Storytelling Sunday Three: Pick Your Precious

Storytelling Sunday Three? There is no excuse for not joining in with this one - everyone can do it! Pick Your Precious is about celebrating the little things you love: those souvenirs, bits and pieces, things from your past you can't bear to throw out. You know, the special little something you have tucked away in a drawer or up on a shelf? Or the thing you  love most in a room? Or the object you would save if you knew you had to leave the country? Your favourite things.

Ready to begin?

The Girl Guide Shirt

It's Storytelling Sunday! The fifth month of the year and already we have enjoyed a captivating collection of precious items and the memories they help us to hold on to. When I started out in January I had a rough idea of the stories I wanted to tell, for the first few months at least; but what I'm enjoying now is the way your picks are helping me with my picks. maybe that's happening to you too?

Two things led me to my choice for this month: the departure of The (Not So) Small One for her very first Guide Camp; and the thought that, in the end, the remembering is more important than the thing itself.

See, I still have my Girl Guide shirt. It wouldn't be one of the first things I'd grab if I had to leave in a hurry: in fact it took me a while to find it; but it has more memories bundled up inside it than many of the others things here I might count as precious. It's genuine vintage now: "antique" said the girl who slipped on her blue rugby shirt and a fleece before she left. I wore it with a hand knit for warmth, and my school uniform navy skirt, and my yellow scarf.

I relished every minute of Girl Guides. we weren't, as a family, especially fond of the outdoors, so camping and hill walking and orienteering were new delights. at school I didn't like sport, but at Guides I didn't mind getting hit with a ball or pushed off a bench. Guides was different. I slogged my way steadily through a slew of badges, stitching each one to my shirt with pride. I can chart my progress through the size of the stitches: by the time I was ready to leave they were finally as small and neat as I wanted them to be.

Each badge tells its own story: 

Camping? "Shut up Sian, we want to go to sleep."

Camp cooking? "Sian, if you eat that raw sausage, your insides will die."

Laundress (laundress? surely not any more..) "Now remember girls, if you stick chewing gum to your skirt, you can pop it in the freezer and let it harden. then it will be easily removed."

Reader? Nailed that one.

At the end I was awarded the Queen's Guide badge - that was as high as you could go - and a group of us all squeezed into our shirts (which were getting just a little bit tight) for one more ceremony, a presentation of awards by the local Duchess.

And then it was time to leave. The Leader of the Swallow Patrol had to learn to fly. Endings and beginnings, hanging up uniforms and moving on: they've been on my mind this week as The Tall One fitted himself into his school blazer for the very last time. When he isn't looking, I think I'll take the blazer and hang it beside the Guide shirt, let it hold onto its stories too. Maybe there'll be a smoky smelling blue fleece come back from camp to join them. How about it?

My story is done. How's yours coming? Show us some pictures, tell us the story behind whatever you choose: it's all good. Write your post, with an introduction linking back to Storytelling Sunday (so your readers get the idea, the more the merrier!) and come link us up. I'm looking forward to reading about your treasures..

..More information can be found on the Storytelling Sunday page. And, don't forget, any story will be welcomed. It doesn't have to be precious in any way at all! Whatever you have in your head will be just fine: small or tall, we'll read them all. And if you are reading in a Reader, click through now to join in...