Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Et tu, Brobee


The basket in the corner of the girls' room was lousy with toys. Lousy, I tell you! The great cull of previous years had been sabotaged with trash-n-treasure and hand me down items of a fluffy nature.
They were all thrown out onto the bed for the selection process. The girls won't part with any of them so it was up to me while the Big Fella had them at the beach, innocently unaware of the drama unfolding back home. My criteria are simple. Soft toys are silly and take up too much space and collect dust but somehow, some of them have wormed their ways into my heart. They are attached to memories that I like to be reminded of. Yes, I had guilt.


Don't look at me with those sad brown eyes, Roadkill Ted. This is Roadkill Ted the First by the way. He was so named because the Big Fella had stored him in a tea chest for several years when we were overseas. When he re-emerged his innards had evaporated reducing him to a bearskin rug. He has been around since the BF was born so he stays. We reward loyalty around here.


These are the (from the left) the Wicked Fairy, Rapunzel and the handsome Prince. If Fishy sang that song once he sang it a gazillion times when he was three. He and his little sister helped me make these.
Note the baby in the  pouch on Rapunzel. Clearly the Prince had already been in the big, high tower.


This is Barry, the anatomically correct boy doll- he of the slightly disturbing spiral eyes and crocheted orphan doll ensemble. Beloved by the now big boys as they prepared for baby sisters, he has been followed by many other dollies but never bettered.


Op shopped Charlie and Lucy. One day I will find, Schroeder, Linus and Sally, Charlie's little sister. So I have to hang on to them in case, don't I?


The triplets. These have all been bequeathed at various stages of little girls' lives. One was Lucy, one Daisy and the other- we don't talk about her. We don't need three but who could break up the set?



Et tu, Brobee? This bad boy was a hand me down from a dear friend. He was secretly squirrelled into the car so her child would not see. See I'm not the only mother smuggling out childhood companions by stealthy sleight of hand. He took up much bed space and has now gone to a better  place with a four year old who has just arrived in Australia from Afghanistan. Culturally confusing perhaps but infinitely huggable.






13 comments:

  1. A subject close to my heart - We have a box of soft toys (still unpacked) which came all the way from England to Turkey , which may seem an unnecessary expense as my daughter is 21, but I couldn't rest those big eyes pleading with me to be packed (the toys' not my daughter's)

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  2. I understand your pain, we too are swamped with 'cuddlies' as they are called here! Cuddliest I tell you, what a name.....how can you part with something you call a cuddlie!! I have to be harsh at times, we do a cull, I pull on their heart strings, explaining that if we send some to the charity shop, then we are supporting those worse off than ourselves. It is still however like getting blood from a stone. Good luck! :) x

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  3. These are definitely keepers! Love the dolls you made. As for Brobee, well no doubt he'll make that little boy very happy x

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  4. I know this too well....I still have my softies from when I was a kid (parents saved them, not me) but when presented with them at some stage- they pleaded and I caved. I dont even remember playing with them! And now they and the girl's pile have made a very large 'homeless persons bag' (as we call them down here) very full! What can you do though...

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  5. I used to do this too. Get the girls out of the house, fill up bags with toys and they never missed them!
    xo

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  6. Oh no, the "TOY CULL".... nearly every school holidays it was time to put stuff into the big cane laundry basket, to be thrown out or handed on, with the threat that "if they didn't do it, I would" and who knows what would then get chucked out. Kids often have different ideas on what to keep, so if they want it gone and you have sweet memories of something.....take some pics and send it on its way.

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    1. If it can be contained within one basket it's okay but once they start breeding again there will be yet another cull.
      Somehow it reminds me of the bottomless coffee that just never gets empty!

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  7. Hooray! The Brobee joy lives on! Just not in my house or yours! You're a good, strong, ORGANISED woman! I'm starting a week off tomorrow and this is on my list!

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  8. how could i never have found you before! I am already in love with your blog!! having spent the day buried in the loft trying to cull things that even the kids don't want...i smiled and laughed at this post! Frig me though...seriously the eyes on that doll!!! Barry looks like he's sat on something!! x

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  9. You are made of sterner stuff than me my friend ... we only recently managed to finally persuade a now adult daughter to part with a mere half of the collection of softies she'd accrued and that were still living here even though she isn't. And another box full of the blighters still lurks in the spare room.

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  10. With that number of cuddles, I think it could be easier for the family to move out and leave it for them to breed.

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    Replies
    1. I am working on a cosy space in the cubby actually!

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