There is nothing of great value here. A ginger jar with a cracked lid. A Christmas bauble bought in New York. A silver framed photo of Chris' grandmother. A Inlaid box stuffed full of family papers.
The flotsam and jetsam of two lives as well as one shared life together.
I don't look into the bookcase much, like most things at home you look at them without seeing. Today I did see them......Coal dust from the fire had seeped onto the shelves and needed dusting away, so for a few minutes I enjoyed the gentle memory trip that " things collected " can give you.
happy memories :)
ReplyDeleteYou keep your amyl in the fridge then, and not on the shelves? Well the British seem to keep a lot of things on shelves that we would normally refrigerate.
ReplyDeleteBooks?
DeleteYes, one does like a nicely chilled book.
DeleteThere's sometimes something so reassuring about doing this.
ReplyDeleteI see the metronome, who is the musician?
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
Chris is the musical one
Deletefunny how cleaning makes us focus our attention on things we normally overlook.
ReplyDeleteI like the beautiful female figure on the bottom shelf. And the only book title I can read is "Baking." Could this be significant?
ReplyDeleteHer name is Sylvia and is a deco wade piece
DeleteI love the way the china plate is tucked in among the books and the metronome and the family papers -- all cosy and safe! xo
ReplyDeleteThe plate was one of the few I got from my mother. I broke the other by accident, so put this one safely awY
DeleteHaving something like that in your home is extraordinarily meaningful. You can't put a price on memories.
ReplyDeleteI love 'those minutes'.
ReplyDeleteThe things that trigger thoughts and memories. My great grandfather, was an Englishmen, who went to Wales to supervise in a coal mine, married a local girl born in Swansea, moved back to London, worked in tunnel construction, had three kids, and moved to New York. It all started with coal dust.
ReplyDeleteWasnt much of Manhattan owned by a Welshman?
DeleteIf it was him, he lost it in the great depression.
DeleteI always find people who have no clutter, very dull.
ReplyDeleteSo do I. Clutter is friendly.
DeleteThe things that we have and no one else values are the ones that define us.
ReplyDeleteThat was profound
DeleteOne of the few good arguments for cleaning. In sorting out the basement last week, my husband found his grandfather's high school yearbook from 1912.
ReplyDeleteThings... we all have them, but we call them treasures when we take the time to dust. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely collection John. We need collections like that in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThat looks exactly like my bookshelves John - and I often think that all those little treasures will be meaningless to anyone once I have popped my clogs - and I ask myself 'does it matter?'
ReplyDeleteI worry about who will love my " things" when I am gone. I took a selection of my Mum's ornaments and bits and bobs when she died and I love those too.
DeleteMy eye was drawn to the little dog in front of the metronome when I enlarged the photo. I would love to know any story behind that! What breed is it for starters?
ReplyDeleteFrancis..he is a little brass Welsh terrier, given to me by my twin sister. On the top shelf is a brass Scottie sent to me from tom Stephenson a whole back!
DeleteWhen we were advised to buy a metronome for our son I was really disappointed when the shop assistant handed us a digital one! The only ones I was familiar with were like yours which is gorgeous. We have many bookcases and 'things'. I've been into some modern houses which seem to be very minimalist and I wonder where the books and other stuff are. Our house may be a bit messy to the outsider but it's homely to us and filled with things that have memories.
ReplyDeleteI love your bookcase. I have an almost identical inlaid box inherited from my auntie. Inside are bundles of Brooke bond cards collected from tea packets. I really don't know what to do with them but I can't bear to part with them.
ReplyDeleteThat's a perfect cabinet, full of memories to dip into every so often.
ReplyDeleteWe are battling with tons of books, photos and bits and bobs, trying to make our house look like the show home it needs to resemble in order to sell it. It's not easy to get rid of stuff but there just isn't the cupboard space to hide it all!
Ohhh, I love it! Every item has a little story that is only known to the owner.
ReplyDeleteAdd me to another viewer who's eyes rested on the gorgeous metronome. So happy we have one, which resides on our piano. Although we don't use either very often, we're glad to have them.
ReplyDeleteNice. It shows how enjoyable a little light dusting can be.
ReplyDeleteMakes you look at stuff......I want you all to try it
DeleteThe bookshelf is interesting just like you John!
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't everyone keep pewter tankards on their bookshelves?
ReplyDeleteIt's silver! Solid silver!
DeleteAnd that is why things like those are definitely not "clutter" in our lives.
ReplyDelete'Like a walk in the park. Things like a kiss in the dark'.
ReplyDeleteOK, now I'll read your post....just had to get that out John! You trigger things in me!!
I love these 'shelves of life' too John. Real treasures.
Seeing your delightfully cluttered bookshelf I glanced over at mine. Above the reach of little Alex, it is boringly neat and tidy. All shelves within his reach are a disaster area!
ReplyDeleteThat is your army training
DeleteSpock and span
I wondered when you would mention dust. The damned stuff seeps everywhere.
ReplyDeleteEven in your underpants
DeleteYour little bookshelf contains much the same as mine John. Treasured bits and pieces I collected when my marriage broke down to fill the gaps of stuff left behind, stuff my children have given me over the years, a photo of my beloved grandad in a little round frame, a silver match case given to me recently by my dad as an "heirloom". A piece of fairground china that is part of my heritage. And several pretty cream tea plates - non matching, with floral designs on them from local antique shops. All of course with the typical layer of dust that hangs around a lot of bookshelves!
ReplyDeleteA life on four shelves x
DeleteThat sounds like a book title, John.
DeleteI can't read the book titles.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Love the book shelf.. Lots of memories stored on those shelves..I have one similar...don't we all?
ReplyDeleteta ta for now from Iowa:)
Thank goodness for that!
ReplyDeleteNot missing much Agatha Christie, dickens,old books on chickens ailments, Harper lee, Truman capote, 20 shades of gray
You've made me feel a bit guilty about all my clutter. I am off to dust my bookshelves now.
ReplyDeleteokay - the glass fronted bookshelf - with all the pretties as we like to call them...youre right - hold off on kids. That is not a safe area - for the pretties!!!!
ReplyDeletexox
We have begun a program of sort/keep?/throw out. It is hard to sort through all those pieces that signify our lives together and those of our dead ancestors.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a wonderful collection. :-)
ReplyDeleteI like things tucked behind glass ... you only have to dust them once a year :-)
ReplyDeleteLots of memories out on view, but like you say how often do we 'see' them.
i adore bookcases with things i can take time and peer over!
ReplyDelete