Jean Mackenzie’s Tea Towel Collection

2009

1940

1932

1988

2016

2016

2018

Jean is 92. Does she look her age? Catch the twinkle in her eye, her warming smile, a happy laugh, her smooth skin and neatly permed hair, listen to her memory that is crystal clear, with an awareness of the world at large, FaceTiming with family in England and the answer is definitely ‘no’. Take another look, the way arthritis has ravaged her hands, psoriasis has scaled her elbows and feet, osteoporosis has crumpled her spine, and diminished her height, and there may be a different answer.

Jean has led life to the full; working full-time from the age of 15 until her retirement, a Guide Leader, a Crown Green bowler, member of the Trefoil Guild, theatre goer, lifelong member of her church, sharing holidays at home, and abroad, with friends and family with a more active social life than many of us. Age has not changed that: whether it is seeing ‘Mamma Mia’ at the theatre, going to weekly ‘Musical Memories’, sipping a glass of sherry, having a rant at Donald Trump for stealing Balmedie Beach or eating fish and chips with her family, she is still enjoying life to the full. She decorates her Zimmer frame at Christmas, with baubles and tinsel, walking with speed; no wheelchair for her.

What has this got to do with tea towels? Unmarried, Jean lived with her two younger sisters, until Myra died in 2006 and Betty moved into a Nursing Home in 2011.

“Living at home without Myra and Betty was so lonely. Moving around was hard, cooking exhausting, shopping impossible and when I was no longer able to visit Betty, I just felt despair. I don’t know why I stopped taking the thyroid medication. It was stupid”

Jean never told anyone how she felt, at the time. She didn’t ask for help; and when help was offered, she refused it. After a serious fall, a stay in hospital that shocked her family and a life-threatening illness, Jean moved into a Nursing Home, two and a half years ago; it may have not been what she would have planned but, truth be told, she didn’t have a choice, unless her choice be death.

“When you get to my age, this is a good place to live, it’s safe and fun, you have friends, and staff to help you, someone to talk to and watch the telly with”.

While her niece spent time with her, settling her in, I cleared her council flat. It was easy to do because she was organised and available to consult with, to make sure I was doing what she wanted with all her possessions. She wasn’t really interested; she wanted to put the past behind her and live in the present, make the most of just being alive. She didn’t want the responsibility of making decisions and having a lot of possessions; there’s only so much a person can deal with.

“You do it, Barbara” she would say. “You know what’s best”.

I thought I knew Jean but there were so many surprises. I found the postcards: a whole box full, from all her holidays, not destined for anyone. On the back of each was a daily record, in her unmistakeable, miniature handwriting. Others may keep diaries, Jean’s holidays were recorded on postcards; they were a delight to read, it was like being there, enjoying those holidays with her.

It was at this point that I found the tea towels. There were two kitchen drawers full of them, crumpled; there was a sense of abandonment.

As she said, “If I wasn’t cooking, what was the point of a tea towel, what was there to wash up?”

Jean said I could have them; this was a privilege, the chance to share, retrospectively, a part of her life she could still recall, and smile at with warmth. It is from her ‘Postcard Diary’ that I was able to identify when, and where, she bought some of her tea towels; every tea towel had a context, a memory. In fact, I can match most of the postcards with a tea towel; from the faded glory of Cambridge to the portrait of the Eiffel Tower, from the Gordon Tartan to Recipes from Scotland.  Where there wasn’t a Postcard Diary, I asked Jean about some of the tea towels; she could fill the gaps.

The totally obliterated logo of Inverewe Gardens intrigued me; Jean is of an age when removing stains meant boiling the offending items in a saucepan, on top of the stove. Not only were there the souvenir tea towels, there were the three Christmas ones, gaudy, thick towelling. And there were the events: the Millennium at Ferryhill Church and the Golden Jubilee of the Trefoil Guild. Only Jean could have a tea towel with instructions about how to test your smoke alarm (and who to ring if it went off). In total, she had 61; a few have gone to family members, some were initially relegated to the dust rags but 13 have now become part of the Afghan Hound puppets that were made for the Nottingham Puppetry Festival in March 2018 and the remainder hang proudly within my collection.

How many dishes had been wiped by her collection? Because all her tea towels had been used, no secret piles of unused ones at the back of a cupboard; for her, tea towels were functional souvenirs. For me, Jean’s collection of tea towels sums up the Virtual Tea Towel Museum: every tea towel tells a story, and Jean can remember many of those stories, with the aid of her ‘Postcard Diary’.

