Troublesome Guests

Dear Lydia,

I have been reading this post (from May  2017 about the conduct of outsiders in our homes) and rereading it since you posted it. It has taken me a month to finally be able to leave this comment.

This post was such a comfort to me (and continues to be), as we had a Very Unpleasant Incident take place in our home on Easter. I grew up in a home with a screaming mother and unending sarcasm from both parents, and so I have deliberately cultivated a home of peace, rest, and comfort. We have actually had to severely limit our little family's exposure to my parents and brother, as they refuse to acknowledge that their 'normal' isn't welcome the world over. I give this background to emphasize how important it is to me who enters my home. I guard our sanctuary diligently, and have made our little home into the type of place that weary, world-sick friends drop in on, sometimes unexpectedly, to escape their troubles and have a restful cup of tea. Sometimes we chat, sometimes they simply want to sit and, I think, feel protected. 

On Easter, we have a habit of inviting those without family to join our family for dinner. This year, we invited an engaged couple we knew and an older woman completely alone in this world (in her mid-60's). All of these people were from our church. The older woman can be a challenge at times, but I held my breath and depended on Good Manners to see us through the day. Imagine the trauma - yes, trauma - that was inflicted on my safe, restful little home when she unleashed her vitriol in an opinion that was directly contrary to the other female guest in our home. The table cleared quickly, with people getting up and walking away before dinner was done. I was shaking. I spoke with the younger woman, and she was angry with me for inviting the older woman and not telling her, as she always suspected the older woman had problems (but had never taken the time to speak with her). The older woman refused to leave right away, and the light-hearted, joyful feel to the day was gone. 

Throughout the next week, our little family struggled to get through the trauma of that day. It sounds absolutely ridiculous to state it in such a dramatic way, but there is no other way to put it. We all felt that our home had been violated. The day after Easter, I got an email from the older woman criticising our parenting and stating that we need to expose the whole ugly world to our sons and ourselves instead of shielding us all from it. I prayed, and then wrote her an email that I would no longer be tolerant of her criticisms of us as parents (it wasn't the first time), and that she was very poorly behaved in treating another guest so badly in someone else's home. She didn't appreciate my words of chastisement, and hasn't spoken to me since. I only laid out her actions against us and left it open for an apology and forgiveness, but she chose the other path. I have wondered if I should be more 'tolerant,' but figured if I can hold my own parents to a certain standard I should be able to hold others to the same without regret. 

So, Lady Lydia, thank you so very much for these comforting words. And I have an etiquette question for you that has niggled in the back of my mind: Am I wrong to not have told each guest who else was invited? I didn't realize people expected that. I've certainly never been given that information when invited to others' homes. One is expected to behave oneself no matter who the other guests are, and if one doesn't like the other guests, then one leaves as soon as is polite. Is that not correct? 

Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry I wrote an entire blog post as a comment. This has been weighing on my mind for a long time.

Shani

Dear Shani,

I like the rating you put on the visit: Very Unpleasant, and shall use VU along with VB (very bad) in my collection of abbreviations.

I agree with you about the trauma it causes.  I have walked around in circles unable to focus on normal life after one of those awful guest situations. That's what Is known as  "leaving  a bad taste in the mouth" -- a dinner turned sour!  It almost felt as if the Holy Spirit, who will not dwell long in an unholy place, got up and left the house. It takes days to restore the love of the home after a person of sour disposition, or an arrogant ego centered domineering person has had their way.

As far as I know, it was not a policy in the past to let guests know the guest list but there needs to be a new policy!  Most of the time we find out by word of mouth. The older folks of the previous era avoided a lot of social situations where they knew they would be treated badly, or where people they just didn't want to be around, were invited. There usually were ways of finding out who would be there.

 If they can scout out the guest list somehow, those who want to avoid a troublesome person can then opt out of the social gathering.  I am all for that. We should not be caught in something we didn't know about. Over the years I figured out several things and try to use each mistake as another lesson.

Here are some other social situations to be wary of:

Elderly  women who have been rude and bossy are NOT going to get better by your compassionate inclusion of them in your social events. They may suppose they have special privilege because of their advanced years, but I am in advanced years myself and never suppose I am allowed to be rude.

