This is one of my favourite photographs taken at
Well Manor Farm Cottages (Well, Long Sutton, Hampshire, United Kingdom) in 1959. Dad (Denis Flitney) is looking directly at the camera which is a shame because the
reflection from the flash has almost obscured his ‘celery moustache’. My sister
Sue has a big smile on her face as she notices what he is up to, mum and brother
Tony are both in on the joke while I'm trying to hide, which is my natural
inclination when anyone points a camera in my direction. My sister’s then boyfriend (soon to be
husband) Bob Wood took the photo, he and dad were constantly larking around and a
piece of celery above the top lip was always good for a laugh.
L to R Sue, Tony, Rene, Denis and me (Barbara) trying to hide.
It’s hard to miss the highly patterned and very fashionable
(at the time) fiberglass curtains. Mum sent away for them after seeing an
advert in the Daily Mirror - 100% glass, never need ironing, perfectly
washable, no sun rot, fade resistant, fire safe, no stretch and no shrink. What the advert failed to mention was the
importance of putting on industrial-strength gloves before going anywhere near
the pesky things! Glass fibres in fingertips hurt.
We all loved Lucy, but we were not so keen on fiberglass fingers.
I'm not sure what’s going on in this picture, but I can
imagine Bob saying something like "hold it" and we did. Mum with her
cup of tea, me with a Christmas cracker, brother Tony with a plate of bread and
butter with a cracker on top, dad pretending to eat a mince pie, and Sue
flirting with the photographer! According to the captions in the album, the
photographs were all taken on the same day, but I feel sure they must have been
different days over the Christmas holiday. Either that or we were in the habit
of changing our clothes twice a day!
In this photo, Bob has come out from behind the camera, and
we've been joined by Kosset cat (named after the brand of carpets by the same name). Sue must have
been about eighteen when these were taken so that would make me twelve. Those
were the days when mum liked to ‘set’ my hair on pipe cleaners. I was supposed
to end up looking like Shirley Temple, but nothing could be further from the
truth. The pipe cleaners had a soft
fleecy outer layer over flexible wires, which felt fairly comfortable when I
went to bed but by the morning were nothing short of torture, which might
explain the bags under my eyes.
It’s now time
for a short Christmas break. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read my
blog and to my sister Sue and cousin John for all their contributions.
Best wishes for happiness at Christmas and in the coming year.
Please visit Sepia Saturday for more holiday greetings.
Oh the celery moustache -- what a funny FUNNY memory.
ReplyDeleteAnd those fibreglass curtains really spoke of the times. The world was changing quickly with all kinds of new-fangled inventions. It wasn't long before "permanent press" polyester shirts came on the market. I remember my mother quickly replacing my dad's dress shirts with "no iron" shirts, but I think they were hot and sweat-inducing.
Merry Christmas, Barbara!
Hello Wendy, permanent press polyester for the men and Crimplene for the women – I remember it very well! I had several A line dresses made of crimplene back in the 60s they looked pretty, but they were heavy and (from memory) most had to be dry cleaned, an expensive business even then.
DeleteI hope you have a very Happy Christmas, Barbara.
We’ll be trying the celery moustache at the next opportunity! These are wonderful reminders of a family Christmas past. I hope this year’s is a happy one too and best wishes for the New Year.
ReplyDeleteHello Little Nell, don’t forget to take pictures of those celery moustaches they will make a good post for next year’s Christmas blog!
DeleteI hope you have a Very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year, Barbara.
I never liked having my picture taken either, but now I wish I had some old Christmas photos of my whole family.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to have more old family photos – just so long as I’m not in them.
DeleteWeren't you the cutie? I've never heard of fiberglass curtains--guess there's a reason they weren't a hit in the States. LOL
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you Eve. I’m glad you were spared the terror of the fibreglass its something that never leaves you! :-)
DeleteHi Barbara, Must have been some "best ham" on the table somewhere! Why does celery never taste as good now as it did then? Love the Christmas card with the dog waiting for the sausages. xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, I don’t think anything tastes as good as it did back then. xxx
DeleteHello Barbara,
ReplyDeleteMore magic from you,such charming pictures capturing the happiness of your celebration. Thank you for sharing them.
Hello John, it’s nice to have someone to share them with, thank you for taking the time to look.
DeleteI always learn something from Sepia Saturday - fibreglass curtains...who knew? My photo was from 1959 too!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean Alex! I’m continually amazed by the diversity of Sepia Saturday posts. I will be over to take a look at your 1959 photo as soon as I’ve left this reply.
DeleteLove the old TV in that first photo!
ReplyDeleteIt was 'state of the art' back then - the nice thing is it's turned off in all the pictures, how different it is now.
DeleteCelery moustaches? I thought that sounded weird until I remembered we used to hang the wishbone from the turkey off our noses...and fiberglass curtains? We had some in our living room for a VERY short period of time -- because we kids kept getting stuck by them.
ReplyDeleteHello Deb, I don’t remember the wishbone on the nose thing. We used to snap the wishbone, and the person with the largest part got to make a wish. Those fibreglass curtains were a menace! Barbara
DeleteFibreglass curtains would probably be banned now. I've never heard of them.
ReplyDeleteThe postcard at the end of your post is cute.
Hello Lorraine, I looked online to see if you can still buy the curtains and found several pairs for sale on eBay. They should come with a health warning!
DeleteThe Christmas card at the end of the post came from a local flea market. I loved it and just had to add it to my collection.
Never heard of celery moustaches before. We usually just stick with the party hats and crackers, although they occasionally they might contain a plastic moustache.
ReplyDeleteHello Jo, something new to try this year? Have a wonderful Christmas, Barbara.
DeleteI used to sleep on foam curlers back in the day. I tried doing it recently & was up & pulling them out in less than half an hour! Can't imagine how I did it back then?
ReplyDeleteThank heavens for hair dryers and more casual hairstyles! I’ve spent the last 40 odd years straightening my hair, but I’ve given up the fight now and let the natural curl do its own thing. Just one of the many benefits of growing older!
DeleteA perfect set for this holiday theme. I can imagine the engineers who developed fiberglass trying to come up with some new use as a consumer product. Roofing? did that. Boats, been done. Wait - Curtains, of course!
ReplyDeleteHave a Merry Christmas.
Hi Mike, thanks for your Christmas wishes and a very Merry Christmas to you too. Barbara.
DeleteI had forgotten about those type of curtains. Now I'm wracking my brains to remember what house they were in. I'm thinking it might have been in military quarters. But yeah, you're right, avoid touching. And Lucy advertising them is very funny.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such wonderful shots. Have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks very much, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. Barbara.
DeleteHi! My grandmother is June Flitney. Her great grandfather was Samuel Flitney (1809-1886). Was Arthur's father Eli Flitney?
ReplyDeleteHi there, I believe Eli was Arthur's father. Arthur married Daisy Clara Stopps (Flitney) and her son Dennis William Flitney was my father. Best wishes Barbara
DeleteYour Xmas card look just like one of the pics I presented.
ReplyDeleteFunny what inspires us in naming our pets.
I am speechless about those curtains...
Those were the days!!!
Happy new year to you!!
:)
I must call in and take a look at your post. I'm interested to see the similarities in the pictures.
DeleteHappy New Year, Barbara.