Measure Accurately?

By Rhiannonw

Mon, 20 Aug 2018
  • 1730 reads
7 comments
 

“The guess of the eye”, my Gran* would say,
“is better than that of the hand”**, she’d found
baking cakes in that far-gone day
behind the doors in the fire’s surround,
when the fire’s ‘temper’ felt just right –
until a little gas oven arrived
– a welcome sight!
_________________

Next generation
“Why aren’t your cakes consistent
like in a science experiment?”
my father would ask –
his wife and his daughters would take him to task –
variety in the results of the baking
gave spice to the pleasure of those partaking.
__________________

Old age time
John loved to feel he had the time correct –
a clock that could by radio detect
“atomic clock” time, updated to
a millisecond, absolutely true.
And then he’d vaguely wander, let the hours fly
in dozing, reading, time just drifted by.

* = Mamgu (mam-gee)         **Amcan llygad yn lle llaw” (notice the alliteration!)

[This week's IP:The measure]

Certificate U
Poem
Families
Humour
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I loved this poem!

What's the temper? I am guessing it's not as in temperemental?

 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Hi, Di. My grandmother tended to use more English than Welsh for some reason, but still would quote Welsh sayings as the one quoted. I remember her speaking about the fire being the right temper, and I think it probably had to do with temperature actually, but it seemed a good word for their having to coax their coal fire and feel when it was hot enough for the baking! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Hi, Di. My grandmother tended to use more English than Welsh for some reason, but still would quote Welsh sayings as the one quoted. I remember her speaking about the fire being the right temper, and I think it probably had to do with temperature actually, but it seemed a good word for their having to coax their coal fire and feel when it was hot enough for the baking! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

I assume the 'temper' is like tempered steel or tempered glass, when it has to be heated to a specific temperature.  

Lovely IP, Rhiannon.  You're right - however well we measure time, it doesn't stop it suddenly runnig away with us!

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Airy. I always took her wanting the fire to be in the right 'temper' as just that - a good-tempered fire, drawing well, heating the ovens well, or a bad-tempered fire playing up, but probably had to do with being at the right temperature originally.

My thoughts were running on the degree of accuracy of measurement we need for everyday life, cooking, organisiing our time is much less than that needed by industry and science! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Denzella on

Hello Rhiannonw,

I enjoyed this and I love the idea of the fire being in a good or bad temper.

Moya

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Moyo. Lovely to hear from you. I hope you are coping fairly well.

Yes, I liked the idea of the temper of the fire for that coal-fire dependent cooking! Rhiannon