This week, with the days and nights being so very cold, Roy decided he would like to cook a warming winter meal. One of his favourite things is homemade baked beans, which I suggested he might want to teach you to make. After all, most children do not realise you can make baked beans, assuming they come in a tin because they are difficult to make. This is certainly not the case, baked beans are very easy to make, though they cook for a long time, and homemade taste the best! You Will Need: 1 packet of dried beans (Roy... Continue reading

Imagine, you are a woman living in the 1930's. Life is very tough and gone are the days when you could buy some material for a new dress. You can hardly even remember what wearing new clothes felt like. Now you mend and make do and use whatever you can lay your hands on. You are very proud of your 'newest' top - you worked hard on making the lace and used material from an old dress for the front. Nobody need know that it's back is made of a flour sack! When I showed these two pieces of depression... Continue reading

This week Roy and I have decided it's a perfect time to tell you about Matthew Flinders, an important figure in Australian history, the anniversary of whose death falls in just a few weeks, on the 19th of July. Many Australians, including children, already know a little bit about Matthew Flinders (children often learn about Bass and Flinders at school) and his important role in the exploration of Australia, so the question was, what could we look at that the people might not already know. Then, I remembered Trim, Matthew Flinders famous sea faring cat. After talking to the children... Continue reading

How to convert vinegar and similar shaped bottles into jam jars. Make a ring of strong wire large enough to slip over the neck of the bottle. Make the ring red hot, slip it over the bottle and let it rest just where you wish to cut the glass. Immerse the bottle in cold water and the top will immediately snap off, leaving an evenly cut jar. (Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, Cookery Book of Good and Tried Receipts, circa 1910) These hints come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of... Continue reading

This week, Roy was looking for something deliciously tasty and not too difficult to make. He had promised to make a batch of cookies for a friend to take to a work party and he wanted to make somethingdelicious, but not too time consuming. I suggested we try out some chocolate sugar cookies we had found the recipe for, and the results were quite tasty - a plain chocolate biscuit with a good chocolatey hit. Roy wanted them to be more spectacular though, and decided they would be even better with some minty icing between them. The results were amazing,... Continue reading

Mix 1 oz. prepared chalk, 8 drops pure carbolic, any scent to taste. (Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, Cookery Book of Good and Tried Receipts, circa 1910) Things To Remember About Heritage Hints: Heritage Hints come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of which are at least 50 years old. The world has changed in the years since these books and magazines were first published and although some hints may still be useful, most are probably not. Think carefully before you try any hints and in the case of cleaning solutions,... Continue reading

Imagine, you're a child living in ancient Rome. You don't much like the dark, but luckily your family have plenty of lamps to light your villa, and plenty of servants to ensure that the flames are lit in any rooms you want to visit. You even have your own oil lamp in your bedroom, which sits a good distance from your bed (it wouldn't do to knock it over). Of course, oil is expensive, so when you have fallen asleep, it is the responsibility of one of your servants to make sure the flame is extinguished - your father would... Continue reading

This week, Roy decided he wanted to look back in time and revisit a site which has fascinated him for many years, the Convict Lumber Yard and Stockade in Newcastle. Newcastle is well known for its industrial past and heritage, and for convict settlement, but this site was one of the first to have been settled in the area, in 1801, which was less than 20 years after European colonisation of Australia! If you would like to visit the Newcastle Convict Stockade, which is also known as the Newcastle Lumber Yard, it is on Scott Street in Newcastle. The actual... Continue reading

This week, Roy was asked by a friend of his to create some sort of simple, finger food style dessert. Roy was thinking long and hard about what he could create and decided that some sort of really special, deluxe slice would be perfect. The question then was, what to make? What would be decadent enough for a dessert. Then, we remembered a recipe we had come across for a Jamaican Rum Slice which, at the time, we thought was too decadent for an every day slice. This seemed the perfect time to give it a try and the results... Continue reading

Take a juicy slice off the top side of the round. Cut it finely on a board, removing skin and fat. Put it into a stone jar with its own weight of water; put the lid on the jar, and tie paper over it. Let it soak for an hour. Place it on the hob for 3 hours, and then for 1/2 an hour in the oven, or standing in a saucepan of boiling water. When cold, skim, and heat up as required. Good beef-tea should never be boiled. It ought not to jelly. (Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian... Continue reading

Imagine, it's your birthday. You had to get through the whole day, and dinner before you were allowed to open a single present, but it was worth it. You got lots of practical things like books and clothes, but your Mum and Dad knew that you were really interested in magic and illusion and managed to find a special sort of a box, a revelation box. You've not seen one before, but you look forward to amazing your friends as you make their coins appear and disappear! When I took this revelation box to show the children, they were quite... Continue reading

This week, Roy decided that with so many of his friends being unwell, and some joking about having the plague, it was a perfect time to revisit a post from way back in 2010. The plague is a serious disease, and luckily, we haven't had any cases in Australia for a very long time. Yet when the plague did come calling in Sydney, it not only made many people very sick, but it forced some major changes in how we protected the port and in housing conditions. Hygiene became an issue and the streets of Sydney were cleaned up remarkably... Continue reading

Recently, Roy has been teaching a very close friend how to cook, and this friend wanted to make a slice for a meeting he was going to. Roy wanted to find something suitably easy to make so that his friend could make it all on his own! He also wanted it to be spectacular though, so the recipe had to be a little bit special. This apricot rough slice seemed just perfect, and the results were even better than he had imagined. So this week, Roy Creates Sumptuously Spectacular Apricot Rough Slice. You Will Need: ¾ of a cup of... Continue reading

