Cheers!

I've collected all sorts of glasses over the years, from the seriously ornate antique venetian that cost big bucks, to others that although have only cost 20p or so, sometimes have a story to tell in their provenance. Every glass must however be appealing to look at, to me anyway. I also don't just keep them in a cabinet permanently, but use them on certain occasions for a treat. Each one holds a mystery as to who their original owners were, and what table they sat on. The two above are by Salviati, and were made around 1910 on the island of Murano. They went well with our champagne that accompanied the Christmas dinner.

Last night we had champagne again (it's that time of year that we make up for the endless cups of tea that are drunk while sheltering under a customers tree as the rain pours down). This time I picked out two glasses that only cost £3.00 for the pair. I thought they were nice, and typical examples from the 1920's. The best part though was the story that came with them. A lady was selling off her grandparents 'paraphernalia' as she put it, as her grandmother had just passed away and they were clearing out the house for selling. Among their thing's were these two champagne glasses. Not even slightly rare by any means, of fairly poor quality, and in actual fact only worth about 20p, but they were the two glasses that her grandparents used at their own wedding for the toast, and had kept them in one of those stuffed china cabinets that every grandparent seems to have ever since. I couldn't understand why something so personal wasn't being kept, but I guess that sometimes monetary value that can be amassed is more important to some people. How could I not take them on?

I filled them up last night, and after we had toasted our own good fortune, we raised them to the couple who last used them nearly 100 years ago at their wedding. I do hope they had a blessed life together.