For Jessica’s old friend Mary it was frogs; for Jackie’s sister Helen it is owls; for us it is mugs with birds on them, or in France, chickens.
I speak of collections built up by friends. This is how it works. One person presents you with a frog, an owl, or a mug. These are noticed by others who give you another. Before you know where you are you are overrun with them.
Sheila observed that a lot of our mugs depicted birds. We identified those on her morning coffee cup as wrens, our smallest common avians. The conversation developed into a discussion about the farthing. Until it was abolished in 1961 this, being our smallest piece of coinage, bore a wren on the reverse side. When we were all children one could buy a pink shrimp sweet, blackjack or fruit salad chew for a farthing each. A pair of shoes was available for £1/19/11¾ (a farthing under £2 in pre-decimal coinage).
erratum slip: My friend Geoff Austin informs me he has a Victorian half-farthing.
After a shopping trip to New Milton we visited Braxton Gardens near Everton, where the rose garden has now been refurbished.
On the way home, Jackie deposited me at Paddy’s Gap Car Park. I walked on, following in yesterday’s footsteps. A brisk sea breeze cooled the cliff top on this muggy, overcast, day.
Shorefield Country Park now carries a hoarding explaining why the older chalets were demolished, burnt, and replaced during the winter.
A couple were cleaning the outside of their static caravan. ‘You wouldn’t like to come and do ours when you’ve finished, would you?’, I quipped. Quick as a flash, ‘No’, the man replied with jocularity, ‘I’d prefer you to come and do this one’. I responded with ‘I asked for that, didn’t I?’. ‘You did’, laughingly returned the woman.
This evening we dined on roast chicken; roast potatoes, peppers, and mushrooms; Yorkshire pudding; sage and onion stuffing; cauliflower, peas, and carrots; followed by lemon cheesecake. I drank more of the malbec.
The roses are lovely! I’m too young for the New Zealand farthing, but the halfpenny would get me a tiny ice cream in a tiny cone when I was a little younger.
Thanks Bruce
As a subject of the British Empire I had to learn my sums in pounds, shillings and pence at school, though I have never used any of it. By the time I arrived in Australia from Hong Kong they’d gone metric too; thank goodness.
Your rose pictures reminds me of my Cécile Brunner at home. Made me feel home sick.
I like the dinner tonight.
Thank you Mary. Everyone was very confused when we went decimal (1971, I think). Traders took the opportunity to round everything up in price.
Ah, rose gardens…I hope you stuck your nose in lots of the roses and sampled their scents.
I could have mentioned that 🙂
Lovely rose gardens – a real sign of Summer. I never used farthings, but I do remember my bus journey to primary school cost 1d.
That’s what a bag of broken biscuits cost – ours was 1d too. We often spent it on goodies and walked home. Thank you, Peggy
Your posts make me hungry…
Thank you Kate
I remember the funny English money from before 1971 🙂 never understood it. Maybe one day you will drive on the right side of the road, weigh food in kilos and measure people in centimeters instead of feet and inches 🙂 But it is not likely, is it?
🙂 Not in my lifetime. Thank you Ina