Berets, Table Gongs, Souvenirs & Art

One strong memory of my childhood holidays (always to the Belgian Ardennes, 2 weeks in Hotel de la Lesse at Houyet) was the enormous attraction of souvenir shops.

The Belgian and French souvenir shops stocked a variety of shining and bright coloured knickknacks that was much disliked by my parents, but held an incredible attraction for me.

I can't recall having ever seen "bereted gentlemen on table gongs", but these are definitely the sort of thing I would have loved. When searching the internet, there are many to be found for a couple of dollars. The postage cost usually triples the cost of the object... 

I finally got myself a few, some 45 years later, and use them for bits of 'artwork' in the garden and along our driveway. Certainly, the postie and courier have no trouble finding the way to the front door of South Pacific Berets! 

The top picture is the gong embedded in an old totara (native timber) fence post, and above another sample cemented to what once was a boundary post between the neighbours and me. Not art with a capital A, but it's little projects like these that keep me sane.