Roads to Joy

Ah yes, there’s a reason why all that stuff was up in the loft, out of sight and out of mind. Apparently, there’s nowhere else to put it!

But up there, it was more than just out of mind; it was also inaccessible. With a little perseverance, and diligence, we can sort things out and tidy them away somehow. The ‘craft room’ will have to be a neat store room as well, for example.

Meanwhile, in one of the old suitcases, the one that had a rusted clasp that would not open, the one from which I ripped the top off to reveal its contents, in that one we discovered a long-lost family treasure: photographs from before the war, baby pictures of parents long gone, weddings from the early fifties, grandparents and houses and ancient caravans for touring Wales. It was enough to bring tears to the eyes of the explorer.

So the first of the loft clearances has been worthwhile if only for what the effort revealed. But it will take some serious work to accommodate the remainder of what’s come down into the light. We can do it, I’m sure we can. But we must exercise continued care and attention to what’s valuable and what’s dross: while setting the fire yesterday evening, in between some out-of-date medical school notes I discovered the first draft of my children’s book, Too Many Morrises. The text and story was appallingly bad, but what was delightful was the colouring by our 3&3/4 year old daughter. Perhaps the flimsy little sheaf of paper will be her treasure to store in her loft, one day, and its rescue from kindling material will be appreciated.

These discoveries are a continuing source of joy, but the odd thing is that we’ve had them all along!