Woodwork

housing joint

For our Woodwork projects, we are going to be making spice racks. For this, we needed to practice the housing joint with Mr Nugent. We had to mark out one piece of wood with the face side and face edge and then split it in half so that we could cut two pieces from it. We then had to mark out where we would be making the trench so that we could place the second piece in to make the joit. After we had everything marked out, we had to start by sawing down to where we had marked with the marking gauge on the trench. We then began using the chisel to get all the excess wood out of the trench. When that had been finished and we had checked that a piece of wood would fit in the trench, we then started to saw the piece in half. We place the joint together and then using two nails, we hammered it together so that the joint was more secure. We placed some wood glue above the nail place and then sanded over that so that the nail was less obvious. I was happy with my joint although a small part of the piece chipped off when I was chiselling and I was pleased that I got 85% for it.

Interview- Pony Foster

Biological

1. Where and when were you born? – Wellington, Shropshire, 20th December 1947
2. Where did you grow up? – Wellington, Hadley and Edgmond, Shropshire.
3. Where have you lived? – Shropshire, North Wales, Vancouver, Spain, London and Ireland.
4. What jobs have you had? – Secretarial jobs.
5. What do you do for a living now? – Retired now.

Family Folklore

1. Are there any stories about the history or origin of your name? – Pauline became Pony because as a child couldn’t pronounce my Christian name.
2. Are there any traditional first names or nicknames in your family? – Nowill and the use of “Ganky” for grandmother.

Living

1. How did your family come to live in the area you lived in when you were growing up? – My father’s job after the war brought him to Shropshire.
2. How did your family make a living? – After the war, Daddy took a job in Shropshire with a company ran by my mother’s uncle. That is how they met and married. My mother’s family were refugees from Poland and had moved from there to Holland, then Israel and afterwards England. My mother (Loewy Hildegard) was based in Shropshire working for her uncle. My father then set up a company of his own making greenhouses and sheds.
3. What are some of your first impressions and early experiences of the place you are living in now? – The place I now live in is Achill Island, Co. Mayo. It has been my home for almost as long as I can remember. My father’s hobby was deep sea fishing and he bought a house on the island when I was small. Every summer since I was at boarding school, I spent in Achill. Achill to me is home and probably always has been.

Family Stories

1. 

   Article about Marian Nowill’s death

   What stories have come down to you about your parents and grandparents? – My father (Thomas Nowill Foster) was in Burma during the war and suffered very badly for years with malaria. His father (Major Arthur Norman Foster) was a veterinary surgeon during the 1st World War and the story “War Horse” is quite true of events. Vets were not required during the war- they shot injured horses. He got leukaemia and was dead within four weeks in his early 50s. My father was returned on compassionate leave to see him. My grandpa was based in Africa where my father and uncle were born. My mother and her family seem to have left Poland almost overnight. She did say an uncle was arrested and her father aswell, so they thought it sensible to move. They moved around 1933 to Holland.

2. What stories have you heard about your distant ancestors? – The only story I really remember is one about the beautiful Marian who met an untimely end. Nobody knows if she was murdered; if she jumped off the cliff or if she was pushed.
3. Can you tell me about what my parents were like when they were young? – Your father was obsessed with Lego, which kept him busy for hours on end. He was quiet and detached. He had quite a few friends. Your mother when we first met was vegetarian. She was quiet.

Courtship

1. Do you know any courtship stories? – I met Stuart through my next- door neighbour in Shropshire. She was fascinated by the fact that her new student- she gave lodgings to Harper Adams agricultural students- was named Foster and I was also Foster. She made it her mission to introduce them which she did eventually.

Childhood

1. What are some of your childhood memories? – As a child originally, we lived next to the redundant canal in Hadley and fished for newts constantly. Weekends were spent concreting sleepers with Daddy. Ganky, if she was staying, taught me to do jigsaws,card houses and clean silver and brasses.
2. What games did you play when you were a child? – When cousins came to stay in Edgmond, we used to do musicals, dressing up in crinoline dresses and inviting the adults to watch us. We played Jacks and hopscotch.
3. Did you sing verses when you played games and, if so, what were they? – We sang “Who wants to be a millionaire”.
4. What kind of toys did you play with? – We played with dolls and played in the garden.
5. Who made them? – Most were bought.
6. Was there music at home- did they play instruments? – No music at home- Mummy seemed to hate music, she said both she and my father were tone deaf. We didn’t play any instruments.
7. Were there any craft traditions in the household? – No craft traditions. My mother did knit and sew but she never taught me. I did a bit of sewing and knitting but it was probably self taught.
8. What family heirlooms do you have? – I have my father’s Sam Browne military belt.
9. How were they handed down to you? – It was given to me by my next door neighbour with no explanation as to how she came to be given it. All she told me was that her father had given it to her.

Local History and Community

1. What kind of local gatherings and events were there in your community? – There really weren’t many- I don’t remember any local gatherings or events we ever took part in. If we were home based, we were garden bound on good days, house bound on bad days.

 

Interview- Stuart Foster

Biographical

1. Where and when were you born? – Cardiff
2. Where did you grow up? – Bath, Somerset
3. Where have you lived? – As an adult, almost always Shropshire
4. What jobs have you had? – Farming, building, periphery engineering, self employed.
5. What do you do for a living now? – Retired

                            Family Folklore

1. What do you know about your family name? – Paternal – think is originally from London, Maternal- think originally from East Anglia

Living

1. How did your family come to live in the area they lived in when you were growing up? – My maternal grandparents moved from London during the Blitz to Somerset. When my parents divorced my mother moved closer to her parents.
2. How did your family make a living? – My mother was a clerical employee.
3. What were some of your first impressions and early experiences of the place you are living now? – Achill is a holiday venue. When you are newly retired you need to be self motivated and happy in your own skin.

