John Bull, Sleep Reading Children Bedtime Stories Beds Magazine, UK, 1950
My youngest was in a foul mood when she came home from school yesterday. She was so incredibly rude to her sister that her dad put her on the naughty chair. She didn't take this indignity very well at all, and the poor DH was in her bad books until bedtime. When I emptied and cleaned her lunch box that evening I told the DH that she was in a mood because she had eaten hardly a bite of her lunch. As usual I blamed bad temper on low blood sugar.
Well, this afternoon, during my break from teaching she showed me a particularly itchy spot of eczema, she told me it had been itching her like crazy all morning. It looked like a proper, blistery spot and not a bit like eczema, an upon closer inspection, little spots were popping up all over her face and chest. She also feels achy and has a slight sore throat. Methinks we have the pox! (Chicken pox that is).
Actually, at the moment, she's quite enjoying having chicken pox. She likes to look at her face, examine her spots, she doesn't feel too poorly, she's going to have a whole week off school! And, she turned to me and said, "now I have chicken pox, can you read me The Cross Spotty Child from the My Naughty Little Sister book?" and I, of course, replied "well, yes I can," because it's so nice to link beloved stories to real life events. Pass me the book, the Lucazade, and the calamine lotion, we're hunkering down for the week!
10 comments:
Ah the pox! Reminds me of my eldest daughter's experience. 2 hours prior to her taking to the stage as MARY for the Junior Kindergarten production of The Nativity! They let her go ahead anyway, but immediately after we bundled her up and took her home, although I'm sure she'd infected most of the class at that point...lol.
Have a "good" week ;)
Niki
Oh, dear, not the pox. Don't you hate it when you clamp down on naughty behavior and then later realize the behavior was the result of, say, a safety pin in the left shoe? I hope the pox leaves your house soon--and doesn't bother anyone else while it's there!
frances
Not about the pox, but the John Bull illustration prompts me to mention that Greenway, the summer residence of the great crime writer, Agatha Christie, will be open to the public for the first time this summer. Oh, and I'm old enough to remember John Bull (and Picture Post, Everybody's, Illustrated, etc!) as my parents had a newsagent's shop and I was lucky enough to be able to read all the papers and magazines and books that I wanted. Absolute heaven!
Margaret Powling
Seeing spots before your eyes? You have my sympathies. I do so hope you have had the pox yourself. My two got it aged 4 and 2 - and then gave it to me. I felt so poorly thought I was going to DIE. Liz delighted in telling every kind church member who turned up to bring food for the Pastor that "Mummy has spots everywhere - including her breasts and her bottom" [And they were a generous bunch, so LOTS of them brought cakes and pies and heard her story!!]
Trusting you are all spot-free and itch-free very very soon. Blessings x
Hope it's a mild pox!
I loved the magazine cover. At first I thought it said Agatha's new thriller was called Eat Fat and Stay Fit!
Hi Niki
Oh, I think we'll have a good week. She seems to be pretty weel, considering she's now covered in the spots.
I bet the kindergarten teachers had a fit when they realised their Mary had the chicken pox!
Hi Frances
Yes, the DH and I had a good case of the parental guilts when we (ahem) spotted her spots. Yes, I too hope we don't get effected by the virus.
Hi Galant
Oh, my goodness. I'll have to tell my mum about that. she's such an Agatha Christie fan. Is that the house near Torquay?
Hi Angela
I'm feeling a bit rough, to be honest, and I keep checking for spots, but so far none have appeared. The poor old DH had to have THREE weeks off work last time the pox was in the house, you'er right it was no fun for him.
Hi Scrip
I want to buy a copy of that magazine because I'm keen to know how to eat fat and stay fit...or, perhaps it was a Christie book after all, killed by over-consumption of eclairs.
Yes, the house isn't far from Torquay. It's at Greenway, on the banks of the River Dart. It can be accessed via the Paignton to Brixham Road by car or bus, but Greenway is known as a 'green' NT site and they encourage access on foot, by bicycle or from the River Dart by steamer, from Totnes or Dartmouth. The grounds are lovely in spring and I'm iching now to see inside Greenway House; I did have a private viewing with the property manager before the house was renovated and it was strange sitting there, in the kitchen and drawing room of perhaps the greatest crime novelist of the 20th century.
I would also recommend a visit to my own favourite south Devon NT property, which is close by: Coleton Fishacre, which was again a holiday 'cottage' (some cottage!), this time of Rupert and Lady Dorothy D'Oyly Carte (it was Rupert's father, Richard, who was the Gilbert & Sullivan impresario). The garden alone at Coleton Fishacre is worth a visit, but the house is gorgeous, Arts and Crafts without, Art Deco within.
Margaret Powling
Poor little thing. I've felt bad for disciplining a poorly child (before I'd realised they were poorly!). Lol, I remember being at the hottest summer wedding ever and it dragged on forever, I was so grumpy the whole time. I felt bad about my grumpiness until I found out I had shingles...hence grumpiness. So I totally understand the need to be grumpy with a chicken pox related virus! :)
Squidge has a perforated ear drum now! Horrid bugs and viruses eh?
Hugs to you and your small.
A book with the pox. A perfect match. I hope she's comfy and getting well soon.
Jody
When my little ones had the chickenpox, one week after the other, we watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the old one with Gene Wilder. Isn't it funny what a mum remembers.
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