Sunday, March 04, 2012

March 4 - Bedside
Marchphotoaday


There she stands. With her back against my romance novels, the shipping records of a 19th century clipper, and a collection of old colonial era letters, you will find a brass bell. Or should that be brass belle?

I bought this serene beauty at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, a few short weeks before my tonsils were removed in 2004. I figured with smaller children, I would need a way to call them if I needed my jelly and ice-cream. And while my family came to regret the incessant ring of my crinolined purchase, I loved, and still do love, ringing that bell when I'm having a doona day. 

There's no denying we've embraced the latest technology since 2004, and all 5 of us at Crabapple House now use mobile phones, even to send free texts from one bedroom to the next. But I have fun interrupting modern living on occasion, and call my people the old fashioned way. 

Don't be fooled by her demure stature. While she may be small-waisted and fit in my palm, this upstairs bell can pierce the air of a downstairs room quicker than any iphone. 

True, my dear ones may not know what I want. Just, that I need them. And sometimes, that's enough. The rest we can say face to face.