I asked Jean if she considered herself a tea towel collector.

“Don’t be silly. Tea Towels are for using. I’m not one of those people who buys brand new tea towels and sticks them in a drawer. When we went on holiday, or for a day out, if we spotted a tea towel we liked, we bought it. It would remind us of a good time but we would always put old, worn tea towels with the rags for cleaning and dusting. Didn’t have any qualms about that. My tea towels, that have you have now got, are just ones that we liked. Simple as that”.

I am pleased to be able to display Jean’s collection of tea towels, with their stories, as a ‘Special Exhibition’ in the Virtual Tea Towel Museum. They are personal, part of her story.

I have divided them into six Mini-Collections: Jean’s Interests, Visits with Family, Holidays Abroad, Holidays and Day Trips with the Trefoil Guild, ‘Odds and Sods’ and Aberdeen, ending with three ‘classic’ tea towels, from which we should all learn a lesson or two!!  To find out about each story, just tap the picture.

Jean’s Interests

Jean was a Girl Guide and a Guide Leader.  She devoted a lot of her time to the Guides and thoroughly enjoyed working with young women, encouraging their skills and independence.  She was a good organiser and loved the camping trips and became very knowledgable about the countryside.  She has a whole collection of photographs from her Guiding Days which are held by the Scottish Guiding Association……..

City of Aberdeen Girl Guides probably dating from about mid-1980s

There were three of the City Of Aberdeen Girl Guides Tea Towels in Jean’s kitchen drawer, one each for Jean, and her two sisters, Myra and Betty

Jean and Myra as Guide Leaders

Jean and the Aberdeen Girl Guides tea towel from many years ago. To read the story go to Myra’s Tea Towel Story

The Girl Guides were founded in 1910.  In 1935, some women who had been Guides wanted to meet up together and branches of ‘Old Guides’ were formed.  In 1943, all the branches of ‘Old Guides’ were amalgamated and a new organisation was set up called The Trefoil Guild.  Jean, and her sisters, were lifelong members and celebrated the Golden Jubilee in 1993 with their friends.  This year, 2018, is the 75th Anniversary of the Trefoil Guild but there is no celebratory tea towel, just mugs, fridge magnets and tote bags. How times changes!!………..

Jean reminiscing about the Trefoil Guild with one of her old tea towels

The ‘real thing’, bought in 1993, well worn and celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Trefoil Guild. Love the hole in the tea towel

Jean’s other lifelong interest was Ferryhill Church which she attended regularly since she was a child.  She has many a tale about the ministers she has seen serve the church.  Today, Jean still attends Ferryhill Church, once every three weeks, when a volunteer picks her up from her Nursing Home and accompanies her.  After each service she stays for the tea and biscuits in the church hall.  This tea towel was ‘created’ in 2000, to celebrate the Millenium and has signatures of all church members at the time.

Jean’s signature

Her sister, Betty’s, signature. Betty died in 2015,

Jean finding the signatures of her two sisters, Myra and Betty, and herself on a millennium tea towel from Ferryhill Church

Ferryhill Church 2000: Read the story in Jean’s Guest Tea Towel in Guest Tea Towels 2017

Jean’s sister Myra’s signature. Myra died in 2006.

Visits with Family

Jean, Myra and Betty met up with their younger brother and his family at least twice a year, since he moved to London in the early 1950s.  They often went down to the ‘wilds’ of England to spend a week with them at Christmas or the family drove to Aberdeen, often to go on holiday together from there.  On such trips, many a tea towel was bought……..

Hitchin: Jean had been visiting Hitchin at least once a year since 1972. It was where her brother and nieces lived.

British Schools Museum: Acquired 2015. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2019/01/24/bri. Jean bought this tea towel on one of her trips to Hitchin to see her brother. It is from the British Schools Museum. “That was a great little museum” she said

Woburn Abbey: Jean loved going to Woburn Abbey, just down the road from Hitchin. “The grounds were so lovely. This tea towel must have been bought in about 1975. Wow that was a long time ago”

Hampton Court: Acquired 2015 (and back to 1990) “We went with David and Dorothy on a couple of occasions to Hampton Court Palace. We went down the River Thames on a boat. It was lovely. We went round the grounds, had a lovely cup of tea.” To read an alternative story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/ham

Passiflora: “I loved this tea towel. I bought it at a National Trust place; I loved going round the national Trust places with David and Dorothy. There are so many near where they used to live”

