Author Topic: A Few of Our Favorite Things  (Read 70208 times)

Offline Kerry

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #90 on: May 03, 2009, 08:13:20 pm »
Your recollections of an English Christmas brought back many fond memories for me, Fiona. Even though it's the height of summer here in Oz at Christmas time, we followed many English traditions when I was a child. I particularly remember the threepences and sixpences in Mum's pudding, which was brought to the table flambe and served with brandy sauce. The children at the table would eat multiple servings in an endeavour to outdo each other in collecting the coins from the pudding. The meal was always a full, hot roast dinner with all the trimmings. Unlike the Motherland, however, we ate Christmas lunch in the garden under the trees. Dad and my brothers would take the kitchen and dining room tables outside. All of this in temperatures often over the century.
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Offline Kerry

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #91 on: May 05, 2009, 01:23:21 am »
My Great Grandmother owned three Hummels in her lifetime, and just before she moved into a nursing home she decided to give me her Hummels. She gave me one Hummel each year for the next three Christmases.

I don't know the story behind the other two, but there is definitely a story behind this one...



Just after my sister was born, Mom and Dad took us both down to Cincinnati to meet our Great Grandma. Before we left, Mom and Dad wanted to buy something special for her and they decided on the Hummel up there in the picture. It is called "Going To Grandma's". There used to be a price tag on it, but I guess it fell off. I think Mom paid about $26.00 for it in 1963. As you can see the figurine has two little girls in it, and I've often marvelled and pondered over the irony of it.

So anyway, now it is here with me. It was a gift given by my parents to my Great Grandmother, and then years later it was a gift from my Great Grandmother to me.

That's such a beautiful story, David.  :'(  And though I'm sure you'd never consider parting with your Grandma's Hummels, I suspect you'd find that they are now worth considerably more that $26.  :)
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Offline Kerry

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #92 on: May 05, 2009, 01:29:50 am »
George and I met in early 1973, through a mutual friend. Shops closed at midday on Saturdays in those days. My friend, Paul, worked in a large department store at Warringah Mall, in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney. If I were to tell you that the name of the department store was Grace Bros and that Paul worked in the Menswear Dept, I’m sure you’d think I was making that up! Just goes to show that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, because Paul did really work in the Menswear Dept of Grace Bros. And he was somewhat of a Mr Humphries type character too. But I digress.

It was a glorious high-summer February day and Paul and I had made plans to spend the afternoon at nearby Narrabeen beach. I called for Paul after he'd finished work and we made our way to his place, where we were going to change for the beach. Paul mentioned that a friend of his lived en route. He asked if I’d mind detouring to visit the friend, rather than going to the beach that afternoon. I’d set my heart on going to the beach, so was none too pleased about Paul’s request. I reluctantly agreed, however.

Paul rang the bell, George answered the door, and the rest is history. It was love at first sight for me. I’ve never experienced, before or since, such an overpowering  feeling of passion. It was like I’d been kicked in the head by a mule! I thought George was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

George was lodging at the time in the spare room of another of Paul’s friends, Frank. To cut a long story short, George soon moved into a nearby furnished garden flat, so we could spent quality time together. He had recently left the Royal Australian Navy, so had few possessions, and I was living with my parents at the time. The garden flat was attached to the home of an elderly lady who was an artist and children’s book author/illustrator. One of her paintings hung on the wall of the flat. When George and I got our own apartment six months later, I purchased the painting from the old lady, as a keepsake and remembrance of the happy times George and I had shared in that little garden flat together, not to mention the wonderful lovemaking we had experienced there. We were both so young.

I still have that painting to this day; still framed in the original,  battered, old frame. I’ve thought of having it re-framed in a posh, gilt frame, but can’t bring myself to do it. It would be almost like a sacrilege. Certainly, for me, this painting is a holy relic. It is one of the first things I would reach for if I had to flee a burning building. It now hangs in my bedroom. It is painted in oils on canvas and is 25x20cm (10x8in). Though there’s no date on it, I suspect it was painted sometime in the 1940s.



“The Doomed Castle” by Mavis Mallinson



Detail from “The Doomed Castle” by Mavis Mallinson



Detail from “The Doomed Castle” by Mavis Mallinson
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Offline David In Indy

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #93 on: May 09, 2009, 03:52:10 pm »
What a beautiful story Kerry. I don't think you've ever told us in depth how you and George first met. I only knew he was a very important person in your life. I can easily see why that painting would be so important to you. It's also very pretty. I love the colors in it - all the various shades of blue. And I also love mermaids. The ladies in the picture look like they may be mermaids.

Thanks for posting a picture of it Kerry, and PLEASE don't change the frame. I think it looks wonderful just the way it is right now! :D

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Offline David In Indy

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #94 on: May 09, 2009, 04:25:05 pm »
This was Mom's jewelry box. It sat on top of her bedroom dresser. I remember being very fascinated by this jewelry box. It is highly detailed and the little pictures never failed to capture my imagination. It has a small drawer located in the front where Mom stored her various rings. The pictures are painted and the border details were created by piecing together various sized slivers of shiny shells and then shellacked into place.

Dad bought this jewelry box in Japan while he was recovering from his war wounds. It plays a beautiful Oriental tune when the lid is opened. Mom was always very protective of this jewelry box and I was not allowed to touch it when I was young. The jewelry box is quite dusty and as you can see, the lock cover is loose and may eventually come off.




Here is a picture of the interior. Just after my Mom passed away, my sister and my niece made a bee's line to the house and snatched all the jewelry out of it before Mom was even cold. Once the orgy of greed had ended, Dad packed the jewelry box away into storage. I recently rediscovered it and I was quite shocked at its condition. The exterior is only a bit dusty but the interior has been damaged and I'm not quite sure how it happened. Anyway, repairing and restoring the jewelry box is at the top of my "to do" list. 





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Offline David In Indy

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #95 on: May 09, 2009, 04:34:00 pm »
I bought this little bear for my Mom on Mother's Day roughly 25 years ago. Mom loved this bear so much she ended up purchasing a little stand for it and she kept it on her dresser, just next to the jewelry box you just saw. The bear is about 10 inches tall and she reminds me of those ladies from the turn of the century. I think she is probably all dressed in her Sunday best with her basket packed full of tasty goodies for the village picnic after church. Actually there is potpourri in that basket, and I smelled it just before I took this picture. I could still smell a faint scent of potpourri after all these years! The potpourri is wrapped up in a tiny bag.





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Offline Kerry

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #96 on: May 11, 2009, 09:33:10 am »
Your mother's oriental jewelry box and the little bear dressed in her Sunday best are such precious remembrances of your mother, David. Treasure them.
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Offline CellarDweller

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #97 on: May 13, 2013, 09:34:04 pm »

My mom loves cobalt blue glass, and I do now too as a result.  LOL

When I was shopping for my place, I picked up a set of cobalt blue tumblers and drinking glasses, have some decorative glasses atop the kitchen cabinets, and a pitcher that is clear, with a swirl of cobalt blue going around it.


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Offline CellarDweller

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #98 on: May 13, 2013, 09:44:45 pm »
I took a pic of some of my set with my Blackberry.




Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Meryl

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Re: A Few of Our Favorite Things
« Reply #99 on: May 14, 2013, 11:48:31 am »
Nice thread!  I had to look twice to see who posted about the cobalt blue glassware.  It looks like it could have come from Paul's collection.  He's a great fancier of the cobalt.  8)

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