My Granddad is Keeping Busy

Another day of cold winds but some sun. Cleaned both jets. Started to paint the chicken house by the incin. Lille the cat is missing today.

Raining today but a bit warmer. Nell still under the weather. Car washing again. K.Mc.S. making 75 to date. Little Ann’s birthday today. Forgot to alter T.S. on 1 hr.

(“Little Ann” isn’t me, by the way. It’s their next door neighbour’s daughter.)

Heavy frost again this morning. Too hard for digging. Clocks on an hour last night. Ron made a supervisor. Him and Dot came to tea. I went to the Sheaf at night.

(You may have noticed yesterday’s entry made reference to Nell, Lee’s wife and my grandma. Spoiler alert, she recovers from her German measles. This is a picture of Nell from much earlier, when she was in service at Gayton Hall, on the Wirral. She is second along from the chair.)

Day on today. Still very cold wind. Got finished late. Had the doctor to see Nell. An attack of German measles. Went to P in the afternoon. Did the drive. Washed car. Paid 3 B Edwards. Sweep.

Another day of bitterly cold east wind. Some sleet showers. Paid A.P. £2.2.6 for 6 bags of coal. Car washing again. S.H.D. making 72 to date. Brushed round the bins.

A dull cloudy day with cold winds. 1 ton of coke last night. A.P. X. Painted gates in the calf pen. Took the stands off the walls. Cleaned silage labs out. Cleaned both the jets.

Another day of cold winds. No sunshine at all. Finished cleaning the lab windows last night. All done again now. W. Finished white washing in the calf pens. Brushed them out.

Some sunshine but wind still cold. Doing some more white washing in the calf pens. Not much in the lab today. Knocked one burner off at 10a.m. Window cleaning tonight.

A frost first thing, sunny during the day but wind still very cold. Car washing again. B.A.S. making 69 to date. Cleaned both jets. Cleaned the copper. Working on the lab windows tonight.

More heavy frost again this morning. Got up 10 a.m. Finished digging one side of my garden. Put a new clothes line up. Ron and Dot came for tea. Went to the Wheat at night.

Went to Shrew with Alf last night. Got tight. Still cold today with frost. Day off. Had a good lie in. Went to P in the afternoon. Tidying up in the wood. Burnt a lot of rubbish.

Another day of cold winds but not quite as bad as yesterday. Car cleaning again. H.S.D. making 66 to date. 600 galls of oil came. X. Loaded some rubbish on to trailer. Gall. Paraffin. New sponge.

Another day of cold east winds. No.1 burner on red this morning. Trouble with No. 2 making smoke and carbon. Left filter out. Seems to have done the trick. Finished H windows last N.

Very cold again today and a frost first thing. White washing in the calf pens again. The maintenance man came today. Took him to the Lydiate. Nothing renewed. Windows tonight. X

A sharp frost last night. Nice and sunny until noon then heavy snow shower and very cold wind. White washing in the calf pens. Len had a day off today. Cleaning windows tonight.

A nice sunny day but a very cold east wind blowing. Car washing again. Mc.D.S. making 63 to date. Had the last polio treatment today taken on a lump of sugar. Windows tonight.

Got up at about 10a.m. Cold east wind again. Did some digging until dinner time. Nice afternoon by the fire seeing tele. Dot and Ron came for tea. Rain again in the afternoon.

Day on today. Got done about 10a.m. Fairly mild. Did a bit of digging at home. Went to P in the afternoon. Did the climbing roses by white gate. Cleaned the car. Drizzle of rain.

Milder at last with drizzle at times. Got a bonus today. Goodie. Car washing again. H.S.Mc.B.A. making 60 to date. Got some jen on burners. Roy all a.m.*

(This could also say, Roy Allan)

Still bitterly cold with snow at first, changing to rain. Put new 80° jet in No. 2 burner. Also cleaned No. 1 jet. Moved some stuff from calf pens. Painted both the vet lab bins. Swept the boiler room out.

A strong east wind colder than ever. No. 2 burner on red first thing. Got a new jet. 80° spread. Finished the fence round the new office. Cleared silage bins again.

(More from my mum on Roy Allen, my mum’s cousin. “When I was about 3 he shot me in the stomach with an air gun. Then they went to live in Crosby and when my Grandma died they all fell out about who should have what she left, particularly a piano. So Grandad walked out but not before punching Uncle John, so they didn’t speak until good old Aunty Girlie turned up at Mum’s about 40 years later.”)

Frost again last night but a lovely sunny day. Cleaned out both flues. Also No. 2 jet. Put wire round the new office block. Saw Jackie Iddon. Gave Moreen some more Argosys.

(I think Argosys are short story magazines.)

(Back tracking to yesterday, my mum tells me that Roy Allen was Granddad’s sister, Daisy’s son. “He was disliked by everyone except Grandad. One of the most posey people.”)

Keen frost again last night. Sunny during the day but not very warm. Car cleaning again. B.D.S. 55 to date. Burnt a calf today. Cleaned No 2 jet blockage. Roy Allen came to us today. First time since 1938.*

(*I don’t know.)

Another heavy frost last night. Cold all day. Got up at 10am. Not fit for any gardening. Did next door’s roses. Mr Crump has a son. Dot and Ron came for tea.

