The Aga was fuelled by kerosene, not wood, and it was Husband’s pride and joy. He had only had the Aga for about a year when I first came into his life.
Inna said I had to be very careful with it and she showed me how to use the hot plate (on the left), the simmering plate (on the right), the hot oven (at the top of the bottom) and the slow oven (at the bottom).
Here is a picture of what it looks like now – no different from what it looked like then, because, over the decades, Husband has polished it and trained Son and me to do the same!
I had never seen such a beautiful thing so when Inna suggested we make some grapefruit marmalade on it, I readily agreed. She showed me how to chop the grapefruit up into chunky bits the way Husband liked it and she showed me how to proportion the sugar and water and we put it on the hot plate to boil. Inna didn’t warn me that it might boil over when I settled her down for her afternoon nap.
It boiled over and so did Husband when he came in from the dairy. This put a slight halt to our romance!
jmgoyder 
Beautiful, so beautiful… This is great love and I am impressed so much dear Julie, you are both so nice and also you son too. Blessing you all. There was something like that in my childhood’s home and I remembered this now… How I wished to have it…. Thank you, with my love, nia
There’s some sad stuff coming in this love story – be prepared – hehe! Thanks again – you are very generous!
Dear Julie, you are beautiful with your heart… I can see this in all your posts, words,… This love should be the power of everything…. Love, nia
I’m actually very bad-tempered in the morning – hehe!
Sometimes we all have such a mood like that but also the key is inside of us… “Make yourself happy” this is the difficult part but we should make… Otherwise life is being much more hard…. Sorry dear Julie, I just want to share my humble thoughts sometimes I feel like that too… Love, nia
Even though I don’t know you except through our blogs, I cannot imagine you being bad-tempered. You are such a fantastic person!
Dear Julie, I love blogging and it is a great voyage for me, for my soul, for my eyes… And I love to be in this peaceful and artful world… In this geography nothing is easy… Otherwise I am happy with my son, my love and my cat and my amazing invisible world… Thank you so much. Love, nia
I know exactly what you mean!!!
angels and beauties and the sun be with you!
Reblogged this on photographyofnia and commented:
This is great love story!
Thank you so much, nia!
Takes me back to my childhood when I used to stay with my relations on the Isle of Arran in West Scotland. Most of the houses there had Aga cookers.
Yes, there are only a few aga owners in WA so there is no service and I have no idea how to light it because Husband always did that. Glad it gave you a good memory!
I can’t remember how it was lit, but it kept the kitchen nice and warm.
The drinking water was never treated and came directly from the hills behind the cottage.
Also, there was no television because the hills prevented decent reception, which may be a reason why I have lived without a TV for 13 years and never missed the drivel which is on TV.
Your memories sound fantastic!
What a beautiful thing and in remarkable condition. Well done all of you for keeping it in such good shape – though you did your best change its looks!
Yeah that marmalade incident was pretty dramatic!
Had one in our kitchen on the farm before I sold the farm. How I miss the stove, the warmth and cosy feel one got on entering the kitchen made it a favorite of mine. Ours was a wood burner.
Thanks so much for your comment – memories!!!
I loved this installment to your love story, and I want that AGA!!
Well you can’t have it!
🙂
Get in line please lol.
Ha!
lol! I didn’t realise until this post that you are living in Inna’s house – but of course, why wouldn’t you be?
I think that is why writing the parallel ‘stories’ past and present is a bit peculiar for me – like time warpish!
Hi Julie, I love this oven. Sorry I haven’t replied lately, uni is very busy but I have been reading all your posts via email which is great. Also sorry Donna and I haven’t been to see you, she is ridiculously under the pump and I am sufficiently so also. We promise to come see you during semester break.
Thanks – when is semester break?
hi Julie, sorry just saw this reply. Semester finishes (and I finish my degree) on 1st June.
Wonderful!
It’s beautiful! Your love storyis full of great chapters.
There is quite a bit of heartbreak coming up so be prepared – hehe!
