Plates

Dear Diary,

It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire   Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894

Elizabeth in New York suggested we write about plates today which I thought was a nice idea but I also wondered what on earth I could write about.  I admit to being a plate lover and a very long time collector of second hand ones from charity shops, car boot sales, jumble sales (remember those?), antique shops, markets etc.  Whenever I spot a beautiful bargain I’ll grab it.  I dislike matching sets of china and prefer a real mix of crockery designs.  I also dislike matching tiles and the ones in my kitchen are a mixture of ‘odd’ ones I have collected along the way.

We are quite accident-prone in this house and breakages happen often, especially with anything made of glass but it always breaks my heart if a much-loved piece of china is smashed.

I do keep plain white sets for everyday use though; these are the really cheap and basic sets and I have to admit that food always looks best on a plain white background.

I like just looking at my pretty plates,  some are kept in drawers in my kitchen dresser.   Some are on my other old Welsh dresser in the parlour.

Most are very old.   I like to serve pieces of cake on a pretty tea plate, anything afternoon teaish really.  For now I have just dug out a few old photos of plates in my cottage but I have some really nice ones that I have yet to photograph - I was too busy today as this morning was spent catching up on my perpetual weeding and this afternoon I had to go out on numerous errands and to Hay for a dental check-up which meant a two hour round trip in the car.  I promise to post some new'old plate' pics as soon as I can.

Like a lot of folk I really love blue and white crockery and I do have some of those.  I love jugs too and have some hanging up in the snug.  I love to buy new mugs too and have seen a gorgeous one for sale.  I stumbled across it only yesterday on  Dovegreyreader's blog

I am very tempted!  Particularly as Little Women is a favourite childhood book of mine.

I have many collecting passions; some are rather strange, (apart from books of course).  I can’t resist basketware, doormats (yes I did say doormats, that is the strange one), tea towels, patchwork and rag rugs.  I also collect bookmarks.  There are others but I had better stop now as I am straying away from the subject of plates.  I can feel more subjects for blogs coming on Elizabeth!  Thank you for this one.

I quite like the concept of being set a subject, it makes a change from a meme.

Keep them coming!

Bye for now,
Cait.