SAYINGS AND SOUVENIRS

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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