Grandma P's Ramblings Through Life

Those shelves started to seem rather messy and rather stark because a lot of it has a white back ground and it all looked so obvious just above the TV screen.

I decided today that I had got the energy to do some moving around.

The collection of loved Slovenian and Thai souvenirs are now arranged opposite the sofa and the commemorative china sits above the cabinet. The cabinet is crammed full of family memories - each piece reminds me of somebody or a special time.

The items arranged here all have family connections. The lower shelf is the Crawley/Ifield collection - places which have been my home since I was just 5 years old. And Crawley has been Bill's home since his birth in 1940 - and The Brands side of his family for a lot longer.

The upper shelf features places connected with my ancestors. The Monks are on the left and the Frosts/Wares are on the right.

You can catch a glimpse of a picture on the wall. Having been born in Kent it feels good to have some Kentish scenes on display. The artist is Rowland Hilder.

Here are some of the Crawley souvenirs. It is fascinating to me that a small town (as it once was) that has never been on the tourist trail should provide so much of interest.

I am always on the look out for more - china and paper ephemera items.

Naturally I have quite a good collection of old postcards of the places connected with family history and my own personal history.

I never imagined when I was a little girl sorting out my stamp album that one day I would have such strong connections with Siam, as Thailand was then known. There were portraits of a young and good looking King of Siam on many of the stamps - and he still sits on the throne today.

The picture above shows some of our Thai souvenirs.

Slovenia is our own special place - not visited by any other member of the family. The display shows things we have bought and things we have found. Our friend, Neli, could hardly believe the price I was prepared to pay for the baby milk tin whilst at the flea market in Ljubljana.
In a dish to the right are conkers from a special horse chestnut tree.
On the white lace cloth, given to us by Neli, are little fir cones and some nails that we watched being made in the old fashioned way at the old nail making centre.

I have to admit I was tired after changing the shelves around - but glad to have done something.
Jo came round for a while in the middle of the day.
Bill has been at the shop - where it was busier than last Tuesday.
But then the weather has been much better this week.

Lets hope we have some more dry days.