What's your favourite possession and why? Or more than one item, if you like!

What a cordial response to the snark. Which reminds me of the entertaining Lewis Carroll poem!

I even made some blackcurrant cordial last summer, spiced with cloves. Lovely stuff, quite lively! So not sure what the person on social media would make of that...

I was enthralled by the possibility of the flute having been played by a Neanderthal person. The arguments ‘for’ are mostly persuasive while not all the arguments ‘against’ are strong enough (in my opinion). There is a reluctance to commit to an argument ‘for’, which is understandable, based on one only known instrument. 

Just think that the flute could have been played by one of your ancestors.It’s a remote possibility, yet the person was somebody’s ancestor. I love this sort of thing so thank you for posting Marianne72 

The ‘protoclarinet’ in the other video was a convincing possibility. Humans evolved to become sophisticated over many thousands of years before neolithic times so inserting a reed isn’t so much of a stretch.  

So many options!
I did think about a teeny-tiny-terrarium?

Thanks! I rediscovered my love of Vimto a while back and always take two pints of it when I go to bed for me to drink in the morning. There was someone on social media somewhere who made some snarky post about hating adults who drink squash/cordial, so that was what brought about the Renegade Vimto Connoisseur idea.

Gloriously subversive, Andy Neniu  Loved Vimto when I was a kid.

I think one of my favourite possessions is a decanter that my wife and I bought at auction a few years ago. It has a silver collar around then neck which is hallmarked for the year 2000.It was missing its glass stopper, so at the moment it has a chrome rabbit-shaped stopper in it. Finally, it has a silver decanter label which my wife found on eBay, and I got engraved with the word "Vimto". I made a tune called "Renegade Vimto Connoisseur" for a compilation album a little while ago, and people seemed to think it was really funny. I love the subversive silliness of my Vimto Decanter, I think it says a lot about my personality.

Don't let this put you off. The trick is to buy a sound vessel from a dealer, never from individuals.

Thanks, Marianne. I have tried a canal holiday and enjoyed the slow pace and being close to the water. I suspect the novelty would wear off if I tried living on the water, especially regarding interpersonal hassles and security (as you noted).

leveller61 said:

lived on a boat,

A houseboat is nice in many ways, the best is seeing otters and other wildlife at close range. It can also be expensive, and unpleasant things like emptying the toilet when it's cold or raining. Also, would you like getting covered in tar when you have to clean and paint the bottom every other year! There can be a lot of not so nice neighbours, because shortage of housing drives a lot of people onto the canals, not ones who love the river life.

Try a canal boat holiday. That gives you an idea but a comfortable version as they do the cleaning, emptying and servicing the engine. 

Both sound lovely. Do you find crochet helps you, Jenni? Someone else recommended it to me the other day...

BeaE said:

nice ritual

I love rituals. They reduce stress and are something to look forward to every day.

A lovely and unusual item - definitely worth keeping. You could make a micro garden out of tiny ferms/mosses [real or fake], or a tiny scene made from 1:60 scale doll house miniatures.

Books, both paperback and digital.

Laptop configured for my taste.

A message in a bottle set I got many years ago from a charity/antique place. I've not sent it because: a) Its glass and I don't want to litter b) Never found quite the right thing to say or put in it. It even has little wax pellets you melt to perfectly seal the bottle. 

TheCatWoman said:

I've moved house so many times,

Me too - I've moved 35 times including rentals. I recently ditched 50% of my books, giving to the library, charity shops and the rest dismembered for recycling. I feel better now my home is less cluttered, so I entirely agree about 'cargo! It is just extra work, dusting and maintaining.

One of the things I love about later Victorian things is the decoration, when did we start to believe the utilitarian shouldn't be beautiful?

I think I've moved house so many times, lost so much stuff, had it taken and/or disrespected, that I try not to have attachments to objects. Learning to let go has been a big lesson, but I can't take it with me when I go and in the end it's just cargo.

Thank you, Jenni and Marianne.

My mouse has red garnet eyes and leather ears and tail. It is sweet.

My grandmother was very kind and we had lovely days having high tea together, feeding the ducks in the park and saying hello to the horses in the fields. I loved her so much. She died just before my fifth birthday.

I live a few miles from where the Mouseman worked (Kilburn, North Yorkshire) and the business is still going. 

I like real mice but I do prefer them to stay out of my house and shed. I live by arable fields so I have lots of mouse and vole visitors in the garden.

Would love to read more about when you lived on a boat, Marianne. That sounds exciting!

I have a silver-cased pocket watch made in 1813 (probably in the Midlands - though it has a repair paper inside for an Aberdonian jeweller). It was made in the year HMS Shannon took USS Chesapeake in 11 minutes, when George III was mad and Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig, and it still tells the time - loosing only 2 minutes in 24 hours!

Aw that’s lovely 

That’s so true to both!