I do so love it when John (Going Gently) buys a new picture or a new ornament - or somebody buys him one as a present. All those pictures on his 'art wall', all those bits and bobs (not to mention the illuminated string of dinosaurs or something he has just bought). And then there is his 'goat' he made for himself which I think stands on his mantelpiece.
Not everyone likes ornaments but I love them. Whenever I have travelled I have always bought something to bring home to remind me of the visit. Years ago - at least 35 years ago - my first husband and I bought a smallish brown pottery bowl decorated with pomegranates (I believe the area is famous for them) in Alma Ata. Almaty, as it has been referred to by Google, stopped being the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997 so it was long before that when I went with my first husband, who died in 1991. Years ago I dropped the bowl and broke it. I 'repaired' it (by no means up to The Repair Shop standard) and an hour ago tipped a dozen Clementines into it and put them on the small table in the sitting room. Then I just sat for a few minutes and thought about our visit there. The bowl triggered that thought and just for a while I was back there. As my first husband used to say 'A moment enjoyed is never wasted'.
But - daft as it may seem - on my hearth I have a bronze half-sized hare (my favourite as you know) who sits up licking his front paws. A present from my niece many years ago as we were walkng round Richmond ('our' Richmond - only ten miles from here.) I adore him and have many one-sided converations with him.
At the other end of the hearth in Summer (he is made of wood and has to fly back to his place on top of the high bookshelves once I need the fire on) sits a wooden half-sized Oyster-Catcher who is in a walking/nay stalking position of authority. We bought him -the farmer and I - at Minsmere maybe twelve years ago. He faces the hare across the hearth.
Last week end a friend bought me a bunch of Sedum from her garden and she moved the Oyster catcher to the middle of the hearth so that she could put the Sedum in his spot. When she had gone I sat looking at the hearth and smiled. I figured the Oyster Catcher was just stalking over to his Summer mate to tell him that shortly he was migrating back to the top of the book case and would see him next Spring.
The electrician came a couple of days ago to give the fire a service. This morning I saw that the bird was standing close by the hare. The question is - did the electrician move the hare or did the bird think - here's my opportunity to have a chat with the old chap at last and wander over to the hare?
Daft question I know but when you get to 90 you are allowed to be daft, If Beatrix Potter can write of 'a foxy-whiskered gentleman with black prick ears and sandy whiskers, seated on a tree stump reading a newspaper' then I can take the liberty of allowing my Oyster catcher to stalk over the hearth to say goodbye to his fastidious friend who spends all his time cleaning his feet.
.JPG)
19 comments:
I am with you Weave. I love the memories that objects bring back memories
I have a small pewter cat which I bought out of my first student grant from a very posh jewelry store on Marylebone High Street. I watched it each day walking to university and, towards the end of term had enough to buy him. The woman in the shop was a definite “Mrs Rather Nasty Smell” and didn’t like having this thread bare student in her shop. Even worse when said student bought the cat.
I have some lovely pottery angels from Peru which I hang on the inglenook at Christmas.Also have a lovely Mexican pottery nativities set - the lambs are hilarious, the sort of figure that only a parent could love but the figurines are wonderful….quite looking forward to Christmas to getting them out.
I am certainly not a minimalist!
Oh yes! The perfect take on memories and old friends. Enjoy!
I have several possessions that have become so endowed with memories that i could never part with them.
My sister made me a rather wonderful papier mâché cat (fondly named Corky as his legs have bottles inside as part of his armature), and my husband and I loved him. One day, Derek told me he was worried because he had seen the animal running about. As he had Parkinson’s and had recently been diagnosed with the onset of Parkinson’s dementia, I bought Corky a red leather collar with a bell so that we could catch him ‘at it’ - the cat that is. (We never did.)
Which reminds me that while in hospital for an unrelated matter, my beloved told me that there was a lion roaming the corridors and he had reported it to the rather stern nurse, who had dealt with him with short shrift. When I gently reminded him that he might have been hallucinating, he said “ Oh yes.” A pause, followed by “Good job I didn’t tell her about the giant frog in the doorway then.”
PS: Thank you for prompting these bitter sweet memories. That’s the beauty of these things, isn’t it? Just for a little while, one is taken back to the place one so longs to be.
