Mystery

Another indoor Blip as I didn't get out for a walk this afternoon as intended. Time flew by, and before I knew it the supermarket delivery was due - the excitement(!) - so there was no option but to stay in.

The writing box is a family mystery! When my parents died, over 20 years ago, my sister and I found several unexpected objects hidden away among their belongings. Mum was a hoarder of things that "might come in handy one day", and it would be an understatement to say there were a huge number of them! Hidden away at the back of a cupboard, wrapped in newspaper, were a family bible and this beautiful walnut writing box, neither of which had seen the light of day during our lifetimes as far as we could remember. It's possible that the box belonged to my grandparents on my father's side, but there's no way of finding out as there are no living relatives who might know.

They were two of the very few things that we kept - A had the bible, and I have the box. Too beautiful to be kept hidden away any longer, it's kept in the living room with a small lamp on top of it, which lights up the inlay. Unfortunately, the inside of the box has been 'vandalised' - the fabric on the underside of the lid looks to have been torn off - but the lid opens to make a small writing slope, and inside are compartments for ink bottles, pens and letters. And a hidden compartment with two little drawers. Last night MrM was talking about the possibility of repairing some of the inlay that has deteriorated over the years, and maybe I'll try and source some suitable fabric for the lid...

Lockdown 3, day 8