Milk for the childer

suicide_circus

visiting the parents, eating cake as you do, doorbell rings so i go to answer it. A woman was calling to enquire whether I could spare "a few pound" for "milk for the childer". Now the woman was accompanied by two older teenagers who I would scarcely have described as childer and who didn't look like they had been bereft of milk. I regretted extremely that on this occasion I was all out of pound but that I would be happy to give them a spare carton of milk from the fridge. Amazingly, my offer was met with a stoney silence and and a guttural hawking up of phlegm by the male childer which he preceded to direct with considerable accuracy at a flower pot. At this i bid them adieu and closed the door.

Turns out that after a 15 year hiatus, such visits are now more commonplace in the area, particularly for older households.

Anyone else having similar visits?

mad muffin

I’d offer them ass milk… with a straw.

Borderfox

I would enquire as to what happened to the pennies for de baabies?

super_furry

You weren't even offered pegs or lucky heather?

PlaneSpeeking

Borderfox wrote: »

I would enquire as to what happened to the pennies for de baabies?

Inflation

gctest50

Try something like this next time :


"Pavee Point told us not to to give you anything, we are only enabling so we are, enabling mind ... "

mikemac2

When you were talking at the door there was someone at the back scoping out the property

Zorya

It's kind of sweet in a way, reminder of more innocent days. We always had travelers living on our road because my Da would give them the field for their horses. They would stay every winter. Every single time I went past as a child they would ask me ''What time is it?'' I was genuinely confused- if I was on the way to and from the shop for a bag of bullseyes it would only be 20 minutes between questions, plus they had grand big watches on their wrists and yet every trip past I was asked ''What time is it?'' - in an urgent way that startled me. I asked my Da why they kept asking me for the time and he said ''You have to give them something.'' Made perfect sense to me so I always felt very generous and grown up after that carefully giving information about the time.

Roger Hassenforder

Zorya wrote: »

It's kind of sweet in a way, reminder of more innocent days. We always had travelers living on our road because my Da would give them the field for their horses. They would stay every winter. Every single time I went past as a child they would ask me ''What time is it?'' I was genuinely confused- if I was on the way to and from the shop for a bag of bullseyes it would only be 20 minutes between questions, plus they had grand big watches on their wrists and yet every trip past I was asked ''What time is it?'' - in an urgent way that startled me. I asked my Da why they kept asking me for the time and he said ''You have to give them something.'' Made perfect sense to me so I always felt very generous and grown up after that carefully giving information about the time.

So OP should have said "ive no cash and no milk, but its 15:42"
Win-win for everyone!

Zorya

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

So OP should have said "ive no cash and no milk, but its 15:42"
Win-win for everyone!

Haha Yes. I'd try it anyways.

razorblunt

Zorya wrote: »

It's kind of sweet in a way, reminder of more innocent days. We always had travelers living on our road because my Da would give them the field for their horses. They would stay every winter. Every single time I went past as a child they would ask me ''What time is it?'' I was genuinely confused- if I was on the way to and from the shop for a bag of bullseyes it would only be 20 minutes between questions, plus they had grand big watches on their wrists and yet every trip past I was asked ''What time is it?'' - in an urgent way that startled me. I asked my Da why they kept asking me for the time and he said ''You have to give them something.'' Made perfect sense to me so I always felt very generous and grown up after that carefully giving information about the time.

But if you didn't answer or didn't know, they'd say you had no time for travellers.

Zorya

razorblunt wrote: »

But if you didn't answer or didn't know, they'd say you had no time for travellers.

Lookit, didn't I get a good watch for me Holy Communion...

Graces7

When I was trading in Donegal Town, we had an influx of Roma.. One woman used t o push her pram right up to my stall, shouting, "NO MILK! NO PAMPERS!" I advised her to go to V de P but she already had... milked... them

topper75

Yes they are superstitious about 'getting something off' those non-travellers they encounter. I don't really understand it. The time of day will suffice for them if all else fails.

I thought milk for the babie and I'll say a prayer for you ma'am were never to be heard again. Mad thread.

