It is Friday night and full of relief that another week of commuting and working has come to an end and in the mood to write another very silly blog as per my funny toaster last weekend. This particular post has been inspired by a visit to Oh So Vintage where there is a wonderful blog about china and souvenirs and how they hold memories and how looking at them brings back a happy day or a visit (I have to say they are a lot more elegant and classy than mine...)
Wherever I go, I bring back a bit of pottery or a mug. The mugs are not bone china or expensive, I usually go for touristy tat souvenir shops which I simply adore. Tea towels with the Empire State Building on, key rings with I Love New York etc are all grist to my mill. I always leave these stores with bulging carrier bags and unload my loot when I get home usually to cries of horror from my nearest and dearest. One souvenir that was hugely successful was the most ghastly pair of thick woolly socks emblazoned with the stars and stripes purchased in a shop in the simply stunning railway station in Washington. I gave them to my Aged Parent to keep her feet warm and she loved them.
So here we go with some very silly pictures (please feel free to abandon reading this post if you think it is all getting a bit low brow. I won't be offended).
First up, a trio from New York. All self explanatory (bought the mug from Bloomingdales the same day my first Medium Brown Bag was purchased), the white mug with the wonderful shape was purchased at the Guggenheim Museum and reflects beautifully the spiral galleries in this wonderful building.
Next triumphant trio, features a mug on the left purchased at the gift shop at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Wow, what a visit that was. All these Van Goghs all in one room at the same time, quite overwhelming. In the middle my souvenir last summer from Valletta in Malta and on the right, a truly hideous mug purchased at the last minute at Luxor Airport. I am particularly fond of the lurid colours on this one
I am also very fond of jugs and own enough now to be able to accommodate many bunches of flowers. At present I have three alone in my living room full of daffodils and tulips which are just so joyous and springlike.
The jug on the left is a particular favourite of mine, purchased in a shop in Amalfi on the most glorious hot, sunny day. That part of Italy is quite stunningly beautiful with houses clinging onto the hillsides and precipitous steps and winding pathways that just lure you into getting lost. All quite enchanting. The middle jug was bought last year in Montecatini (near Florence) and the bijou jugette on the right in a shop in Sorrento.
OK must not bore you too much but must show you two coffee cups and saucers, another one from Amalfi and the one on the right from a pottery in Mexico. They are both regularly used for my Saturday morning sit down with coffee and paper.
I have taken pictures of loads more but really feel that is enough pots and crocks for one night. Be warned, I will return to this theme, in fact, I think every now and then I will have a Mug of the Day or Week and slip one onto the blog when you least expect it. I have a positive cornucopia of a china cupboard to share with you all. Bet you are all SO excited about that...not
