Forgotten treasures

I had a physio appointment about my sore hand/wrist this morning in Haltwhistle. I was bombing along the Military Road when I remembered it was going to be closed today. It was still open, but hardly anyone else was driving on it! 

The physio was excellent. She examined my hand thoroughly. I had been talking myself into carpal tunnel syndrome, but it isn't. Hooray! The muscle wasting I have noticed is caused by the arthritis in the base of my thumb.

My hands are steadily showing more signs of osteoarthritis, which is not hugely surprising.

She has given me exercises to do in order to build up the muscles again. She has also referred me for a steroid injection into the base of the thumb.

All good.

I did a quick food shop in Haltwhistle Sainsbury's, then came home to more sorting out of Mum's workroom. I found long forgotten boxes of mine and hers. One contained some very old treasures.

The Russian doll was given as first prize in a quiz on SS Devonia during a school cruise when I was 13. We went to Stockholm, Leningrad and Copenhagen, but were mainly on board the ship.

I bought the matryoshka dolls on that trip. My friend Annabelle won second prize in the quiz and hers was a magnificent set of the dolls. I wished I had come second!

The Scottish doll can dance. It has nylon bristles under its skirt. If you put it on a box top and tap the box, then the doll dances (after a fashion)!

My maternal grandfather was keen on bowls and he must have won a competition in 1963 in the veterans' section.

Finally, I went on a trip to London when I was about 8. My mother took a group of girls from Commercial Road Secondary Modern to London. I was allowed to go too. In Harrods everything was much too expensive but I fell in love with this tiny set of stacking beakers.

Each one has a picture embossed on the top.

I also found a box from my student time in Botswana. It contains all my letters home, but also the letters from my parents to me. Most precious are letters from Dad, because he rarely wrote. He died in 1987, which seems an age ago.

I haven't opened them yet. There will be a good time to do it.

What shall I do with all these things?