Forum Discussion

I have a poem my clients love:-

Grandma's Laundry

I remember Grandma's laundry,
With a basket made of cane,
And lines that stretched from wall to wall,
To hang things when it rained.

There used to be a copper,
Out where Grandma toiled,
It used to take forever to wash,
When the water reached the boil.

There were twin tubs made of concrete,
With a ringer in between,
A ringer in a laundry now,
Is hardly ever seen.

Upon a shelf a little box,
Of starch called "Silver Star",
Kero tins for buckets,
Remember back that far??,

A dipper with a handle,
To help our Grandma cope,
And a little wire basket,
With a piece of 'Sunlight Soap',

She used to have a washboard,
For scrubbing out the clothes,
You must be getting on in years,
If you used one of those.

A saucer on the window sill,
With bags of 'Reckitts Blue',
To make the white clothes whiter,
And good for bee stings too.

Some sandsoap and a scrubbing brush,
For scrubbing all the floors,
And some firewood for the copper,
In a box behind the door.

A tin roof and some guttering,
With a funny sort of sag,
And a heap of wooden dolly pegs,
In a homemade hessian bag.

And out the back a clothes line,
Not the kind that spins around.
A clothes prop held the clothes up high,
From dragging on the ground.

I wonder what would Grandma say,
If she could only see,
That wash-a-matic marvel,
Where the copper used to be.

The dryer in the corner,
The tubs of stainless steel,
Hot water pouring from the taps,
I wonder how she'd feel.

I think that Grandma would approve,
The changes made and yet,
There were things in Grandma's Laundry,
That I simply can't forget.

Author unknown.

Hi Lesley, thank you for this beautiful poem.

Hi Lesley, thank you for that fantastic poem will definitely read this to my residents and put it in the newsletter. Has anybody come across good websites for poems and short stories?

Hi Katja,
It is really hard to find inspirational poems and suitable short stories that hold the attention of seniors. I am always looking for them and so far I haven't found a site that enthused me. However Golden Carers is being updated and we will have lots of poems, inspirational quotes and short stories soon.
All the best,

Solange

Residents enjoy talking about the old sayings and words they were familiar with - i ask them a few questions so they can tell me how it was used and what it meant & have with me its origin, like 'long in the tooth' or the term a 'square meal' or 'as happy as Larry'.(i know when they are used but hv no idea where the original meaning came from). I try to get them to explain the saying to me & when its used. Try this site - http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/index.html

Residents enjoyed this one! Kym
'Thoroughly Modern Granny'
I have a little granny, she really is quite old.
But also unconventional in the most unusual mould.
She doesn't wear those spectacles pushed high upon her nose.
She's into contact lenses and varnishes her toes.
Unlike the other grannies who are home before the dark
She's dressed up in her tracksuit pants and jogging in the park.
And when I'd wish she'd stay at home, and tuck me into bed,
She's off to her yoga class and standing on her head.
Some grannies sit in rocking chairs, and crochet jumpers indoors
My granny jumps upon her horse and rides across the moors.
She goes on day trips with her friends - the over sixties club.
They rocket around the country-side, then end up in the pub.
And on the homeward journey, like a flock of singing birds,
They harmonize old favourites with rather naughty words.
I love my little granny - I think she's really great.
If thats what growing old is like,
I really cannot wait :)