Care to share your recipe for grapefruit marmelade? I am intrigued. The cooker is indeed a thing of beauty.
I’ll have to dig the recipe out – the experience was not conducive to making it again but from memory it was some 2, 4, 6 thing – like 2lbs of grapefruit chopped, 4lbs of sugar and 6 pints of water but for goodness sake don’t quote me. Inna used to chop the graperfruit chunkily. I hope this helps. Do not let it boil over!!!
I’m in lust. Your Aga is beautiful! I love the color red.
Yes and that’s a ‘now’picture – it’s hard to believe it is 35 years old! It cost him $1,000!
Your last line made me laugh – husband boiling over. How did the marmalade turn out?
The marmalade was fine but the Aga had to be taken apart and cleaned from the inside out – Husband didn’t speak to me for days (well he wasn’t Husband then of course). It was awful and I haven’t made marmalade since on that Aga!
What a beautiful stove! And a lovely story.
Thanks!!!
Never ever come between a man and his Aga….
Haha – you have me laughing now – yes, I learned this lesson the hard way!
that was a cute story
Not so cute when the marmalade boiled over the saucepan into the crevices of the stove – argh! The memory still haunts me!
I made that same mistake with my cherries last year. 😦
What a mess to clean up.
That has to be the most colorful and beautiful stove I have ever seen! What does it use for fuel?
~ Lynda
Nowadays you can get them in gas, electric etc. Ours runs on kerosene which is expensive but we only have it on for the winter so it isn’t that bad. It is the best thing I have ever cooked on and I love it!
I’ll bet! I looked at a new one online with six burners and four ovens for only $10,000.00 plus change… A Kingly range!
Yes, the prices have certainly gone up!!!
I thought things were meant to boil over. Nearly everything I cook does it. Probably because of too much multi-tasking.
Boiling over marmalade is a nightmare that I do NOT recommend!
I’ll be careful next time I’m doing that. Sticky business.
Thanks for the Aga posting! Love the red! However, I want one in blue. Years ago, I checked on the prices, so I say you’re mighty lucky to have one! Hmmm…grapefruit jelly. I may have to try that one. Hope your Saturyday with Husband is beautiful.
Unfortunately my Sat. with Husband is impossible because I am down with flu – argh! Thanks anyway.
Oh no! Take it easy, sister. You know the drill: chicken soup, Vitamin C and zinc, lots of green tea and water, and hot toddies. I guess getting a mouthful of yuck didn’t help, either. 🙂 Must be the season. Sunday night, I came down with it and have been sick all week. I made class on Wednesday only. Then my left ear went deaf with congestion and I’ve been fighting against infection. I read last night that when you feel cold/flu coming on, put five drops of hydrogen peroxide 3% in each ear. Yes, I did, and the congestion is leaving this morning. Who knew?
Hydgrogen peroxide eh – will have to try that – thank you!
I have never seen an Aga. Your blog is always an education for me!
Oh they are the best stoves in the world – amazing and beautiful!
Oh, it is a beautiful thing and the kind of thing my husband would love, along with a big farm style kitchen
There is something magical about this Aga – well, any aga actually!
Hmm Yummy! Sticky wonderful grapfruit marmalade.
When my husbad and were first married we lived on an old homestead. We heated he house by wood, had no indoor pumbing, and a wonderful decorative Cook Stove with a warming oven on top that we cooked al our meals over wood fire. .
It was an interesting lifestyle but one I was grateful that we did not have any children yet at the time.
Come on – isn’t that the stert of your love story?
Sorry – I meant ‘start’
Haha, your marmelade story is so precious! Both the marmelade and the hubby boiling over…
That was the first time I ever saw him angry – very silent angry!
Wow! That Aga is a thing of beauty! Love that vibrant red! I can just imagine the mess and smell of burnt sugar! Well, at least he wasn’t indifferent to you!
Yes, I wish I had known then that anger was better than indifference – ha!
OK I am coming to visit and taking the Aga with me when I leave 😉
You can’t have it!