Mothers Knitting -264

I Remember Mothers Knitting

In the evening to relax, mother always knit,

Jumper’s scarves and socks, and gloves all made to fit,

All sizes knitting needles kept, neatly in a draw,

Some rolls of wool rolled into balls, left over from before,.

When the wool is newly bought, it comes in big long skeins,

We were asked hold out hands, and not aloud complain,

We took in turns to hold it, while she wound it into ball.

Sometime she would have, ten skeins of wool n’ do it all.

She knitted socks, with three needles steel,

Round and round she’d go, knitted fast by feel

Starting round the top, made grippe to hold then up,

Then Knit one pearl one to heel all without a slip-up.

Check the length of leg, for who it’s made to fit,

Cotton thread along with the wool, for heel is being knit,

This adds to its strength, when the holes appear,

Darning is inevitable, with all of our footgear.

We have to lie back with one foot, high up in the air,

Then new sock is pulled on, with three needles not a pair,

See how long to make the foot, were growing every year,

Then cast it off up to a point, last thread of wool to shear.

When knitting jumper she had, two great long needles blunt,

Plain band around the bottom, and pattern up the front,

Working from her women’s book, does cables blobs the lot,

Hold your chin up while it’s tried, she’s such an old fusspot.

To finish off around the cuffs, n round the neck she knits,

Try it on and pull puled well down, just to check it fits,

With there being four of use, could hand it up or down,

Used for best so smart it looks, going to the hoedown.

Owd Fred

Mother had a Grip like Iron --263

Never in all my life have I ever come across a woman with such power in her grip, if mother once got hold of you, you stood no chance of escaping, in fact I've seen her crack a walnut, and that takes some doing 

Mother had a Grip like Iron

When mother was young she had helped, around the family farm,

Milking cows by hand them days, strengthened sinews in her arms,

Her hand were still ladies hands, no bulky muscle show,

Belied the strength built into them, beyond you’d ever know,

Mother had a grip like iron, nothing failed her grip,

Screw lids on jars and bottles, give it me she’d quip,

The grip she had to skin a rabbit, or ring an old hen’s neck,

Crush a grape; she’d crush a walnut, power she’d got by heck.

Round by the coal ruck was her hammer, there to break the coal,

Coal it came in big lumps, some from steam loco it was bowled,

For coal alone the big lump hammer, it was there reduce.

Best steam coal was hard and bright, cracked it down for use,

When we were young she’d lace our boots, bow she’d pull real tight,

They never came undone all day, right into the night,

Sewing did with button thread, no tear came open again,

And buttons only came off once, thread she used times ten.

With age her hands were not so nimble, feel it gradually went,

Knitting that she’d done all her life, on wool she no more spent,

Her skin and nails were without blemish, soft and pink they were,

But on grip she never lost her strength; she was the best mum ever.

Owd Fred

Black Gold ---262

Black Gold

At great expense they drill for oil, black gold to be refined

Wells are sunk beneath the earth, through rock and soil grind,

Pumped and piped on its way, into many products turned,

Ammonium nitrate, tar and pitch, petrol diesel, n’ heating oil burned.

It’s running out and hard to find, now digging neath the waves,

Risks are getting higher, as for greater profit craves,

Barrel price keeps going up, and at the pumps the same,

There’s plenty more where that comes from, or that is what they claim

Biofuels the thing right now, grown on our land and earth,

Each season brings a new crop, to feed it now not worth,

Another market for our wheat, no surplus stores we need,

Persuade the millers pay the price, and end the waste and greed.

Energy from wind power, great turbines in the sky,

Out upon the hill tops, no wind no power supply,

Tide and wave power harness now, reliable as can be,

Clean and safe, its ebb and flow, the energy is free.

Owd Fred