Yet Another Soft Touch

I went to the auctions to get another television, the strange colours from the Daewoo had been seriously messing with my brain. This is the same auction house from where I got the collection of memories I blogged about last year. There were a couple of lots I was interested in, the first containing two televisions with stands, the second, almost at the end, was a single Sony Trinitron with a video recorder. I didn't want to bid on the first lot, because I didn't want the bother of disposing of the second television, so I let them pass and waited for the Sony. If only I had bid for the pair then and left, I wouldn't be facing yet another ethical dilemna.



I wasn't really following the auctioneer's descriptions, until I heard him telling of a house-clearance where every wall, shelf, ledge, sofa, and carpet was covered with soft toys. I looked across to where one of the porters was holding up an albino Rupert. No-one else seemed to want them, and I started to think how sad it was that someone's memories were once again going into the rubbish skip. In a mad moment, I stuck my hand up and bought 8 plastic bin-bags full of cuddly toys. Later on, I got the Sony Trinitron I had gone there for in the first place.

I found somewhere in the store to toss the eight rubbish sacks, and trotted past them a few times carying other stuff around, but I kept thinking about them, jumbled higgledy-piggledy in the corner. They had been used to looking out at each other, being loved by somebody, and now they were shut up in the dark. For what sin? Their owner had died, and that meant that they should be shut up for ever? I could almost hear thier plaintive wails, and convinced myself that they might go mouldy if they were left in the plastic. At least, I think it was I who put that thought into my head.



This is pretty much how they started coming out of the bags into the light, in clusters and collections,



in pairs



or singly,



some too modern for me to recognise,



and some old enough for me to say 'I had one of these!'. I'm not allowed to actually tell you what this one is, because of political-correctness. If you really must know, email me.



I picked my way through all of the bags, posing one or two of them for the camera before finding room to perch them amongst the car-spares.



I am going to have to re-invent myself over the next few months in order to find homes for all of them. As I was sticking up my hand in the auction, something in my head was telling me that there should be a rescue centre for much-loved toys who had outlived their owners. I was able to sleep that night, knowing that the toys were once more back out in the air, free to chatter amongst each other. One day they will all be re-housed with people who will be able to love them again. And hopefully, the lady to whom they previously belonged will also rest peacefully now her beloved toys are not going to be forgotten.

Yes I know, I'm as soft as the toys, aren't I?