Cobbler's Last

Another of my vintage items...

This one is the cast iron cobbler's last that was used by my maternal grandfather to mend the family's shoes.  I never met this grandfather, as he passed away four years before I was born, but Mum always tells me stories about him.

I know these are often used as heavy door stops these days, since people rarely mend their own footwear, but we just keep it on the fireplace hearth (alongside the cast iron irons from my Blip of two days ago) as a reminder of days gone by.

Thought for the day:

"If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost.  Honour your own stories and tell them too.  The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are."  (Madeleine L'Engle)