Saturday, November 13, 2010

Feathering the Nest

Boy isn't talking to me.

I don't blame him really. It is my fault. After a long talk about the state of our finances, we resigned to tighten our belts and be sensible when it comes to money. We both sounded terribly grown up.

Which is why he isn't talking to me.

You see, I'm still nesting.

This week it's not been plants. No trips to Nottcutts this weekend. This week it's been about dressing the table. For a few years now I've been looking for decent crockery and cutlery. Yes, we have a couple of sets. I started buying Habitat's Blue Loft. Unfortunately, I ran out of money before I could buy the complete set and then when I did have the money, they discontinued the line. Bastards.

I like stoneware. None of that delicate bone china business. I like my tableware to inflict damage if I was inclined to have a marital. That's what I tell people; the truth of the matter is I'm clumsy when washing dishes. If I had anything delicate, it would end up looking like a jigsaw puzzle at the bottom of the sink. Or chipped to buggery. At least with stoneware, it can take a bit of abuse.

Imperial Blue has been on my lust list for some time now. I love the weight and texture. Denby, is a fantastic brand; hard wearing and stylish. Plus, I can add to the collection as and when needed. One never knows when one must have a divided dish. I like the idea of saying to people 'if you want to buy me something, get me a tea set.'  Or a tea pot. Or a small jug.

Obviously, we have cutlery. We haven't been eating with our fingers all these years. After a particularly drunken celebration at a pizza restaurant, I became the proud owner of a set of cutlery and a large pepper grinder. Don't ask. The problem with this, apart from the obvious felony committed, was I liked that set above all else. That, and the pizza restaurant changed their cutlery. I have been on the look out for 4 years for a set like it. To no avail. Last weekend, I thought I found it. I just wasn't prepared to take the risk paying that amount of money for something I hadn't seen and stroked before purchase.

Today, I popped into the department store where I used to work. I strolled around the cutlery section...and there it was. It was not the cutlery brand I was considering. It was Robert Welsh's Stanton Satin. I picked it up and fondled. The curves fit neatly into my hands. It's heavy and very well balanced. The satin finish means it'll cope with abuse during washing up and I won't have to be precious about it.

My mother was of a mind that the good stuff should be used every day. No point just breaking it out for a special occasion. Having said that, she did have her Wedgwood, her wedding china,  for special occasions, but for every day stuff she used the antique bone china from her childhood.

I know I shouldn't have. But I'm not sorry. Je ne regrette rein.

Update: I read the small print (with difficulty, my arms seem to be shrinking in my old age) on the purloined set of cutlery. It's the same cutlery I bought today. It is the cutlery set I wanted! I shit you not.

22 comments:

  1. If we all stop talking to you will you start saving your money?

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  2. dave ~ not quite got the hang of incentives, have you?

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  3. Anonymous8:59 pm

    And boy is not talking to you because of some knives and forks - ? He has still something to learn. I mean mountains of clothes, a Porsche, a lorry of shoes ... reasons to be angry, but not some spoons!

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  4. mago ~ I think he'd have understood the Porsche and a lorry load of shoes. Gee thought I was weird too.

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  5. My mother gave me her formal china which I love. It was discontinued maybe 30 years ago which makes it more special. As for cutlery I started collecting Rosendahl Opus. I'm also inheriting my favorite of favorites from my dearly departed aunt. That was also discontinued years ago. They do that with all the great stuff.

    As for money I'm with you. I was supposed to save up this month but I may break even. If I'm lucky.

    Champagne?

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  6. Sorry, that was me.

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  7. My husband doesn't understand the lure of china and cutlery. But we have the Denby factory on our doorstep, so he has a lot to cope with.

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  8. petra/cyberpete ~ I'm hoping I can get a few more pieces of Imperial Blue before they decide to pull it. Inherited pieces are more special, no two ways about it.

    mme df ~ I'm thankful I'm tucked out the way in Norfolk. The thought of being that close to the Denby factory is far too dangerous.

    At least you get where I'm coming from.

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  9. I'm not really into stoneware but imperial blue looks fabulous. My reason for not liking stoneware is that it's usually some hideous brown type colour and that to me looks eternally dirty. I don't want to be eating off dirty looking plates.

    Like the meme you tagged me for, I will have to do a post about my love of cutlery and such too. For now I've just done a post about my childhood home

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  10. There's all the difference in the world between investing in a one-off purchase that will last and which you love, and blueing the housekeeping on something worthless.

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  11. cyberpete ~ dirty brown plates, just doesn't sound sexy. I'll be over in a mo to see you.

    z ~ exactly that. I have to say, the joy of my purchases hasn't faded yet.

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  12. They are not sexy at all.

    A friend of mine was given this very (appparently expensive and fancy) brown and grey stoneware set of all the plates, mugs and cups. When it's those coloures it's always dirty, no matter how much you wash it.

    Thankfully he only brings it out on very special occasions. I've eaten off it once or twice.

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  13. cyberpete ~ brown and grey as a colour combo aren't sexy, whatever they're on. Ugh.

    He must be a good friend if you ate off them more than once. Tell me he at least served you champagne?

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  14. No, he didn't. I'm not complaining though as there was probably some hideous stoneware contraption for that too.

    I'm probably a snob when it comes to glassware, but I'm very specific. My glass collection is call Princess and has an bubble or drop in the stem

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  15. I understand well, the call of beautiful table wear, so I'm no good as a supporter of thrift. That Denby is gorgeous stuff.

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  16. Anonymous11:23 pm

    Bruckmann.(wiki) The real heavy massive silver pieces. They made art deco and Jugenstil sets. Did I mention that I love silver?
    And I am with Pete on this brown ware - a friend had brown mugs and all - it always looked a bit like, well, unwashed ... another coffe? I want my plates white, with a thin golden line. And heavy silver cutlery.
    And btw Roses the Porsche is invented for men my age ...

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  17. Mago, darling, I can provide the Victorian silver cutlery. Whole lots of it.

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  18. cyberpete ~ Your glassware sounds divine. Mine is very unimaginative, again for practicality's sake. I break the good stuff.

    moi ~ welcome my dear. I'm afraid thrift around here is currently just a word. Not a verb. But I'm glad to know, it's not just me that loves the good stuff.

    mago ~ you've just described another set of crockery from my childhood. It belonged to my great grand parents. I find a lot of silverware very long in the tong and unweildy, which is why I went for the style I did. But for class, you really can't beat good silver.

    I'll let you have the Porsche then.

    z ~ I don't dare look. I really don't.

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  19. "After a particularly drunken celebration at a pizza restaurant, I became the proud owner of a set of cutlery and a large pepper grinder. Don't ask."

    Not only am I asking, I want pix, too!

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  20. xl ~ since you insist. But there are no pictures. Tales from my Degree Show.

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  21. I'm a stoneware person too. Years ago, on a trip to Mexico, I found myself in a little shop well off the beaten path, and they had the most amazing stoneware! I fell in love with it, pretty much bought everything they had, and had them ship it back to my home in the US. I used it with delight for several months, until a friend of my husband's asked me if I'd had it tested for lead before using it (he's a research chemist). Well, of course I hadn't, so he tested a few pieces and found that the parts per million lead content was 70 times more than allowed by law! And I'd been using this stuff for months!

    Say I was to sell it all on eBay... would I really HAVE to tell anybody about it?

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  22. roxy ~ hey gorgeous. Welcome my dear. Lead content?! Do you know, it wouldn't even occur to me to think of that. Good grief.

    Personally, I wouldn't eBay it. But even if you couldn't eat off of it, I bet it still looks gorgeous. Our lovely Ms Boxer makes fantastic mosaics.

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