A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Today I began the task of emptying the kitchen cupboards in preparation for the fitting of the new work surfaces. My fitted kitchen cabinets are the usual sort,full of places that I cannot reach,out of the way areas in which all the things I seldom use are stored as it takes half a morning to get to the back of the cabinet who's contents fill the large kitchen table.

During the course of the morning a number of long standing mysteries were solved and an equal number uncovered as the long undisturbed contents of a dark corner cupboard were brought in to the light. I asked my son “What can you see”. “Rubbish!” he said “Masses of rubbish!” And so the task of excavation began.

Out of the darkness and out of our families past came a number of dinner services, all incomplete having been subjected to the ravages of my sons early years. Some were wedding presents(these were at the very back of the cupboard) some so dreadful as to have never been used.

Some were our own choice sadly put away when spare pieces could not be purchased to replace the broken items. Others were state occasion China never used as we do not give the sort of dinner parties where such dishes would be used. Serving dishes ,chaffing dishes, platters casseroles,the accumulation of many years of housekeeping.

In a fit of ruthlessness I decided that it was long past the time I parted company with some of this dross. The rubbish bags filled up quickly ,an ancient pressure cooker, some prehistoric saucepans,old chopping boards,all the stuff that “might come in handy” and never does!

From time to tile there was delight in finding my sons Bunny-kins plate and tiny set of cutlery, a set of long lost crumpet rings and an antique bottle opener. By the time I stopped I had cleared two cupboards and filled three bags with a motley assortment of vintage tat.

The real rubbish will be put out with the recycle items, the rest will be displayed on what has become our annual “FREE STUFF” stall. Old books toys games items of clothing and dishes all get snapped up, We do this every year in August and we now have regular visitors which is rather nice.

When the kitchen has been renovated and the dust has settled I shall have more room to put my ever increasing number of gadgets, made necessary by my ever worsening arthritis. I hate clutter and so I have had to say farewell to some old friends to make room for the new.

I feel very virtuous and strangely liberated in parting with these things,they seemed almost to belong to another life, or to some one else. Their relevance to me long since gone ,it is good to know that they will benefit someone else.

There is an old saying “One ,man’s trash is another man’s treasure” this is absolutely true, and it’s the way I collected a great deal of those items no longer used but which once meat a great deal.

And so,to bed.