Life in Thirlmere
Domestic life
Linda Kaljusto
Linda cooked on a wood stove and sewed on a hand operated sewing machine. Lighting was from a kerosene lamp and candles. Most of their food needs came from the farm. Linda cleaned, graded and packed eggs as well as her usual housework of cleaning, cooking, baking bread, biscuits and cakes, knitting jumpers and socks and sewing clothes for the family. Linda was very methodical. Twice a week she cooked pot roast chicken with potatoes, carrots and peas; twice a week they had pot roast lamb neck chops with onions, potatoes, string beans and carrots or pumpkin. Sunday was always an oven roast leg of lamb with potatoes, pumpkins, string beans or peas. The other two days of the week we got a surprise - something different– thick soup or meat with spinach, cabbage, cauliflower or beetroot or cold potato salad or fish. She also preserved fruit by boiling it in glass jars, melting candle wax on the fruit when it was cooked to keep out air and a lid to keep out insects.
- Lela Kaljusto 2003
Helga Alas
In 1957, we arrived in Thirlmere to settle for good. The phone was installed after one year but electricity took over two years before it was installed. We never received city water. Prior to electrification, lighting was by 'Aladdin' kerosene mantle lamps, hurricane lamps and cooking was on a wood fuel stove in the kitchen and a coal burning 'Cosi' heater for winter. Helga had continued to work as a seamstress throughout this entire period. Her first iron was one that was heated on the fuel stove and later we bought an iron that was heated with petrol.
- Gustav Alas 2003
