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?