Today's collection from this collection-filled house that I grew up in is unusual in that I'd keep it. More than that, actually. If there was any room at all in my tiny apartment they'd be at my place on display. And possibly even being used.
It's not because they're particularly valuable. I'd imagine that they're not, but to be honest I really don't even know.
This is one of those cases where it's the associations that are important. These were my grandmother's cups. Some of them, anyway. These are the ones she gave to me and my mother when she moved out of her house. I think my aunt has the rest. Oh, and they're not all Grandma's, I guess I should say. The Old Country Roses stuff was my mother's, and the Lavender Rose is my pattern. I hate my pattern, so it's probably a good thing that I never settled down and found the need to buy (or be gifted) china. And why do I hate it? Long story that I've probably already told here (and if I haven't I should sometime. Whomever knows that I'm usually hurting for topics), but the short version is that I was talked into something that I didn't really want as a teenager.
Overall I'm not the type of person who gives a flying rat's bum about china anyway, but these cups are kind of special. They're not a set; just an assortment of cups. I have no idea where they came from. I'd expect that they were collected piece by piece as a not-terribly-rich family could afford them. There's not a one of them that matches.
Maybe that's one of the reasons I like them. They don't match. They're just random pieces of china that someone (presumably my grandmother) liked. And kept. And used.
The cups made regular appearances at every supper we had at Grandma's. We'd have supper, we'd have dessert, and then the cups would come out and we'd have tea. It was nothing out of the ordinary. I'm not going to tell you about special family rituals here or anything. We'd just have tea after supper, was all.
As a kid it made me feel a bit grown-up, I suppose. Choosing which cup I wanted (another reason why I like the fact that they don't match) and then being served out tea with everyone else. I'm not sure I liked the taste especially, but I certainly drank it.
Just as an aside, the tea was always Orange Pekoe (Red Rose, generally), and never served with cream or sugar. Mom's family apparently just didn't do cream or sugar, so they never thought of putting it out. Now, as an adult? I never buy Orange Pekoe (I prefer Darjeeling, although it isn't the easiest thing to find these days without going to an actual tea shop), and I almost always have my tea with sugar. I don't think I had my first cup of tea with sugar until university, come to think of it. It stuck, though...
Anyway. After yesterday's post I had a look around the house and realised that I could probably post for a month about the collections in this place. I guess that's what happens when you stay in the same house for so long. Things build up. I'm thinking that Collections In My Dad's House might end up being a semi-regular theme here on the blog, so I hope that you're not already bored. And if any of my two fans happen to collect some of the things I talk about, don't be afraid to drop me a line. I imagine most of this stuff is available for purchase, since I think my Dad has about as much attachment to it as I do (that is, not terribly much). For now, though, I'm thinking that I really could use a cup of tea.
Maybe I should use the china for a change.
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