May 2, 2014

A house full of memories

by Barbara DeLeo

It's nearly the end of the school holidays here and for this last week the kids and I have travelled down to visit my mum and dad in the city. 'Granny' and 'Pops' live pretty close to the centre of town in a beautiful old house that's home to lots of wonderful treasures and trinkets. Although I didn't grow up in this house it's full of the things from my childhood that bring back amazing memories and I thought I'd share a few with you.

This is the piano I learned on from the age of five. My maternal grandmother was a music teacher who travelled by horse and buggy around the farms of the district teaching piano and singing. Years later she bought this for my mother who eventually taught me and I learned for twelve years. From when my kids were tiny they've loved to "play" Granny's piano, often in pairs and often all four together. Thankfully, one of my girls is starting lessons this month so it'll be lovely hear the next generation playing on this grand old lady the next time we visit.
My mother was from a farm and we spent every single one of my childhood holidays there with my grandparents. In the vast farmhouse kitchen there was a word burning stove, a rack that you would haul up to the ceiling to dry the clothes, and this amazing old clock that would chime on the quarter hour day in, day out. It now sits on the mantelpiece at Mum and Dad's and still has the power to fill me with a sense of calm with its quiet tic-tock.
My mum has always loved antiques but she's not usually one to hoard every little thing from throughout her life. One thing she has kept is our special toys and this one was mine. She tells me she bought Mr Foxy from a church fair and I love the fact that he's a fox dressed up in hunting attire. The perfect revenge! 'Foxy' accompanied me on many of my life's great adventures but I especially remember cuddling him when I had to visit the doctor for stitches once. I've thought about taking 'Foxy' home with me but he seems like the sort of gentleman who'd prefer the quiet and dignified company at Mum and Dad's rather than the madness that is our house.

As it's only the kids and I on the trip this time and there's room in the car, Mum has asked that I take any of my treasures back home with me. This is one of the things my grandparents gave me when they left the old farm house and I'll be taking it back home with us tomorrow. It's the butter churn that my grandmother made butter in all through the war years. It even has brand new butter wrappers and butter paddles inside. Isn't it a beauty!
 Do you have any special family treasures that have been passed down through the generations?


14 comments:

  1. Barbara

    What beautiful memories and photos I have a few things around my place that come from my grandparents place as well as my parents one of my favourite things is 2 very old photos of a Cupid type little girl both different and they are black and white in very old frames and I remember whenever I slept over at my Nana's and I would ask who the litlle girl was she would always say they were her when she was little LOL and when Nana moved into a nursing home she gave them to me because she how much I loved them and they are ver special to me, thank you for sharing your treasures :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Love the sound of of your little Cupid girl, Helen and your Nana sounds like she was a real character!

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  2. Hi Barbara, what lovely photos and memories. It's the memories that make the objects so special.

    Have you seen old pictures and children's books with Victorian-era little boys running down the street, bowling hoops with sticks? My parents have one made of steel, with a rod looped onto it by a blacksmith - all ready to bowl. My father used it as a boy and I've no idea how far back in the family it was used but it's terrific. I used to use it too and it's brilliant fun! It makes me smile now to see it.

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    1. I have seen those hoops, Annie. What a fantastic thing to have kept! I'd love to have a go with it :)

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  3. Gorgeous pics, Barb! I have my great grandfather's piano, which is beautiful. And a smaller treasure... I have a box of old stamps (you know the ones you use with ink) that were my mother's and her siblings. It's in a wooden box with 3 drawers and the smell of ink always reminds me of it. When I was in infants and primary school we'd handmake our Christmas cards using these stamps. Happy memories.

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    1. Oh, Michelle, I remember my grandmother had some of those stamps as well and your mention of the ink has brought more memories back. They sound beautiful.

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  4. Barb, love that butter churn. It brings back memories of staying with my girlfriend and her mother always making the butter. We have a beautiful clock from France that came from my mother-in-law. Unfortunately it doesn't go but I still love it.

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    1. Sue, the thought of turning that handle for ages just to make butter makes my blood run cold but I do like the way it looks. Your clock sounds beautiful.

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  5. Gorgeous pictures and memories. I love Foxy! He looks as good as new.

    The only passed-down treasure in my house is a very old leather handbag with a 'tooled' front of cherubs. It belonged to my paternal grandmother.

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    1. Poor old Foxy has a very wobbly neck, Claire. I might try to re-stuff him. I love the sound of the leather handbag with cherubs! I bet it smells beautiful.

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  6. My most treasured item of nostalgia is a small gold brooch of two hearts with intricate ivy intertwining them. Engraved on it are the words - "MIZPAH The Lord watch between me and thee when we are apart from one another." My grandfather was a gold dredger in Otago, he had this made, out of a gold nugget he had found, for my grandmother on her wedding day. All the girls in the family have worn it on their wedding days and I always wear it for 'special' funerals. I truly love your special items, Barb. So many precious priceless memories to be treasured today and handed on tomorrow....

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  7. Oh, Clare, what a romantic your grandfather was! I can imagine how proud you are when you wear the brooch.

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  8. Your "Foxy" is wonderful, Barbara! Someone has spent hours knitting him and sewing him together which makes him extra special.

    We moved rather a lot when I was young so handed down treasures are few and far between - and none of them are pieces of furniture. I do have a willow pattern salad bowl that belonged to my paternal grandmother and the first aid manual that belonged to my maternal grandmother. I treasure those.

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  9. We have many antiques and family treasures. We actually have a clock much like yours that was in my uncle's family home. My treasure is a spindle, platform, rocking cradle. It comes from my father's side of the family through my grandmother. Our grandchildren are the 6th or 7th generation that have used it.

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