As I breakfasted each morning, I'd look at the sideboard in the breakfast room
One shelf, it seemed, looked a little "wonky"
But I'd look again and it would seem okay.
Then Tuesday, as I was preparing lunch for my guests,
I heard an awful rack from the sunroom
A racket like a cat pulling a tablecloth (and dishes) off the table in an attempt to get
up on the table.
Except we have no cat.
I put down my knife
And went to investigate.
And found
This
And this
My Johnson Brothers Indies
lived on that shelf
And give way it did!
I had a service for six
I bought the first two cups, saucers and tea plates
on an early trip to England
along with a wee teapot, sugar and creamer
The rest I bought when we added the breakfast room
It was bought as my "breakfast room" dishes
Six plates, six tea plates, six salad plates, six cups and six saucers
And I found
a coffeepot and a huge platter
(which were stored elsewhere)
The survivors:
one teacup
one tea plate
five salad plates
And all six dinner plates
The little hen next to it was a gift from dear friend Jean
It's a salt and pepper and we use it sometimes for breakfasts.
I was saddened
And heartbroken
But company was company
In just a few . . .
So I flew
Put the survivors in the kitchen
Swept up the bits and pieces
And we had lunch
They, none the wiser of the tragedy that occurred just moments before.
Today, I treated the survivors to tea:
In the breakfast room
The lone tea cup, on a tea plate instead of a saucer
And the cookies on a salad plate instead of a tea plate
But thankfully the wee teapot was stored elsewhere
For it's rare and hard to find.
I've not decided what to do
Whether I will replace everything that's broken
or whether I will just get another cup, two saucers and a tea plate
like I had originally.
Sigh!
The shelf in the sideboard is still empty.
If I repair it and put anything back on it, it shall be my silver breakfast things
They may be dentable but they are unbreakable.
And perhaps not so much!
that was a lot of heft for a little shelf, I suppose.
I am grateful that the blue and white breakfast set on the shelf below
Was on the shelf below --
It's harder and costlier to replace!
I shall treasure the remains of my Johnson Brothers Indies
especially the little tea cup
That I hand carried home from England
And survived the crash of 13!
(Oh, the nosh is ginger cookies -- currant gingerbread they're called and I do like the addition of the currants. It's getting cooler -- ginger cookies are so good in the fall!)