If the aunt who brought me up was still alive, she would have been 115 on this day!
Ethel Caterham age 114, is the present oldest woman in Britain and the 5th oldest in the world! Isn't that amazing. Dh and I often wonder if it's to do with their diet. There were no 'take aways' and not a lot of meat. It was all fresh, unprocessed and meager, there wasn't a lot for the every day person.
I was born in the war years with the rationing of food.
Per person:-
113g bacon
227g minced beef
57g butter
57g cheese
113g margarine
113g cooking fat
3 pints of milk
227g sugar
57g tea
1 egg
So no extras although my gran had chickens in our small back garden and every now and then, my Aunty Glad used to take me on the bus to a friend, who had a small holding, and we came home with extra bacon and meat. Thinking about it now perhaps she wasn't a friend, but it was the 'Black Market' Who knows? Then, people did what they could to get food.
We had a dripping bowl and this was added to when meat was cooked. I loved dripping on toast for tea, especially beef dripping. Dh had the same. Although he was born after me, there was still rationing for a few years after the war ended.
My grand father had an allotment so we always had plenty of veg and soft fruit, rhubarb and a lot of apples. No citrus fruit, no bananas and no fancy vegetables, if you couldn't grow it you didn't have it.
Looking back at my photos when I was little, I had stick thin arms and legs.
But I also suffered with styes on my eye lids and boils on my legs.. Lack of vitamins the most probable cause, although one bath a week didn't help. People just didn't bathe daily and I hadn't heard of showers till I was in my 20s!
But in spite of this some people are living past 100 years of age. I don't think I could cope with it.
We've always known her as the 'swinging legs lady!' She stops there for a rest on her daily walk.
So us oldies need to eat sensibly, walk, and look after ourselves!
What do you think about living past a 100?
Chrisxx
Perhaps we should also engage in a bit of leg swinging :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to that lovely lady. Xx
My grandmother on my father's side was from Russia. Came here at age 16 (alone) and lived to be 107. She did not drink or smoke and was very disciplined. When she reached 80, I still remember that she did all her chores early in the morning, then showered and did her hair, put on her pearl earrings and was ready for visitors. She ate a lot of home cooked fish, chicken, and borsht. Her mind was good until 106-
ReplyDeleteMy mother was born in 1921 and all she and my father, born in 1916, lived through, carried over into my life. How I loved toast fried in left over grease! Would not put it in my mouth today, lol. But her recipes for the rest of her life were influenced by rationing during the depression and the war. Good food very simple.
ReplyDeleteIf I can live with reasonable health, bring on 100! I think the biggest factor in a very long life is genetics. My parents grew up during rationing in the USA. I still have some of their coupon books. My father lived on a farm and always had food. My mother didn't, and they were often scrambling to not go hungry.
ReplyDeleteA home garden was and is a great benefit. A bit of work, but so worth it!
ReplyDeleteI was also watching the vets of D Day and was amazed by some of them.
ReplyDeleteA patient from our office just passed - she was 107 years old and until 1 month ago she lived on her own!
Your neighbor lady looks amazing!
Happy Birthday to the lovely lady who still enjoys swinging her legs on a bench at age 99.
ReplyDelete