'Precious Objects'

​​I tend to hang on to things that were gifts. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive, if they were given to me, or made for me, I treasure them dearly. I have a somewhat wonky mini vase made by my niece at age 10. I love it. I have a hand made wooden sailing ship made by my Auntie and her boyfriend with driftwood we had collected on the beach. Another favorite would be a statue of a clown made for me by an Auntie who was an artist and sculpturer. I also have a drawing made by another niece at around 8yrs old. Plus, a crochet rug my baby sister made at age 15. I also have the bible I mentioned in my first story, given to me when I attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

I have to admit, my most precious items are the old black and white family photos. They are just irreplaceable and are a great way of recalling my life and my family history. One such photo is a rare one of my Grandparents together in their garden in Wales which I have hanging up. So many photos showing my parents, aunts and uncles growing up. Others I had taken in the early days of my life before colour photos and more recently digital photography, came in.

​Although I am currently scanning old photos onto my computer, somehow digital photos don’t seem the same. They are a pain to transport when moving house, but I wouldn’t be without them.

All of these things are the first items I grab in an evacuation. My priority, People, Pets, Photos and then precious objects.  If I have time, I take clothes too!


Heather Hartland
​March 2023