My Grandmothers' Desk

The Vancouver Sun ran a series over Christmas of special objects, and the meaning they held to their owners. More often than not, it was not a fancy new car, or a priceless jewel, but things like a well-worn cookbook, or an old leather steamer trunk. I followed this series with great interest, as it not only seemed to embody the true spirit of Christmas, but also brought with it some fantastic stories of people's histories, and of family.

My Dad recently brought over one such object for me; a family heirloom that is not measured for its' antique value, but rather as a total embodiment of a very special and influential woman in my life: my Grandmother.

Nannee was old-school, but pretty cutting edge for the time from the very beginning. Her father, prominent Vancouver lawyer, Reginald Symes, gave her a car very early on so that she might always make it home safe and sound. She was an avid tennis player, gardener, UBC student, voracious reader, and intensely intelligent. Among other things, after marrying my Grandfather, she followed him overseas during the War, and ended up driving round a tea truck in the field; serving tea and biscuits to the soldiers. She was a consummate hostess, wife, mother and a true Chatelaine: her later years as the Lady of Government House while my Grandfather served only cemented this.

One thing Nannee always kept up was her correspondence. She, (like me) had a penchant for good stationary, and I can remember the thickness of her cream envelopes, and the rich, dark indigo fountain ink of her letters. From the house in Vancouver to the residence at Government House, to the flat in West Van., she spent many hours at her desk, keeping up the household and personal communications. Her desk was uniquely her: tall, understated, neat and tidy, yet full of a rich cornucopia of roads traveled and stories told. I loved her desk, as it was so quintessentially her.

And now it belongs to me.

Thank you, Dad. There is a little piece of my heart that is a little fuller today, sitting here at Nannee's (now my) desk, writing.