Roses: 7 August 1991 “Today we went to the Garden of the Rose at St Albans – very interesting with over 30,000 bushes – not quite as good as Hazelhead in Aberdeen” (from one of the postcards)

Hampton Court: Acquired 2015 (and back to 1990). To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/ham “On this trip to Hampton Court we went to the Flower Show. It was very good but also very tiring”

2009. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2019/10/30/ “One of my friends from the Trefoil Guild bought me this for Christmas. We used to have a bit of a Bran Tub at Christmas, like a Secret Santa. I did well”

Mine’s a Loose Leaf: 2003. “Liz bought me this one. I like my tea very hot, very strong, not a lot of milk and not stewed” To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2017/10/19/min

Ducks Galore: Acquired 2015 but much older “I bought this when we went to the RSPB place at Sandy. It was great. That must have been a while ago” said Jean. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/duc

Holidays Abroad

Jean loved going on holiday, especially abroad.  She sometimes went with friends, sometimes with family or just with her two sisters.  A lot of her ‘Postcard Diary’ was about holidays abroad……..

Mallorca: Acquired 2015 (and back to 1962) 31 July 1986 “Really like Majorca but there are a lot of people because it is school holidays. have met some very friendly people from London” (from Jean’s Postacrd Diary). Also http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/11/24/Mal

Tenerife: 3 January 1998 “It is lovely here, warm, good to be away from the cold of Aberdeen. Breakfast is really good in the hotel and sets us up for the day” (from Jean’s Postcard Diary)

Schynige Platte: 12 September 1985 “Myra and Dorothy went on the chair lift. Betty and I walked half way up with David who went to the top and came down on the toboggan with Dorothy” (from Postcard Diary)

Paris: 12 June 1989 “I loved Paris and we bought a lovely tea towel. Went up the Eiffel Tower which was a bit scary” (from Postcard Diary)

Madeira: 18 September 1990 “Walked into Funchal then by taxi to the Botanical Gardens which are quite high up giving a wonderful view over Funchal and out to sea. Then a storm blew up and we saw rain like we had never before. Cars were water-logged and it was quite chaotic” 20 September 1990 “We decided to go up to Monte today and came down in the Madeira version of the Cresta Run. This was a wicker toboggan pulled or guided by two men – what a hard way to make a living – they must be super fit”

Bunny: 5 September 1988 “Bought this in Salzburg where the Sound of Music was filmed. All the shop signs are made of wrought iron and very decorative. Mac Donald’s have opened a fast food cafe here butagain the sign is made of wrought iron with a small ‘m’ in the middle” (from Jean’s Postcard Diary). To read Barbara ‘s story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2017/12/27/bun

Holidays and Day Trips with the Trefoil Guild

Once a member of the Trefoil Guild, other members were Jean’s friends for life.  They went out for meals together locally, they went on day trips or short breaks and they went on holidays together.  The Trefoil Guild meant companionship and friendship.  As Jean would say;

”They were all my friends.  We had a shared interest in the Guides but it was more than that.  We developed new interests together.  I loved those days.  Many of my friends from Trefoil Guild have died but I still have the memories and, of course, there are the tea towels…..”

Derbyshire: 27 August 1994 “We set off to Cromford in Derbyshire. The house is lovely and I think we shall be very happy here” (from Jean’s Postcard Diary) Also to read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/10/28/der

Scottish Wild Flowers: Acquired 2015, vintage “I bought this on a day trip to Stonehaven. We had a lovely tea there and this tea towel reminded me of all the work I did with the Guides when we had to teach the girls about wild flowers when we were out camping” Also to read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/flo

Scottish Traditional Recipes: Acquired 2015, vintage “Myra bought this tea towel at Crathes Castle. She loved cooking and was such a good cook. Her cakes were the best”. Also to read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/11/28/tra

Isle of Arran: 6 and 7 September 1992 “Rain, rain and more rain today but not deterred we went to Brodick House and Gardens which are owned by the National Trust. Lovely gardens, interesting furniture and pictures. Lunch back at Lamlash, change into some dry clothes then off to Blackwaterfoot. Lovely little place on west of the island but the rain came” (from Jean’s Postacrd Diary) . Also in Arran http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/11/02/arr

Clan Gordon Tartan: Acquired 2015 but much older. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/cla “I like the Gordon Tartan but I can’t remember the story of it. Do you think that it is associated with the Gordon Highlanders Museum because I love that place”

