Awake and up all night

My late wife used to read a lot of Catherine Cookson books. I was put off that style of writing by Barbara Cartland. I have read and enjoyed Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) but my favourite romantic novel has to be the tear jerking Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. My eyes seem to get tired these days, particularly during the hay fever season.  xxx

Evening Ray I have got hay fever bad this year. Jane eyre is one of my favourite books loved it.catherine Cookson books were very popular with women. I don't remember reading Barbara Cartland think she was a bit more racy.xxx

Lumpy Coffemate and lumpy Marvel, oh the joys of work tea breaks. Your post got me thinking. Do you remember Bemax (wheatgerm coarse powdery stuff)? I quite liked it sprinkled on breakfast cereal in the 1960s. Then there was Malt Extract, a rich tasty 'health booster' aimed mainly at kids in the 1950s and 60s. It was taken alone by the spoonful, usually mid evening for me and my brother. xxx 

I don't remember because Ray. We didn't have much food as kids. My mother was very neglectful. That is why I always buy loads of food because I remember being hungry as a kid. Was bemax something like marmite? I always bought loads of food for my kids I didn't want them to go hungry.xxx

I remember Bemax. It was like floor sweeping! xxx

Bemax was a dry, coarse supplement sprinkled on breakfast cereals. Malt Extract was a thick, very dark brown syrup-like substance. It was sweet, rather than the savoury 'like it or loathe it' Marmite. xxx

My parents used to say that tea bags contained floor sweepings from the tea processing factory. They preferred to fiddle around with tea pots and tea strainers, or left the spent tea leaves at the bottom of the cup presumably for fortune reading or choking kids. xxx 

My dad loved Bemax on his cereal, Julie. I didn't.

How about Virol? My two loved it when they were babies but it honked and made a real mess as it was basically gloop. I read up on the ingredients and no wonder it reeked.

Now Nurse Harvey's Gripe Water was on a different level altogether. One spoon for the nippers, a giant swig from the bottle for me. The original recipe contained a small amount of alcohol so I understand why the kids and me couldn't get it down fast enough. 

I don't think either are available now xxx

I used to buy loads of nurse Harvey's. My daughter had colic as a baby and I used to throw it down her.xxx

Same with my eldest and colic, hon.

I didn't have colic but did have Nurse Harvey's. It was like catnip for me xxx