First dishware: Fairlawn.

When I moved out of the house at age 18 in '88, a neighbour and family friend, Barbara, gave me her very incomplete set of dishware to help start me on my way.  I really liked the plate design and was happy to take the small bundle of plates, cups and bowls with me to my new apartment.  Barbara told me that the set had been given to her as a wedding present in 1959.  I imagine that her two boys and gosh knows all what else over the decades had decimated her bounty to these 8, or so, pieces that she was now giving me.  I have held onto them through numerous living arrangements with friends, strangers, lovers and husbands.  A few pieces have broken along the way and I've also been able to add to the rag-tag collection since newlz acquiring.  I now have a bit more Fairlawn than when I began, but not without some cost.  Who knew that the darn stuff would become 'collectable'? 

In the ensuing years I have filled the cupboards with even more dishware.  Twelve years ago, I inherited the family china, also an incomplete set, and, four years back, I picked up a shed load of Danish stoneware for a song at a charity shop.

Fairlawn pattern by Stangl, New Jersey

It's now time to move back home to where both I and Fairlawn began, so our time in Zürich is fast drawing to a close.  I'm currently having a heck of a time trying to 'downsize' our mess to make the move more manageable.  Does the Fairlawn go or does it stay?  As I type this I think I might already know the answer.