Monday, February 20, 2012

This is dedicated to the ones I love...


Robin Annual 1970

two, not so little girls, who simply hate helping their Mummy do the house work. Or keeping their bedrooms tidy!

btw, I know this is not going to elicit any sort of positive reaction from A and A (as far as cleaning goes) but I thought it was sweet and funny and that you might think so too...

In my quest to fill this little shelf with vintage Ladybirds I have also found some gorgeous vintage childrens annuals, too cute to leave behind getting even mustier in the oppie. I love the hilarious little stories and cunning anecdotes meant to encourage young readers to be good girls and boys. Hmmm, I wonder how successful they were...

It's those stories, the ones that don't intend to be funny, just like Shelia's Super Sweeper, that I think, are the funniest of all.

Things have changed alot since 1970. Well durr! (or even durr-Fred, which I've just remembered saying all the time when I was a kid... did you?) I don't think too many kiddos today would attack the carpets with the same zest and zeal as Shelia does, even if they were lucky enough to have a carpet sweeper of their own, do you? (and what's a carpet sweeper anyway? these days it would probably be a tiny little Dyson! A working one!)

Mine, even as toddlers, would have lost interest very quickly...it is a major coup, here at our house, if they pull their doona's up over otherwise unmade beds once or twice a week!

I know this is my fault really, but I grew up in a house where cleanliness was next to Godliness (hospital corners were de rigueur) and I didn't want to inflict the same agony and torture (this is 10 year old me speaking) on my own children. What I realize now, is that if I'd adopted a more balanced attitude to chores ( doesn't that word conjur up images of Little House on the Prairie) and cleaning when my girls were little, there'd be waaay less cleaning for me to do now. And less screaming too.

btw, I'm a Virgo, I am completely o.t.t. when it comes to cleaning. I really don't care if your house is messy (truly) but I like mine to be sparkling. If I had a cleaner, I would clean the house before she arrived! That's how crazy I am. Sooooo, it's probably a good thing  my girls have messy bedrooms, right?

Gosh, I've gone way to far with this. It's definetely time to stop. And I'm about to, but not before I thank Nelly for sending me these little darlings...

vintage Ladybirds!
Hooray! My little collection has grown!

I am so appreciative of your kindness and generosity Nelly.


And here's a particularly appropriate page from the Five Little Kittens to end


x


27 comments:

  1. Vintage children's books are the best. I was sadly never encouraged to do any cleaning as a result of reading them, but I did once put flyers up advertising myself as a pet-sitting service, inspired by a book from the 50s. My dad made me take them down when we got prank calls asking if we'd be able to look after a monkey. (He went into this story at my wedding - cringe)

    I love of a tidy house is at odds with my natural laziness. I can't cope with loads of clutter though. In fact I must sort things out today now kids are finally going back to school

    x

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  2. The five little kittens Ladybird book is so lovely and if the inside cover is covered in little blue ladybirds it's a very early one. Happiness!!!
    Love v

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  3. He he if only you could see my room you would freak! I could probably count on my hands how many times I've made my bed in my life time! I do love the sweet images! x

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  4. I have a real hatred of cleaning. In fact I'm almost OCD about it if that's at all possible! Godammit, I didn't know you collected ladybirds. I'll look and see if I have any doubles and email you. xx

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  5. Too funny! We had a carpet sweeper just like the one that Sheila is using and believe it or not, me and my siblings would fight for it :)
    They certainly don't make books like they used to.
    xx

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  6. I'm a Virgo too. And get quite finicky when it comes to the house. I like toys put back into the correctly labelled toy boxes for instance. But that's good in theory but I just can't keep our house clean with four children ... one of whom keeps lolly wrappers and paddle pop sticks. I blame the mess on the fact that I don't live in an architecturally-designed house with lots of storage. That's the excuse I find the most satisfying.

    Kisses to your AA's. They sound like they'd be good baby-sitters.

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  7. Snow White and Rose Red! That's a hard one to find, I've found. I've never found actually...

    We had a carpet sweeper like that when I was little. It felt so high tech!

    You Virgoans. I was hoping Zig might be a bit OTT, but he's not a typical Virgo. You should see his room. Or praps not.

