I love this thread, I have been listening in and enjoying.Made me remember our kitchen table at Grandma's when we were little. My cousin and I would sit under the table and listen to the grown ups talk.We used to love to hear the stories of Gran and her sisters.Grandma was apprenticed to a court dressmaker in London, for the first few years she had to unstich the ruffles at the hem of the dresses and replace with new ones, imagine the filth where the dresses dragged in the mud!She had to walk miles to and fro to work, her sisters all went into "service" as maids.Aunt Lillioe never married as her young man died in France in the first world war, how I wish we had had tape recorders then as I am sure I have forgotten more than I remember. Sometimes the chat became "not suitable for the children" and we would be sent out to the garden for fresh air, but often we were lucky and they would forget we were there.
There was always wonderful smells from the stove, cakes, bread and Lamb stew.We were taught to sew and cross stitch. Lovely memories.I guess that is where I heard my first folk songs as the sisters would sing together in front of the fire in the afternoons.
Years later when I first met my sisters in law in Pennsauken N J we would sit round mother's table in her kitchen, drinking coffee and eating danish pastries.So the kitchen table is the heart of the home where ever we are.