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16/12/07
The Salt Glazed Jug
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16 December 2007
23:54:00 o'clock GMT

The Salt Glazed Jug


 

 

                           

My lovely Mum died nineteen years ago today.  She was 64, only two years older than I am now, much too young to die.  She hadn't enjoyed good health in her last years and was in hospital for the last six months of her life.  Of course I have been remembering her today, thinking of her more than usual although I do think of her every day, even after all this time.

When Mum was alive she had this salt glazed jug, I always loved it, I have a 'thing' about jugs!  It's quite old and I don't even remember where she got it from, but I admired it every time I went to her house.  Some time after Mum died my eldest daughter Claire went to visit my Dad and he gave her some things to take home with her, among them was the jug.  Claire and David had a big boisterous dog at the time and while we were at their house for dinner one Sunday I noticed the jug was in a kitchen cupboard and asked why it wasn't on show, she said it was because she was afraid of the dog breaking it. I asked Claire if I could have it because it seemed a shame to hide it in a cupboard and not be seen, she was quite happy for me to have it.

My Dad died in 1996 and some months after he died, while talking to Claire on the phone, she said that she'd been thinking of the jug and thought that as my Dad had given it to her she should take it back.  I wasn't very happy about her having it again but then I didn't want to fall out with her over it.  I told Claire that we'd talk about it when she next came to our house. The jug was on my mind all the time, I suppose it was because it was a link to my Mum and I was sure that it couldn't possibly mean as much to Claire as it did to me.

Christmas was approaching and I had an idea. When I next spoke to Claire I told her just how much the jug meant to me and asked her if she'd mind if we 'shared' it.  I said I would give it to her when she was with us on Boxing day and then the following Christmas she would give it back to me to have for a year.  She thought it was a good idea. So today I have carefully wrapped the jug in bubble-wrap, put it into a sturdy box and then wrapped it in Christmas paper, on the label I wrote 'Dear Claire, Your turn now! Love, Mum xxx'  It's been going back and forth for a good many years now, I'm always sad to see it go but whenever I go to Claire's house the jug is always on her kitchen window-sill in front of the sink and always has flowers in it, so I still get pleasure seeing the jug from time to time.  I had an idea today while wrapping the jug, next Christmas when it's my turn to have it, I shall buy another jug, similar if I can and we can swap so she can still have her flowers in a special jug in the kitchen.

It's very late now, time for bed.  I'm sorry I haven't written for so long, thank you to Lyn for reminding me!

Love, Pat

 



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