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  8. OMG im a virgo to i soooo know what you mean about the cleaning freak in us ;-) Although to be fair im no where as bad as i used to be i don't dust or wash the floors every day now but every other. But i do hoover every day and make sure things are put away i have a place for everything. But as for my boys well there room is a disgrace and im not even going into that one ;-)) Bless Nelly glad your collection is growing further. dee x

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  9. Aw! I want to go and live with Sheila and her mummy! Their house looks cool and they look so happy!!! I know what you mean about keeping house, but my thing is ORDER!! I just love organization - but when you live with other people you have to compromise (which is why I'm trying to manifest my own house!!!) Have a great, clean week!

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  10. I love old annuals too.I actually used to have a carpet sweeper years ago - your post reminded me of it!
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  11. I am the oppposite of Virgo, hahaha! I really hate cleaning, the house is a bombsite, and the kids do nothing - but then neither do I, so that's no surprise. The only thing that galvanises me into any sort of domestic action is the thought of someone coming round, then I scurry about in a whirlwind of shame trying to make it look half-decent.
    We had one of theose sweepers (were they called a Ewbank?) when I was a kid.
    I'm still looking out for Ladybirds for you. We had the kitten one at home when I was a kid, wonder if my mum still has them? xxxx

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  12. Hey GORGEOUS....I'll swap you your Virgo cleaning tendencies for my ANAL OCD Capricorn tendencies if you like....hahahahaha....!!

    I had CHORES (yes....VERY LHONTP....!!) at 5....Making my bed, setting the table & doing the dishes etc....I don't think THIS is what caused my FREAkY OCD 'eccentricities' though....**wink**....!

    I remember reading my Brownie handbook when I was 7 & getting up before everyone else to do housework like the Brownie kids depicted in the stories....Talk about 'misspent youth'....hahahaha....!!!!!

    Love....LOVE....L-O-V-E the Snow White & Rose Red Ladybird book.....LUCKY girl....!!!!!!!!!!

    Have a WONDERFUL week Kylie....!

    Cheers,
    Tamarah :o)

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  13. Kylie, two of the ladies that come to Brown Owls are virgo and had a big chat about their organisational tendencies at our January meeting. I didn't even know vrigos were like that before then!

    I am an Aries. I tend to do the minimum chores necessary until the day I wake up and impulsively clean the WHOLE house, throwing everything out and going completely overboard.

    I actually had a carpet sweeper when I was younger! It was great fun!

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  14. Too funny, I remember the old carpet sweeper and I certainly remember saying "der Fred"
    fabulous illustrations.

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  15. Pretty little storybooks! The brush sweeper story reminds me of finding a pink one from a once famous door to door company here in the US, clearly child sized and pink but just like a real one and I passed it by. If only... like Shelia I could have been sooooo happy.

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  16. So glad you loved them and yes we said der fred alot as kids so much nicer thank how kids talk now lol I wish I was Virgo would love a tidy and organised house come over girl!! lol

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  17. I was brought up in a house were my mum would hoover every day, some rooms twice and everything would have to be sparkling clean. This army like need to be clean just totally put me off, probably why I never make my bed every day, I don't hoover every day but I don't feel like its a bad thing. I don't want to be ruled by my hoover! Love the books though, the illustrations are lovely!

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  18. aw lovely books! you could come clean my house for me if you like it that much :)

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  19. Hee hee, I am a Virgo also but I am not tidy. However if I have visitors coming over I go nuts cleaning. I was brought up in a very messy house, I am not sure which is worse??

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  20. Oh how I love Vintage Ladybird books!! I smiled when I read your comment about "cleaning before the cleaner arrived"... I'm Pisces but I can relate! xx

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  21. Oh yes the good old carpet sweeper. Mum had an orange/brown one that I used to get out and use occasionally.
    Lovely gifted books there.
    x

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  22. Ha ha, if you think your girls are untidy try having 3 boys!!!

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  23. Love Sheila and her mum. I lived with a dear OTT OC virgo friend for two years and must say I enjoyed coming home to a super clean and well organised house.

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  24. We had that exact carpet sweeper in bright orange and it was super fun. Unlike my holidays which were obviously very dull! Dated a virgo once, his tidiness just made my messyness stand out more. Settled for a scorpio in the end, all good unless he is holding a grudge from something I did back in 1998. melx

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  25. Love the illustrations in the Sheila story: too cute!

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  26. I can't get past laughing at the carpet sweeper. We didn't have one when I was growing up and the first time I saw one was at a friend's house. It just rolled over crud picking up about 3 per cent of it. I remember thinking 'why don't you just use a vacuum cleaner?'. Still don't know why they didn't, come to think of it...

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