I'm no minimalist either and some ornaments take me back to people and places in a heartbeat. Baking cookies from my mother's recipe and the fragrance and taste have me back at the kitchen table with her ever so briefly.
Oh, and I'm about 10 miles from Richmond, Virginia!
Hugs!
The ornaments moving around to talk to each other sounds like it could be the opening of a children's story. I too bring back something from each trip I go on. Not always an ornament, sometimes a piece of textile locally made or a ring or a hat.
In the end I had to stop bringing things back from my trips. The biggest was a four foot high wooden carved woman from West Africa that we sat with between our legs on the plane. She weighs so much that I have a hard time moving her now.. that was from the late 60’s I think when there were no restrictions on the weight of your bags. I have so many “treasures” and they mean so much to me. I understand your feelings toward yours, Weave. Enjoy!
I have too many ornaments for a small flat, but as new ones arrive, earlier ones get moved into my bedroom, the spare room or even the kitchen! I too have hares, a stag, an unidentified shoreline bird and a robin, among others. I have been known to buy birthday and Christmas presents for relatives on our summer holidays, as I love exploring potteries, galleries and gift shops in other regions. I often say good night or good morning to the animals in my bedroom, so you are not alone!
We have lots of what I call "knickknacks" around the house, but all of them were given to us by beloved family and friends, or else we purchased them during special occasions. But I'm really not a fan of too much clutter and small items I have to dust. And unfortunately my late mother-in-law LOVED to visit yard sales and thrift stores and gift us lots of (for lack of a better word) "junk". I loved her dearly, but I'd rather not have so many of these items on display. Unfortunately my husband has a hard time separating the truly meaningful things from the excess and I let it go, since it was his mom and I respect that.
I have a dear friend who is knick-knack crazy, to the extent that many, many things peep out from trees, shrubs and hidden nooks in her garden...ornaments delightfully painted and carefully placed.
Her garden is very private, being blocked from street view by a high fence, but visually, once you enter, its a bit overwhelming until you get to her lovely 'peace garden', a memorial space to remember departed loved ones and pets who have passed on. Riotous colour and chaos left behind there is quiet amongst the hushed trees and a angel in prayer.
I prefer the garden to inside the home where the wallpaper competes fiercely with posters and large prints, jostling for your attention while her two big dogs seek it also.
Always a relief to get home, as the chatter overflows as much as the ornaments!
I always need a lie down. - Pam.
They are getting in a good chat before the opportunity goes.
Like you, I also have objects purchased while abroad as well as gifts from relatives passed. Among them are bronze elephants, place setting for 12 from Germany, china from the UK and a small collection of hand carved and painted wooden ducks. There are stories behind each item and this adds to the pleasure they bring.
I don't buy 'souvenirs', but I do buy antiques or practical (usually food related) objects when away. Most of them are used regularly.
Like you, I want my flat neat and tidy, and having less clutter makes it easier to achieve that. But ornaments that mean something to us are not clutter. The pieces I have all have meaning for me, if not for anybody else. There are a few inherited from my grandparents, and even one from my great-grandmother. Others were gifts from family and dear friends.
As for souvenirs, I can not remember having bought ornaments anywhere I went to, but I do like to bring home items of clothing, books and - when not against customs restrictions - food or drink. Since I always need to be able to carry my own luggage, the number and size/weight of things is limited anyway.
I agree with Rachel - your ornaments moving around and talking to each other sounds like something from a children's book. As a little girl, I was convinced that my toys (dolls, stuffed animals etc.) came alive when nobody was around.
When I first read this post I thought "I don't have any ornaments, well, maybe one or two. But looking around I seem to have quite a few, ranging from mementos of my granny to items made by children I cared for at the school (mostly items I bought at the school fete to jolly things along). Oh, and a couple of framed LP covers and some shells and pebbles from various visits to the coast, my dad's old pocket knife, an RSPB mug which was a gift from my brother......
John = I have my Dad's pocket knife - quite useless now but I still treasure it.
Thanks veryone - I dwwl alightly less daft after reading your replies.
Nothing wrong with a bit of whimsy in one's life. If you actually hear conversations between the two of them, I'd tell you that it is time to seek help!
Sorry for spelling in my reply - did it in a hurry before going out to lunch!! Obviously I mean'I feel slightly less daft after reading your replies.
You have such clever posts, Pat. I enjoy how you share your thoughts with us!
Post a Comment