Category Archives: Things

Paddington Figurine

I don’t mention the other bears on Clutch Cargo Lips much mostly because Rupert would be a little sad. He’s the least known of the three famous bears, but he was here first. He once wrote a letter to Google suggesting he be honored on his 100th birthday, but Google ignored it.

I’ve been boycotting all things Paddington and Winnie to keep Rupert happy, but I think it’s about time I talk about at least one of them (I did mention Winnie the other day on a different blog). My daughter-in-law tells me I must see the Paddington films. Also, I quite enjoyed the bit on TV with Paddington and Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1979 I did a three-month teaching practice at an elementary school in London. I taught seven-year-olds. One of the students, Julia Meachem, painted a plaster Paddington Bear figurine for me as a goodbye present. That I still have it says something, right?

Small bottle of Deanston Single malt Whisky

I’m still in the midst of a declutter as a result of clearing out the knee wall before replacing our roof. I thought I’d blogged about this small bottle of Deanston Single Malt Whisky before but nothings coming up in the search for “Deanston”. I probably wrote about it on another blog.

When we were in Scotland we visited the home in which my ancestors lived before immigrating to the United States. We’d not called ahead — mostly because we didn’t have the telephone number, but the current owners were welcoming and told us to make ourselves at home and look around the property. They also invited us in the kitchen and when we introduced ourselves the husband presented my husband with this (then unopened and full) bottle of Deanston Single Malt Whisky because my husband’s name is Dean.

Dean kept it in his toiletries bag for years, but finally drank it at some point. After keeping the empty bottle for a while he tossed it in the recycle bin but I fished it out because it was one of our only souvenirs of our trip to the UK in 2002.

I think I am ready to give it up. Or at least move it from my box of memories to one of our China cabinets.

What’s in Your Wallet? — Dad

I made a similar post about things in my Mom’s wallet about a year and a half ago. Here are some from my Dad’s wallet. These were probably what was in his wallet when he died.