St Fillans on Loch Earn: 21 June 2012 “Very beautiful scenery but the cloud was low today. Entertained by a man and his wife doing the Cha Cha Cha” (from Jean’s Postcard Diary)

Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel: 10 February 2003 “We have a lovely room with a view overlooking open countryside. It is very quiet apart from the birdsong” (from Jean’s Postcard Diary) To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2020/08/22/bod

Lakeland Scenes: 12 May 1997 “We went round Beatrix Potter’s house, had a trip on the Windermere Ferry and had a cup of tea in a lovely little tea room”

Beamish: “We spent a weekend near Beamish. It rained all day but we had a good time in the Open Air Museum”

‘Odds and Sods’

There is a ‘mixed bag’ of tea towels, which aren’t easily categorised, but are part of Jean’s Collection…….

Red and White Check: Acquired 2015. To read one of the stories http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/red. There were 3 of these tea towels in Jean’s Collection. “I didn’t buy this; it was bought by one of Betty’s carers. She didn’t ask. She thought she knew best” Included in http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/too

Coffee: Acquired 2015, vintage 12 February 2003 “Went to Llandudno today and the Great Orme. Unfortunately, it turned out very misty so although the views would have been spectacular, they were not!” (From Jean’s Postcard Diary) “Bought this is the shopping centre in Llandudno” Alternative title is Number 26. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/07/08/num

Herbs and Spices: “Norma bought this for me for Christmas in 1992. It’s a bit faded now but lovely linen”

Colman’s Mustard, Norwich: 2002. “This was a present from Liz when she went on holiday to Norfolk” To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2016/09/16/colemans-mustard-norwich-2002/

The Baking Bear: 1998. “I can’t remember the story of this tea towel.” To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2017/12/29/bak

Jean’s Christmas Tea Towels: “Myra, Betty and I always went to Ferryhill Christmas Fair. We bought one each in 2002. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/jea.

Robin in the Teapot: “This is the tea towel that Betty bought at the Ferryhill Christmas Fair in 2002”

Jean’s Christmas Tea Towel. “This was the tea towel I bought at the Ferryhill Christmas Fair in 2002” To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/jea To be part of a Special Collection

Aberdeen

It’s not often that you buy a tea towel from the place where you live.  These two are classics.  The Montage of Aberdeen is one that I, personally, have looked for and have never found but is one that I will blog about in the future, since a lot of my life has been tied up with Aberdeen.  The only thing that Jean said about this tea towel is “It’s a shame that there isn’t a picture of the beach but at least there isn’t a picture of Balmedie Golf Course which Donald Trump stole from us”

The Test It tea towel is incredible.  To be fair, Jean didn’t buy this; it was given to her when the Council refurbished her kitchen at Thistle Court, circa 2010. There is a Tea Towel Blog about this on http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com dated 1 April 2016……..

Montage of Aberdeen: 11 September 1992 “Bunty came for coffee. Theatre in the evening to see Hayley and Juliet Mills in ‘Fallen Angels’ by Noel Coward. Very good. Yesterday after a lovely dinner we had a walk along the beach – beautiful evening and it stays light later here, of course, so it was 10pm before we got home” (from Dorothy’s Postcard Diary, obviously runs in the family, on one of many visits to Aberdeen). To read my story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/abe

Test It: Circa 2010. To read the story http://www.myteatowels.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/test-it-circa-2010/

And finally………..

These three are excellent examples of how not to care for your tea towels…don’t boil them in a pan on the top of your stove. They are, however, well remembered and come with a story.  These three, together with “Red and White Check’, ‘Rose’’, ‘Passiflora’, ‘Baking Bear’, ‘Coffee’, ‘Colman’s Mustard’, ‘Isle of Arran’, ‘Yellow Rabbit’, ‘Woburn Abbey’ and ‘Herbs and Spices’ eventually became part of the two Afghan Hounds for the Nottingham Puppetry Festival in March 2018.  That’s the sort of thing Jean would approve of!!  The rest are now integrated into my Collection and are used regularly.  End of the story.

Cambridge: 9 May 1991 “We were able to walk around the city and admire all the beautiful buildings” (from Jean’s Postcard Diary)

Tea Pots: “What a mess this one is. I remember Myra boiling this and it was never the same. Liz gave us this in 2001”

Inverewe Gardens: “Yoiu can’t even see the logo of Inverewe Gardens on this. We used to go across to Inverewe Gardens regularly. we had relatives who lived near. A great place to visit but criminal what we did to the tea towel”