Heirlooms

One of those words that is pronounced so unlike you might imagine. The French side of my family says (HAIR-loom) .. or even (hair-LOOM)...they never add the "s" to make it plural... you are supposed to guess it is there.... uhm.. I guess. The Brit side gets it more correct...but it still sounds like (err-looms)...or something.. not quite like I would pronounce it... which seems more like ..(Air-looms). Always different strokes for different folks isn't it?

Anyway.... it still means.....
"Possessions handed down from generation to generation"... and, these are mine.













Some of you who have been reading my blog for a bit will have seen these before, but for Mrs. Nesbitt's friends... these are two little vases .. English ... not sure how old, but were carried in hand luggage by an aunt who immigrated to Canada in the 70's.. when she was in her 50's .. originally belonged to my Nan Jackson (her mother) . I have no idea when or where my grandmother would have acquired them. The tall guy has a missing toe. Click to read more about that if you like.










Another of the pieces she passed along to me.. a gift from Whitby it says...I love the open lace work edge..and it is rubbed with what I believe (or even if it is not...I still choose to believe) to be real gold.










The guys love to play in it..and usually there are a few golden/sparkly Christmas decorations in there as well. They are not being disrespectful..they just like it and they do play gently.










This little handkerchief is so dainty ... I am quite sure nobody ever thought to use it ..even to wipe away a single tear.










The open work on the edges is delicate and beautiful. It was kept in a sea farer's chest for many a year. No knowledge of its history.













Uh, oh.... somebody likes to play on that as well.... but...he is just sitting ....and he is behaving.










This spoon is silver... and as you can see...doesn't get polished often.










It is 9 inches long. Again, I don't know much of the history... it also came from England... was my Nan's.... looks to be a casserole or fruit/dessert type serving spoon.











And...last, but not least, .... and where else would a grand old tea pot hail from? England of course! Again...brought by my dear old auntie when she arrived here (although she was not old when she arrived) ... whew... don't want her to think I ever thought that. Of course, she and my Mom are long gone now... but they never, ever seemed old to me. A couple of real pistols in their time together after she moved here... almost til the year they passed away. Separately, they were .. .. erm.. almost reserved and sedate..but get 'em together..and watch out...they were too much fun!

It took about 20 full minutes of polishing to make that one shiny area nice enough to get a photo to show it off at all. It usually sits under my sink... black and blueish.... Silver is so beautiful when it is silver...but it is soooo much work to maintain. I have heard that if you use it regularly it stays shiny.... anybody know if that is true?