The Big Crash

While sitting quietly at my desk the other day I was astonished to hear a big crash behind me. I swivelled around on my chair to find that the door of the old wardrobe in which I store a lot of my tech toys and genie loot had sprung open. On inspection I noted that one of the shelves had collapsed and that some of my gear had spilled out and onto the floor while some remained precariously perched on the now crooked shelf.

After the crash - tech toys scattered

Now this got me thinking about the history of the Yellow wardrobe will be celebrating its 40th birthday this year. We purchased this Everett Worthington wardrobe and a matching set of drawers for our first son just prior to his birth and it has served us and our family well. I now notice these wardrobes being advertised on eBay as "Retro". You will note that the wardrobe has had a colour change, Mr GeniAus painted it white several years ago.

The first time the wardrobe appears in my album is early in 1974, My son will be pleased to know that, for modesty's sake,  I have cropped this image.

GeniAus, son and the yellow wardrobe 1974 

By 1976 we had moved to a new home. The yellow wardrobe is in the background of the next photo. My son was able to sleep with that wild wallpaper, red sheets and yellow wardrobe.

The wardrobe moved house with us in 1979 and served our son until 19987 when we put an upstairs extension on our that home.  As  the four new bedrooms had built-in wardrobes the yellow model was banished to the basement playroom for toy storage.

When we moved to our present home on 1993 the wardrobe came with us and found itself used as storage in the garage here where it languished for a several years. Five years ago son number two moved to a house without built-ins so Mr GeniAus gave the wardrobe its paint job and moved it to a new home where it served our grandson for four years until it was replaced by a  newer model.

The wardrobe once again came home and sat in the carport right where it was offloaded until I had a brainwave. I gave it a new home as tech toy storage in my study. Those who have viewed some of my GeniAUS Hangouts on Air will have noticed the wardrobe in the background - it scrubs up all right for a 40 year old.

When I have a full day at home next week I will have to empty the wardrobe and get Mr GeniAus to strengthen the shelf that collapsed. I hope that it will serve our family for a few more years.

I wonder what family stories the yellow wardrobe could tell.

The Museum I call Home

Kerry on the Cluewagon blog recently wrote on "How to incorporate your family history into your home decor" and gave some great tips and examples of economical decorating. I reflected on my home while reading this post and thought that I didn't have many such items around my house....but then I did a mental walkaround and I was surprised at how many things we actually had. Thanks, Kerry, I now have fodder for more blog posts.

Following is a summary of what I have found today, as time goes by I will blog about some of these items and their stories.

Standing in the corner of our entrance foyer is a longcase clock made  in the 1840s by Scotsman, James Gowans, my husband's ancestor. I have previously blogged about our eight year search for the clock, its purchase and journey to Australia (No photo - it's at the restorers). On the walls are some historic photos of the Waverley Council area in Sydney, they are reminders of our courtship as Mr Geniaus and I met while working for Waverley Council. Shoved in the coat cupboard is my great-great-grandfather's shillelagh, I don't quite now how to display Denis's stick.

Nanna's Dining Table and Chairs

In our front room/parlor/room we don't use/sitting room is my grandmother's dining room suite that my Dad purchased from the estate after her death in 1977. The acquisition of this setting started our obsession with collecting early 20th century reproduction Jacobean furniture. Jesus watches over this from his place on the wall in a tapestry made by Hannah Steward in 1853. China cabinets and sideboards in this room house some family treasures. Sadly we do not know the stories behind these cups, crystal and curiosities. Over in the corner is a collection of framed items waiting to be rehung after last year's paint job on the walls. This includes some mugshots of the ancestors plus prize certificates for wins at The Royal Easter Show by my husband's grandfather, Ernest Gillespie.

Scots College painting by Tony Crago

There are more treasures in our family/casual living room. My husband's grandparents' sideboard takes pride of place. Above the fireplace is a painting of The Scots' College by Tony Crago that I won in a school raffle; as my boys were educated at this school this painting evokes many memories for us.

Mr Geniaus' study is chock full of memorabilia as is mine. We need to get in and catalogue some of this: more photos and accompanying stories are needed so that, when we drop off our perches, our children understand the significance and value of some of these items. There are also postcards, letters, invitations, thankyou notes, should I digitise then pitch these?

Hiding in the corner of one of our guestrooms is a quaint little corner wardrobe that  belonged to my mother-in-law as a girl. Her collection of clothes must have been sparse to be accommodated in that little cupboard. The remainder of the bedrooms and all of the bathrooms are not in the museum zone.

Daughter's sampler

Catching dust and wearing cobwebs on top of my kitchen cupboards is a collection of kitchen gear that previously belonged to earlier generations. There are scales from a grocery store, an original mixmaster, a soda siphon and some weird looking implements. A newer heirloom hanging on the wall is a sampler worked by my daughter when she was at school.

On the bookshelves are family bibles and books written by or carrying mentions of family members as well as books on ancestral cities, towns and churches and 100+ family photo albums.

Having done this rough inventory of our exhibits I am wondering if I should charge admission.