Today I decided it is time to start getting a claim organised to send to EQC, to get compensation for our contents that have been broken.

I don’t really know where to start, but I guess photos of the damage is a good place to begin…… then I have to find out how much it will cost to replace or repair, and that is not so easy.

Many of my treasures that were broken cannot be replaced as they belonged to my Mum, or Mum-in-Law, or Nana, or Grannie, or great Aunt or Uncle. They probably aren’t worth a lot of money but the memories are priceless.

The teapot in this image was given to my Nana on her fourth birthday in 1894. I can remember it in her china cabinet as it always appealed to me, along with the very unusual cup and saucer set – it intrigued me as it was octagonal, but is now a few black, white and gold fragments of porcelain.

The figurine came from my two great aunts who never married. One was wheelchair bound and the other a very little lady who cared for her …………… and their chickens, and the stray cats , and anyone who came by. They never threw anything away so, after the carer died very suddenly, the task of clearing out their house was enormous. They had many very old and valuable antiques, but many many useless items which were wrapped in newspaper and labelled – like doorlocks that had been replaced years before!! I have no idea of how old the figurine is, but it appealed to me as I like the delicate hands and face, and the soft colours.

However, while it has been nice to have these little trinkets in my china cabinet, our real treasures are family and friends and the special memories we have of them ………. safely stored away in our minds.

True sadness is when someone loses those memories, not when we lose our possessions.