Reclaiming The Fireplace Blogtober Day 13

We don’t have a fireplace! We live in a ‘new build’ which was built with full central heating and no chimney breasts. We do have solar panels.

The Kids were little when we moved in and were worried about how Father Christmas would deliver the Christmas presents, but we had to explain to them that he doesn’t have time to go down every chimney anyway and has to do a lot of deliveries by special magic powers. The presents arrived under the tree so the kids were happy.

I miss having a fireplace, I miss having a mantel or fire surround. I did consider having an electric fire installed which would have been mostly for decoration, but we went for a sideboard instead. Much more storage!

My Childhood Memories

We never had a coal fire, we were quite modern with our gas fire. Each year we had to have it cleaned and the chimney checked (even though it wasn’t really used.) It was the only source of heating in our home! We had no radiators, the bathroom was freezing. Upstairs was freezing too. To save on blankets my mum used to cover our beds with coats. And we’d go to bed with a hot water bottle. We didn’t have double glazing and the windows would freeze up in the winter.

I got up the other morning and I think it was the first real chilly day of the year and I’d not yet put the heating on. I was shivering in the bathroom. How on earth did we use to manage before central heating?

I used to love going to my Nan’s house. Not only because I knew my cousins would be there and I’d have someone to talk and play with, but because it was always so cosy. The fire would be blazing and Nan would have her chair closest while my Mum and my aunties would gather around and they would put the world to rights. (or at least the neighbourhood business.) As kids, we never really took much notice of what they were talking about, but it was always a cosy, noisy, happy time sitting around the fireplace.

Sometimes nan would sent us for chips from the chip shops, making sure we got her some scraps as she loved them, and what we didn’t manage to eat would be re-wrapped and put by the fireplace to stay warm for later.

In a lot of my indoor childhood memories, they were always focused around the fireplace, keeping warm and chattering.

These Days

I am much warmer with my central heating when I can afford to have it on. But often I have just a small heater in one room, it seems silly to warm the entire house when I’m home alone. But I always warm the pipes up in the morning, this prevents freezing and also keeps the littlest room at a decent temperature. The kitchen never feels cold, even when the oven isn’t on. It’s just a warm place. Which reminds me of the kitchen table.

As a child, on the warmer days, then the older family members would gather around the kitchen table with a pot of tea for their gossip and chatter. I remember when I had my first home and my friends came around, we would also gather around the table (although mine was in the living room as my kitchen wasn’t big enough to swing a cat.) But, just like our elders, we’d sit and chat while our kids played, either on the rug when they were younger or outside when bigger.

Now. I don’t see many people. I live in a big house with my five children. Three of whom are adults and two teenagers. I don’t get to see them much, they are either at school, college, work or in their bedrooms. I spend hours on my settee alone, and most of the time I’m okay with that.

When I was younger, and not at work I’d have someone around all the time. I think it’s because all of our children have grown? Or it just may be that my life is so different to everyone else’s.

When my nan was old and her grandkids grown, she was still surrounded by her daughter’s who’d visit daily, and her grandkids would bring their grandkids, and she lived so long her great grandkids would visit too! She was always surrounded by family and talk and chatter and those long forgotten fireplace moments that had developed over the time. She still kept her chips warm on top of the gas fire!

99% of the time I’m happy with loneliness. I don’t feel like visitors, I’m tired, I’m hurting, I’d rather just snuggle up. The cats are company enough. (Although, if I’m honest, even they are too much hard work sometimes!)

Then I discovered book club. I’m so glad I joined. It’s only just once a month but it means gathering around a table (no fireplace) and chatting. The chatter is book related, no gossip, we don’t even know each other. But that doesn’t matter, we all have a common interest and we spend our time together discussing our latest read. And it suits me just fine. The book club tables are reminiscent of the fireplace chatter of Nan’s days.

When I’m Old(er)

My dream is a house not far from the sea. Somewhere all on one level but with a little character. I want a fire place for the cooler months and I want to sit in my chair by the fire, with the raging sea just in view while the rain splatters the windows. I don’t need company, or even cats. I will just need my book or my crochet, and some good trashy television programs. Maybe I’ll become just like my Mum and watch every single soap going (although I’m not a soap fan, I get the attraction because you become involved in other people’s lives as if you know them and it can ease loneliness.)

Occasionally, I’ll accept visitors in my home and I’ll make them tea or coffee, or even hot chocolate and we’ll sit by the fire and talk about the days when we lived in a freezing cold house in the middle of the city and life was fun.

Day one Welcome to Blogtober 2024

Day two Living to Die and Dying to Live

Day Three Autumn Traditions Around the World

Day Four Blogtober is my Word of the Week

Day Five Books that Feel Like October Reads

Day Six Layers

Day seven Chasing Nostalgia

Day Eight My Etsy Autumn Picks

Day Nine 10 Ways to Organize Your Kitchen

Day Ten Missed

Day Eleven heavy

Day Twelve Silent Mornings

Day Thirteen Reclaiming The Fireplace

Day Fourteen Feeling SAD