Prevent children from slipping and falling the first time they wear new shoes by sandpapering the soles. (Fort Lincoln Cemetary 1001 Handy Hints To Housewives circa 1920)) Things To Remember About Heritage Hints: Heritage Hints come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of which are at least 50 years old. The world has changed in the years since these books and magazines were first published and although some hints may still be useful, most are probably not. Think carefully before you try any hints and in the case of cleaning solutions, we suggest you spot test on... Continue reading

Imagine, you have spent days working on a beautiful carving. You have carefully moved and crafted the piece, ensuring that you don't press too hard at any time - after all, you don't want to press too hard and risk snapping a piece off. You work carefully on the intricate details of people, plants and animals. All this, just to carve a piece of wood - imagine the skill needed to successfully carve an Emu Egg! When I took this intricately carved Emu Egg, a gift to my Great Aunt from an Aboriginal stockman in Bourke, to show the children... Continue reading

This week, with the holidays slowly but surely drawing to a close, Rover decided it was a perfect time to share a fascinating place to visit not far from Sydney itself. The question was, where to go? Then, I reminded Rover of a place we had visited not long ago with his cousins. Rover loved visiting the Museum of Fire, learning about the fascinating history of the building itself and of course playing on the awesome playground outside! He thought it would be a perfect place to share with all his online friends. If you would like to visit the... Continue reading

This Easter, Roy decided he wanted to try his hand at making something he has heard about, but hadn’t had the chance to try. Kulich is a traditional Easter bread which is made in countries including Russia, Romania, Serbia and the Ukraine. It is traditionally taken to Church for the Easter service and blessed, then eaten before breakfast. Leftover Kulich is eaten with Pashka for dessert (or breakfast!) Usually, it is made in round tins, like fruit or coffee tins, but Roy didn’t have any of these to hand. Nor did he have the time to make a proper Kulich... Continue reading

To prevent spread of infection - few people know than an onion, cut up into 4 parts and put in a sick room, where there is any infectious disease, takes in all the infection. (Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, Cookery Book of Good and Tried Receipts, circa 1910) Things To Remember About Heritage Hints: Heritage Hints come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of which are at least 50 years old. The world has changed in the years since these books and magazines were first published and although some hints may... Continue reading

This week, Roy is revisiting an old post for what he calls 'Fool Proof Chocolate Cakes'. Roy loves to bake, and often when he is asked to bring something for morning or afternoon tea, he turns to this recipe. The cakes it produces are light, chocolatey and delicious and recently he has been asked several times for the recipe. So often in fact that he decided to repost it to the blog - 6 years after originally posting it! So this week, Roy Recreates Fool Proof Chocolate Cakes. You Will Need: 1/2 a cup of butter or margarine 1 and... Continue reading

This week, Roy is revisiting an old post for what he calls 'Fool Proof Chocolate Cakes'. Roy loves to bake, and often when he is asked to bring something for morning or afternoon tea, he turns to this recipe. The cakes it produces are light, chocolatey and delicious and recently he has been asked several times for the recipe. So often in fact that he decided to repost it to the blog - 6 years after originally posting it! So this week, Roy Recreates Fool Proof Chocolate Cakes. You Will Need: 1/2 a cup of butter or margarine 1 and... Continue reading

Cure for toothache - Take a small piece of sheet zinc, about as large as a sixpence, and a piece of silver, such as a shilling. Hold one on each side of the defective tooth, let them touch each other above it, and the electric current thus established will relieve the pain. (Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, Cookery Book of Good and Tried Receipts, circa 1910) Things To Remember About Heritage Hints: Heritage Hints come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of which are at least 50 years old. The world... Continue reading

Imagine, you are a farmer living in the central west of NSW in the 1940s. Recently, you were clearing some rock from your property to create a new field, when you discovered something amazing - beautiful shapes in the rock. They looked like feathers, but when you showed them to the Australian museum, they told you that the shapes were actually of leaves. Most amazing of all though, these leaves are hundreds of thousands of years old! You never imagined something so amazing, or so old could be found on your humble little farm! When I showed the children these... Continue reading

This week, Rover decided he wanted to revisit a fascinating place he discovered on one of his many trips out and about over the last several years. Rover visits some amazing places, and sometimes what he finds there is more than he could ever have anticipated. One such place was Oakhampton Cemetery in Maitland. Rover went looking for history, and also some of his ancestors, but he was also blown away by the extraordinary evidence of flooding he discovered there. If you would like to visit Oakhampton Cemetery, it is located in Maitland in the Hunter Valley. The street address... Continue reading

Slipping rugs worry you? Try winding three "preserving jar" rubbers together with thread and sewing them to the bottom corner of each throw rug. They form a good suction cup that will prevent many accidents. (Fort Lincoln Cemetary 1001 Handy Hints For Housewives, circa 1920) <hr class="at-page-break" /> <p>Things To Remember About Heritage Hints:</p> <p>Heritage Hints&#0160;come from a variety of old books and magazines, most of which are at least 50 years old.</p> <p>The world has changed in the years since these books and magazines were first published and although some hints may still be useful, most&#0160;are probably not. Think... Continue reading

This week, Roy decided he wanted to make something delicious and sweet. Yet the weather has been so hot recently that he didn’t want to have to turn the oven on. We flipped through a number of cookbooks, looking for inspiration, when Roy’s Grandma suggested we try out a recipe for a ginger slice which had been given to her by her stepmother. The slice looked perfect, and the results were absolutely scrumptious. So this week, Roy Creates Mary’s Mum’s Chocolate Ginger Slice. You Will Need: 1 packet of plain sweet biscuits. Roy recommends Milk Coffee biscuits. 1/2 a can... Continue reading