Mothering Sunday memories

Hi all My earliest recollections of 'Mothering Sunday' was at the parish church in Wolston. Odd really as I lived in Coventry, but my older cousin Elisabeth was in the Sunday school there, & we as a family often visited them on Sunday. Both my mum & my aunt ran shops which meant that Sundays were always a premium day off. I was aged four at the time & I am not sure that I knew what it was all about. I had to collect a plant in a flower pot from the front of the church & give it to my mum. If only I could do that now! What are your memories?

Glad you are calling it "Mothering Sunday" and not that American/Hallmark invention "Mother's Day" which occurs later on in the year.

I lost my lovely Mum 16 years ago just a week after Mothering Sunday so always feel quite emotional on this day. I don,t have any specific memories of what we did as children on this day but, I started thinking about what a hard life my Mum had when we were growing up. I remember her toiling over a gas boiler and hand operated mangle to get the washing done every Monday. She would have a line across the kitchen and living room to get it dry in the Winter. The ironing was done on the drawleaf dining table covered in old blankets and a sheet. I can remember her using the flat iron,she had two and one was heated on the coals whilst she used the other one then she swopped them over as they cooled down. Eventually she upgraded to an electric iron whigh was plugged into the light socket. She was so excited when she got her first washing machine. It had an agitator inside the lid and you would have to move the lever on the outside from left to right to make the washing move around. Sometimes I would try to help her but it was really hard to summon up the strength to get the lever to move. It seemed as if Mum never really had time to play with us as there was always so much to do in the house looking after 5 of us. I was glad that in later years she had it a lot easier,I still miss her so much .

Yes Jan, Mothering Sunday can be a sad time. I lost mum 10 years ago next week. Like you I can't remember much about Mothering Sunday as a child, although I do remember once buying a bunch of daffodils from Fred Burrows, the florist. The flowers were only half open and I remember crying because I thought Fred had sold me flowers that were half dead. (Fred wouldn't have done that he was a lovely person.) Our mums did have a hard time and looking back it makes me appreciate how different its been for me. I've had a lovely day. My daughter came up from London for the weekend with a card and presents and my son send me a present and phoned me this morning. I've just got back from taking my daughter to the station, and I'm now going to put my feet up and tuck into the chocs I've had. I really am a fortunate mum with a fantastic family.

Hi all My mum died in 1976, at age 63 after a battle with cancer, which first took the sight from her right eye. She & my dad were living in Bodmin, Cornwall. My Pam very graciously insisted that my dad came back to live with us, (he was 76 at the time). That is how we have the extra room on the side of our home, which was his bed-sit'. Pam & I have just said bye to our family, after they have spent half a day with us. Pam has been given a climbing plant (sweet pea)& frame sometimes called an 'obelisk'. Speaking for Pam now, her mum lived in Bedworth, died in 1998 at age 83. We both remember her fondly, for her hard-working upright & loving nature. I believe that their natures lives on, just as Pam would not leave my dad to struggle & your daughter & family love you Tricia. These are memories that can't be bought & are so valuable. Your comments about the gas boiler, Mayjan, my mum had what she used to call a 'copper' which was only a tub with a gas burner underneath which when her back was turned would boil over into a stone floor. Then, about 1956 she had a Bendix washer installed which was about half the size of the kitchen.