  My experience is these women always get worse.  If they are lonely and need companionship, they are so aggressive they can easily create their own social life. They don't "need" us.  To this day I avoid them because it is not my mission or my ministry or my role to make life better for them.  Such mean women who attack people can  wreak havoc at church and in the home. Proverbs warns against taking a dog by the ears. That means leave them alone lest they make more trouble.

I never get in the car with anyone who has previously used a ride as an opportunity to berate me or others while driving. There is an old saying that tea loosens the tongue but I have noticed that driving loosens the tongue for some drivers who get someone captive in a car trip or ride , using it as an opportunity to criticize. For some reason, some drivers get mouthy and preachy and dictatorial.  

Another thing wise to decline is "the meeting".  These meetings are deceptive because when you get there, someone has it stacked against one person, with a file folder containing a whole arsenal of lists of offenses and accusations.  The person invited to the meeting is never prepared, but the inviter knows what he or she is going to say and sometimes has stacked the meeting with friends against you.

If someone wants to tell you something they can just call and tell you.  A meeting is not necessary if they are normal people able to talk and communicate as friends or family.  In the home we never needed a meeting because we were open with each other and talked freely as good friends.  We did not save up evidence and then call a meeting.  It's not scriptural anyway.  You are suppose to talk individually to someone first.  I think the meeting thing might come from the corporate world where they humiliate employees by dismissing them in front of other people.

For events you wish to attend where you know someone will be there who targets you for their "fix" or "supply" of trouble, you need to go at a later time or sit in the back where you can see them but they can't see you, that is, if it's something you HAVE to attend.  However If you are tough and able to keep from being intimidated, by all means, go.

Be careful not to put yourself at a social disadvantage where you know you will be hurt. That means avoid social situations that will deplete you of your sense of well being. That may mean scouting a bit to detect all possible ways the social situation could harm you and your reputation. 

A lot of times men do not notice these things because they are not being attacked. They may think their wives are at fault in some way and deserved the berating of the perpetrator. The women are most often attacked because they seem so more accommodating, especially if they are willing extenders of help and hospitality.

You might want to study how narcissists operate, which is something that the corporate began to suffer from, and has filtered into the church and home.  They are people who can only feel good when they are making someone else feel bad. They target nice people who are hospitable and giving and accommodating because they can get a lot of supply out of them.  To test whether someone is narcissistic, smile a lot and see if they frown.  Frown and see if they smile. Their goal is to make you frown. They will frown til they make you unhappy and after they have dealt you with a devastating comment they will smile and appear more at ease.  They will even sing or whistle a tune if they have made someone else unhappy by a rude remark.

We have a displaced sense of charity because we think we can be nice to people that have lost favor with other people. We see them as victims of unfairness and we think we can do the job when no one else can. I think that is called the Messiah complex, which is the belief we can save people that no one else can. Whether it be saving them from being alone or from suffering, we step in and invite them over. Someone told me he knew a person had some bad qualities that were very detrimental in social situations but he "didn't want to admit it" because the man was in the church.  Later this man humiliated him in front of others. We are not obligated to fellowship mean people.

Narcs go around testing the people they are with to see if they are vulnerable enough to be attacked. One sign of vulnerability is if you are sympathetic and empathetic, if you are pleasant and friendly. You look like an easy mark for someone to boss you or criticize.The solution is not to turn hard and mean yourself but to take note of such people and avoid them.

This has been going on since the beginning of time. Even a casual study of the book of Proverbs, and some of the epistles, will reveal who you should avoid. It says to "mark"  those who cause division and avoid them. To mark someone is to take note of it and flee from it.  Take note what your friendship with them produces ...does it make the rest of the family on edge?

The writings preserved from Victorian ettiquette practices indicated that with more social situations coming to fore in the lives of ordinary people, there needed to be some rules of conduct. They established these by observation of the problems that ocurred. You as the woman of the house have a legitimate reason for refusing the company of some people in favor of others and your observations are what you will be developing your guests list from.

