The Gift that wasn't.........

During 1981 we bought our first wee hoosie. A Barratt box in Barratt Drive, Ellon, Aberdeenshire. The purchase was made quickly as we were due to move from Shetland to Aberdeen for 6 weeks then off-ski to Sarawak, Borneo for two years. Many folk make abusive remarks about Barratts and their product but for us it was a great step on the ladder. We rented the house out while we were away. Mortgage covered, Ta Da!

We were in such a rush that I stupidly placed some of our goodies in the loft space thinking and trusting to good nature. It appears one tenant was from another part of the gene pool. We lost all our bedding etc. Including my wedding and engagement rings. I had stopped wearing them as I nearly lost my finger while rolling a car over to create a barricade but that's another story.

The solicitor responsible for the house was due to receive this piece of Selangor Pewter, a paperknife, as a thank you for taking care of the house. I binned that idea as soon as I realised what had happened.

The handle is shown here, intricately cast orchids. It's a pleasure to use, so in a way I'm glad I was minded to keep it, I just wish humans were trustworthy.