Washing set

31.  Washing set by Ridgway,

royal semi porcelain, 'Fantaisia' design.

I walked past an antique shop every day on my way to work, and this handsome set formed the centrepiece of the window display. For all that it was the 'swinging sixties' most of us were still living a fairly frugal post war lifestyle. We were renting a small, unheated flat, and, even if we had had a cat there would have been no space in which to swing it and certainly nowhere to place this porcelain set.  But Peter obtained a lectureship in the South West and on the strength of it we went house hunting. I remained in the Midlands to work my three months notice at the college where I was teaching, still walking every day past the antique shop window. 

One weekend, just before I was due to leave, we went inside and came out with the coveted washing set.

Bowl, 40cm wide.