Yes we all want to include  people  who are alone and left out, but we have to ask why they are not with their families or included in hospitality, before we decide we are going to be the big hero and invite them.  The formative years of your family are more important than the freedom and  pleasure of your guests. (Many of us wish we had known that.)

I am afraid Christian women want to fix these flawed people but the Bible indicates Gods way is to avoid them.  Over the years I was told that to avoid someone was not Christian but I observed that you only get in more trouble if you try to include these people. We can't improve what the Bible says about this. These rude people need to feel they are on the outside until they are well developed enough socially to earn their place on the inside of the precious social group of your family.  Their socialization is very corrupt and you should be very afraid of the effect it will have on your home.

Yes, it is correct to politely excuse yourself and leave, if you know another guest is going to trouble you.  Also, if you know one guest can be irksome, the others should know she or he will be there.

Lydia

Tiny Tea for Two

A tea for two at my house today. 

Hello ladies. Here is the site to keep up with Susan Kissinger's health, for those of you who have an 

interest.

https://www.caringbridge.org/public/susankissinger2 

We got old enough and numerous enough to organize a family reunion, however, the current "old folks" are still not as interesting as the previous generation born in the early 1900's. They made life so much more interesting!  We still miss all the grandparents, aunts and uncles. It's strange to be old enough not to have any aunts or uncles or grandparents. Now we are it, but we just never had the wit of those people.

However, Stan now has enough stories and jokes to last approximately an hour, in case of awkward silence amongst the younger set. 

While some of the children played Irish fiddle music, the adults put money in a hat. The little ones with no money threw in some corn chips, which was really a bigger sacrifice, since the snack bags are so tiny. Out here in the sticks the band can't do much with money when they get hungry, so we decided corn chips was a better idea.

One of the old folks told us the difference between a violin and a fiddle:

The violin has strings.

The fiddle has strangs.

You probably won't get that unless you have been around fiddle people.

After viewing our book collection, tea cups, fabric and old things, our cousin concluded with this advice:

"Don't get a tiny home."

"

Good Day

I do not have anything very wise to say today, as I am busy with yard work.

I have plans for this area, which I hope to show here soon.

We have been on a trip to California, which isn't saying much since it is only four hours away, but it was, shall we say, refreshing. As they said in some parts of New Zealand, back in The 1960's when I was there, "it was a bit blowy," but away from the beach the weather was tropical!

We came back up the coast of Oregon:

I love old towns and was always asking the driver to stop whenever we saw one. He stopped in only the Grants Pass old town where we were allowed to walk around, but I wanted to stop in Coos Bay old town and some of the others.

How progressive that there are now used Lego stores.

There was an antique car rally and I managed to get some pictures. I was looking for the ones with the picnic baskets on the back.

Back home again.

Stopping for a gas fill up in Grants Pass was quite an experience.  Stan asked the attendant, a huge fellow at least 7 feet tall and not at all skinny, if there were any Sasquatch sightings in the area. The man replied, "They are in migration right now so you won't see any." I asked him if he really thought Sasquatch existed and he said, "I know they exist. I used to raise them."

Honestly. Some people! Has the whole region gone mad?  After that, we noticed more large men like him walking on the streets of Olde Towne. There must have been a village of them

My husband and his cousin, who was with us, both have wry, dry humor.  When he told his cousin he was born in Grants Pass but never got attached to the place because his parents moved away when he was still a baby, his cousin replied, "You got out while you still could."  Those two kept me laughing and scurrying to write down everything they said on the trip.

Include Some of These Things in Your Days

Pictures today are from Pinterest.

We all know what it is like when home life becomes mostly work!

Being keepers at home is not supposed to be continual labor, but a variety of things where work and leisure are combined.

There will always be meals to make, laundry, rooms to clean up, and things to take care of each day.  We know that, and think about it all the time, but it is good to include other things in your day at home,

...such as setting a fine table, at least once a week. It is good to keep the table setting habit in practice, and not let the table cloths and special dishes go unused. 

Treat yourself to a tea time with your favorite snacks and hot tea, and serve it in a real porcelain tea cup.

