Sunday, August 22, 2010

Polishing up...and procrastinating less!

I have a habit of putting off tasks and chores that I would rather ignore....aka Procrastination!
I have been putting off polishing the silver for months...fellow blogger mette commented on one of my posts that she might polish silver on a rainy day and that got me thinking that I was remiss in not getting on with the job.
Today it was rather grey and foggy so I took out all the tarnished pieces and got down to business. I am happy to say that it only took a little over an hour and now it is done and gleaming ready for the next family gathering...

I do procrastinate and wonder why, when I do accomplish a task or chore that is not as pleasant as I envision, I feel very proud and smug. (I did it)
The Baby rattle is on the left! It might be in Isla's sweet little hand sometime soon.

The flatware will be polished another day
the sun came out and I went outside to the garden to deadhead my roses...
I'll try not to wait too long...maybe the fog will come out or it might rain
and that will be my cue.


Look at all the butter pats...
I use these for tea lights, they reflect the light and can be arranged to add ambiance at the buffet or dining table.
My parents were married in the 1950's and silver was a common wedding gift.
When I was married in the 1970's pottery replaced silver in it's popularity
we received 2 or 3 pieces of silver; candlesticks, goblets and a tray.
I received a fraction of Mother's silver, my sister got some too.
Mother has a cabinet full in her condo that she makes time to sit and polish her collection regularly!
I do not think Procrastination factors into her daily round.

I use Twinkle Silver Polish...
a little round sponge moistened and a bit of soft paste goes a long way
coat silver, rub gently, and rinse with warm water, dry immediately.

a word of CAUTION..
do NOT cover your silver with Saran Plastic Cling film
it looks incredibly TACKY.
I was invited for an afternoon tea at a Naval Officer's home hosted by his wife, 
a delightful, well spoken, well groomed, English lady
it was a "meet and greet" Tea.
She served us all tea using her finest silver service
and bone china cups and saucers
how lovely!
On the buffet
on display
 and in full view
covered in plastic
sat the rest of her silver!
(it was impressive and very ornate but dressed for the rain)

am I being judgemental?
The mere fact that I was included and that a blissful tea in the good company of a variety of interesting women 
should have been sufficient...
yet
20 or more years have gone by and what I remember is the cling film!
(what do you think?)

9 comments:

Suburban Princess said...

I wouldn't judge the saran wrap - but I would judge putting wrapped items on the table.

Anonymous said...

Dear Hostess, You are quite right to deplore the practice of the naval officer's wife with respect to her silver. How extraordinary that she should use cling film. I have never heard of this before.

Your own silver looks positively gleaming here but I regret that you have still to attack the flatware.But, I should not wish to criticise, since there is, I believe, nobody who can clean silver better than my Hungarian housekeeper, T. Every two weeks, with regimental regularity, ALL the silver is cleaned so that it is permanently in a state of readiness should an impromptu dinner party be called for. She is parsimonious with the silver cleaner[always brought from Peter Jones in London], vigorous with the buffing and knows the trick of covering the hallmark to prevent its disappearance with regular cleaning. So important that one's guests can determine the provenance of the silver if they are knowledgable about assay marks!!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Suburban princee-I agree, store it out of sight and we would never know!

Edith Hope- The flatwear is a set of 12 with many serving pieces, and mother of pearl handled sterling tea knives and an array of odd bits...so it will take me a few hours...on another rainy day perhaps!

As to the provenance of the silver...I wonder how many guests would be able to identify the hallmarks...
I have resorted to purchasing the book International Hallmarks by Tardy to assist me in my search and it takes a long time to find answers as information on makers is slim and sometimes sketchy.

My cleaning lady comes once a week and does the basics, I adore her!
If I had a housekeeper full time she would certainly run out of things to do here in the tiny Bungalow...maybe she'd like to help me weeding the garden I could use a second set of hands...even if they just applauded to keep me going!

The Daily Connoisseur said...

Lol to the plastic wrap :) Your collection is beautiful. I hope to have silver of my own one day to polish... hope you're having a wonderful summer xxx

Semi Expat said...

Know just what you mean about procrastinating - I am the world's worst! YOur silver looks gorgeous and sparkly - a job well done. Cling film story made me laugh - NOT on !! X

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

I so get the procrastination...the older I get the worse I get...but I am determined to get some things marked off my list this week.

mette said...

Congratulations! Your silver is shiny and so beautiful! And you have much of it too. I don´t mind polishing my silver ( there is so little of it ), but the copper pans are one´s I don´t like to clean at all. One thing I postpone regularly, is cleaning the electric oven. It is supposed to be the kind that cleans itself, but I wonder..

LPC said...

Oh yes, it is the time to polish silver. I was just looking at the pitcher and bowl which sit on my sideboard and wondering whether I'd do it myself or take them in to the silver repair shop:).

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The Daily Connoisseur-A silver baby rattle might be a great start to your collection!

Semi Expat and Teresa -Sounds like we all have a tendancy to procrastinate.

metscan-I have an oven that cleans itself and it does work, it just smokes a bit so I have to open the windows and doors...I should do it more frequently and it might be less smokey!

LPC- I know that service exists but I have never taken advantage of it myself....I recall that lovely bowl with the monogram...it's lovely. I do not think you posted an image of the pitcher.