16th March 1910

We arrived today at the new house and have settled in. Hannah has been out on an expedition and has not yet unpacked her clothes and toys, but the kitchen, dining room and parlour are all in readiness.

I have run out of black ink and my pen writes very ill, but I shall endeavour to give an accurate account of our lives here, albeit in red ink. At present, it looks as though murder has been committed in my journal.

Since unpacking my own belongings, I have prepared my stock and set it to cookand made dough, currently on its second rising, from which I shall presently make bread. Oh how I envy those fortunate enough to keep a cook. I should like to read or write the letter I have promised to my nephew, who languishes on his sick bed after a most terrible accident. Instead, the joint is roasting and I must go and prepare vegetables.

Later...the joint is cooked, the Yorkshire pudding is in the oven and the vegetables are cooking. All I lack is Hannah. How late she is in coming home.

Hannah finally arrived at half past eight, having dined with her aunt. We are now enjoying a supper of grilled cheese on toast, while the water heats for our basins. We drink a cup of hot cocoa and take our jug ofwater to my bedroom where we wash and retire for the night.

Saturday's Menu:

Roast lamb served with mint jelly,  mashed potato, carrots and Yorkshire pudding

Supper: Grilled cheese on toast, cocoa

Setting the scene

There were some things we just couldn't do genuinely, which included cooking, some lighting and the type of decor/furniture. The house is the right age, but obviously decorated in nice, light, airy and neutral 21st century style. It is also, of course, plentifully supplied with 21st century items like washing machines and dishwashers (we didn't use these), tvs, playstation and a cross trainer. We didn't really use those either, although allowed ourselves to watch the Got to Dance live final on the Sunday night. We did use the range-style cooker, imagining wood instead of electricity and gas. We re-positioned the fridge as some kind of cold storage. My aunt's house, built in the 1930s,retained its pantry and she was able to use it for cold storage very effectively (it was,even in summer, chilly in there and in winter, really cold!). For lighting, we knew that a house of this type would have had gas lights so we lit small lamps where possible to create the effect of dim gas lamps and did not use the overhead lighting except in the dining room, where the bulb was a low-enough wattage to pass muster and the light fitting was a very approriate chandelier. In the kitchen, where the ceiling spotlights could not be anything other than modern electric light, we used candles.

We imagined ourselves as a lower middle class family, not overly wealthy, but not poor. This got me out of doing some of the heavier housework like cleaning floors as we would have had a maid-of-all-work. I suppose she would really have done the cooking as well, but as she didn't exist and we had to eat, I did my own cooking. I wanted to be the kind of woman who had the leisure time for causes and who joined the WSPU.

Anyway, the next few entries are my diary from 1910. Enjoy. 

Today is packing day

So this is my list of things to do and things to pack.

To do:

Find all the things
pack them
buy shopping
decant things like flour into more appropriate storage (actually not flour...just googled McDougalls, they existed in the period!), but sugar, oats etc


So far I have packed:

Marbles

A jigsaw
Teddy bears
The bears' tea-set

 Watercolour paints, sketch book and brushes
Sewing box and linen squares that need hemming
Paper dolls and colouring pencils
Writing paper, pen and ink
Books

The books panned out like this in the end. Hannah wanted to read The Phoenix and the Carpet herself and for me to read The Secret Garden to her (so we decided we could go to 1910 instead...still fits the Edwardian criterion and nothing we have is so fashionable as to have been wrong for 1910). I am taking Great Expectations and The Voyage of the Beagle although I doubt even I will get through both in 4 days.

Now for the household equipment. I decided that as a home like the one we are living in would have been lit by gas, we will put on a few electric lights and light some candles! We do have lamps but I forgot to check they had wicks. They don't and it is too late to sort that out. Also:

A loaf tin
Preserving pan
jug and bowl for washing
milk jug
Bottles for lemonade
Enamel pie dish
Glass jars and bottles of supplies
Food, decanted from inappropriate packaging
Mrs Beeton


We have also got a selection of coins from my auntie's coin collection. One is from 1880 and is worn so thin you can barely see Victoria's head, but we have about 20 pennies and half-pennies from Edward's reign. I think we might do some maths based on money while we're there.  That will be interesting because even I'm not old enough to remember "old" money. I was 5 months old when Britain went decimal!

