Magpie Monday - a bit of an art form

This week, I am sharing recent and some older finds that adorn my walls along with some of the stories behind them.

This was bought by my youngest son for me for Mother's Day. I love it because it reminds me of a visit to Grange Over Sands. It was at the time when I was really struggling to come to terms with my Mum's terminal cancer diagnosis. It was a cold day and my husband and boys went back to the car leaving me and my daughter to walk. The beach was deserted and other-worldly. I can't explain why but I found it comforting to be holding my little girl's hand and looking at a view that did not seem to end. Maybe, my Mum would carry on after her death in the same way. So this picture reminds me of a day when I started to integrate the reality into my life and started to cope a little bit.

As I am talking of my late Mum today, here are some of her finds. I never particularly liked them and I don't think other family members did either. Knowing Mum this probably added to her pleasure in putting them up.

Now Dad lives with me, I have these pictures and try to find places for them where I don't have to see them often but can enjoy the memory of Mum and her tastes from time to time.

Mum particularly liked this one as she said it reminded her of her and my Dad on a day out.

It is funny to think that I see me and Him Indoors in a different way and have finally due to the overwhelming pressure posted pictures of my saucy items from last week so do revisit last week's Magpie Monday blog post. Maybe Mum was just more of a lady altogether!

Talking of Him Indoors, he is a person without a huge amount of soul. Don't get me wrong. He has a lovely heart and would help anyone but he is not easily moved by art, architecture and the like. So imagine my shock when he brought these home found via Netmums even though they were a little pricey because he felt he could not leave them as he liked them so much.

So trees must do it for him and I have found out his taste after 13 long years.

Mum loved trees too so she is doubtless directing operations from on high.

The pictures are fabulous because the light affects them so you get a different sense and feeling from them at different times of day. Sometimes, they bring the word "hope" to mind and sometimes they look quite sinister.

I think many charity shoppers and bargain-hunters have a "thing" about certain items. It might be jelly moulds, cake stands or coloured glass. Well, I have a "thing" about lighthouses and loved this print found for £4.

Do other charity shop customers leave something they like for a few hours of a few weeks thinking that if it is still there, it was "meant to be mine"?

I have left a lighthouse picture in my local shop for weeks now. It is like some sort of weird guilty pleasure to leave it there even though I have the money for it and then get a ridiculous joy when it remains there just waiting for the day I claim it.

Hope you enjoyed my finds this week and don't forget the erotic stuff in last week's post to check out before visiting all the other Magpies sharing their hauls on Mondays.



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