Restoring the past

An old discarded gauge

Sometimes we look at something and lament the neglect. The stem sticks in the stock. It’s swollen now and has been for two decades. The brass, now tarnished has that musty smell of dampness and we say it’s not worth anything, but we give 50p. A few weeks ago John bought this gauge. He asked me what it was worth. I said, “Not much.”

Ugly though it seemed at first, the real wood was fine inside

How often do we fail to see beyond the exterior and value what’s inside as being of no consequence.

It once served it’s purpose. It’s owner once relied on it for years, but now it lies discarded and without purpose in a pile of tossed-aside junk. The rough surfaces pricked like thorns but still we carried it to the workshop.