time in the pub like some. |
