Cure for toothache - Take a small piece of sheet zinc, about as large as a sixpence, and a piece of silver, such as a shilling. Hold one on each side of the defective tooth, let them touch each other above it, and the electric current thus established will relieve the pain.
(Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, Cookery Book of Good and Tried Receipts, circa 1910)
When I showed the children these large pieces of fossil containing rock the children were amazed. They had seen fossils like this in museums, but never been allowed to touch them! Many of the children thought the fossils were of feathers, not leavess. The veins and lines running through them seemed to show feathers, and they had not seen leaves with such fine markings. Together we then explored the playground, looking for leaves which had similar structures to feathers and the children were amazed to realise just how similar leaves and feathers can be. We even found a 'skeleton leaf' so they could see the structure clearly - and it was remarkably similar to the fossilised leaves!
These fossils, which were found in the Central West of NSW, are of glossopteris leaves, and date to the Permian age. The Permian age is a period about 290 to 248 Million Years ago, well before the jurassic age and the dinosaurs which the children tend to think of when they think back to prehistory. In fact, the dinosaurs we think of, like Brachiosaurus and Stegosaurus wouldn't exist for another 40 million or so years after these leaves fell from the trees and became fossils and Tyrannosaurus rex came even later still! Leaf fossils may not be as glamorous as fossilised animals, or of course as dinosaurs themselves, but Glossopteris fossils are none the less very important, especially to the theory of Gondwana Land.
Gondwana land is a massive, supercontinent which was once a huge landmass in the oceans of earth. It was made up of a number of different countries and continents which still exist today, but instead of being separate land masses, all of these countries and continents were joined together, as one huge piece of land. India, South America, Southern Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica were all joined together as part of this amazing supercontinent, Gondwana. Yet how do we know this? A very important part of the evidence for Gondwana Land is actually the glossopteris fossils themselves. You see, Glossopteris leaf fossils can be found in India, South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and even in Antarctica, which means that once, glossopteris trees grew in all of these places. It was this face which made Austrian Geologist Eduard Suess believe that there might once have been a huge supercontinent made up of all these countries and places - after all, if they have the same fossil record, they must have once been joined. Since then, many other fossils have been discovered which show that the continents were joined.
This week, Rover decided he wanted to revisit a fascinating place he discovered on one of his many trips out and about over the last several years. Rover visits some amazing places, and sometimes what he finds there is more than he could ever have anticipated. One such place was Oakhampton Cemetery in Maitland. Rover went looking for history, and also some of his ancestors, but he was also blown away by the extraordinary evidence of flooding he discovered there.
If you would like to visit Oakhampton Cemetery, it is located in Maitland in the Hunter Valley. The street address is on Oakhampton Road, in the Oakhampton area of Maitland, and it is only a few minutes drive from Maitland’s heart. When Rover visited, he asked the GPS to find the cemetery, which is did, but be warned, it took him a rather circuitous route! The cemetery is fascinating though, and well worth a visit if you are in the area.
Oakhampton Cemetery was established and well used in the 19th century, with 97 recorded burials between 1849 and 1894. However it has been well over a century since the last internment here took place, making it an amazing cemetery which truly reflects 19th century cemetery style and landscape. Or it does to an extent anyway! The cemetery was created on the banks of the Hunter River in an area which became known as Oakhampton. It was a straight stretch of river, perfect for a cemetery as it was outside the town boundaries (which was required by law) but easy to get to. Yet this location is also part of the reason the landscape is so extraordinarily affected by flooding.
