Thursday 13 August 2009

Rubbed Out

I have a lot of red things - found, bought, stolen, gleaned, acquired, gathered. For some reason, I am avoiding the word collected. Collected to me involves some kind of purpose - one does it actively. I collect my chickens' eggs, I collect Z from school and I am collecting stepmothers to interview.

I used to collect rubbers. I still have them, in a bag in a carton in a box. Since I stopped collecting them I must have opened the box, the carton and the bag maybe half a dozen times.

I picked my niece Indigo up from school yesterday. She has just started collecting rubbers. All day I had the Ghostbusters feeling that I was going to blow her mind with my collection. I couldn't wait!

But when I had finally emptied the bag onto the table where she and Z sat, instead of bits of wowed brains splattered everywhere, there were just two underwhelmed kids, and me, the very very grown up, grown up.

9 comments:

WriterBee said...

That is such a great story, but what was wrong with the rubbers? Are they old fashioned now? And how did they look to you?

Meg said...

The front oval of the primary school we went to always seemed so huge. Until I went there as an adult and I felt like a giant,

Kate said...

They look pretty amazing to me! How's that roller skate one? Or the light bulb? Or the padlock? I bet they smell like childhood too.

Anonymous said...

ohhhhh no way!! they are soooo kool!! ;)

Michelle said...

funny!

over here in the states those things on your table are erasers and "rubbers" are condoms.

I'm glad you put in a picture to clarify. :)

Leonie Guld said...

Do they still smell like lollies? I think they are fantastic!!!

Umatji said...

Aaah, thanks for the memory trip. I find kids are often underwhelmed at that sort of thing. I am impressed though. Good hoarding!

Anonymous said...

I. Have. the. ghost. busters. feeling. now. too.

so THANKS,

tc
x

Feronia said...

I used to collect rubbers too! Thanks for taking me back to this happy childhood place...:)