My Mad Mother!

[Caran]

After watching Michael Portillo on his railway programme where he was sweeping a chimney. I remembered my mother making me clean my teeth with soot. I had to rub my toothbrush on the fire back and go to bathroom and clean my teeth. I can still remember the gritty horrible fell of it.

[Tilly2]

When I had a cold, my mother used to make me get in a bath fof water with the added ingredient of a tin full of English mustard. I came out feeling a lot better but looked slightly jaundiced.

[gness]

Ah....but you had a Braveheart to correct yourself, Tilly......☺

[pixie374]

A lot of these do make sense. Not sure about the soot as toothpaste though...

[Tilly2]

Iceni trouble brewing if I hadn't, Gness.

[gness]

Tilly.......your witty answers are to dye for....x

[stuey]

How about Dettol in the bath water? The water turned sort of milky in color.

[Tilly2]

....bit like my Mum's mustard bath then, Gness.

[Tilly2]

It did, Stuey. I'd forgotten that. :-)

[maggiebee]

My mum's remedy for boils, splinters etc was Kaolin poultice. Can still remember the smell as she heated up the tin of Kaolin in a pot of hot water.

[stuey]

And there was always the expectorating upon a hankie to clean a spot of dirt off your cheek.

[gness]

Can't recall which aber it was who knocked over his mother's Dettol and being clever......decided to top it up with water so she'd not notice......x

Oh Kaolin......the smell....... :-(

[SlackAlice]

Ow! Ow! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

Reading the posts about boils and poultices made me reach down to the side of my knee joint and confirm I've still got the depression and scar (half inch diam.). I can remember the pain of the removal with a needle as a small child, I thought my Mum was so wicked for making me cry, she called it a carbuncle.

I'm 68 now but it feels like only yesterday.