I have a small collection - but my haven't lasies' hands shrunk in the last 50 years or so - they are all so dainty!

Yes Lynley, when my grandmother died, and we packed up her home, we found several pairs of gloves, they were all very small. I was the only one of the family there that could even get them on... so I came home with 2 prs of soft leather gloves, and some lovely lace ones. The lace ones were so fine and fragile that after some thought I took them to a framer and had them framed, and they now hang on my bedroom wall, a daily reminder of Nana. Anyone that has seen them always comments on how good they look and what a neat idea it is. Better than them just sitting in a drawer, deteriorating. The leather ones I have worn, to fancy dress, but they are just in a drawer, most of the time.
Like Helen CB, living where we do get some hard frosts, and occassionally being expected to get out and be useful, when it is cold, I have several pairs of gloves, that I do wear.... wool, polyprop for damp conditions, and then there are cycling gloves.... So no gloves are not obsolete yet, at least not here.
Kaye.

Back to the stone in my handbag, I cannot recall putting it there, but I must have, because it's not an ordinary stone. It's about the size of a large grape, but irregularly shaped, and it's very pale grey with orangey/yellow marbling all over. It is very smooth and slightly shiny as though it's been polished by the action of waves and sand. If polished properly, it would probably be a very beautiful gem stone. I must put it back in my bag, because having arrived there by some unknown means, it's probably meant to be there, for luck or something.

Lorna

If I want to look at something closely I can dip into my handbag for my little magnifier. If you have a cut there is always an elastoplast, and my folding scissors have often come in handy. There is panadol for pain, tissues for noses, several little brass safety pins, not to mention umpteen pens.

My physio blamed my handbag weight when I had a sore neck and shoulder, so I downsized with great difficulty. There is still, and will always be, the search for the ultimate handbag. I want it; I want the ultimate handbag, where searching is a thing of the past, where ease of entry is a given, where style lives.

Meanwhile, my old bag will have to do. I must say though, that stress has been reduced considerably by attaching a large ring (the kind you put keys on) to one of the handles, and a springloaded hook(can't think of the name) to my keyring. Am now completely in the habit of attaching my keys there, so no searching is required on that particular account.

Ok confession time I guess. i get a hard time by the other half as my hand bag often contains
a whole 20 box of tampons! (He says he can understand woman carrying 2 or 3!)
Lollie wrappers from the horribles,
Tennage ninja turtles,
action man occassionally,
hair ties
bills,
receipts receipts, receipts.
Half a carton of cigarettes.
A broken calculator.
a kids silver bracelet.
A cell phone which never rings and never rings out.
and two marker pens,
oh and last but not least 2 five cent peices and a 1 dollar coin!!!!
Kind regards
Lisa

Lisa, your handbag gave me such a smile !! One whole box of tampons - is that in case of kids' nose bleeds??? And a half carton of ciggies, hahahha, I can understand a couple of packets, but half a carton?
Good god girl - what size is your handbag :}

Way way too big Irene!!!
Kind regards
lisa
:-o:}:}

Lisa I had to smile also when I read your posting... it brought back memories of going to a playcentre workshop quite a few years ago, when my kids were small. The visiting workshop leader was sitting there waxing lyrical about whatever it was... and we were all sitting there, wondering which one of us, should interrupt and tell her that her child, was sitting there entertaining themselves, examining her handbag and contents.... you guessed it, while we were dithering... the tampon box came out... the joys of children...at least it was in a roomful of women I guess. and not somewhere else.
Kaye.

Two extra things in my handbag, as well as those things that everyone else has,( essentials ), a pack of cards, and my Genealogy "Bible' containg names, places and dates in case I find myself near a library or research center with some time to spare. The pack of cards came in handy while stuck on the Motorway trying to leave Auckland, following an accident, we sat for 2 hours waiting for it to reopen.
Did anyone else mention handcream and cotten buds?

Bev M
Windy and cold, showery Whitianga

I've got quite a big hand bag that i bought in Siena, but i don't have anything that exciting in it!
my wallet (whcih also has buttons off shirts etc that i haven't got round to sewing back on!!)
4 different lip glosses (have to keep them in my hand bag otherwise i forget to reapply!)
address book
business cards
mirror
tampons
hankie
sunglasses
keys
cell phone
diary (whcih i can't live without!)
hair tie
2 pens!

It is amazing how much stuff we carry round! i also take another bag to work with my lunch, morning tea, wee treats order book, and ideas note book in it as well as a magazine to read if i ever get a spare moment at lunch time!

Actually this brought back memories of maybe my most embarrassing moment - but not to do with handbags.

Back in 1954 (I know - unimaginable to some here) I was married to my husband who was a Naval Officer and we were based at Yeovil in Somerset, England. We were too young at 20 and 23 to qualify for a married quarters house so I started my married life in a caravan - very happily actually!!

In 1956 my husband had a a temporary transfer to another station only about 3 hours away - but we decided that, not bearing the thought of being apart - we two and our two children would move the caravan on-site to where my husband was to be stationed! We employed a professional mover and duly arrived at our destination

The caravan positioned, the mover opened the door to show us that nothing was damaged - and right in the open doorway was my diaphragm surrounded by its box which had escaped from what I thought was a high secure cupboard!!

To his credit the mover stepped delicately over it and demonstarted that this was the only thing in the caravan that had moved!!

Now you young things - that was one of the main aids to contraception back then - and I was not a good example - I had four children in just over 3 and a half years!!!

Post Script: as my mum said to me - "a bad workman always blames his tools" - my tools didnt work but goodness I am rather glad they didn't!!

I hope you share that story with your children Renee. And to be glad the tool didn't work tells us all what a loving mother and wonderful woman you truly are!!!!!! and obviously you have been a loving and devoted wife too! What a great example!!! I hope your family are proud of you!
Congratulations!!!!!

wallet
sunglasses
tissues
panadol
lipstick
rusks and snacks for my grandson :-)
pen
small notepad
cellphone
tampons
keys.

I did not think I had much in my bag but now I see it written down it looks a lot:}

wallet, gift voucher (for chubby girls clothing shop), diary, clothes brush (damn cat fur), reading glasses (dont need to wear them all the time anymore!), Jar of toothpicks (essential!!), cheque book, handcream, pantyhose sock ( got caught in my sweatshirt in the drier and discovered it hanging out in the supermarket in Merivale Mall of all places), 2 hankies, freedent, emery board, small mirror, pill box (for losec), 2 lipliners, 3 lipsticks, 1 lipgloss, panadine, breath freshner, lotto ticket wallet, eye drops, 2 biros, mobile phone, $3.65 in loose change..... I can see now, why like CR I often get a sore neck and back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I should downsize....but everything in there is "essential". lol
Cheers,
Sandra.

Raewyn G - thank you for those very nice words - how kind you are.

As a matter of fact I have never told any of the children that story - and come to think about it I don't think I've ever mentioned it to anybody at all - and to be honest I probably would not have told it on here had I not been primed with a couple of wholesome glasses of Chardonay

Oh Renee, you're priceless..........a couple of glasses of Vino-de-collapseo and you tell all!!!! How awesome!!!! I can just see it............hic hic....wanna know a secret???.....hic hic!!!!:} Bless you for making me smile!!!!!:}
Kind Regards,
Raewyn