Sunday 9 January 2011

Let's bring back

Considering Homes and Antiques "Let's bring back" survey this month I looked around my home thinking of the things I'd like to see more of. Their list included home libraries, fountain pens, teapots, wind up clocks. old phones, toasting forks, pocket watches, Georgian decanters, "the front parlour", and the Goblin Teasmaid. So unashamedly piggy backing their theme I include these pictures with my own starter thoughts ...



pewter and tarnished silver - love the soft glow on these



good quality cutlery - Mum recently gave me this heavy weight pair. I know they are over the top but have so much more about them than today's cutlery.



old wireless sets - such a wonderful sound!



old wooden frames - I'm picking these up when I see them now as I prefer them to a lot of the new ones...(Don't you just love the photo with the swimming costumes I found in my local junk shop last week?)



Wooden cotton reels and bobbins - I'm sure there's a very good green argument for not using them but I'd happily recycle them if we could bring them back!

What would you bring back?

Love Wend ( who wonders whether she is stuck in a time warp!)

17 comments:

  1. Fish knives and forks, my lovely dad always used his ancient bone handled ones whenever he had a little fishy in a little dishy. I saw some in a shop the other day and nearly bought them. In fact I'm going back to see if they're still there. LLX

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  2. Wooden ironing boards...... I clean for an elderly couple and iron for them using one. It is just soooo cute! Love your cutlery!

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  3. I saw this article and it set me thinking too; so I'd go for valve radios (we have one identical to yours), embroidered tablecloths, enamel saucepans, Lifebuoy soap and 1950s style swimsuits with halet necks, ruched bodices and thigh - flattering skirts.

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  4. Real haberdashery and hardware shops. Where one could buy a single item rather than a packet.

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  5. Fountain pens are in daily use in this house - just bought daughter one for Christmas too. Definitely with you on wooden reels and bobbins - and we used to put panel pins in the top of empty ones and use them for french knitting. We also have a wind up clock, but it needs treating with caution because if you wind the striking side by mistake it sometimes goes mad - 127 strikes at midnight is it's record!

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  6. Oh Wend, how long have you got? It would take ages to list all the things I'd bring back. I've been collecting odd spoons in strong shapes for a drawing project I'm doing and picking up tea strainers too. I've become quite obsessed with them.Yours are pretty splendid. Let's bring back the ritual of afternoon tea I say! Lesley. PS Your Magie H cards added to my spoon collection perfectly and just fed the obsession even more......

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  7. O My i can't fit it all in so i will chose just a couple. But first i have to say i love your brown bakerlite valve radio i have 2 of these different from yours but they are gorg ;-) I would bring back good old Formica from the 50's i adore my 50's formica kitchen table and sideboard and i would love to have the work tops to match its such a fun, bright and practical material to use. And tea dances on a friday and saturday night and ban the use of public houses. ;-)) Great post really gets you thinking. Dee x

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  8. I spy Papa Souris on your shelf. I was taught French from that! Papa Souris est mort. Pauvre Papa Souris. Méchant Monsieur le Chat.

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  9. What do you mean bring back? LOL!
    I was born in the 50's and remember being in the pram, with the old 'Hovis' shaped radio playing 'Drummer Boy',my half sister Fran holding my right hand and gently tapping out and singing along to it, well, she was!
    I loved the old kitchen unit thingy too, (can't remember what you call them), were the middle bit drops down to provide a work surface, two glass doors at the top and a two door cupboard under neath...those were the days! Ours was painted in a lovely summery blue and mum put some flowery 'Fablon' on the insides of the top cupboard.

    Sandie xx

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  10. A good post is always one which asks a question and sets one thinking.... I would bring back 'Apple Blossom' perfume by Helena Rubenstein. I'm also in agreement with a previous comment about haberdashery. I'd also bring back the way people used to talk to each other in a more courteous manner (at least that's how I remember it!).

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  11. What a lovely post!

    My flippant bring back would be my size 12 waist, but on a more serious note, I'd bring back Sundays. No shops open (except local) and a return to a family day, rather than it being like any other day of the week.

    I have been to the Netherlands recentley & my expat freind took delight in telling how Sunday is a family day there - even noisy DIY is frowned apon. They have a good quality of work/family life balance over there.

    Oh, & traditional childrens birthday parties....

    & by the way, it's lovely to meet you

    Lx

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  12. Hi Wendy

    I would bring back fancy dress parties for children with nothing that resembled a Disney outfit!!! but that was made from a bit of this and that from around the home. Total innocence. I remember once going as the Sirdar wool girl and mum sewed balls of wool all over my dress. Very fethching...

    I also agree about Sunday's I really hate that they have just become an extension of the working week.

    Oh and a spoonfull of malt once a week....yum

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  13. FISH KNIFE UPDATE... Yes they were still there at a fiver for 6!!! Trouble is, someone had nicked the matching forks (from a charity shop, can you believe that? No neither can I!) I now don't know whether to get them because although I've got loads of ancient silver forks, I've never seen fish knives partnered with ordinary forks. Your thoughts Wend? LLX

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  14. Your blog has not been appearing on my 'update' list. I don't understand why. So sorry I haven't visited for a while. It wasn't intentional.
    Love the 'bring back' list. I have my nan's bakalite radio which doesn't work but looks fab. How about afternoon post? The days when you could post a letter to a friend in the morning and they'd get it in the afternoon? And away with central sorting offices and have the local postmark on the envelope instead.
    Those are my first thoughts. Dare say I'll come up with more as the day goes by. :D Thanks for a very interesting question. xx

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  15. lovely pics. I love wooden cotton reels too x

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  16. Lovely post Wend. I'd bring back individuality in our towns. It seems to me that no matter where we go all the street furniture has been bought from the same source, and the shops are all from the same chains.

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