Remember when houses once had a floor-to-ceiling cupboard in the kitchen that served as a larder? The kitchen of the house in which I now live used to have one, but it was removed when the property was refurbished back in the mid-1980s, when my family and myself were living somewhere else. When we returned over four years later, the larder was gone. Y'know what? I miss it - it somehow gave the kitchen character.
In this larder used to be a tin, on the lid of which was a picture of a little boy sitting on a raft* in the middle of a river. Beside the boy was a dog - a Scottie, I think. The lad may've been HUCKLEBERRY FINN or TOM SAWYER, but he was definitely in that mould. I wish I could find a replacement for that tin, as even just thinking about it returns me to a long-vanished era.
This tin (a biscuit tin) used to reside in a drawer in the kitchen of my previous house, and also, I'm sure, the kitchens of the two homes before that. Then, I merely took it for granted, but in this house, it acquired the status of a link to my childhood, which is sort of what happens to most items that lay around for any length of time. At first, they're just there and we're only dimly aware of them, but eventually, we somehow come to notice them more and grow to cherish them.
At least, that's how it is with me. Like a lot of things, the tin eventually disappeared, and I have no idea how long it was after it's disposal before I first noticed its absence. However, the tin is not the central point of this post; no, it's a little chalk 'snowman' that, after a few years as a Christmas decoration, was consigned to the tin when he eventually became a little the worse-for-wear. That was the old tin's purpose you see - to store various items 'til they were required again (if ever).
Close to 30 years ago, I saw the snowman's twin in JOHN MENZIES, amongst an array of 'cake-toppers' on a shelf, and immediately snapped him up. Like the tin, I can no longer recall (if I ever even knew) when the original vanished, but it may have been around the same time as the tin, which could've been the mid-to-late '70s. So whenever I look at that snowman today, I'm reminded of past Christmases in four houses, as well as the tin which I'd dearly like to own again.
If you happen to have one of these tins, get in touch if you'd consider selling it. That's the snowman at the top of the post, although, as he's got a flesh-coloured face, maybe he's meant to be an Eskimo kid in a snowsuit for all I know. Anyway, I just felt like a bit of shameless reminiscing, so hopefully you'll forgive my self-indulgence. Is there anything you miss from your youth that you'd like to own again? (Aside from your youth, obviously.) Tell your fellow Criv-ites.
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(*Update: And below is a picture of the tin. As you can see, it's not a raft - it's a washtub, but I was right about the rest. And thanks to eBay, I now own four of them in two different sizes.)
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