For the rest of us (mainly Victorians) we are enduring a potential second wave of you-know-what and are looking for alternate and safe ways of amusing ourselves!
I guess the MOTH (man of the house) and I are pretty lucky as we have a very large project right in front of us, namely setting up our home.
For us this is quite a novelty as being in our 60's and having lived several other lives, we have moved house and reconfigured our lives many times over.
This is very different as this is a promise we made to each other back in 1977 when we were young, in love and thought ourselves invincible.
This home represents all the dreams that went awry, as well as all the years we had apart. As a teenager in love, there is only here and now and consequences don't exist. The mere whisper of them could make all your dreams evaporate into thin air.
So here we are in Central Victoria, in the middle of a pandemic and nothing but time on our hands. Uh huh...
We are both collectors and lovers of anything vintage (including ourselves) and so our biggest task has been finding homes for all our beloved possessions.
The MOTH prides himself on having a keen eye for a bargain and so every trip to an op shop results in a boot full of treasures. Let me list some of his penchants (in no particular order):
uranium glass (it glows under a black light) and depression or vaseline glass
bud vases and other glassware
bar ware, including cocktail glasses, shot glasses etc
19th century china
Antique French anything, including lace
Tiki mugs and indeed anything tiki related
Some of my most sought after items include:
Crystal vases and bowls
Ice buckets
Lacquer ware
Poker ware
Glass dishes with panoramic photos in the base
Antique fabric
Antique clothes
Vinyl records
We both collect West German Pottery as well.
Now this became a thing when we first started putting our collections together. I had bought my Mother a West German vase back in 1979 and when she passed away, I took ownership and care of it and loved it. The MOTH owned a very similar vase and we discovered it was from the same batch!
Definitely a sign from the universe!
We also love old furniture and restoring and giving new life to old pieces is giving us plenty to do. We tend to go looking in the second hand shops when we can and gather up possible projects to keep us occupied.
We have recently refurbished an old 1980's buffet and hutch for the kitchen. It has gone from a darkly stained, dreary piece, to a chalk painted beauty. The leadlights in the doors really pop now and the MOTH had some beautiful old ivory looking knobs that he had kept in a box for years and I just loved them, so they are now proudly adorning the buffet.
I recently recovered 6 old dining chairs that belonged to the MOTH's Nan. I had a quote to have them done for $660, however I found a scrap of beautiful fabric in an op shop, got some new foam cut from Clark Rubber and redid them all for $60! They were a lot of work, but totally worth doing.
As we spend pretty much 24/7 together, we are finally able to relax and do the simple things and as it is pretty cold down here, a sleep in followed by a leisurely breakfast and conversation is the norm.
We have even gotten into the garden (what?? I hear you say?) and pruned all the standard roses and have started planning out how we want the yard to look, come spring and summer.
It may sound a little mundane, but after working hard for the last 40+ years, and searching for each other I reckon we deserve a little down time and a chance to 'smell the roses' so to speak.
I finish with a little thought that has been rolling around in my head for the last little while.
Happiness comes from within us. All the pretty things around us are great, but are possibly superfluous when you sit and hold the hand of the person you love.
Have a fabulous week and as always
Please consider my virtual arms around you all xx
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