Sit on the swing. We can spend so much time cleaning up the porch we forget to enjoy it.

Other things to include in your week, besides work:

-phone a friend.

-a care package for someone by shopping your house for things you no longer need.

-creativeness in sewing, cooking, or some other interest.

-time outside.

-rearrange something, add flowers, scent, music.

-read something.

-Plan something 

Everyone has to sweep, clean the kitchen, clean the bathroom, and do the general housekeeping, but it doesn't have to be grueling if you have some leisure things planned.

If you find yourself getting snappy and tense and an unbearable attitude, stop for one of these leisurely things, even when surrounded urgency of a mess from unpacking or rearranging or just normal living.

When I get tense I stop for tea and use the most elegant cup I can find in my cabinet, and the best tea, and then I call a friend.

I posted this because I have let seasons pass by without doing the simple things traditionally done such as writing a letter, sewing a skirt, talking to someone or drawing a picture.

Concerning Cosmetics 1 Video

Greetings,

I love having visitors, but since you can't all come, I am visiting via video. Today I am talking about the question people sometimes ask concerning the wearing of cosmetics.




The links to these videos below might be helpful in learning how to apply skin-care products and cosmetics, if needed.

This lady in Holland demonstrates how to use a lighter touch of makeup for the  historical Jane Austen look. She has other videos you might be interested in, and I appreciate all the work she has done. Making a video difficult for me, and that is why I do not produce them often.

Lily Jarlsen  in Germany is another delightful woman who has several videos about using makeup to cover skin imperfections such as psoriasis.  There are several cosmetic companies that have products to cover unattractive skin irritations.

Please watch the two videos mentioned above, as they are helpful. Not everyone will want to use cosmetics and that is fine, but those two videos are helpful for anyone who wants a touch of makeup.

Personally, I think it is important to present yourself at your best, even at home.  I have noticed the day goes much better for me and there are fewer family troubles when I have dressed my best, and taken care of my hair and face so that my appearance is refined, which I think shows respect to my loved ones.

There was a woman I knew who had just birthed twins, and a friend came to fix her hair afterwards and give her a lift to help her recover. She applied some skin care lotions and such, and some cosmetics and the woman said it was indeed a great help. This would be a very appreciated service to help ladies in any stage of life feel better by improving their appearance. I think homemakers are the most independent people, and as such, often have no support group or working companions to encourage them. That is why it is so good to fix yourself up every day and look your best. It helps you feel good and makes life at home royal, which is what it should be.

My mental approach to my work at home is more on the optimistic, "can-do" side if I paid careful attention to  my face using skin -care products. My skin does not burn and itch when I have used skin care products and cosmetics that are appropriate for my skin type.  In applying any kind of skin care I think it is important to take your time, and to not be rushed. You feel more like a lady if you take your time.

Housewife Scenes of the Season

Above: scene from my back door

Hello Ladies,

My European friend at Adventures in Housekeeping blog had a Housewife Newsletter yesterday and so today I want to follow her cue with my own news.

The first item of interest concerns this great looking apple pie baked by a reader in Pennsylvania. You know of course that state got its name from William Penn, one of the early settlers who became the first  governor. I recall he wrote a book called Plymouth Plantation.(Thanks to a readers comment: correction: William Bradford wrote Plimouth Plantation and was the first governor. The state of Pennsylvania was named for William Penn.)

Back to the pie.  My friend Lynn M. Who baked it has also chatted on the phone with me a time or two.  

She sent pictures of the old cookbook pages where she got the recipe. I am thinking it might have been her mother's cook book.  Some of us are noticing that the more messed up the pages with stains and rips and tape, the better the recipe will taste. The same goes with old recipe cards.  If the cards or paper aren't dog-eared it is not worth making the recipe. It means the recipe was a favorite and the page was open a lot.

Another friend in a northern state sent me this picture of a kind of court yard she discovered after pulling up a lot of brush and grass and cleaning up the area around the house she lives in. She had great plans to make a seating area there, where the roses are blooming.   

For myself, not much progress is being made here at all, since it has been raining and cold.  The day lily bloomed before I could get it out of the temporary pot I used a few months ago. The weather has been too icky to plant anything.

