It's A Wonderful Wrap

Good Day Everyone, 

On a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, hubby and I went to have a mooch around Central Market. We’ve been to KL several times but never visited the Central Market before, a classified heritage site by the Malaysian Heritage Society. It’s full of colourful arts and craft stalls where you can pick up some great touristy gifts as well as get a delicious bite to eat.

 Whilst I was paying for a gift for my mum in law I turned to find that my hubby had wandered to a stall further down the street. As I approached to join him I immediately ‘clocked on’ to what he was looking at for it caught my attention straight away too. There on the floor in a bucket were rolled up sheets of colourful geometric patterned wrapping paper. My hubby looked at me and we both simultaneously said, “Marrakech!” The wrapping paper conjured up memories of our trip to Marrakech – one of our most favourite holidays. We’d stayed at an idyllic converted riad owned by a Belgian couple where, despite being just a few minutes walk away from Jemma el-Fnaa (the main market square in the old part of town) it felt like we were in a tranquil little oasis. To this day, I do not understand how the noise from the hustle and bustle of the medina quarter (old town) did not infiltrate in to the beautiful peaceful garden of the riad.

Clearly there was no way we were leaving this stall without purchasing a little ‘nostalgia’. So hubby and I both picked a roll of wrapping paper each to add to our collection of ‘memartefacts’. You’re probably wondered what ‘memartefacts’ are given that it’s not an actual word in the English dictionary (memory and artefacts combined). Nope, it’s another one of my made up words (I have a tendency to make words up by combining multiple words to make a word that represents what I actually mean). My hubby and I have this tradition of buying something, something that we can keep forever and ever from each and every one of our holidays. The idea being that we will display all of these ‘memartefacts’ in our permanent home (once we find it and put down some roots), as a reminder of all of our wonderful times together. So when we’re grey and old (and less mobile) we can take trips down ‘memory lane’ without leaving our home :o)

The wrapping paper is sooo beautiful that it really will have to be a very precious gift that gets wrapped in it, for a very special person. If I ever do end up using my sheet of wrapping paper, I know that I will keep whatever remnants I can to make some sort of ‘visual’ that I can then hang up and keep forever as a ‘memartefact’.

Do you have any such traditions or ways of remembering wonderful holidays or experiences? Do you collect ‘memartefact’s aka keepsakes for you to reminisce in the future? Or do you have a tendency to make up words? If you do then I’d love to know what they are in the comments box :o)

 Love Sheen xxx