Keep It Safe

All of Sadie's family history was stored in this hamper and some secrets, too..

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SADIE held her breath as her sixteen-year-old grandson, Ben, pulled the old hamper from the back of the garage.

Then his younger sister, Molly, squealed when a spider scuttled past, making Sadie jump.

Maybe this was a sign that she was making a mistake.

Perhaps some things were better left in the past. My goodness, Granny, this is heavy! Is the family silver hidden away in

here?” he joked.

“Well there is treasure of a kind, scraps of memories, beyond price, suppose.”

Sadie looked at the well-used hamper and worried whether the contents would raise questions that she couldn’t answer.

Ever since her daughter, Lucy, had decided the old vintage hamper would be ideal to use in her hallway, Sadie had found herself torn between happy memories and things best left forgotten.

She thought back to her childhood and their family holidays.

She could still feel the excitement bubbling up in her stomach at the sight of the funny red British Rail van driving into the street to collect the hamper”, signalling the beginning of the annual holiday.

In common with most industrial areas, Glasgow, where Sadie lived, had a specified summer holiday period, the Glasgow Fair.

Factories, shipyards and some businesses closed for two weeks in July to allow the residents of the city to enjoy a trip to the seaside or doon the watter”, as it was affectionately known.

Sadie’s family considered themselves lucky when it came to holidays, as her father’s family lived in Fife, on the east coast, and they were able to stay with them for the two-week break.

For weeks prior to departure, Sadie’s mother prepared the bed linen, towels and holiday clothes for the family, and these were packed into the hamper, which was collected the week before they were due to leave.