The Romance of an Empty Chest

The steamer trunk, well used from the 1890's going on wonderful journeys, filled with glamorous gowns and jewelry, exquisite artifacts on its journey home, always robust, sturdy and ready to protect its contents.  Passed down through family members, through generations and the chimes of Big Ben announcing new centuries.  I imagine the romance of the 1920's and 1930's, the harshness of the 1940's, the freedom of later decades.

 Sadly the romance of this empty chest had been lost on its owners and it was listed on Ebay for my Dad to find.  Now in 2016, it has traveled to my home where it will spend its retirement sitting at the top of my stairs, pride of place and perfect proportions to be treasured. 

This beautiful piece of furniture could probably tell some wonderful stories, but for the beginning of this post, let's just look at the interior.  

Sad and forlorn isn't it?  But, this sadness and deterioration is beautiful in its own way.  Some would restore it with jazzy papers or rip it back to the wood, but I'm one that respects history and what an object has to tell. 

Of course there has to be a secret compartment which is now quite obvious.  I wonder how many little hands were told about this little space and immersed themselves for minutes trying to find it.

So, what do I have to offer this delightful new addition to my home?  Well, after planting the acorns from Greenwich Park last week in memory of my Grandad, I thought the time had come to seriously sit down with my Grandad's papers that are dotted around the different rooms, and put them altogether in one place.

It seems appropriate to have them in a chest that was well used during the time he was a child and one that when you open the lid, has the exquisite smell of old mustiness mixed with old papers.

The moments that I will want to immerse myself in history will be in two flicks of old catches, the lid will open, the smells will remind me and the writing will take me back to his arm chair in the back room where I would sit on the floor beside him and listen to the historical facts.

As I spent this day looking through the folders, notebooks, maps and pieces of paper, it was time to let go of some where his history had repeated itself, time to be ruthless but, look what I am left with...

The Empty Chest is now Grandad's Chest.  Full to brimming with historical treasures and family memories, a true heirloom.   The Victorian linen tablecloth passed down through the generations and only used on very special occasions, can now be safely stored on top of the papers.

Heartfelt ribbon separating the different parts of history, London Docklands, Auxiliary Fire Brigade, Ministry of Works, Family History etc etc.

Nostalgia is a big thing with me and I have been throwing up some surprises lately!

An old typewriter in the downstairs study next to the computer...

The Singer Sewing Machine in the dining room...

The old rotary dial phone in the hall...

And now a robust chest containing the thoughts of a very, very dear man to me.  It's been a long time since his death but I now feel strong enough to do this and the sense of achievement of condensing the enormous amount of boxes into one chest has consumed me today.  A productive and happy day spent with my Grandad!

But now, the house is full of people again and the sun is beginning to set casting a golden glow to the buildings we can see from our home.

... and little Tia has been very patient today, watching me go from room to room emptying shelves, cupboards and drawers, but I think she's ready for a walk now.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Capture and Share #10 - Keep Away from the Mud

The beautiful, lovely and sweet Tia on a more gravelly path on the Fen.  The mud is at epic proportions after the sugarbeet harvest so, step away from the muddy paths Tia, step away!  (As you can see, the ears and paws have already been exploring that muddy gorgeousness!)

Five on Friday - Views of my Week

And in the blink of an eye it's Friday again!  Time to look through the camera card to look and see what I have captured. I am absolutely delighted to share with you a few photos of another trip down to London on what was the beginning of a sun shiny day.  My trip this time was work related and involved entering the House of Lords at Westminster.  Normally no photos can be taken here but out on the terrace (the part you can see from Westminster Bridge and the opposite side of the river) I was able to capture a few extra special moments.

So, No. 1 of my Five on Friday is the view from the House of Lords Terrace.  Looking over my favourite river towards Westminster Bridge and the London Eye.  The perfect place to sit with colleagues and enjoy a cup of coffee.  A very happy view indeed.

Scaffolding above us for the maintenance of such an iconic and beautiful building.  The red awning to signify the Lords area and the green for the Commons.  Big Ben striking the hours and the quarter hours above us.  A very special view.

After walking through the incredible rooms and halls with paintings, chandeliers, ancient books on tall bookcases lining the lush corridors (oh yes I was in heaven!), old clocks above ornate doors, we were shown into the Lord's Chamber and stood near the throne.  Solid gold and incredible beauty surrounded us.  A place that is so surreal and hard to believe I was standing there.  

2.  After lunch (House of Lords fish and chips were incredible!) we had to leave before the House sits and this is when we realised the sun had disappeared as it did last week when I was in Greenwich.

Then, thunder and lightening of epic proportions!!  TAXI!!!!  This is the view from the taxi window as we passed Westminster Abbey!

3.  From the City to the Country and the hustle and bustle of London is a long way away.  Here on the Fen me and Tia walk amongst the wildflowers look up at the enormous skies.  The contrast of my view from one day to the next couldn't be any different.

The yellow and red lines on busy London streets are replaced by the green and blue lines of the dykes.  The yellows and greens are now being interrupted by scrumptious reds of other flowers popping up.

With occasional flashes of vibrant fiery red in amongst the luscious green wheat swaying in the Fen winds.

4.  With my past two trips to London having me dancing in the rain, it is only right that I show you my progress so far with the Sheepjes CAL for this blanket.  I am way behind, but loving the new stitches I am discovering and viewing while resting in the evenings.

