The Donkey stone

[dawn19run]

I have just been sat in a cafe on the moor and overheard a group of pensioners having some sort of a discussion,i then heard one of the men say'Tha wants to ger ome and donkey stone thi step' I almost did a lol,it did take me backtho,so.....does anyone still do this?I spent many happy hours donkey stoning my nans step and anything else that didnt move.

[chem1st]

My granddad talks of them. And how the scrapman/rag and bone used to give them out in exchange for scrap/clothes. Once or twice they gave out goldfish. As a very young child he swapped his father's work clothes for a goldfish. His mother had to run down the road after the rag and bone man to get the clothes back!

[victormh]

Yep, remember it well in the late 40's - I think there were 2 shades of donkey stone - white and beige

 

Also remember my gran "black leading" her trusty Yorkshire Range. Used to shine like a mirror when she had finished

 

And - having just been dressed in white sox, pumps, shirt etc ready to go out with my mother. But, while mother was organising herself I decided to help the chimney sweep when he arrived to sweep the kitchen chimney. Needless to say my mother went out shopping and did not take me with her.

 

When she returned I had been bathed and fitted out in clean clothes, but still got the cane my mother had, right acrossd the backs of my legs - can feel the stinging now - far worse than the cane I got a few times from the headmaster (F.B.Pinion) at Woodhouse Grammar School in the following years

 

Probably still "the good old days" though

 

Grey Eminence - Wangsa Baiduri - Subang Jaya - Malaysia

[Kidorry]

I remember the donkey stone and then after that there was a craze for the "Red Cardinal",do you remember that?

[hillsbro]

Yep, remember it well in the late 40's - I think there were 2 shades of donkey stone - white and beige...

Yes - that's how I remember them, but apparently there were cream, brown and white varieties - see here. And here is the donkey!.

[Kidorry]

Every time you went in or out of the house you got the cry"mind the step".

[Olive]

Was there anything more futile than polishing a doorstep

 

I'm all for keeping places tidy - picking up litter, sweeping up leaves, trimming hedges, painting doors and window frames, but really - polishing a doorstep?!

 

Mind you, my mum used to iron socks...............

[scousemouse]

..............iron socks? I have been know to iron dust sheets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Olive]

..............iron socks? I have been know to iron dust sheets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You loon! I'll know who to ask whey the ironing pile threatens to take over the spare room then

[bs4124]

One of the reasons the steps were treated with the donkey stone was to stop the steps from being slippy when wet. Sunday morning was black lead day at our house. We would make a huge pot of tea. We would drink the tea slowly hoping somebody else would volunteer or there would be an emergency so we wouldn't have to do the black leading. The secret formula was to use the cold left-over tea to dilute the black lead. My uncle, like a sergeant-major would inspect our work and wouldn't let us light the fire until the range was immaculate.