Yesterday, my daughter and I snipped off the masking tape on a box with a label saying it contained her great granny’s china coffee set destined for her when she’s old enough.

Last week I thought, ‘why do we always save things up until they end up being forgotten?’ Also last week I turned my back on my old dripping teapot and got out my ‘good’ Denby one to use instead. The tea, I tell you, was infinitely superior.

I think I’m going to leave behind the ‘saving for the right occasion’ mentality and start using everything right now. So maybe there’ll be unwelcome breakages, but there will also be joy in the using before that.

What do you have packed carefully away for a suitable occasion in your house? How long has it been there? What event are you waiting for?

Sometimes it is good to be careful with precious things, but today, I’m asking why? My mum cut up her wedding dress to use for my sister’s dolls’ dresses. The rest lived in the rag bag. I hear you gasp, but really, I severely doubt that either my sister or myself would have relished walking down the aisle in a mini-skirt bridal gown! Even though I loved mine, I’m not going to pass it down because all dresses change with time and fashion.

I’m not going to haul out the china because it belongs to my wee girl, and she doesn’t have any reason to use it just yet. However, I will keep the box in an accessible place so we don’t ever forget about it.

Sometimes, when life is just plain hard, there is valid reason to pull out the cherished things and enjoy them.

I would encourage you to hoak around in the back of your cupboards, heck, climb into your roof-space, and bring your forgotten treasure out into the light.

The pleasure of discovering and holding it will make it worth your while, I promise!