I am one of those people that become the repository for 'family heirlooms'. Some people might call these heirlooms 'junk', an in actuality a lot of them are. Rusted manual pottery wheel, anyone? No? Maybe people instinctively recognise the secret hoarder that lives within my spirit, and feel safe in the knowledge that I will never throw out precious hand stitched tea towels, the kayak that cost a lot of money in the '80s, or the thesis that my Great Uncle did as part of his studies to become a Reverend in the Episcopalian Church. I don't really mind because I do indeed have the soul of a hoarder, and along the way I've been gifted with some very special things; things that are precious to me and maybe even have a bit of mystery about them.
This fine china tea set was my Grandmothers when she was a little girl, and it was always too precious for my mother or her sister to play with. It's very fragile and the hand painted parrots seem to sing off the cup. It really is delightful, and is the perfect size for tiny fingers. I understand my mothers frustration at not being able to play with it! I also understand her resentment when my Grandmother casually gave it to me as I sat in the sandpit one day, and laughed at my mother's outrage as I broke many of the pieces in a sandy tea party. Apart from another two plates, what you see here is all that is left of the Parrot Tea Set. Apparently there used to be a lot more.
This book was a gift to me from my Great Grandmother, and she told me that her mother bought it with her from England. It must have been fairly old even then, because they migrated many years after 1841. It's a bound collection of weekly magazines that seem to be the equivalent of Womens Weekly.
There is no celebrity gossip, although there is 'Local Memories of Great Men' which would appear to be the same thing!
It's mostly a compendium of information regarding farming, livestock, history and geology. I can see how it would be a very useful thing to have if you were emigrating to Australia in the early nineteenth century. But that is not all that is hidden in this book.....
A few loose leaf papers are inside the front cover, and no one seems to know anything about them. Obviously it was during the war, but it doesn't seem to be real correspondence; just a vague series of lists and envelopes.
GL Bransgrove was my Great Grandmother, and it's a little bit thrilling to think that her hand may have written this. I have no idea who Robert Raad was, but I do know the Bransgroves lived at Enfield, in Sydney.
Who was AE Norden, Esq; and why was he receiving letters from the National Electro Plating Co? Was he getting something chrome plated? I wonder what it was, and I wonder what connection he had to my family.
Does this actually say Pfarters Hotel?! Why was someone getting a a one pound refund from the Pfarters Hotel? Was it my Great Grandmother?? This mystery is making my mind boggle.
This seems to be the beginning of a budget for some sort of fantastic event. Piano, Artists, Beer, Dinner and Tips. Giddy up! I wonder if it was at the Pfarters Hotel? I wonder what the censor made of all of this when he opened it. I do love a mystery, some gifts just keep on giving.
This post is part of the #myfamilylens competition, sponsored by Olympus and organised by Kidspot as part of #voicesof2014. All images in this post were taken using the Olympus OM-D E-M10, I used the camera's inbuilt WiFi functionality to transfer images to my phone, where I used the Olympus Image Share App to apply art filters to the images. Super easy and super clever huh? Such great quality from something so easy to use. Be afraid, iPhone..
xx
