Krista asks in this week’s challenge, “What do you treasure? What’s most important to you?”
IN A NEW POST CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PHOTO CHALLENGE CAPTURE SOMETHING YOU TREASURE.
There are a lot of things in life which I treasure, other than my family of course, but one object that I have loved since I was a small child is this Sheffield silver-plated tea-pot belonging to my mother. It was a wedding present to her and my father back in 1945 when they married shortly after VJ Day. They didn’t have very much, so this was her pride and joy and sat in a little Victorian glass cabinet for many, many years.
As a very young child I used to love to polish it, begging my mother to allow me to remove the tarnish and restore it to a perfect reflective shine. Softly rubbing my cloth over its many faceted sides I thought it looked like the magic lamp in Aladdin, and used to daydream about what I would wish for if the Genie appeared.
My mother sadly died in 1995 shortly after her Golden Wedding anniversary and one of the few things that I took from her house at that time was ‘my’ lovely tea-pot. Unfortunately all that love and polishing had removed some of the silver-plate and it was a looking a little sorry for itself. But I contacted a silver-smith in Sheffield and had it brought back to new by being re-dipped.
It now stands in my cabinet and every time I look at it I remember my mum and my romantic memories of the Genie of the Lamp 🙂
I have chosen this post for Ailsa’s Travel Theme too as this week the word is Romance. I hope you think it qualifies.
If you would like to see what others have come up with for this challenge then go to the Daily Post @ WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge
(What has this post to do with Travel? You may well ask. Nothing really other than my father had been away in the Middle East for four years during the war and I always thought the tea-pot looked a lot like the lamp in the folk tale from Arabian Nights – a tenuous link I know)
TRAVEL WORDS 
Good memories and that is the magic of the treasure.
Thank you seeker 🙂
A lovely story and beautiful teapot photos to accompany it too. I think it is a very nice memento of your mother, and your own youth into the bargain.
Regards as always, Pete. x
A little off track, but it was the only thing that sprang to mind for the challenge, I have souvenirs from my travels, but nothing as priceless as this teapot. Thanks Pete 🙂
That first shot with the close up reflections is beautiful, Jude, and what a lovely teapot it is! It would go so well with my cakes 🙂
Lovely memories too.
It would too, though I don’t recall it ever being used for tea – I think the spout drips or something!
It’s beautiful.
It sure is a lovely shape, thanks Dawn 🙂
And your words to describe it alone, make it beautiful.
Thank you, that’s so sweet 🙂
Best part is, it’s true.
Love the story and love that you had it redipped. What a nice memory.
Thanks Tina, I’m only sorry I didn’t get it done whilst she was still alive, but one of those things that you keep putting off.
What a wonderful keepsake from your mother, Jude. It really does look like Aladdin’s lamp! Beautiful. 🙂
Thanks Cathy, it does rather doesn’t it! Hope everything is going well, and things working out for you.
Yes, they’re okay. At least I’m losing weight, sticking to my writing and exercising schedule, but sadly I’m not having any luck on the job front. Again, I believe it’s age discrimination. Too bad it can’t be proved.
I must do something about losing weight, this wet weather hasn’t helped at all. Sorry to hear about the job situation, it’s not great getting older, you’re just expected to do voluntary work.
I know, isn’t that so ridiculous? And these companies say they don’t discriminate and want a diverse workplace, but I know lots of older people who can’t get any jobs they apply for. On the ones I’m applying for, I match the qualifications EXACTLY, and I never get even an interview.
A really beautiful treasure, Jude. Yes, all that polishing does take its toll. We had to get our whole tea service re-plated.
It holds lots of memories for me and I do think it is very pretty, not particularly useful, but then I don’t drink tea anyway 🙂 I don’t polish it much now, maybe once a year – just had its annual shine for the photos!
What a stunning piece. I can actually ‘see” the genie pouring through the spout 🙂
Yes, exactly! I’m glad someone else can see that 🙂
🙂
Thank you so much for sharing the lovely memory, Jede! A treasure, indeed!
Thanks Amy 🙂
Oh that IS a lovely treasure Jude and all brought back to its former shining glory it must catch your eye often ! How I too loved those tales of exoticism , magic and Genies – I wonder how many youngsters of today have knowledge of those tales …
A lovely set of pictures .
Hi Poppy, how nice to see you dropping in on an old post! I guess the kids today learn everything from Disney/Pixar films. You have to wonder how this affects their imagination.