 Also, when Jan stopped by on Saturday she brought me these bedding plants. It is just what I needed to brighten my interest in getting the flower beds looking nice.   

Although I want to keep this as cheerful as possible I have to say how messed up my place has been for the last week. We thought someone was coming to put some flooring in a bedroom so I emptied the room of a thousand and one things, which are out on the dining and living room now.  We then had a change of plans and I am busy getting it all cleaned up and put back.  It sure is a lot slower to put things back! When you empty a room it doesn't matter where everything goes temporarily but when putting it back, it has to be done much more carefully.  I would post a "before" picture but it would depress you.

I heard cooing doves while I was working and scent of mint was everywhere, as this is a big mint-growing area. 

That's all the news I have for you, and I will try to have some more, later.

A Big Supply of House Keys

Painting above: Victorian Interlude by Nicky Boehme, from allposters.com

Greetings Ladies,

Today was nice for me because a friend came by and we went to a tea room.  I got my purse and keys and we kept talking. For some reason, I set my keys down (that is why I should always have them fastened to my wallet), and walked out the door, locking it behind me. Of course I couldn't get back in and could not use the car without keys so my friend took us in her car, with me giving her stilted directions all the way to the tea room. I must say she mildly put up with me telling her every turn and every lane to get in. I am a better driving than directing.

My husband had not taken a set of keys that included a house key, so when he got home after one of his appointments, he too was locked out.  When I arrived home several hours later there was a muddy footprint on the outside window sill.  He said he used his "burgle skills" and  burglarized the house by removing a screen and opening a window.  I did notice the furniture by the window was slightly  askew, but sure was happy my 74 year old husband  still was able to climb through a window. It's great we have not lost all our survival instincts at this late date in life. (He also still uses the tractor and spends several hours keeping the grass cut, which grows tall after so much rain. We must not lose the key to the shed where that vehicle is kept, since the shed is impossible to burgle.) This week he will be busy getting a supply of house keys for our wallets and cars. Relatives and our neighbor have keys but the neighbor was not home today, so that did not do is any good.

My DH couldn't resist telling someone today after church services about the experience (this is one more to add to the stories he tells the grandkids) that he burgled the house "and it wasn't pretty." 

My friend and I shared some old patterns and I took a photo of some of hers. One of them was her wedding dress she made back in the day but I missed getting a picture.

The pattern on the right was a Centenniel historical celebration pattern.

You remember the rule I made regarding Mr. S. whenever there are ladies here for tea--to make an appearance, exchange polite greetings and then leave us to talk fabric.  Well, since we had tea elsewhere, he was waiting in his favorite chair, eager to talk on some subject, (including how he broke in to the house) and this time it was aliens, and not the immigrant type. If you remember, the last time it was the Sasquatch.   My friend and her husband have an interest and I think my husband gets some amusement from hearing what other people think about these things. Fortunately for me, she had brought a Shabby Fabrics catalog to browse, which I did when the talk turned to modern fuel injection for space craft and things that happen in a desert city in N.M. which name starts with the letter R. The question was brought up regarding replacing a well-known jet aircraft that had been retired decades ago. I shall mention nothing further, since I don't want to encourage speculation.

All in all it has been , shall we say, an "interesting" day. A big rain storm, which we describe as a "squall" poured all over my friend and me as we walked from her car to the tea room and back again. 

Mrs. W. comments here on this blog. I think she's as cute as can be and looks like a teenager. Her husband collects antique cars and is interesting too. (I posted pictures of their house here a couple of years ago). I like the way she dresses and I got such a nice picture of her at the tea room, on my cellphone, which I will try to post here, and she has a picture of the two of us on her cellphone. Just be patient while we take our time getting these star-quality pictures to the blog. She made the skirt she was wearing, and the silk flower clip on her jacket.  

Some early 1970's patterns seen on the web recently, below. 

With Her Love She Makes a House a Home

Someone sent this to me this morning and it was a pleasant thing to wake up to on a rainy day here. There hasn't been a housewife/homemaker popular song in a long time--since Glenn Campbell's "Everyday Houseife" and I like the lyrics on this one much better! There were, however quite a few songs in the past, with this theme. Now we need some songs about these great men today who are husbands, providers and fathers and who deserve so much more recognition than they get.

