Pieces of history

Every time I visit Mum and Dad they have a little pile of things for me to take back with me. This time my Dad, after hearing us lament the recent downfall of Gowings, had added something to the stack. It's a little piece of knitted history, a ski jumper he bought from Gowings in the 1960s. He reckoned it was the best ski jumper he ever had because, and I quote, the water just "bounced" off it!

It kinda reminds me of the things you see now in surfie clothing stores, under labels like Billabong and Roxy.

Other things in the pile included some mismatched tea cups and saucers that my grandmother left for me, knowing that I was a collector of that sort of thing.

I always coveted these cups as a child. Children weren't allowed to use such things in my grandmother's house. They were only to use sturdy mugs or plasticware. Maybe that's why I collect tea things now - from all that wanting them for so long.