Mantelpiece

As we got to move back into our bedroom yesterday, I was doing some catching up today on things I couldn't do while we were camping out, such as washing and ironing. And waiting for water board men, due to the drain leak starting again. They didn't show, needless to say.

So here's a picture of the mantelpiece. I think mantelpieces are culturally significant; all sorts of people do artworks about them. Like me.

There are
- some photos of the West End I got from Paintings on the Railings (one is of Kelvinside Church that I blipped the other day),
- my handmade recycled candlestick from Towersey,
- my car boot vase that reminds me of my Grandma. her house was stuffed with kitsch
- matrushka dolls from, I think, the Ukraine, that James got on his Tartan Army tour
- several parrots, one with a bite out of, because he isn't allowed a real parrot. My mum knitted the orange one, although David wouldn't believe it.
- Alexander's nail clippers
and
- the battered Union flag. This isn't because we are raving Unionists who salute it every morning, although it's fair to say we're not for independence. It came from my cousin's wedding, who married a lovely American and the two flags were on all the tables. Then one Hogmanay some fireworks were deployed in drunkenness (shhh, don't tell Alexander) and for some reason the flags were attached to them. To add to our hilarity, the Stars and Stripes melted instantly (shhh don't tell any Americans - we didn't set fire to it deliberately) but the Union flag came through virtually unscathed. It's a sort of humorous battle honour.

I'm not sure what cultural significance all that has.

As I was in the house, I heard some heavy-sounding mail come through the door. It was a parcel addressed to me, containing The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald, a present from my daddy. It's a humorous memoir of having TB, apparently. My mum read it after she had TB and said my blip musings reminder her of it, so she thought I'd like it. I'm not sure if my adversities match up, but she should know.

One day you might get to see the other end of the mantelpiece.