More Old Treasures

It has been a real walk down "Memory Lane" recently with some of the old treasures I have managed to uncover in my massive shed cleanup.  

(A perfect opportunity also to play some more with Photoshop Elements and this beautiful vintage texture).  Did I mention how much I love textures?....

This fabulous old meat mincer certainly brought back some memories for me.  It has been such a long time since the last time I saw it.

 You see it belonged to Mum.  

My Mum passed away 3 years ago and it has taken me this long to find, (not exactly sure what the word is?) to sort through her possessions.  There have been so many occasions over the past 3 years when I have started this process only to find that I couldn't continue.    However the "right" time finally came a couple of weeks ago.  

It was such a joy to see some of these items again.  It's not that they are valuable and perhaps some people might even think they are just a pile of junk - but to me they are just so special.

I have such vivid memories of this old meat mincer clamped to the side of our kitchen table.  How it would fascinate me to see my mother (literally!) shove pieces of meat into the hole at the top - give the handle a couple of hard turns - and then see perfectly minced meat come out the other end.   As a young child I thought it was the most magical kitchen gadget I had ever seen.

I'm sure this old ice cream scoop must be one of the first ones ever made.  It actually weighs a ton!  I can't even begin to imagine just how many ice cream cones this little scoop would have filled over the years.   Just such an incredible piece of engineering. 


I just love this old hand beater with its red wooden top and handle.  It was my Mum's favourite. 

I remember her beating the cream with it and how quickly she would turn that little handle.  Bits of cream would flick all over the kitchen bench and the bowl would be filled with white bubbly froth.  Then, as if by magic, the froth would disappear and in its place would be a bowl of thick, luscious cream.  (Through the eyes of a young child - there certainly seemed to be a lot of magic going on in my Mum's kitchen...)

I would then get the job of spooning it onto one of her famous jam sponge trifles or delicious caramel tarts.   ( I think I probably did my fair share of licking those beaters as well!)

The chipped and faded red paint is just so beautiful. 

I love the patina and strength of these old kitchen utensils.

I also love the fact that when I rub my hand over metal shute of the old mincer or hold onto the faded red handle of the beater  - I get the chance to re-live my childhood memories.

and if I close my eyes really tight............

  I can feel my Mum's hand on mine.