Housewife, 49

Victoria Wood as Nella Last

Nella Last was a very ordinary woman living in Barrow in Furness. an industrial town in Northern England.  In 1939 she accepted the invitation to write a weekly diary for the Mass Observation Project which was set up to record the lives and opinions of ordinary people. She continued to write her diary throughout the war and indeed until 1966.  Forty years later in 2006 her wartime writings were made into a film starring Victoria Wood and the name of that film was "Housewife, 49", 49 being Nella's age when she started her writing.  

Bloggers are a sort of twenty first century mass observation project. We come from all walks of life and all backgrounds.  Some blogs are political. others commercial, others reflect the special interests of each blogger.  Most of the ones I read are written by people with quiet, hidden lives.  I read of people struggling to make ends meet, mothers with young families, older people reflecting on how the world changes around us.  We know (hope) that what we write will be read by total strangers but we choose our own subjects to write about.  

In these last few days I have noticed that many bloggers are writing more posts than usual for we are living through "interesting" times.  We bloggers are recording how world events are affecting each tiny corner of the globe not as mere theory but as real experiences.  We read about how families cope when schools are closed suddenly and indefinitely.  We read about the battle of the supermarkets not as a mass event but how each household worries about their own supplies of toilet roll and tinned tuna.  We share hints or recipes, we write about caring for the vulnerable, we reflect on the generosity of neighbours and, sadly, the stupidity and selfishness of others.

These last few days and weeks have been unique in the history of the world.  There have been pandemics before but never have there been the opportunities for ordinary people to make their voices and feelings heard.

KEEP ON BLOGGING!