Today has been a day between weathers or “atween wadder”, as they say in Shetland dialect – calm, warmer and even blue sky. It was very spring-like but of course we will all be thrown back into constant wind and rain tonight. Everyone was making the most of the calmness and I watched Vitamin having a deep snooze lying down in her rug in the sunshine.
And thank you for all your comments about my failed minimalistic dreams. I took all the “family jewels” out of their casket, laid them out on the kitchen table, tried to value some with Google image, messaged our local jewellers to see if they had a gemologist (they don’t and my mothers spelling made me laugh), made a decision about what I wanted to sell, laid it out to photograph, decided I liked everything, and finally put it all back in the casket thinking that, at present, I don’t want to part with anything because they used to mean something to someone in my family and therefore they should mean something to me. So I failed again, today. I feel rather hopeless at this.
Later, I went out with a few not-very-nice carrots to give to the Shetland ponies, who, apart from Tiddles, have had a very rough few days weather-wise. They were grateful and hungry and told me all about it while I tried to feel for ribs. Ha-bloody-ha – if I have a very good imagination, I like to think I felt some but honestly, it was a struggle with Albie who is a very fat little pony. How they can get fat in winter on pretty much nothing is an absolute mystery to me but they do. The track beckons for them but not quite yet.
And I made this little chap.
Oh yes, and I saw my first celandine of the year which is another flower milestone in my constantly looking for signs of Spring journey. For me, it is the little things.
Temperatures are dropping and it has been a freezing cold and windy day with intermittent showers of hail so I stayed indoors. Even the dogs turned back on their dog-walk and went home.
After an early lunch (and I have no idea why I decided it was lunchtime when it was actually 11.30 – odd!), I went to my shed and made the little chap on the far right.
And then I decided to try an experiment. I have been looking at all the family things that I brought home with me when my mother died and am trying to decide what to sell – I just have so much stuff.
Transcribing Great-Great Aunt Kate’s diaries has made me realise that Kate sold things she didn’t want and maybe I should too. She was always going to shops and flogging jewellery and books, etc. while I seem to hang on to everything regardless.
While I was considering what to do with all this “stuff”, I found an old “Polyfoto” booklet of Aunt Kate, so I took it to pieces carefully and made a rough film of the photos – I think I will make a better one using the scanner. This first one was just an experiment to see if it would be worth it. I think it would.
So here is an example of something I could sell ….. I have no idea how to describe it. A vintage toy – the head is made of bisque with hand-painted face and a silk material stuffed “body”. The tongue protrudes and wobbles – ugh! That can go.
And I love these but I don’t really need them….. They live in their little box in a drawer. I find them occasionally and think how cleverly made they are but possibly sell?
I also have a plethora of old jewellery. Mostly Edwardian, like these antique 1900s diamanté filigree dress adornments.
I was thinking I could buy a large oval gilt frame and display all the pretty sparkly jewellery in it on a blue velvet background. Well, that’s the plan.
I am rambling because I just can’t make up my mind and I hate selling family things but then my house is full, full of stuff that lives in boxes that I rarely look at. I am a failed minimalist.
