Grannymar

The other day Ramana wrote about his favourite chair.  In the post not alone did we see photos of it, we also saw a picture of the younger man and his beautiful late wife Urmeela.  We learned a little more about their life together as well as the history of the piece of furniture.

In true Ramana fashion, he threw down the gauntlet and asked if we had a favourite piece of furniture to show & share….

My special treasure has shapely legs…

It was purchased as a gift before I was even a gleam in my father’s eye.  It was a gift for a woman.  A woman I never had the opportunity to meet.  The fact that she loved and cared for it was enough for me.  It may be my treasure at the moment, but I am really a temporary guardian until the day when I pass it on to the next generation.

It arrived into its first home in several pieces and when put together there were no nails needed.  Wooden dowels were the means of locking the sections together.

It is an occasional table.  A very, very unusual occasional table.  The wood is dark but not ebony.  Each of the four legs is carved into the shape of an elephants head with added eyes and tusks in ivory.

Alas, one of my predecessors  was not over fond of the table and made it the home for an indoor plant that was housed in a heavy black metal three legged pot, the type used in Ireland for cooking on open fires many generations earlier.  The legs of the pot caused irreparable damage to the inlaid Ivory on the table top.

The weight was in the table top which was all one piece.  The legs were attached to the underside of the top and to four connecting cross bars with a central decoration like a little wooden dish. At the edge of this dish were four shapes that look like snake heads.

Is that a pineapple sitting in the end of the trunk?

A little detail of the ivory:

The table was purchased by Jack during his war time service in India, before he moved on to Burma.  He had it sent home to his beloved mother in the North East of England.  I am sure that when the parcel arrived it was rather a shock, firstly to receive such a gift but it would also be an indication for his parents as to what country he was in.  Back then letters home were not alone very slow, but censored and no mention of where the sender was stationed was allowed.  Unlike today, where those at war have mobile phone and email access with their families, back then families did not know where their loved ones were.

Jack told me a story once in the wee small hours of the morning, when the ghosts of torment and nightmares wander achingly through the dark, that his mother sat up in bed one night and shouted to his father “Something has happened Our john!”.  The story was confirmed at a later stage by his aunt who also added that on that night Clara’s (Jack’s mother) hair turned white.  It was months before they were told that he was injured and back in hospital in Lincolnshire, England many miles away from home.

“May I go outside for a smoke?” asked the young lady politely. She sounded so gentle that I hardly recognised her! Elly was on best behaviour. We felt very special as we were honoured guests at the home of the Bride-to-be, just two evenings before her wedding.

On our journey along the road in West Barnstable on the Cape the houses were brightly lit and decorated for the forthcoming Thanksgiving Holiday. On arrival at our destination the Bride’s brother was there to guide us to our parking space. The pathway to the door was lit by candlelight. It all looked very romantic. The greeting was heartfelt warm and welcoming, but to the disgust of our hosts we were arriving during a power outage. So life on the other side of the pond was not very different to that back in Ireland. We were quite used to power cuts back at home, sometimes they were scheduled but alas on other occasions, due to vandalism.

Introductions were made and we immediately felt at home and the chat flowed freely, the drink glowed in the candle light and we drank a toast to the young couple and to their families. After an hour the lights came on and our surroundings were revealed to us, a very comfortable home with some beautiful items of furniture.

Being a mid November evening and rather cold outside Elly was taken to the ‘Studio’ for her smoke. “Mum you should see the Studio!” Elly said to me on her return some time later. “Ask Stephen, I am sure he would love to show it to you!” I didn’t need to ask; Stephen had heard and immediately invited me to the tour. There I was in a foreign country, with a strange man, on my way to see his etchings wonderful works of art.

I already mentioned the table where I had my breakfast in a previous post. On this occasion I was enjoying work on a totally different plane, it showed the amazing talent and wonderful sense of humour of my host! Stephen only uses recycled items, timbers discarded and considered well past being useful. With careful thought, time, care and love he breathes new life into his amazing creations.

I actually sat in here.

Stephen calls it an ‘In-House’, it is actually a little office with desk and bench seat. The seat is lifted in the photo above!

And for something totally different:

Or for when my time comes

To save space you can put me on end

I originally set out to write about cooking implements but the final item totally blew my mind and took me off on a tangent. I hope you enjoyed my travels!

Back in February I made a Podcast about the day Nancy came to Town. That day we enjoyed lunch at the Crown Bar in Belfast. This popular bar is the only National Trust-owned pub in Northern Ireland and has been described as the best preserved Victorian pub in the UK.

My podcast inspired Grandad to write about his memories of Belfast.

I see in the Belfast Telegraph Newspaper this evening that the work on restoration of the building is almost complete. The ceiling hidden for years by a thick nicotine layer has been scraped and the restorers are discovering the beautiful colours beneath.

Project manager Claire McGill said booths, ceiling and tiles have all been given a new lease of life. More than 100 mirrored glass pieces from the snugs have been restored and will be reinstalled this month.

Nancy, come October it might be time for another visit to Belfast.

Now I wonder if these restorers working at the Crown Bar, had a little go at Grandad’s lungs what wonderful colours would they uncover?

In a comment to my latest Podcast about my Sewing Box, Brianf mentioned ‘a round tin box with an Amish hex sign on it.’ It was where his late mother kept all her sewing needs. One item he had fond memories of was a Darning Ball or Egg.

Typically, darners were in the shape of an egg with an attached handle and were quite handy for darning socks at the heel. Most were made of wood, but more expensive models were made of silver with ivory handles.

It must be about 40 years since I heard of anyone taking time to darn socks, but who knows they might be next years top fashion item! Don’t laugh, over the past few years we have had torn or slashed clothes, seams on the outside and even underwear worn over the top of clothing!

Brianf’s comment made me think of some little items I have collected over the years and consider to be my treasures. None of them are of any great material value but when I handle them they bring the previous owner a little closer to me.

A silver spirit level which measures 3” long in old money, but for the young folk out there who never used inches lets say it is 7.5cms long. This object belonged to my late husband and was well used over the years. I keep it to hand and still make use of it.

Next I have a ladies Mother of Pearl penknife. Compared to penknives today it is rather ancient. It has two simple blades and that’s it. I sometimes carry this in my handbag it comes in handy for peeling fruit.

A Tuning Fork that belonged to my father’s eldest sister. She was a Primary School Teacher and the lady who gave me my love for sewing. I might talk more about her in a blog someday.

Going the full circle I come back to the sewing theme. I have a wooden spool from Leek in Staffordshire, England. These early spools were refillable. You sent back the empty spools and paid the fee to have a new supply of thread.

Now what do you consider to be your special treasures?