✴ the tale of the fish and the bird

Once upon a time, in a distant land called 2010, there lived, in a musty old - although surprisingly treasure laden - charity shop, a fish and a bird.

Alone and unloved, there they sat. The fish hidden from view in the large window display, the bird even more so at the back of a dusty shelf, next to a toast rack, behind the shop counter.

And so they waited. In the dead, dark loneliness of night they recounted their past days of glory, the fish as an ashtray, the bird as a sideboard ornament. Would they ever again feel so cherished and worthy.

They feared the worst. And then one day, a rather harassed looking mother pressed her nose to the window of the shop {as she was often inclined to do} and she spotted the fish. Dragging her small child inside she asked to see the fish more closely. The fish could hardly believe his...ermm...ears? 

"Two quid? I'll take it" said the mother. She thought it might make a pretty trinket dish for her 'Nemo' obsessed child. And then on paying she spotted the bird. 

The women of the shop were used to the harassed mother. And her strange ways. They couldn't quite fathom her penchant for kooky old nik naks {not to mention crocheted doilies} for someone so relatively young. Then the harassed, but much happier mother left the shop, with the fish and the bird. And the child, of course.

The bird cried out to be painted, "Oh, cover my chintz and transform my old fashioned-ness...", the mother thought she heard it say. And so she obliged and a new creamy coat with porcelain hues the bird now wears. It occurred to the mother that with his newly painted coat, the bird might just make a perfect mannequin for displaying her handmade jewellery. The bird was delighted, as he had always fancied himself as a bit of a model and had perfected the art of keeping positively still. 

The mother wondered if the fish would like to have a go, but he was more shy than the bird and really couldn't make his mind up whether he should be painted or not......and neither could the mother, she had begun to grow fond of his brassy ways......The end.

{ brass 1950's fish ashtray, £2 :: china bird, £3 :: embroidered linen pillowcase £4 }

Jewellery made by me, yonks ago, forgotten by me, then discovered by me, yesterday!

Flea Market Finds for more tales of treasure.