Much younger Lee, with his sister, Lil, about 1920.

A very heavy snow shower last night and a keen frost. Got up about 10am. Cleaned the windows. Went to P in the afternoon. Finished pruning the roses. Burnt some rubbish.

Still very cold wind now from the north. Heavy snow shower this a.m. No1 burner on red first thing. Both making carbon. Had to clear M out and clean both jets again. Car cleaning H.Mc.K. 52 to date.

Another cold day again with some slight snow showers. Some sunshine. Cleaned all lab grids out. 600 galls of oil came. X. Cleaned both jet and both cold filters. X. Carron left tonight. Gordon putting shed by the T pen.

(Just reminder, I have no idea what X means. It appears often. I think T pen is turkey pen.)

Another bitterly cold day with the wind still in the east. Some heavy snow showers. Went to Fern Bank to re stack the hay. It had fallen down. Cleaned the pumps and oiled them.

Another bitterly cold day with east winds and snow showers. Washed Bond’s car. Cleared the silage out again. Washed the lind in boiler room. Feeding the birds in the wood again.

A bitter cold day again with frost and snow last night. Only washed 1 car. S.B. makes 49 to date. Cleaned both jets again. Boilers slow building up a temp owing to bitter wind.

Got up at 10am. Still very cold with heavy snow showers. Ron and Dot came. Ron took post home with him. Went to Wheat at night. Saw Arthur Cottrel.

Day on today. Got done early. Very cold again. Wind still east. Went to P in the afternoon. Rose pruning. Paid HIM 16/- for the knives. Nothing unusual to report. 3/- Bill Edwards sweep.

A bitterly cold east wind still blowing. Car washing again H.A.Mc.S. making 47 to date. 1 ton of coke off A.P. X Cleaned the copper in the boiler room. Mulrey off sick.

A sharp frost this morning and a bitter east wind blowing all ay. Got 16/ off Howarth for the knives. Painted four boards for Gordon Robinson. Two coats each. Cleaned both jets.

The wind cold out of the east again today. Sawing up old turkey pen doors. Swilled round the bins. Put new gasket on No.1 hot oil filter. Also a new olive on short oil pipe.

A nice mild day again. Did some forking in different places. The Yanks put a man in orbit. One of the rhodies down the drive coming into flower. Cleared the silage bins again.

(John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth on this day.)

A lovely mild day, cloudy but very little wind. Car washing again. K.D.S. 49 to date. Took a bundle of papers for Mrs P. The crocus are in full blow now. A welcome sight.

Got up about 10a.m. A nice morning. Started to dig the garden. Allan and Girl came in the afternoon. Stayed for tea. Also Dot and Ron. Went to the Wheat at night.

(Girl , or Girlie, was my granddad’s youngest sister. Allan was her husband.)

Saturday off today. Wind dropped and not so cold. Put muck round the roses. Went to P in the afternoon. Rose pruning. Raked the drive. Washed the car. A nice afternoon sunshine.

Very strong gale blowing and quite cold. Went for a haircut. Got two new cloths off Mrs Starkey. Car washing again. H.S.D. makes 39 to date. Cleaned both the jets. Gale still blowing. Colder.

Milder today with showers and strong winds. Cleared silage bins again. No.2 burner on red first thing. Digging among the rhododenrons. Paid 3.9 3 weeks canteen yesterday. X

Sharp frost last night and very cold wind blowing today. Got two new knives for Howarth. Sent for two new washers for hot filters. Did some forking around the fruit trees. Got 5/- off Dot. Won 4.

(“Got 5/- off Dot. Won 4”?)

A very cold north wind blowing today though sunny. Forking in the rose garden. Cleaned both jets in the afternoon. The highest speed ever recorded for a gale in the UK yesterday. 103 mph.

(I think this was the Sheffield hurricane, which killed four people in Sheffield and Barnsley.)

A strong wind blowing with heavy rain, but quite mild. 600 galls of oil came. X. Only washed 1 car. Shacks. 26 to date. Moving furniture into new offices today. Got pullover off Josie.

Got up about 10am. Dug my rose beds. Joe brought my load of muck. Threw it over into the garden. Strong wind blowing with rain. Ron and Dot came for tea.

My day on today. A beautiful mild sunny morning. Put a load of muck on the trailer for myself. Went to P in the afternoon. Got rained off 3. Much colder at night.

(Got rained off 3 – no idea)

Quite mild today with a lot of cloud and drizzle. Car washing again. H.A.S.B. 35 to date washed. Cleaned both jets again and cleared silage bins.

(More news on yesterday’s pig burning. My mum says: “He was burning a pig because at Weatherstones owned by Bibby’s the vets did postmortems on pigs and other animals.”)

Lovely sunny day though a cold wind still blowing. Burnt a pig.* One of ours. Forking down the drive. Finished it all by five. Awful mine disaster in Germany. Nearly 300 killed.

* I think this says burnt a pig. But why?

(Luisenthal mine disaster, 7th February, 1962.)

Fairly mild but heavy showers at times. Also wind strong at times. Started to fork the big border up the drive. Gordon and Len making place for shed in front of turkey pen.

A bit milder today but wind still strong. Dug the border opposite Mr Muir’s office. Raked twigs off the lawn. Cleaned both jets. Put a new one in No.1 burner. Sent away for new jet.