We all have bits and pieces in our homes that make us happy. Some of them connect us to our family’s past, others simply ‘spark joy’.

This is the chest in which the sister of my great-grandmother Margaret Ryan McGrath (1851-1925) brought all her belongings to Australia. She migrated from Castlecomer, Kilkenny in the late 1860s. The box was passed down to my grandmother (her daughter-in-law) who stored linen in it. Nanna painted it in black gloss paint — she loved painting things, even the lino when she got sick of the colour. Over a number of years I painstakingly removed the many, many layers of paint using metho and steel wool. I then stained it and painted the interior sky blue, a nod to Nanna’s love of coloured paint. I use it to store clothing that I can’t bring myself to throw out, and other bits and pieces.

This pincushion was originally stitched to a square of wallpaper covered cardboard. Over time the cardboard got quite tatty so I removed it. My grandmother made it for me when I was six-years-old. It is covered in velvet and stuffed with kapok. It is in the shape of a chicken because I had a pet black chook at that time, called Henrietta. As you can see, the pincushion has lived a useful life and is still in everyday use.

This horn from an early motor car still makes a wonderful parping sound. I ‘saved’ it when we were cleaning out my parents-in-law’s house – it appealed to the Mr Toad in me. I have no idea whose car it came from but I couldn’t bear to see such a fine instrument ending up at the tip. It sits in the linen cupboard and, sometimes, when I go to take linen out, I give it a little squeeze much to the annoyance of other members of the household. This item definitely does ‘spark joy’.

This beautiful glass dish was made by my daughter. No further explanation is necessary.

A cast metal inkstand that belonged to my father; I have no idea where he got it. The head is hinged and the original ceramic pot is still in place. These days it is used as a holder for my emergency glasses.

The heirloom aspidistra. This plant has been handed down through the generations from my great-grandmother, Margaret McGrath. It has been divided and repotted many times but, as it has never died, I consider it to be the same plant.

Most of these items are not particularly elegant or worth much in a financial sense but because they call to mind special people and happy times they are of immeasurable value to me.