And clothes, whatever we've got, although  have had to make do quite a bit. Since H refuses to set foot outside the house I think it will be okay!

We have a confirmed date

On the 16th March (which is incidentally my wedding anniversary but let's not let that stop us), we will travel back in time 105 years and spend 3 days in 1908. Although it was meant to be a week, my friend's husband is only vacating  the house for 3 days and I think that will do us!

Apart from underwear, I have all my kit. I need to buy new boots for Hannah because that is one thing she has outgrown. I'm not going to worry too much about a hat for Hannah because I strongly suspect she's going to refuse to set foot outside the house!

We have all our books and games lined up and I'm taking a 1000 piece jigsaw. I think we should be fine for entertainment.

Food is a more pressing issue, although I have now acquired a copy of Mrs  Beeton and will be scouring it for veggie adaptable recipes we can do (another reason 3 days is probably long enough!)

More costume

My blouse I ordered from an ebay shop arrived yesterday. It is lovely...plain white with huge leg o' mutton sleeves. I could easily add some green and purple accessories to go with my suffragette character. I ordered a dress for Hannah which is lovely, but I think it is too short. More research needed to see if it is feasible! Not asked Shaheda if we can borrow anything from Zara, but I think with the dress Kay has offered H will be fine. It's just undies for me now!

Or maybe not!

Change of plans again...friend's travel plans changed so no need to rush as we will now be doing the project in the spring. Which will be better in so many ways....especially as I do not have a coat suitable and no intention of buying one. Less time to be dependent on lamps/candles as well.

However, we have made progress on the costume front anyway. I've ordered a blouse and Hannah has two dresses which should work. Zara was wearing the *perfect* dress yesterday, but whether Shaheda will let me borrow it is another matter altogether. We do have an offer of a loaned dress from a friend though.

So we have a bit more time for research!

It's actually going to happen!

I can't believe it was 2010 when we started this...and still nothing has happened. But now I think it actually is! The project has been on the back-burner for over a year now. It *almost* happened in August 2011, but circumstances intervened. Now a friend who lives in a house that is perfect for us is going away and needs someone to look after her cat! So we're all go!

I have a million lists to make, clothes for me, clothes for Hannah, books, toys and games, household items, food. So far,they look like this:

Clothes for me:

2 x chemises
1 skirt
1 blouse
1 shawl
1 hat
1 coat
boots

I need: 1 more blouse if poss,  stockings and drawers!

Clothes for Hannah:

1 set underwear
1 pr boots
1 pinafore
1 cape

She needs: at least one dress, stockings and a hat

Books:

I've changed my mind about what I want to read and am taking Vanity Fair, Great Expectations and Voyage of the Beagle. I read Cranford recently and really enjoyed it, but decided not to go for any easy options...so no Austen!

I'm looking at a selection of things for Hannah: Wind in the Willows, some Nesbit, either Story of the Amulet or Story of the Treasure Seekers...just possibly Phoenix and the Carpet, which I have read to her before and at least she knows she likes it! I was looking at The Secret Garden but it was annoyingly published just too late and although Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Little Princess were both available at the time of our visit to the Edwardian period, I can't see Hannah enjoying those. The Jungle Book and Just So Stories are possibilities that might appeal to her...being animal-related,although she isn;t keen on the idea of Wind in the Willows now! Other things that could work: Black Beauty, What Katy Did, Alice in Wonderland, The Call of the Wild, Treasure Island, Heidi, Adventures of Tom Sawyer,

Toys, Games and other leisure pursuits

Marbles
Paper theatre
Jigsaws
Teddy bears
Doll?
Skipping rope
Whipping top
Art materials
Sewing/embroidery
Paper dolls
Writing paper, pen and ink

Will have to come back to the food question...more research to be done!