I wonder what Gran would have thought of my book –
she’d probably have settled down to read it with a nice cup of tea and a Rich
Tea biscuit. Or, I can picture her sitting at her bureau beside the window in
her bedroom, a lovely view of the valley at Bratton and King Alfred’s Tower in
the distance, sucking one of her favourite Fox’s Glacier Mints. She often used
to say after being offered perhaps a chocolate or a drink – ‘just to be
sociable’ before accepting. I think my very first saying was to do with Gran –
when she was being teased or there was a joke in the air – “’nore it, Gran” I
used to say……at age 3 or 4 I couldn’t quite manage both syllables! ‘Umbergamp’
was another of my early efforts – really a shortening of Gran’s invitation to
‘come under the umbrella with Gran’…..it was concise anyway! And quite topical
with April showers at the moment!
Onto souvenirs from the nineteenth century and Gran’s early life. I am the
lucky possessor of 2 very special items – and I will attach a photo of them
both. The first is her Christening mug – in those days, 1881, it was the custom
to present a mug as a remembrance of the happy event, and Gran and
now myself, have treasured this one over the years. Secondly, a local Blacksmith
in Aberdare where Gran grew up, forged this miniature grate for her when she
was a very little girl. Actually it is not so miniature as it houses a couple
of china cats near the fire and sits beside our fire wherever we are living.
With memories of Gran I’ll end this blog before it turns into a sort of
Antiques Road Show!
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