5.  Lastly, well it has to be a little view of my Tia.  One year ago I met this little girl after she had been rescued.  One year on she has survived so much change, being spoilt, tooth loss and long happy walks making new furry friends along the way.  She still hates cats but there are none on the Fen so she can safely trot off with her little friends and incredibly happy.  Here she is on the swing enjoying the sun!  I have never known a dog to love the sunshine so much, she practically sunbathes!!

So that's my five views of my week to share with the lovely Amy at Love Made My Home's Five on Friday.  Go along and read some lovely blogs showcasing their five too.

Have a lovely weekend.

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Five on Friday at Love Made my Home

The Field of Sunshine

Every Saturday I get up early to start the house work before the rest of the family get under my feet (I am sure they think the elves and fairies do this on a Friday night!), and then the rest of the day is mine.  With Mr and Miss Teen doing their own thing nowadays and Hubs having his own jobs to do to get the house ship shape, me and Tia can pop down to the Fen for a quiet and refreshing walk.  With the week being fairly dry I knew that the tracks would be easier to walk on for me and Tia wouldn't be as muddy, so off we went with Tia in her favourite position in the car with her jowls flapping as she popped her head out of the window.  Once her seatbelt is released, she chooses where she wants to go, and luckily this time she wanted to head off on her favourite track.  It was dry in places so she went on ahead.

I was glad she chose this track today as I could see in the distance a yellow line.  There are lots of these around the villages at the moment and it is not the usual rape seed that tickles and angers the nose.  No, the yellow line was a field of gorgeous sunshiney daffodils.

We happily walked along the deep dyke getting closer and closer to the sunshine field with hints of what was to come at the side of the slippery banks.

Our only company apart from each other were some horses in their coats, this one was very inquisitive...

... above us the Crowland Gliders were taking advantage of the good weather ...

... and the farm machinery all primed and ready for the season ahead.

Before long we were at the field.  The wind making the little petals of sunshine dance in sequence and enjoying the snippets of the spring sun.

Line after line of these precious flowers all saying goodbye to the winter months and looking forward to the year ahead.

I'm so glad that Tia decided to take this walk today, her face says it all!

Back home and with a cup of tea for me, a Bonio and fresh water for Tia, it was time to refresh the bottles of springtime with the latest blooms.  A happy and content Saturday with an evening to relax and plan the weeks ahead and maybe a spot of crochet!

I hope you have a moment for you to enjoy this weekend.

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Sunlit Sunday

Five on Friday - A Finished Blanket and Starting in the Greenhouse

1. Yay! I've finished.  I have thoroughly enjoyed making the Painted Roses Blanket (pattern is with the fantastic Cherry Heart here).  Even though the colours are brighter than I would normally use it felt as though I was painting my own roses for a narrow boat.  It was fantastic to see the painted roses come to life and imagine the blanket being on my lap as I travel down canals... one day!  Those who follow me on Instagram would have seen my progress, so I am so happy that this is now finished.  My fingers are itching now for another project, maybe some scrap usage will have to be in order before I go back to the Wool Warehouse for more.

2. Last year I didn't have time to work in the greenhouse and so I really missed disappearing into this little corner with a salt cellar and picking and eating tomatoes straight from the vine - my little indulgence.  So, once again when I went in to see what seeds I had left over, I had to battle my way through tools, recycling bags and well, generally everything not associated with a greenhouse.  Yes, again the men of the house had decided that this was a see through shed and the subsequent shouting under my breath ensued!  With calm restored I set about visiting garden centres to get my imaginative juices flowing and trying to remember companion planting so that sprays weren't needed so much during the insect season (ooo I hate that part!).  It's a start, along with some outside vegetables such as runner beans, french beans, beetroot, and a lettuce garden.  Now, where's the sun??!!

3. Trips for the year.  I have been looking at places to visit this year and share with you as I go, so hopefully the list for 2016 will be the following (feet permitting)...

4.  Tia.  Oh how she is enjoying her walks back on the Fens again.  No complaints that she has to trudge through muddy fields and then promptly gets thrown into the sink to get the mud off her gorgeous paws.  She sticks with my slow walk and then gives me a knowing look before trotting off, but not too far ahead.  A clever and caring little pooch who's face says it all.  I keep imagining what her life was like this time last year before she was rescued and how she looks and is treated now.  Don't forget she has her own Facebook page.  If you want to follow her she's here.

Of course, when she comes home she is straight onto her chair and soaks up the rays!

5.  A special birthday for Mr Teen who is now an adult.  Yes, he is now 18 and can now go out into the world and do anything he pleases (he was pretty much doing that anyway!).  We celebrated with a family lunch in a local pub and he had his first official drink - it had to be Guinness!!  and then his day was his own. Where on earth did that 18 years go?

And so that's my Five this week.  Thanks so much to Amy at Love Made My Home for the link up each week and congratulations on your Five on Friday Anniversary!

Also, thank you all so much for your comments yesterday on my rather depressing post.  Your comments really do mean so much to me and I am sure this is just a February blues moment.  I'm getting there!  My London fix is hopefully not too far away and I will be able to see everything from the top of the Shard!  Happy Days!  Until then, let's see that Painted Roses Blanket again blowing in the wind...

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Five on Friday at Love Made My Home