Ladies Beach Wear With Paintings by William Henry Margetsen

The Sea Hath Its Pearls by William Henry Margetsen

Dear Ladies,

Margetsen (1861-1940) probably was not promoting  beach fashion for women, but his paintings say a lot to some of us who are wanting to look pretty at the beach.  We do notice other things in the paintings, but today I am looking at better ways to dress for a visit to the beach. 

Also, please notice how similar the hair styles of the paintings are to the natural up-sweeps and loose curls of the current decade.

Of course I am not referring to swim-wear, but beach wear, for those who just want to walk on the beach or sit and look at the ocean or engage in activities other than swimming.  So this post is not about swim wear or sports wear. I mention this because of the inevitable comments I get telling how you can't run a race in these dresses. This isn't about scaling the sand dunes, riding a horse, hiking or boating. It is about leisure wear for ladies who want to wear something soft, feminine and pretty in a slower way of life;  to wear for a low impact trip to the sea shore.

Does not dressing for a visit to the  beautiful sea shore deserve as much consideration as other events?  In my opinion a trip to the beach is a memorable event, and we create the memories in many different ways. We do not want to overlook clothing in creating memories.  I for one, like to mark the evet by a special dress, which I make. Others may do this differently but it is an important part of life to get a special garment for a special occasion.

The Seashore, by William Henry Margetsen.

As far as clothing design, I am not too keen on The Seashore dress,  because the brown piece that joins the collar to the skirt is not familiar, although it may have been a style of the 1930's. It looks like a lenghth of fabric  that is wrapped around into a skirt and then joined in the front with a clip.

I do not know for sure if the above painting is by Margetsen but when a teenager, I always thought it was quite a pretty sight when ladies sat on the beach with shawls around them, watching their children play. I always wanted to sketch such scenes.

Below: another painting by Margetson (not sure of the title).

This one, below is called "Castles of the Sand" by William Henry Margetsen, and it is these two dresses I want to immitate in sewing a dress for the beach. 

I am not sure where the scarf that is shown blowing around on the left is coming from on the garment, (above) but it may be from a wrap around waist band. I won't be using it. As I get busier (and older) I like simpler garments without too many fussy accessories. Scarves, ruffled sleeves and too full of skirts get in the way.

In the 1980's  there was a pattern that had gathered over-lays on the bodice front and back, which were quite simple to sew.  I keep looking for this pattern but could easily do it with gathered pieces, which I have shown here on my planning sheet. 

I saw this 1970's pattern on the web, and although it is hard to find, I thought it was similar to the Margetsen paintings of the white dresses. I think it would look good in pastel shades.

Summer clothing is not just applicable to the beach, for there are many opportunities to look nice all summer, whether going about you business in town, working at home, or going for a walk. 

Ladies I continually think of coming here on video as well as Housewife Radio but lately my house is full of noise due to some repair work going on, and it is quite a mess, as things from several rooms are put in other spaces to make room for all the changes. It is taking a lot more time than I anticipated as we are doing a lot of it ourselves and we have to stop often for other things in daily life.  However, I am getting close to making a video and you might even see one to go with this post. 

I appreciate your donations and your comments and your kindness in coming here to this blog. 

Lydia

The garment in the above painting looks like a caftan, with embroidery on the borders.

Caftans and  Hawaiian mu-u-muu dresses were some of the most elegant ethnic clothing in the past but both got bad press here, which discouraged women from wearing them. People who wanted to undermine this fashion began to spread around that it was only for women who had nothing else to wear, or who were hiding their weight gain, or who didn't care how they looked or that only prudish women obsessed with modesty would wear them.  

I do remember the caftan and mu-u-mu very kind to the full figure visually, and comfortable in hot weather when other things might feel restrictive, and some women did indeed have nothing else to wear that fit them as well.  However, they were still beautiful garments worn by  women, young and old, thin and ample, and it is too bad women do not feel free to wear them as commonly as they once did.  If you will look at the caftans worn by royalty in places like Ethiopia you will see just how elegant these loose dresses are. Most of our mothers had these garments but they were not widely available by the time we had grown up.  These dresses were a welcome change from the dresses of the 1950's because they were so much easier to sew. 