Working class heroes

suicide_circus wrote: »

visiting the parents, eating cake as you do, doorbell rings so i go to answer it. A woman was calling to enquire whether I could spare "a few pound" for "milk for the childer". Now the woman was accompanied by two older teenagers who I would scarcely have described as childer and who didn't look like they had been bereft of milk. I regretted extremely that on this occasion I was all out of pound but that I would be happy to give them a spare carton of milk from the fridge. Amazingly, my offer was met with a stoney silence and and a guttural hawking up of phlegm by the male childer which he preceded to direct with considerable accuracy at a flower pot. At this i bid them adieu and closed the door.

Turns out that after a 15 year hiatus, such visits are now more commonplace in the area, particularly for older households.

Anyone else having similar visits?

Was it your parents you were visiting? Or did you call into a random house and rob their cake?

RhubarbCrumble

I had a woman knock on the door last year and tell me she had "Ten childer, could you help me at all?"

I was very tempted to have a look through the bedside drawer for a box of condoms. Would have helped with the prevention of any more.

Aglomerado

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

I had a woman knock on the door last year and tell me she had "Ten childer, could you help me at all?"

I was very tempted to have a look through the bedside drawer for a box of condoms. Would have helped with the prevention of any more.

Or referred her to the writings of Jonathan Swift:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal

SEPT 23 1989

Make sure the back doors and windows are well locked before you open the front door

Milk is pure scarce, but this 9 iron has your name on it.

Graces7

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Make sure the back doors and windows are well locked before you open the front door

older irish houses only have a front door and no windows facing north... always thought it was because of bad weather but reading this thread ....

seamus

Yeah a year or so ago a woman called to the door asking if I had anything to spare. Didn't give me any sob story and to be fair to her was eating a sandwich she said a neighbour had made for her.

So she could have been genuine, but we're fairly past the point now where anyone needs to be going door to door begging for alms. Paltry as they may be, there's social assistance there for anyone who needs it. Have to assume door to door begging is some form of scam.

BattleCorp

topper75 wrote: »

Yes they are superstitious about 'getting something off' those non-travellers they encounter. I don't really understand it. The time of day will suffice for them if all else fails. .

Wouldn't be like travellers to be looking for something for nothing.

James Brown

I've no time for travelers. Messing about with the time line like nobody's business. How do you think Nathan Carter ended up on the Late Late every other week?

Cuddlesworth

seamus wrote: »

Yeah a year or so ago a woman called to the door asking if I had anything to spare. Didn't give me any sob story and to be fair to her was eating a sandwich she said a neighbour had made for her.

So she could have been genuine, but we're fairly past the point now where anyone needs to be going door to door begging for alms. Paltry as they may be, there's social assistance there for anyone who needs it. Have to assume door to door begging is some form of scam.

Its a good way to track who is in and who is out, at what times, while getting a good look inside.

Aglomerado

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Its a good way to track who is in and who is out, at what times, while getting a good look inside.

A bunch of aggressive "traders" once barged past my parents into our house, opening doors and looking into rooms.
Horrible experience. I was young at the time.

The one time I remember a woman coming to the door looking for milk for her baby she was happy to take it!

Graces7

Aglomerado wrote: »

A bunch of aggressive "traders" once barged past my parents into our house, opening doors and looking into rooms.
Horrible experience. I was young at the time.

The one time I remember a woman coming to the door looking for milk for her baby she was happy to take it!

would never begrudge that or food for kids.

Grab All Association

Always give the excuse that you don’t carry cash but would be willing to accompany them and purchase the item/fare via debit/credit on their behalf. They’ll quickly change the story from wanting €3 for the bus to half that saying they are only €1.50 short blah blah. Update on that story last week

Btw update on story last week

Landowners/receivers etc notified in the Cabra/Ballycuranne areas of Thurles of potential acquisition via CPO of up to 4 acres of agricultural land at 10-12k an acre. Coincidence that travellers nearby are demanding land.

alta stare

suicide_circus wrote: »

visiting the parents, eating cake as you do, doorbell rings so i go to answer it. A woman was calling to enquire whether I could spare "a few pound" for "milk for the childer". Now the woman was accompanied by two older teenagers who I would scarcely have described as childer and who didn't look like they had been bereft of milk. I regretted extremely that on this occasion I was all out of pound but that I would be happy to give them a spare carton of milk from the fridge. Amazingly, my offer was met with a stoney silence and and a guttural hawking up of phlegm by the male childer which he preceded to direct with considerable accuracy at a flower pot. At this i bid them adieu and closed the door.

