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Fascinating objects and collected memories: A chance to describe the things you find interesting

Oakling

A constant in my life is my fascination with, and collecting of, miniature things. It was something I used to do as a child and continue to do now. I used to collect the smallest versions of things and display them on my bedroom radiator shelf, almost like a museum. I would spend whole weekends preserving this objects, redesigning the layout of the shelf and creating exhibitions of each of these objects. Constant categorising and recategorising was a great way to spend me time.

Well, I was reminded of this today when I rediscovered a small pot of assorted gemstones, pebbles and minerals that I had collected over the years. This pot was in my bedside draw and when I went to get a book out of there, I found this pot again and was instantly transported back to that collectors mindset that I had back then. Life has been busy recently, so to get a moment to revisit the past and to sit and sort through a collection that bought me so much joy was wonderful. Agate, tigers eye, citrene, amethyst, quartz to name a few were all there and each with a story to tell. The piece of Blue John that sat there was as vivid and wonderful as the day I first encountered it. A moment of real peace and tranquillity.

Therefore, in pursuit of a little positivity here, I wondered if anyone would like to take a moment out of their day or time on here in order to describe something important them. Something that you wouldn’t get too many opportunities to speak about, but offers you the same satisfaction as I experienced this morning.

I don’t know if it would be a useful exercise, but I wanted to offer the opportunity to do something like this, especially with a lighter tone to conversation.

Genuinely, I would love to read your descriptions. It’s nice to see someone’s passion shine through. Especially on topics not usually thought of as interesting (like my fascination with miniature things and minerals).

Edit: I hope my last sentence doesn’t read ‘your interests are not interesting’, what I mean to say was that in life, we may have been told our interests are boring and weird (both I have experienced) and I want to get across the fact that they won’t be. If you’re interested enough in something, that passion cannot be seen as boring. 

Parents

  • Throughout my life, I have gone through phases of collecting things, although nothing that I would consider particularly interesting or unusual. 

    As a child, I built up a collection of miniature dolls; gifts that relatives bought me if they had been on a foreign holiday, dressed in the national costume of the country they had visited.

    During the late 1980s, I then went through a phase of collecting trolls as they had suddenly become rather popular. They appealed to me because they looked slightly cheeky, and I liked their brightly-coloured hair.

    In my late twenties, I found myself collecting a set of Victorian-looking teddy bear figurines. 

    The one thing that has been more than a passing fad is collecting dogs (not real ones, I hasten to add), or items featuring dogs. I have an assortment of miniature dog figurines, a realistic-looking Jack Russell ornament in my garden, and soft toy dogs (including a dementia-friendly robotic dog).

    Out of all my soft toy dogs, the one featured in the photograph below has sentimental value. I bought it for my terminally ill dad when it was his final Christmas. He wasn't really one for cute and cuddly soft toys, so the last thing I had anticipated was that he would form a close attachment to 'Paws'. It remained with my dad until his death and was also in attendance at my dad's funeral and 'wake'. I consider it an honour and a privilege to now be the custodian of 'Paws'. Relaxed

Reply

  • Throughout my life, I have gone through phases of collecting things, although nothing that I would consider particularly interesting or unusual. 

    As a child, I built up a collection of miniature dolls; gifts that relatives bought me if they had been on a foreign holiday, dressed in the national costume of the country they had visited.

    During the late 1980s, I then went through a phase of collecting trolls as they had suddenly become rather popular. They appealed to me because they looked slightly cheeky, and I liked their brightly-coloured hair.

    In my late twenties, I found myself collecting a set of Victorian-looking teddy bear figurines. 

    The one thing that has been more than a passing fad is collecting dogs (not real ones, I hasten to add), or items featuring dogs. I have an assortment of miniature dog figurines, a realistic-looking Jack Russell ornament in my garden, and soft toy dogs (including a dementia-friendly robotic dog).

    Out of all my soft toy dogs, the one featured in the photograph below has sentimental value. I bought it for my terminally ill dad when it was his final Christmas. He wasn't really one for cute and cuddly soft toys, so the last thing I had anticipated was that he would form a close attachment to 'Paws'. It remained with my dad until his death and was also in attendance at my dad's funeral and 'wake'. I consider it an honour and a privilege to now be the custodian of 'Paws'. Relaxed

Children
  • in reply to Sporadic Sparkly

    I think a collection is a very personal thing, at least for me anyway, so when you say about things not really being interesting or unusual, I think the value is more in the personal elements rather than rarity of an object. Some of my ‘special objects’ as a child were nothing more than small and intricate things that had been disposed of by others. I was like a magpie of sorts I suppose.

    The things you described sound great and all clearly meant something to you. I had a troll when I was younger- I can see why you thought they were cheeky!

    I’m grateful to you for sharing the picture of Paws too. I can see how important Paws is. I’m sorry for the reasons you are now the custodian, but can also appreciate why you take such pride in it. I too hold many keepsakes in honour and memory of those who we have lost. I like to take some time every now and again to appreciate each of them.

    I have had a rock on display in every home I have lived in since I received it as a present from my grandad at the age of 10. He gave it this incredible back story about it being a specific ‘wishing rock’ from Japan that, being undiagnosed autistic, I bought entirely. I used to retell the back story to everyone who asked about it, still fully believing it myself. It was only after he died a couple of years ago that I found out it was just a rock from the garden centre. I laughed so much when I found out- it was just like him. My entire family were surprised to learn that I had believed the story, especially for so long, and that I still had the rock on display. Dry humour at its best and, in my opinion, now makes for a better story. His legacy lives on.