My life in 8 objects

Today’s post is a slight departure from my usual posts, and it’s inspired by this interesting article by the lovely Ben Fogle. I liked the idea of picking out a few objects to represent my life, so I thought I’d have a go myself. This is no mean feat when you have as many interests and precious things as I do, but I’ve whittled it down to eight objects that represent the most important parts of my life (in no particular order).

1. Blue Bunny

This ragged little creature is my very first cuddly toy – the descriptively named Blue Bunny. As you can see, he’s lost most of his stuffing. He is the most precious surviving relic of my happy childhood, so he’s there to represent that period of my life and my family.

2. Photo of Dylan and my mum

I was going to put one of his collar tags, but I realised it has my parents’ address on it! So instead I chose this, one my favourite photos of our dear dog towards the end of his time on this Earth. He was a loving and supportive presence throughout my teenage years, and sadly left us in 2011. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten! This photo represents my complete and utter adoration not just of Dylan, but of dogs in general. Here he is again in his younger days.

3. My flute

Music – specifically classical music – has had an instrumental part (if you’ll pardon the pun!) in my upbringing, and the experiences I had growing up playing and singing in music groups have helped to shape the person I am today. The flute has always been my first instrument, though I also play the viola and piano, and sang in choirs for many years. I don’t play much these days because I live in a terraced house and don’t want to annoy the neighbours, but I still listen to a lot of classical music and look forward to the day when I can play more.

4. My college scarf

I wanted something to represent my academic side – and generally my love of books and learning – so I chose my college scarf from my days at St John’s College, Oxford.

5. Rome Metro ticket

Rome has played a huge part in my life since 2008, and I’ve been back many times. I don’t really have that many souvenirs apart from tickets to different places, so the one thing I have kept from every trip is Metro tickets. Hence this slightly boring one!

6. My wedding bouquet

I’ve chosen my wedding bouquet to represent my husband, our marriage and that wonderful day (though I could have picked any number of other momentos!). We eschewed most wedding traditions, so I didn’t throw my bouquet – I dried it to preserve it, so I can treasure it forever. Here it is in all its glory on the big day.

7. My pilot’s licence

I consider getting a pilot’s licence to be one of my all-time top achievements, but I also wanted something to represent my general love of flying, its importance to my life, and the wonderful times Lee and I have thanks to flying.

8. My sandals

Finally, I wanted to represent my travels and love of exploring new places (particularly warm places!). The sandals you see in the photo at the top are a fairly recent replacement (bought on our trip to Le Touquet last year) for my faithful gladiator sandals, which I bought for €5 at Monastiraki Market in Athens in 2007 and wore for many a year, many a hundred miles and many a country. Here they are as seen on Clearwater Beach in Florida. You might have spotted them in the Rome pic above, taken in 2011!

What would your eight objects be?