Gran's Old Tea Chest

I couldn't believe it when I opened Gran's old chest. It was an old tea chest, actually, with sharp metal around the top where the lid had once been held in place. It was full of who knows what, wrapped in old newspaper. The paper itself, was old and yellowing and very brittle so it had obviously been there for a very long time.

Gingerly I lifted the first item. It was heavy and I discovered a beautiful piece of carnival glass. A fruit bowl, I would imagine. There were two of them tucked away, one inside the other, a matching pair. Why they must have been more than 80 years old? Mum said the box contained her wedding presents and other valuables and she lived to be almost one hundred.

Next I found a set of three candlestick vases. Beautiful. Clear stems with broad pink bases and moulded in a corrugated pattern. There was a dinner set, white with a black and gold diamond shaped border. Most of the set was there but some pieces were missing. A dear little gravy jug and creamer set had survived.

Some strange pieces of brass, etched in Asian patterns and motifs took my eye and made me wonder. How and where had Gran obtained these? Had she ever travelled to some faraway place or had perhaps some other member of the family? They had all passed on so I would never know.

Piece by piece was lifted from the box and unwrapped, each one causing its own reaction... admiration, enjoyment, surprise, pleasure, amazement. These were Gran's treasures and from what I had known of her, I'm sure they were packed away for safe-keeping. So much of her early life had been spent in the bush where she and her family lived the mining life in little old shanties with mud floors. They were chasing a dream at a time when gold was the dream. Fossicking, sifting, sluicing, hoping that one day their luck would change and they would find the nugget that would make their fortune in the bush.

They never did, but the dream lingered even years after Gran moved to the city. I wondered as I looked at her treasures if there was ever a time when these lovely things had been used or put on display. Certainly in the house where she lived before she died they had never seen the light of day and I'm almost certain that throughout her lifetime, they had been hidden away. I thought too about the mining life and realised that the Asian brass pieces were probably purchased from the Chinese storekeepers who serviced the mining fields. Gran's box of treasures were too precious to be removed. I wondered if she ever unpacked them for the sheer pleasure of looking at them, knowing they were hers. I had never seen her do so.

As I looked at her beautiful bits and pieces I realised that my grandmother was a simple woman who lived a simple life. It was an uncluttered life. Everything she had was functional and practical. She was thrifty and careful with what she bought and used. Nothing was wasted and I wondered if Gran ever saw the beautiful things as a waste. In some ways it seemed they were, for such items were made to be used and not stored away. Or...perhaps, Gran was waiting for that day when their fortunes would change and she would have a place to match her lovely treasures.

The precious things have now been shared among her grandchildren who live in fine city homes. They take pride of place in display cupboards and are produced when special guests come to dine. They sit on tables holding fruit and other items. None of them are tucked away. In one way or another they are on display, a constant reminder that none of us would not be here today, if it were not for Gran and her simple way of life.