The Kitchen Haul

When I told the story yesterday of the skip containing Bobo's gravestone, I didn't mention all the other stuff being discarded. Most of it was construction debris, but there was also a wooden box containing a bunch of kitchen utensils. You can see the corner of it in the photo I posted yesterday.

Most of it looked like junk -- scuffed plastic spatulas, a flimsy potato masher, a creaky can opener. I debated going through it, decided it wasn't worth it, and left it all behind.

But after I wrote yesterday's post, I changed my mind. I hoofed it back to that house early in the morning and grabbed the whole box out of the trash. I brought it back to our flat to go through it more carefully.

About two-thirds of it really was rubbish. But some of it seemed more useful or interesting, like the stuff above, which I laid out on our kitchen counter after I'd washed it. There were some big spoons, some weird-looking fish knives, some elegant cake knives. Here's a closer look:

These knives, made in Sheffield, are pretty -- but as you can see the handles are trashed. In fact, after I hand-washed them, they got even more cracked and warped. Are they ivory? I'm not sure, but sadly, I'm throwing them out. No one can use them in that condition.

This vintage cake knife with a Bakelite-type handle, on the other hand, is really nice, if a bit tarnished.

There were "Postman Pat" egg cups from the '90s, which seem too small to hold an actual egg. I wondered if these have any collectible value, but I see that they're listed on eBay for less than £5 a pair.

There was also some souvenir Delft china from Holland -- an ashtray, a small shoe and a knife rest (not pictured).

I found a somewhat mangled old souvenir spoon from Knokke-LeZoute, a Belgian beach resort.

There was a handful of random stainless steel flatware which I ran through the dishwasher and will take to school for our break room, and a few visually uninteresting but useful items like an Ikea serrated knife and a pair of bamboo salad tongs. I saved those too.

So, not a bad haul, all things considered! I'm not sure we'll keep everything shown here -- some of it may wind up going to a thrift store. I think I will definitely keep the cake knife and the Delftware.

And yes, I salvaged Bobo's headstone, too. You knew I would. How could I let that piece of history go out with the garbage? It's on the patio now, under our cast-iron fireplace surround, where it will serve as a conversation piece if nothing else.

I realize the irony in this, considering our own beloved Olga just died and we have nothing commemorating her. We didn't even ask for her ashes back. Dave and I are not very attached to physical remains in general. But instead I have a headstone for a dog or cat or boa constrictor that I never even met?