Yesterday saw a visit from my younger brother (not much younger, he still has a bit to go to catch up.) It is always so good to see him and to catch up with all his family news. He and my sister-in-law have three “children” spread quite widely apart in distance and so they both spend quite a lot of their time travelling hither and thither to see them all and to help out when they can. His grandchildren (2 boys and a girl) will be aged 8, 4 and 3 months, the former two at their birthdays.
It is amazing how the time flies and how quickly they grow.
My brother is someone whom I love and admire; additionally he is sometimes used as our family’s unofficial unpaid IFA. His advice is always very thoughtful and sage.
When he visits we always have tea and “biccies”, but this time in his honour I made rice krispie cakes and Aunt Lily’s chocolate balls. When I looked at the recipes for chocolate balls which are all on one page, I noticed that my sister’s chocolate balls made with a different recipe entirely had cherries, so I thought that cherries could indeed be added to Aunt Lily’s recipe. They did well using half a glace cherry but I think the recipe could even stand a whole cherry per ball. I shall make a note of this in my recipe blog.
Now Aunt Lily was born in 1895, but she was not typical of her era. She went to Edinburgh University and graduated with an M.A. at a time when it was rare for women to go to University. Computers were not really around by the time she died, but I bet she would have embraced them to keep in touch with family and to pass on some of her knowledge which is now largely lost.
It is such a pity that the young do not always appreciate the wisdom and knowledge of their elders until it is too late.
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7 comments:
I treasure the memory of aunt lilly, the most vivid one is when she gave me a small book of recipes when she discovered i had an interest in cooking. she also ,i believe was quite a good carver and we call one of her free standing cabinets aunt lilly in her memory.
I had no idea that Aunt Lily (one l)had given you a book of recipes. How wonderful. And of course, the carving. I used to have that small free standing cupboard, but not now that I am in a 1-bedroom flat.
Ah the wisdom of the young relies on their asking the right questions of their elders before they forget the answers.
I have a small hall table which also shows Aunt Lily's carving (it is beside me in the study as I type). Its table top is carved near the edge with oak leaves and acorns. The oak leaf is the emblem of our father's clan society - yet Aunt Lily is our maternal aunt and this carving must pre-date her sister's wedding. What a coincidence.
I'll bet Aunt Lily would have been tickled pink to know that her recipe is published for the whole internet to see (or at least my three readers!)
I am one of the few people I know who consider older folks to be treasures.
When I worked for an ophthalmologist a while back, I made it a point to talk to our older patients, and I was amazed at the stories they had to tell!
One was a burlesque dancer in her youth, another was the sole survivor of a Navy warship that went down during WWII. One dapper man with beautiful posture told me that he still teaches ballroom dancing.
People only age on the outside.
- M
I came across a blog this morning, and thankfully I can't remember where, that had my blood boiling over a post about teaching "grandma" how to use a computer. I can feel my temper rising again, thinking about it, and that is why I'm glad I can't remember where. I would almost certainly later regret what I would say if I went back.
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