John's Challenge

When John asked to see what's on or above our mantelpiece I realised that I had actually done this, first in a Fun Monday post and then more recently when I got my new picture (so if you read those you may not want to read any further). Never one to resist a challenge and I wouldn't want to upset John as he sends me jokes for Witty Wednesday, the first thing I did when I came downstairs was to take a couple of photos (no I tell a lie the second, first I went and got the Sunday papers so that Embee had his crossword-well I have to keep his old brain oiled somehow!!)

My fireplace is a reclaimed marble surround that replaced a wooden monstrosity about fourteen years ago. I wanted to be able to have a log fire but I must confess that I only lit it a few times because of all the dust it made and the room got very hot. I suppose now I'm retired and have more time it would be nice on a cold winter evening to see the flames dancing up the chimney and I still have a lot of peat bricks (brought from Ireland) so I ought to think about it again.
You might notice my old toasting fork (was my gran's) sitting in the log basket. One of the pleasures of a real fire is toasting bread or crumpets, we loved this as children and it tastes so much better done this way.

My tall jugs were given to me by an aunt of my ex and the ginger jars are Crown Derby and belonged to Embee's mother. When my gran's sister left me a small legacy over thirty years ago I bought the carriage clock as a memento of a very sweet lady. Probably too small to see is a china bird given to me by Sam as a child, a tiny pig which we found on the original mantelpiece when we moved into the house and a small teddy bear given to me by a nursing friend when we had a reunion a few years ago. Oh and I wrote about the card back in May on Friendship Day.
Now I'm off to have breakfast.