Foreign

Holland who knows why Holland was ever so popular but who cares I have the following three entries that represent the Dutch and translate their basic values or something like that or perhaps their ability to create totally meaningless souvenirs, but then hardly any souvenir has any meaning. Well that may not be true but I would hardly know.

Dutch Girl and Boy. So innocent, just doing their best to carry home whatever is in their buckets carried on their shoulders, of course when this photo was taken the pails were missing so please use your imagination and create the buckets in your head. Whatever this situation or any other it seems clear to me that these two were and will be always happy. So good for them.

Cuckoo Clock. Who knows when and who will be out and about? But every family member will be, so this clock allows them to know what time it is and whether it’s time to go. But this clock offers so much more — a reminder to one and all of the intimate moments available during the day and in case one might forget the chimes let you know perhaps too often about what time it is. So you decide – not knowing or a constant reminder of what time it is. Of course this clock has never worked since our purchase but trust us we got it cheap and it did keep time although hardly the reason anyone would buy a clock but never mind, just pretend it keeps time and listen and it will tell you as every hour goes by, and if you’re really lucky or unlucky and you must decide as it chimes 15 minutes. So I guess all we can say is appreciate it if you can and decide on whether you’ll buy earplugs and how many.

Dutch Windmill Plate. Don’t ever even consider putting any food on this plate as beguiling as it might be. This is just for decoration, a hanging plate if we’ve ever seen one. But this one is different because it has an actual turning windmill – yes, that’s true an actual turning wheel Wow. Just think you could turn the wheel while the cuckoo chuck is singing. How much better could it be?

Dutch Planter. As this ceramic depicts love is alive even in Holland and love has struck these two young things with a so much fury that they are clinging to one another over a planter. With souvenirs one should never, ever look too closely or ask too much. And if one does they alone will face the consequences whatever they may be and frankly we have no interest in learning about them.

And from down under – that being Australia

Aussie Outback Weather Center. Not sure what this is or what it does but none the less it is a souvenir for sure. So spend a minute looking at it and figure out if and how it works. Wow! What else can I say but Aussies do what you do so well.