This is one ladies experience of sorting out house contents for the Friends stall. She wanted to help us as her grandparents are buried in the old section and appreciates the care taken to keep the cemetery a pleasant environment to visit.

Something for a bric a brac stall? Oh yes, we can manage that. So off you go to the house you are helping to clear. Now then, anything that’s new and in its box, that’s easy then. But there’s a reason it hasn’t been used. The tablemats with the traditional hunting scene (too old fashioned and non PC) and the ones with psychodelic patterns (too LOUD) will these sell?

Where do you start with ornaments? Put them all out on one big surface and take stock. Definitely one man’s quirky clown is another man’s nightmare. And is this a genuine artefact from ancient Sumeria, or was it Kevin’s clay pot he made in year 7?It’s hard to tell. All those touching gifts made by kids long ago and of no interest to anyone now. Shall we have a box labelled “out”? They’ve done their job now.

What about this dainty china dish decorated with roses, very Royal Doulton, who could object to that...except you can’t find the lid. But you have found seven other lids. Put it aside in the “might turn up later”category. Anything which does have a lid, cover, zip or pocket means you have to check inside. Gradually you get a growing pile of hairgrips, single earrings, odd foreign coins and those little plastic packets with extra buttons which come with new garments. Nice handbag this, with a new purse with the obligatory five pence piece sweetly enclosed by the gift giver. And a packet of tissues A moment for the lump in the throat. There’s always a packet of tissues.

But you must move on, here are sets of nice glasses. There’s always only five. Whoever dictated sets should always have six​? Same with cutlery, five knives and six matching forks, only four soup spoons, but teaspoons must breed in the cutlery drawer ,why so many? Well they were were bought at a bric a brac stall of course. Do these things go on a merry go round passed on from one home to the next stall, like the sets of fish cutlery sadly consigned to the sideboard till you have that special family fish supper which never comes.

Books of course are always attractive but try moving twenty at a time and you realise you need a weightlifter on hand. Banana boxes are brilliant, strong and big (bananas are heavy) anything more flimsy and you find your careful protective wrapping is in vain as the box bottom flips downward and out drop two pot ladies and a brass vase.

Brass and copper, they tell me, are not popular today as people don’t like cleaning them. I rather like them but there’s another hazard, you’re choosing things to sell to other people at a stall, think what they would like, not what you can’t bear to chuck out. Don’t take them all home!

What should you do with that intricately carved souvenir of the far east​? Well just remember that little Freya will ask nanna what’s the game the ladies and gentlemen are playing. Lastly you spend ages with a pot lid in hand because you have just found the one which matches that pot you packed up two hours ago ...but you can’t find it now. It always happens, something unfinished, but just close the door behind you, be satisfied you have found a good use for things which will again be appreciated. Edna.