DAILY CHORES
The work list for the day was usually the same,
Before going out to play completed, no great pain,
Fill up the two coal scuttles right to the very top,
Tidy the hearth and give it and the kitchen a mop.
Do any dishes that were lying around anywhere,
A tidy bedroom and the bed made with much care,
Hospital corners were demanded and check each day,
Before the start of each lovely long summer day.
After lunch the kitchen had to be all spic and span,
If we had pancakes that large heavy metal frying pan
Was a pain to clean, but at the end it had to gleam,
Placed in the row of pots over the stove to be seen.
I ‘d start the potatoes and others vegies for main meal,
Then sneak out of the door very quietly I would steal
And off to play before more tasks were sitting there,
Except on washing day then we all had to do our share.
No electric washer or drier, just a big copper hot tub,
Where whites were almost boiled then given a rub,
Rinsed twice and mangled and hung on the line,
Then propped up high so it would blow when fine.
I don’t think I complained at the chores I had to do,
The quicker they were done the sooner I was through,
But on the rainy days the chores were always high,
So I always prayed for a morning with a blue sky.
(Millicent) Ann Margetson 14 June 2006