Diary: week ending 14th January

[Viktoria]

Watched some of the investigation re the P.O scandal.
It amazed me that one very small P.O with very few facilities - the takings were very small - were prosecuted for a sum at least ten times what they actually got in revenue ,it was totally impossible - the money was just not there to steal, why did alarm bells not ring ?

A beautiful sky this afternoon after such a dull morning, striped blue and yellow, I have never seen that before .
Got a short email from my friend ,with some photographs of her great grandchildren , they are lovely, grand children of her son who recently died very suddenly.

Made a big hot pot ,will freeze some ,at least six portions, used pressure cooker so only took 20  minutes .
It is cooling in the little vestibule in the cooker still sealed , icy cold in there.
 I will portion it tomorrow and freeze them.

Well watched the last part of the Andean plane crash , very sad and horrible at the same time but the unthinkable was all they could do to survive .
It was explained very well by the spokesperson and in general it was accepted .
Such bravery by those who went for help.

Hope Jeff feels at peace , a bitter blow so soon after losing their son .
The service ,hymns and readings , were lovely ,I asked for them and thought about him at 2-30 this afternoon ,then the lovely sky came .
I hope it was the same where he lives.

Well off to bed , a busy day tomorrow .
Goodnight.
Viktoria.

[Rena]

Watched some of the investigation re the P.O scandal.
It amazed me that one very small P.O with very few facilities - the takings were very small - were prosecuted for a sum at least ten times what they actually got in revenue ,it was totally impossible - the money was just not there to steal, why did alarm bells not ring ?

Hope Jeff feels at peace , a bitter blow so soon after losing their son .

Viktoria.

I second your thoughts about Jeff.

What I don't understand about the small Post Office masters is the fact that they didn't contact each other to compare notes!

If I were in their shoes I would have thought something was amiss the first time the machine calculated the figures which were so out of kilter with the usual amounts,  and I would be contacting other small nearby P.O. Masters if they had the same problem.

 

[Mowsehowse]

The Post Office managers were ALL told, CATEGORICALLY, that THEY were THE ONLY ONE to be having problems.

Viktoria you are such a brilliant role model, and always put things so well.

Jeff, hope the words of support are some small comfort.

[Viktoria]

Thankyou , I had such good examples in the people with whom I lived as an evacuee.I am not perfect by any means but have them in my mind so much.
They “ lived their religion” ,most of the little hamlet did, staunch Baptists  or Methodists.No crime and pulled together .
When the mine- the main employer closed,  the miners and their families would be homeless despite in many cases their little cottages being built by them or their forebears but built on land owned by The Marquis of Bath and The  Earl of Tankerville, The latter more philanthropic than the former!

They all got  together and somehow managed to buy their tiny cottages,
They cost £65 each I believe ,more than a year’s wages.
Don’t know how they did it and in one case it took the borrower more than 20 years to repay the lender.
No gossip, regular Chapel attendance ,children two Sunday Schools morning and afternoon and then afternoon and evening Chapel .
Everyone pulled together and shared as for example when a pig was killed ,shared out as it would quickly go bad if not salted as bacon, then if you had given a leg of pork the recipient would pay you back when their pig was killed.I think that was so in most villages.
The men worked underground in dangerous conditions and relied totally on each other in the very primitive conditions with no safety regulations.
Imagine going down a mine with a candle stuck in a blob of clay as your only light ,nor sure if “ firedamp” was a hazard as in coal mining but the lead ore was toxic and no masks etc .
Most men were in such poor health from Siliciosis they had deep pink faces abd purple lips as their lung  capacity decreased.No air filtration in those days.
Very little ore extracted when I lived there but the damage had been done .
There is a special bond between miners and their wives support each other too. So a close knit community that really supported each other etc.
No crime etc, and a slower pace of life .
I had good examples in my parents too but the years from December 1940 to July 1945 were an influential part of my formative years .
I am no Saint as you can tell but something in my mind always is there to make me try to play fair play fair etc , and I have those people in my mind as much as if not even more than my parents who were not Churchgoers ,but they were honest decent people too.
I find people who plot and  manipulate to get their own way etc have something missing from their make-up , it is not normal when the need to feed in a time of food shortage meant as in prehistoric times the survival of the strongest and be blowed to the weakest has gone.It then was the survival of the fittest that ensured good genes etc
O.K there are areas where famine is rife but not in our daily lives and many in RootsChat and anywhere else too I feel sure donate generously.

So thankyou again , many on RootsChat show - perhaps unknowingly - what good decent people they are.Aren’t we lucky they post.
Viktoria.

[Mowsehowse]

 

[Caw1]

Viktoria- you are so wise and your posts are always so thought provoking and a pleasure to read.

I couldn’t agree with you more about supporting those who are less well off than oneself. I try to add every week to the food banks in the supermarkets.
A friend recently made up over 50 boxes of essential goods for women in need in their area along with toys, books etc for children and I happily donated towards it.

Your tale of the mining community coming together in times of need is just what village life is about, sadly I feel those times are not quite the same these days in many communities.

Keep regaling us with your insights to keep us all grounded.
You are a true humanitarian.

Caroline

[Mowsehowse]

Nicely said Caroline.

[Caw1]

😊👍

[Rena]

They all got  together and somehow managed to buy their tiny cottages,
They cost £65 each I believe ,more than a year’s wages.

Viktoria.

I was taken aback at the cost of the houses.

My parents married in 1938.  They bought a two bedroom house in Sculcoates for three hundred and fifty pounds  (£350.)  Most of the people in that area were factory floor workers.