Friday 26 January 2024

Winter Cleaning

 

I like to do my Spring Cleaning early. I go round the house and find things that I have accumulated over the years and decide whether to keep them or throw them away. Things like souvenirs from holidays, old photos, books, that sort of thing. Usually, I make the decision to keep most of them anyway thus making the whole exercise pointless and a waste of time.

I've just come across this poster from years gone by. Many moons ago I wrote sketches and performed in several comedy variety shows on stage to raise money for various charities. 

This poster brought back memories of times gone by. I wondered where all those people named are now. I know that some have passed away. 

I smiled at the title. For weeks beforehand we posted notices saying "ERSA IS COMING". People wondered what it meant. Then eventually we revealed it meant "Elvira Riesling Stationary Armpit"; whatever that means.

I was intrigued by the photo chosen for the poster. I did not know what it was so I started researching. It is: Mort de Sardanapale - Eugène Delacroix - Musée du Louvre Peintures (The death of Sardanapale, whoever he is, by Delacroix).

Here's the whole painting below.

Do you have any old souvenirs you just can't throw away? Tell us about them!

19 comments:

  1. ...before our remodeling of the house we decluttered and still can.

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    1. There's always something to throw away, or give away.

      God bless, Tom.

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  2. Half the things I have in my playhouse back home should be thrown away. I cannot think of any one thing. Of course I can't think of anything after the painting.. I had to do a 'little' research. I thought it might be displaying a BAD DREAM. but I had to agree with the critic who said:
    Dorothy Bussy quotes one critic of the work as calling the painting "the fanaticism of ugliness" when it appeared in the Salon in 1828.[4]
    But as always you are full of surprises. I can see you volunteering on stage..
    Thanks for the Prayers always.

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    1. I did not choose the painting for our poster. Someone else did. I did not think any more about it until I found the poster many years later at home. So I searched the Internet and discovered it was a painting by Delacroix - whoever he is.

      Yes, I wrote and acted on stage on many comedy sketches and revues for charity. Presented live variety shows also. With music, singing, dancing and comedy. I did the comedy bit.

      God bless always, Jack.

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  3. That was me, Jack, I cannot figure out why am ANON...

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  4. There are a lot of things at home that I need to sort through, Victor, especially a bunch of letters we brought from my mother's home, but I need to read them all first; that will take some time! It is good to purge from time to time, though.
    Blessings!

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    1. Yes, I understand about the letters. Like photos, they are fond memories of loves ones.

      God bless you, Martha.

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  5. At this season in my life, I'm trying to separate/sell or even purge unnecessary memorabilia. (Like, do I really need to hang onto 1957 menus from the RMS Queen Mary or my grade school report cards?) Being a sentimentalist makes it even more challenging. Maybe I should just leave it be -- together with a bottle of the 'good stuff' for my son or whoever's tasked with cleaning up after I'm gone.

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    1. I would think the 1957 menu is a much prized antique. Well worth getting a valuation. Especially in view of its origin.

      God bless, Mevely.

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  6. That painting is very, well, I am speechless! That's what it is! LOL. Yikes! As to having things that need to be thrown away, I just discovered a file cabinet drawer filled with OLD bank statements and Tax returns that are about 20 years old, and I think it is safe to throw them away now. I should probably shred them or pour acid or grease or something over them before I put them in the trash. The file cabinet is in our storage shed, where there are MANY things that need to be thrown away. Next week is supposed to be cooler, so we plan to take a day and work on that while it is cool. Then we need to tackle our clothes closets, and beyond... I have stuff that is so old I have no idea why I still have it...some things need to be purged before our kids have to do it someday and they will totally wonder about their parents' sanity at that time, but it will be too late. LOL.

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    1. We were young, and I guess whoever chose that painting for our poster was expressing his youth.

      I agree about shredding or burning bank statements and documents - safer this way. I burn documents and use the ash mixed into the ground. I am told it is good fertiliser; although I don't know if it's true.

      God bless, Pamela.

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  7. I probably have stuff I could get rid of. I think that most of us have too much 'stuff'.

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    1. That is so true. We accumulate a lot over a lifetime.

      God bless, Happyone.

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  8. Hi Victor,
    I have many things in what I call my 'work room', but what my husband calls my 'mess room'. I was looking in a large draw this morning which was full of things I had not seen for some time. They were lovely, and some would be worth a bit of money. God bless.

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    1. Same here, Brenda. We have so many things to clear up and throw away. Mostly old documents and papers that are no longer relevant. It's having the time to do it that holds us back.

      God bless.

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  9. We have a glass cabinet with some mementos. Sometimes I even look through them, there are some good memories there.

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    1. Good memories are good for the soul.

      God bless, Mimi.

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  10. Often in January I have a bit of a sort through of stuff! It's amazing how it accumulates.

    All the best Jan

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