Caftan/Mu-mu pattern from 1990's

Songs From the 50's and early 60's

I hope to post some of the songs my husband likes to listen to in the car. When he has the music playing  I feel like we are a carefree couple cruising around. A simple stop at the grocery store and the post office seems like a vacation :-).

Some of the songs we listen to are about meeting someone to marry and the lyrics talk about church bells ringing and weddings. You certainly do not hear words like that in today's Noisic. Now if they
played that in the stores I wouldn't complain.

The "crooners" of the fifties -- individual singers not in groups--often sang songs containing
references to getting married, having a house and children; sharing a future into old age together. This music, although not church music, at least did not undermine marriage and family or the woman at home.

And never did any of the songs of that era speak against God, Christ, the Bible, Christians, worship
or the church.

The songs expresses kindness, sympathy, ("put your head on my shoulder"), and gentleness between
men and women.

Also songs seemed to lack tension except for the question of winning the love of the opposite sex, which was a common challenge. Music was not too annoying, although there is some of the harmony
Not to my liking.

This next video, below, is the same group, many years later, still dressed up and still fine voices. This group performed at one of the schools my husband attended. These singing groups always dressed decently for public performances and they smiled a lot.

The Church Bells song is at 5:29 in the above video, some of the other the songs are good in that you can hear the actual words. What a novelty, eh? Hearing the words of the songs? At 15:10 is the song "Twenty-six Miles".

Below, another group that sang the church bells song:

The Church Bells May Ring

Lyrics

Church bells may ring,


Church bells may ring. 

Church bells may ring,

And surely, darling, the angels will sing.



I'll tell you, darling,
You're the queen of my throne.
You should have known, sweetheart, sweetheart. 

Church bells may ring,
And surely, darling, the angels will sing.


I'll tell you, darling,
You're the queen of my throne.
You should have known, sweetheart, sweetheart. 
Ling a ling a ling a ling a ling ding dong,

I love you, darling, and I want you for my own.
I'll give you any, anything that I own,
You should have known sweetheart. 

A reader left a comment about this song, and I agree: it has such good values in the music and 
lyrics. This song was sung by many different artists, but this man's voice is incredible. Jimmy Bell was the first artist to record the song, in 1960 :

Lyrics

She wears my ring to show the world that she belongs to me
She wears my ring to show the world she's mine eternally
With loving care I placed it on her finger
To show my love for all the world to see

This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion
An endless pool of love that's as deep as the ocean


She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring

She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring

This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion
An endless pool of love that's as deep as the ocean
She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring
Songwriters: Boudleaux Bryant / Felice Bryant

You may like this one: "I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time."

Cars of the times were very nice too, and well built, but I wouldn't mind a reproduction of the previous era roadsters with the picnic box on the back!

Leisure Days

On the Shores of Bognor Regis, Portrait Group of the Harford Couple and Their Children, 1887

 

By: Alexander Rossi 

Hello dear Ladies,

We are coming to the end of cold weather and getting busier outside.  At the end of June we are planning a trip to the coast with a cousin. As I was looking on Allposters for beach paintings I found this painting by Alexander Rossi, who also painted this afternoon Tea Scene:

In the 1960's when I lived in Australia, there were some girls who burned easily at the beach and wore pretty dresses with long sleeves, similar to this vintage pattern:

One girl made something similar in pink gingham check,  which she wore a broad-brimmed sun hat.

These are patterns from thr 1960's and early 1970's which we enjoyed using. I do not own any of these patterns anymore but and busy finding them again in Etsy stores:

We enjoyed using trims on these garments and rick-rack always went with gingham check---so pretty!

I do have this pattern. It was one of the patterns I first bought. I had to adjust it in a few places. The skirt was a strawberry print. In the early 70's the fabric stores had a wide range of strawberry prints on different backgrounds.