Turns out that after a 15 year hiatus, such visits are now more commonplace in the area, particularly for older households.

Anyone else having similar visits?

Your description of said event reads like it belongs in the english papers on the leaving cert, possibly in the poetry section. Very eloquent

Westernyelp

Zorya wrote: »

It's kind of sweet in a way, reminder of more innocent days. We always had travelers living on our road because my Da would give them the field for their horses. They would stay every winter. Every single time I went past as a child they would ask me ''What time is it?'' I was genuinely confused- if I was on the way to and from the shop for a bag of bullseyes it would only be 20 minutes between questions, plus they had grand big watches on their wrists and yet every trip past I was asked ''What time is it?'' - in an urgent way that startled me. I asked my Da why they kept asking me for the time and he said ''You have to give them something.'' Made perfect sense to me so I always felt very generous and grown up after that carefully giving information about the time.

Maybe they were Time Travelers?

Irish Guitarist

A couple of years ago I saw a some members of Tesco staff questioning a woman at the self service checkout. They asked her did she not have enough money to pay for her shopping. She said "it's alright, I took some money from the deposit box". What she meant was that she had opened an unattended charity collection box and taken money from it. The staff politely asked her her name and address and the woman complained "I have bills to pay you know".

A couple of months later (some time in October) the same woman called to my door with a baby dressed up (as a pumpkin if my memory serves me correctly) and said "trick or treat!". I promptly closed the door in her face.

GowlBagJohnson

If she was so hungry and in need of food she should have ate a few of her couple dozen childer, big hefty Sue Ellen and Micheal James would roast up nicely

In the 1970s callers were very grateful for food given at the door. By 1980s they’d start with food and clothes but then ask for money.

By late 80s you’d find the bag of (good) kids clothes and food you’d give them stuffed in a hedge down the road. It was obvious they were only interested in money.

Haven’t given anything to callers like that ever since. As some people have said, objective these days is probably scoping the place, checking to see how vulnerable or otherwise the householder is.

Best policy is don’t answer the door if you see them coming.

touts

Call their bluff. Give them a Tesco voucher for 10c money off a lt of milk. Tell them to get used to it because eventually all welfare will have to be paid in vouchers. That'll give them nightmares for days.

PlaneSpeeking

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

A couple of years ago I saw a some members of Tesco staff questioning a woman at the self service checkout. They asked her did she not have enough money to pay for her shopping. She said "it's alright, I took some money from the deposit box". What she meant was that she had opened an unattended charity collection box and taken money from it. The staff politely asked her her name and address and the woman complained "I have bills to pay you know".

A couple of months later (some time in October) the same woman called to my door with a baby dressed up (as a pumpkin if my memory serves me correctly) and said "trick or treat!". I promptly closed the door in her face.

I never open the door on Hallow'een - discovered that my first year down the country, it's stopped being about cute kids dressed as Elsa and more about our travelling !brethren".

Same - sadly - for carol singers.

Aglomerado

PlaneSpeeking wrote: »

I never open the door on Hallow'een - discovered that my first year down the country, it's stopped being about cute kids dressed as Elsa and more about our travelling !brethren".

Same - sadly - for carol singers.

Especially Carol singers in November (Had them when I lived in Limerick!)

topper75

alta stare wrote: »

Your description of said event reads like it belongs in the english papers on the leaving cert, possibly in the poetry section. Very eloquent

Ah yes. Brings me right back to Exploring English 3 with ole Gus Martin posing the thought provoking questions:

What does the poet mean by the line "guttural hawking up of phlegm"? How does it make you feel? Is the flowerpot a symbol? What is the overall theme of the poem? Does the poet change his opinion about travellers at the end of the poem? Why is the poem set at his parents' house and not his own? Is this deliberate? Have travellers called to your area recently? Perhaps you could write a poem about it?

Joe Don Dante

Ass Milk will keep them young