Autobiographical.....

I am always waxing lyrical about your home being a museum of your identity, a sacred place that showcases your passions, memories, keepsakes. Our home is quickly starting to rival the Smithsonian Instsute in terms of displays and wall hangings (although they are all considerably lesser value antiquities!). They are springing up everywhere. The minute John dares to put down his tools, I am quickly persuading him to pick them back up while pushing the spirit level his way. 

The newest item in question to adorn the walls or "Merlocke Manor", was found a few months back in a charity shop in Chepstow and it cost me £5. I just loved it and knew that I would find a use for it somehow. It's a small wooden piece about the size of an A3 piece of paper. It has German writing in gold along the top that I haven't yet translated but there are 24  "compartments" so I wonder if it's proper use is that of an advent calender (which I may well do at Christmas). But for now, I have hung it on the wall as you climb the stairs and I have filled it with lots of little treasures that are dear to me....such as;

• The cork from a champagne bottle we opened on our first anniversary
• A heart shaped stone from Durdle Door in Dorset found while we were camping
• A pin from my Uncle's old army hat
• An old photo of my brother and me. Butter wouldn't melt...
• A Darth Vader key ring that a lovely girl at work bought me when she left. Perfect as I am the worlds biggest Star Wars fan
• A beautiful diamonte spider brooch. The only spider that I will ever allow that close to me! 
• The bell from my cats collar who I had to sadly have put to sleep a few years back
• A shell from a perfect day at Rhosilli beach in the Gower last summer
• One of the chocolate favours from our wedding, still wrapped up
• A couple of keepsakes from John's mum and Dad who are no longer with us 
• The cork from the wine bottle me and my friends shared on 'black Friday'. The first and only time I have ever scived off a beloved French class at uni

The list goes on but the nice thing is that we still have some spaces to fill and rest assured I will. I hope it will also be a conversation starter as people travel up the wooden hill to use the bathroom.

I didn't think Mr M-L would like it but he has surprised me. He loves it, which makes it even more special to me. 

It will no doubt make me smile whenever I climb the stairs but I would love to have known a bit about its history. It's such an unusual piece, I'm sure it would have some interesting tales to tell.