spoonful of memories

daffy2

An old wooden spoon of mine has had a crack for a long time but today's washing up saw it finally split and so render itself unfit for further culinary duties.I realised what a lot of memories were attached to such a humble object. It started life with me as a student mid 70's, took up residence in the marital home a few years later, saw service with my 2 children, accompanied me to my new,single, home when my marriage ended, and will now be retired to the allotment to be used as a plant marker probably. It has that odd shape they get from constant use(I expect it's possible to tell I'm right handed from looking at that) and conjures up memories of shared student meals, OH grumbling because it wasn't the right shape for wok use, my daughter bashing anything within range, my son making tomato sauce wearing his swimming goggles against the onion fumes....
My daughter and ex would think this train of thought odd, my son would absolutely get it, bless him.

stickywicket

I 'get it', daffy. I bought a new cheese grater yesterday then realised I couldn't possibly chuck out the old one for similar reasons :roll: So now I have two. Any suggested uses for the old one???

Wooden spoons do curve and colour interestingly though. Unfortunately they do also 'thin out'. Yours has, as my old Mum would have said 'done good service'. It was her highest accolade for both things and people

dreamdaisy

I love wooden spoons. I have fair few, all slightly different sizes and shapes and I hate breaking in a new one but occsaionally it just has to be done.

I find them comforting, homely - Antony Powell wrote that 'books do furnish a room' I reckon that wooden spoons do furnish a kitchen. A friend sent me a lovely set of three for Christmas 2011, they are now fully used and 'abused' but they remind me of her everytime I use them - and I kept the reindeer ribbon that was used to tie them together. I'm getting better at throwing out redundant stuff but daffy, I would urge you not to relegate your spoon to the discomforts of the garden, keep it safe and warm in a drawer or utensil pot. It's served you well, now it's your turn to 'serve' it with a dollop of kindness. DD

PS I have a thing about wooden chopping boards too. My mum still has the bread board that she and daddy were given by one of his sisters when they married in December 1945.

katekelly

Hi Daffy,

I have a veg knife that my Beloved Godmother ( God rest her) bought me as part of a set when I was 18! The blade is now a funny shape from years of sharpening and I have bought several others over the years but I can't throw it out. Like your spoon, it's travelled with me to different houses and marriages and seen the birth of all my kids. It's handle is a bit mangled where my old dog had a bit of a chew once and along with all that history it is one of my most precious possessions! Is that sad or just sentimental? After all it's just a bit of plastic with a metal blade but my if it could talk!! Actually if it could talk it would have been thrown out years ago - it knows far too much :shock:

Love Kate x

dreamdaisy

Sad? No. Sentimental? H*ll no. Women sensibly value the working tools that enhance or influence their domestic lives, maybe blokes feel the same about their first hammer or drill - maybe. DD

barbara12

Hi Daffy
I have quite a few things that hold lots of memory's the main one being a bottle opener...I am 62 and it was used st my 18th....then when we celebrated our sons being born...then our GC....I love the idea that your spoon will end up in the allotment...

frogmorton

dreamdaisy wrote:

Sad? No. Sentimental? H*ll no. Women sensibly value the working tools that enhance or influence their domestic lives, maybe blokes feel the same about their first hammer or drill - maybe. DD

Funnily enough - I am still very very upset that some workman naffed off with my Dad's lumphammer

('specially as he isn't here to 'wear in' a new one :x )

Daffy2 I get it too

love

Toni xxx

deedeeitsme

Love this thread......I have a large knife which,in its hay day, was a very grand carver. I have had this knife for 30yrs. It was part of a set that was given to me when I moved into my first flat at the tender age of 18, hubby was 22. I use it to peel my potatoes now and cannot use anything else for this job. Nothing does the job quite the same.

I am also guilty of having a nik-nak cabinet that is full of "memories" of family and friends and there is always something new being added, most recently a Grandma mug and a Grandad boxed zippo lighter from our gorgeous Granddaughter (first christmas presents form her, she's 8 months old and super cute).

Take care. Dee x

stickywicket

How's it going, daffy2? Will it be useful on the allotment or have you had to retire it?

daffy2

Hi SW
Yes to both questions. It will go to the shed to begin with, but it isn't relegation in my eyes as the allotment is essential to my sanity, and so it will just be accompanying a different part of my life!
It will be in good company as there is a small knife up there which reminds me of my FIL each time I use it - for some reason a vegetable knife which had the end of the blade broken off was not discarded but he used to sharpen it up regularly on the concrete coal bunker outside the kitchen door, and over the years the serrated edges got worn right down and the end smoothed off, and it was always very sharp. I also keep it sharp and find it useful for cutting veg, especially asparagus.
DD I think some chaps do harbour feelings for significant first tools, but being male don't like to say so. Gardeners and carpenters have been known to open up on the subject of 'grandad's tools' on TV though.