When he visited, Rover at first thought that the graves were somehow sinking into the soil, but it didn't take long before he realised that this isn't the case at all. Originally, the area in and around the cemetery would have been covered in bush, which anchors the soil and prevents erosion. Yet by the 1840s, the area was mostly cleared, providing fields for farming, and of course an open area for the cemetery. Yet this clearing of the land helped contribute to the burying of the graves. Clearing the land also clears away the natural vegetation which holds soils in place, and soon erosion would have been occurring on the nearby farms. With the cemetery on a low ridge beside the river, much of the eroded sediments would have been washed by rains to the cemetery site. These problems were compounded by successive floods in the area. Maitland has a long history of flooding, with some of the major floods actually reaching metres above the normal level of the river. The cemetery is just above the river level though, on the floodplain itself, so when flooding occurs, river sediments are deposited on the site, further burying the graves. As a result, there are multiple layers to the cemetery, with some graves being over a metre below todays surface level! Of course, it is also these sediments deposited by floods which make floodplains so fertile, but that is a post for another time!
Slipping rugs worry you? Try winding three "preserving jar" rubbers together with thread and sewing them to the bottom corner of each throw rug. They form a good suction cup that will prevent many accidents.
(Fort Lincoln Cemetary 1001 Handy Hints For Housewives, circa 1920)
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<p>Things To Remember About Heritage Hints:</p>
<p>Heritage Hints come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of which are at least 50 years old.</p>
<p>The world has changed in the years since these books and magazines were first published and although some hints may still be useful, most are probably not. Think carefully before you try any hints and in the case of cleaning solutions, we suggest you spot test on a small, insignificant area first, just in case.</p>
<p>As for the medical hints - medicine has come a long way since these hints were first published and it is likely that many of the suggestions could be detrimental to your health. Don't try this at home!</p>
This week, Roy decided he wanted to make something delicious and sweet. Yet the weather has been so hot recently that he didn’t want to have to turn the oven on. We flipped through a number of cookbooks, looking for inspiration, when Roy’s Grandma suggested we try out a recipe for a ginger slice which had been given to her by her stepmother. The slice looked perfect, and the results were absolutely scrumptious. So this week, Roy Creates Mary’s Mum’s Chocolate Ginger Slice.
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Imagine, you are a child living in the 1940s. You have been driving your family mad this week, ever since you went to a birthday celebration for one of your friends. You played lots of wonderful games, and there was plenty of delicious food. Best of all though, you each received a little gift to take home. You were given a little metal whistle, and it makes the most wonderful sound! You have played it all week, and truthfully, you think your parents would like you to stop, but it is such a wonderful little toy.
When I showed the children this little metal whistle, they were quite intrigued by it. Many of them had not seen a whistle like it, and were unsure at first what it even was. They were amazed to discover that, even after all this time, the whistle actually still works, and thought modern toy whistles were clearly not made to the same standard at all!
The whistle which I showed the children is often called a tin whistle, but it actually has a number of different names – the penny whistle, English flageolet, Scottish penny whistle and Irish whistle. In its most pure form, as a musical instrument, it is a woodwind instrument with six holes, a bit like a recorder, but with a very different sound, often associated with Celtic music. Many cultures around the world have a whistle style instrument, dating right back to ancient times, and in fact, whistles were probably one of the first tuned flute style instruments in the world. Originally, they would clearly have been made from other materials, like reeds or even bone. Yet as time went on, other materials began to be used, including metals. Eventually, cheap tin began to be used and the tin whistle was invented.
Yet the whistle I showed the children isn’t really a musical instrument – it is simply a toy. The man who probably began to move tin whistles into the realm of toys was also the first man to make and sell factory made tin whistles. His name was Robert Clark, and he made tin whistles in Manchester, England, between 1840 and 1882. His whistles were made from sheets of rolled tin (or occasionally brass, for more expensive models) which was very inexpensive. As a result, his whistles were relatively cheap and became very popular, very quickly. Clark didn’t make his whistles in novelty shapes, and they were able to play more notes than the 20th century novelty whistles, like the one I showed the children, but they were what led to the invention of cheap novelty whistles. Yet although these novelty whistles have no real ability to play multiple notes, they were extremely popular with children and often featured as party favours.
