COLLAGE

A week or so ago, James challenged all his readers to display, on their sites, a personal collage. It has taken me a while but here is my effort. The photo is not as “zoomed in” as I would like it to be, as I so wanted to include Jindra the clown from Prague [in the background] . I also had to photograph the objects near some books, as, apart from my jewellery [which , I have learnt, is hellishly difficult to snap so I have passed on that] and my make-up, would tell anybody the most about me: I cannot survive in an environment without books!

Well, I’ll just tell you a little about a few of the objects: Far left you see my Dad’s old camera, which recorded so many happy moments of my childhood. The bright orange piece of pottery is Poole, which I used to collect and still love. The tiny blue and white container on the left contains Welsh seasalt [ a reminder of home], there is a Sicilian shepherd’s whistle and the dark blue mug front left is my “birthday mug”. This one has what I think is an interesting history so I’ll linger on it if I may: my “Auntie Lala” [in reality my great-aunt by marriage, Sarah, only I couldn’t pronounce “Sarah” as a child so she was always “Lala” to me] had it made for me and, looking back, I think that was just wonderful of her because it showed her approval of my adoption at a time when there was still a stigma about these matters, especially for a very strait-laced and very wronged woman like her. Poor Auntie Lala [I say “poor “ but she was actually very well-off] was profoundly deaf and the only word I ever remember her saying is “What?” She always dressed severely in greys and black silk and wore numerous furs to go out, even in summer. My Dad used to say that she was a “hard” woman, but maybe she needed to be, for her husband had run out on her and lived, more or less openly, with his mistress. That just did not usually happen in those days! Was she “hard” before all this or did events make her so? I would so love to talk to “Auntie Lala” now! The other interesting aspect of this story is that my great- aunt Mabel and her two sisters, Lala’s sisters-in-law, all accepted their brother’s de facto wife, yet remained on good and even intimate terms with Lala, so they must have been women ahead of their time.

In the centre of my collage are Mary doll and Fluffy the teddy. I can still see Fluffy teddy as he appeared one Christmas morning, peeking out of the top of my Christmas stocking, just as I can still visualise the delight on my Dad’s face as he purchased Mary doll for me in a toyshop in a Cardiff arcade, so many years ago. Both have seen me through many a crisis!

To the right are a Vespa ornament, some miniature pestle & mortars and a set of Limoncello glasses in the background. And I just had to add a Sicilian cart to the scene!

Now, would you like to guess what the little pewter object on the left was used for, in times gone by?

James has asked us to include our favourite music track and I must admit I have found it difficult to find one I haven’t posted before, but Kathleen Ferrier was probably the first classical singer I ever heard and certainly I have always loved this:

KATHLEEN FERRIER – CHE FARÒ?