Dreaming of Tableware

Ahhhhhh … Two days off. How lovely!

I met with a friend this morning. He and his wife were at his dad’s house here in Mimico. His poor ol' dad passed away back in April, and Larry is trying to empty the house. He’s sold much of the furniture already, to another friend.

“Do you want a set of dishes?” he asked me. “China?”

I opened a kitchen cupboard and looked at its contents. It was a complete set of English china, Ms J, the same pattern as Mum has. Exactly. Eight place settings. Larry waved his hand.

“Two hundred bucks for the whole thing.”

There were dinner plates and dessert plates and bread plates. There were cups and saucers and mugs. There were soup bowls and serving bowls and salad bowls and dessert bowls. Salt and pepper shakers. Butter dish. Gravy boat and saucer. And a teapot. And a serving platter.

Two hundred dollars seemed like a lot, Ms J. But it was good china, and the same pattern as Mum’s. I told him I’d take it.

At home later, I went on the internet to investigate the retail price of my new dishes. It seems the mugs alone are worth $24 each. The dinner plates are $19. Based on website information, I estimate the value of these dishes at about eight hundred dollars. Is that possible? Do folks pay eight hundred dollars for a set of dishes? Incredible!

Oh and I got a dehumidifier as well. Ten bucks.

Thanks, Larry! Thanks, Ron!

In my imagination, I see those dishes set on a large, antique Duncan Fyfe table in a dining room in a century-old country home. A great feast is being enjoyed by friends and family who've gathered with Colleen and Ivy and me to celebrate Christmas, or perhaps just to share stories and visit. A fire crackles in the living room fireplace. Colleen is a teacher at the school in town. Ivy is a student at Queen's University in nearby Kingston. I am retired from the railway.

See, Ms J? I can dream too!

***