Heat is the king of all remedies for the relief of pain. It is a natural antidote, and may be applied to any part of the body by means of hot-water bags. If these are not at hand, a cloth bag may be made and filled with salt, ashes, sand, corn-meal, or any other substance that will retain heat. Whichever substance is used for filling should be well heated in the oven, then placed in the bag and applied to the seat of pain. The bags should be only about half filled. Two bags are better than one, so one can be heating in the oven while the other is being applied.
Glass bottles with good stoppers may be filled with hot water and used in place of rubber bags. Even bricks, flat irons, or logs of wood, heated and wrapped with flannel may be used.
(Signs Of The Time Publishing Home and Health, 1908)
Continue reading "Roy's Heritage Hints - The King Of All Pain Killers" »
The New Year is well and truly upon us, and with it comes new resolutions. One of mine, Roy's and Rover's, is to take a step back a little from The Tingle Factor Box. Our lives have become increasingly busy, and doing three posts a week is becoming difficult. We toyed with the idea of revisiting older posts, and have done that once or twice already, but decided that wasn't for us.
Instead, we will be reducing our posts to one a week. Don't worry - no sections will disappear though. Each month will still contain an item, a recipe or craft and a place to visit! We will also be adding an exciting new section - Roy's Historic Home Hints. We will be posting each week on Friday at 6am, including of course, this Friday.
This week, with the weather hot and many people not wanting to turn on their ovens, Roy decided, it was the perfect time to share a recipe for a delicious, cool salad. Roy loves a salad on a warm day, and one of his favourites is one which my Grandmother used to make. It’s a simple recipe, with just 4 ingredients, but the results are delicious, and everybody who tries it, loves it. So this week, Roy Creates Deliciously Simple Chicken And Grape Salad.
Note: you can increase or decrease the amount of salad you make, as much as you like. It is very easy to double – or more!
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See you all next week!
This week, Rover decided that, with the weather heating up and many people heading to the seaside for holidays, it was the perfect time head to the coast himself. Rover doesn’t much like getting his paws wet, but he loves the coast, particularly the amazing geology of the South Coast of NSW. There are so many amazing rocks to be found – this week he is taking a closer look at pumice.
Rover was amazed to discover pumice on the rocky shoreline of Bass Point in Shell Cove. To get there, first find Addison Street in Shell Cove and then turn into Wentworth Street. From there, take Darley Street (heading towards the coast) and then turn into Boollwarroo Parade. Boollwarroo Parade eventually turns into Bass Point Tourist Road which leads to Bass Point itself.
Pumice is an extraordinary type of rock, which is actually created during volcanic eruptions. In fact, it is an igneous rock, which essentially means it is a solidified version of a molten material, in this case, volcanic material.What makes it so extraordinary in Rovers opinion though is that pumice is a rock which floats! Pumice is full of little holes and gaps which are called vesicles. All these little holes provide space for air, and as a result, a big lump of pumice is much lighter than you might expect, what with it being rock! The vesicles are evidence of the volcanic eruption which created the pumice in the first place. Gasses build up in the volcano, inside the magma itself and eventually the pressure becomes so strong that the magma, and the gasses which are powering it, break through the earth’s crust. When the pressure is released the gas suddenly escapes, blowing out chunks of frothy magma and these are what eventually harden into pumice.
This doesn’t answer the question of what all that pumice is doing at Bass Point though. Not too far away though, towards Kiama, there is a mountain called Saddleback Mountain. This mountain was once a volcanic vent and the area around Kiama was actually the site of two very big lava flows. These flows are now called the Gerringong Volcanics. The basalt which the area is so famous for is one of the resulting rocks from these lava flows. The pumice which Rover found at Bass Point is, no doubt, other evidence of the volcanic activity which defined the geology of this area.
This week, with it being a good season for leftover sausage rolls and easy meals, Roy wanted to revisit a recipe which all of his friends love. This recipe is a perfect way to use up leftover cooked sausages from an over-catered BBQ, or cook extras specifically. They are also very popular with children! So this week, Roy Recreates Grandma's Yummy, Easy 'Leftovers' Sausage Rolls.
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