The change from year to the next often gets you thinking of the past. I heard this and was transported back to me childhood. Not only for the music but for the machines themselves. Thankfully, I didn’t have to use one very often but oh the memories of carbon paper!
Do you remember the music? Did you use one of these?
We have collected our baubles and ornaments over more years than we may like to think of! Many of them have stories behind them.
This one is over 10 years old! That is remarkable given that it was made by a seven year old boy out if tissue paper, wire and beads. When I was presented with it I promised to put it on my tree. When the decorations came down, it was carefully put into the box with the others. I had no idea I would till be using it so many years later.
If I position the lights carefully behind it, it looks stunning! I wonder what he is doing now and what he would think of his artwork still adorning his head teacher’s Christmas tree?
The Bowl
The bowl above is an attractive one. Somewhere there are salad servers that match. The type with wooden spoon & fork shapes with china handles that match the bowl. Altogether a nice set.
So, why you may ask am I writing about it? Well it has made me very sad. I was given the bowl last week when we met up with the newly-weds. They had been asked by DS grandma to give it to me. I was a bit confused at first as to the reason for the gift. The reason for the get-together had been to celebrate my birthday but grandma has long stopped giving me gifts & besides it wasn’t wrapped.
After a few questions it all became clear. The bowl had been a present to grandma from my mother a long time ago (mum has been gone for over 30 years so a long time). It was still in a pristine condition as if it hadn’t ever been used. The children explained that grandma had been doing some sorting out & seemed to be getting rid of things. That made me sad.
She is 89 & as you may know has recently had a stroke. She is now bedridden but completely in charge of all her faculties. When speaking to her on the phone there is only a slight change in her pronunciation to indicate anything is different. I felt so sad that she was now at that time of her life when she was ‘sorting out’. Obviously, folk do sort out financial affairs before they leave this mortal toil partly to save squabbling but also I hope so that they can share in the delight of those who have benefitted. That is completely different to giving away china! It felt almost as if Grandma had borrowed the bowl & was returning it.
To me this lady is my mother-in-law. Although she is the mum of my first husband (remember I’ve had 3!‘Magnificent 7!‘) she is the only one to hold that position. She is my son’s Grandma & is a very key part in all our lives. She was never a large woman so the gradual shrinkage of her body is not such a shock. She still has opinions about the family & we still would not dare argue!(see ‘Bewitched’)
But there is still the bowl. I had to ask her about it & it turns out that furniture had to be moved upstairs to accommodate the changes needed to convert the lounge to hospital ward. The bowl had been in the side-board (do we have those now?) & they didn’t think it was worth taking it upstairs. So it was ‘given back’. Although it was not a conscious decision to ‘sort out’, it still feels like tying up lose ends & has got me thinking about all the things we collect over a life time. Maybe we should give them out before we leave rather than leaving them to be ‘cleared out’ by those we leave behind.
Will you ‘sort out’ before you go do you think?
This is the last week for our Alphabe Rainbow Summer School. That means we are looking at Violet.
For me, Violet is not about a colour but a wonderful person. She was my father’s sister which made her my aunt-my only aunt. She was the matriarch of the family & as she had two children with five children between them, family gatherings were quite large! Continue reading
This is my entry for Kat’s Writing Workshop at Mamas Losing it. I have chosen prompt 1 ‘Dear Mommy and/or Daddy…(write a letter to yourself from one of your children)’.Do pop over & read the other entries!
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Dear Mum,
Thanks for all those photos you gave us. Gosh they go right through my childhood don’t they? Carly is going to do something fabulous with them for the wedding but you’ll ge the em back of course! Continue reading
This is my contribution for Saturday Centus. If you remember, we have 100 words to add to the prompt to make a creative piece. This is the brain child of wonderful Jenny Matlock. When you’ve read mine, go over & read the others. You’ll find they are all different
Driving six hours is a long time on the road. Six hours spent singing car-aoke and taking in the picturesque scenery, but mostly reminiscing about the good times. But those days were long gone and my mind was in a different place now. Or was it? My pulse quickened as I passed the road sign which read “Medford 27 miles.”
How many years ago was it? It certainly seemed like centuries. Would I ever have believed then that one day I would be driving myself?
Father hated driving really. It was a necessary evil to him. However, the tradition of this annual visit had to be maintained.
Now I was alone with my thoughts. Had those trips really been fun? What about Mark, always feeling sick & having to go in the front? I was always sure it was a ploy to get that prime spot.
Now, it’s just me. How do I feel? Well, it’s different. Will they see that?
Julia's Place 