Occasions and Dresses

At this time of the year,Calf Club Days are held at Primary Schools throughout the country.
For many weeks, each year, when I was aged 7 to 11 or so, the regime was to first choose  your calf, and mine was always a Friesian,train it to wear a halter,  and do many hours of walking practice.From  memory, we had to walk the calf around a ring, it may have been a square, stop at the corner, maybe do some backward steps, then continue.The  Club Day morning was always so busy, combing the tail,polishing the hooves, and the final moment of excitement, a little fear maybe, and then your turn.
This looks like I was about 9 or 10, by the cowshed,  with long plaits, and the ribbons on the calf , they  were thick felt, and the colours were either gold,blue and red? For First,Second or Third place. The letters were printed on, and I kept all the ribbons for many many years.
About 25 years!!!Why did I throw them out??So when I read of local pets and calf days, there are manygood memories. The judges wore white coats, and my Dad went on to qualify as one of the judges,and maybe also at the Franklin A & P show, where I went as well.
The primary School was Te Hihi School,
“ Character, Kindness and Courtesy”
Those words are still there today.
Now, this shows how long I keep some things.!!! Look at the dress with the smocking.
It has been carefully put away for  well over 60 years !!!
Then look at the photo below .WOW.Yes, that is me,wearing this same  dress.
I am sure my Mum did not have  a smocking machine, and I think the lines were
done with dots from carbon paper.This would have been about 1948 or so.
..There are domes at the back, a long sash, and there were fancy buttons, no longer
to be found. Now this would have been sewn on a Singer Treadle machine.
Do  check out those FRECKLES !!! This would have been not long before I went to Pukekohe High School,. Just before I started there as a 3rd former in 1953, I decided to get those plaits cut off.
More photos to come another day, with an even older dress that is here safely stored away.And photos of when it was worn


In those days I was called “ Nan”
and that stayed until I went to High School, and I chose Jean, the second of my christian names
,Anna was after my paternal grandmother
and Jean after Jeannie, my Mum’s mother.

Quotation of the day from Abraham Lincoln

“ The best thing about the future is

that it comes one day at a time”

Cheers from Jean