Family Stories

1. What stories have come down to you about your parents and grandparents? – My paternal grandfather drove buses and fire engines during the Blitz. My maternal grandfather was mustard gassed in the 1st World War. My maternal uncle lit a bonfire under my grandfathers rover
2. Can you tell me about what my grandparents were like when they were young? – Your father was quite shy, charming but reserved. Your mother was pankhurstish but with reservations.

Childhood

1. What are some of your childhood memories? – I had a very happy childhood. I spent summers in the country and Christmas with my grandparents (it always snowed!) I remember opening a Christmas present of corduroy trousers and handing them to my mother- “These are for you!”
2. What games did you play when you were a child? – Board games, dominoes- the usual, trapping birds (and releasing them!), making dens and race tracks in the woods.
3. What kind of toys did you play with? – Simple and low value toys. Post war, things were scarce and not affordable to working people.
4. Who made them? – The go karts were home-made from  pram chasis and packing cases. Instruments were made from the washboard and a tea chest with a stick and string.
5. Was there storytelling at home? – Books at bedtime
6. Was there music at home- did they play instruments? – There were no instruments but there was an acid battery radio for music and later on a radio-gramme for records.
7. Were there any craft traditions in the household? – No, just general DIY.
8. What family heirlooms do you have? – I had grandpa’s old pipe and tobacco as well as a small chest of drawers. I also got a glazed owl oil lamp base.
9. How were they handed down to you? – Via my mother (Ganky Jessie)

Culture/ Occupational Skills

1. What cultural/ occupational skills did you have or were popular in your area? – The usual county or town life skills- milking cows and scrumping apples, harvesting timber for fuel and repairing your own transport (bikes, motorbikes, etc)

Anticipatory Reflection

 

For my interview, I have decided to talk to my grandparents, Stuart and Pauline Foster, about their ancestry and heritage. It will be more complicated to contact them as they do not have Skype and I won’t be able to talk to them face to face, yet, due to their interesting family history, I have decided to talk to them. They are my father’s parents and my grandmother has interesting family history about her mother who was a Polish Jew around during the Second World War. I feel that she will be able to give me more information about my great grandmother as well as about her cultural practices. I have a basic template of questions that I will ask my grandparents, yet I will also be asking other questions that have led from my original survey. I will call them during a weekend and will put the phone on loudspeaker so that I can record it with another phone. I will then write down and simplify some of the answers so that I have a written interview as well. I will ask them questions about their childhood and the toys and activities that they had as well as how they met. I will also ask about what my Dad was like as a child. I hope that this interview will give me a good insight into the life of my grandparents and also how my great grandparents lived.

Interview for Gaeilge Bheo

For our Gaeilge Bheo project, we have to interview an elderly person about life for them whilst they were growing up. This is my interview:

Biographical

• Where and when were you born?
• Where did you grow up?
• Where did you live?
• What jobs have you had?
• What do you do for a living now?

Family Folklore

• What do you know about your family name?
• Are there any stories about the history or the origins of your name?
• Are there any traditional first names or nicknames in your family?
• What are they?
• How did they come about?

Living

• Do you know any stories about how your family came to live in this area?
• How did your family make a living?
• What was the journey like for moving?
• Which family members came along or stayed behind?
• What were some of your first impressions or early experiences of the place you are living in now?

Family Stories

• What stories have come down to you about your parents and grandparents?
• What stories have you heard about your distant ancestors?
• Can you tell me about what my parents were like when they were young?

Courtship

• Do you know any courtship stories?
• How did your parents, grandparents and relatives come to meet and marry?

Childhood

• What are some of your childhood memories?
• What games did you play when you were a child?
• Did you sing verses when you played games and what were they?
• What kind of toys did you play with?
• Who made them?
• Was there storytelling at home?
• Was there music at home- did they play instruments?
• Were there any craft traditions?
• Describe these traditions.
• What family heirlooms do you have?
• How were they handed down to you?

Local History and Community

• What kind of local gatherings and events were there in your community?
• What stories and memories come to mind?
• How have historical events affected your community?

Culture/ Occupational Skills

• What cultural or occupational skills did you have or were popular in your area?

Metalwork project

For our metalwork projects we had to make a copper bowl from a sheet of square copper. The first step we had to do was to create a circle shape by joining the corners and then drawing a circle with callipers. We then had to cut the waste off and file down to the edges. After that we had to start shaping the bowl. We got a block of wood in the vice and then using the ball pin hammer we had to circle inwards to add depth. After doing this twice, we heated up the copper till it was red hot and placed in water quickly. This made the copper more pliable and easier to shape. we kept doing this until we were happy with the bowl shape. I enjoyed making the bowl but also found it a bit challenging as I haven’t done any metalwork since first year.

Grease posters

Up until late November, we were in art with Ms Carey and Ms Fox. We were making Grease posters for our up and coming Grease musical as well as some still life drawings. I drew a candlestick and also three peppers; one whole, one cut in half and one only the seeds. The drawings were fun to do and relaxing and it was interesting as I have not done art since first year. For the posters, we were shown examples of what we could do and the type of text and font that we could use. It was good fun and has made me consider doing art for leaving certificate.