Chocolate Biscuit Dispensers and other Machines

When I was a little girl, my imagination transformed a panel of the garishly patterned 70s wallpaper that adorned my bedroom walls into a Chocolate Biscuit Dispenser, from which I was able to keep my collection of teddies, gonks and dolls lavishly bestowed with sweet treats. I remember it so well.

This is not the exact design of my wallpaper but it had a similar colour palette, a floral theme and  a repeating circles pattern. My parents must have thought it quite attractive! To a child's eyes (this child's eyes at least) it was a control panel and dispensing hole for imaginary biscuits.

I was reminded of this yesterday when my 4 year old (nearly 5 actually - where does the time go?) daughter called me into the conservatory to see a 'machine' she had made. Various household items and toys had been carefully arranged to create a rather interesting construction. Nothing was randomly placed. Everything had a function and she proceeded to explain in detail what it was all about.

I love her creativity. I love her imagination. I love that she has taken my "Chocolate Biscuit Dispenser" to a whole new level. I didn't love so much that I was instructed not to dismantle the machine. The strange collection of objects now dominates my conservatory.

If it was summer, this would be more of a problem but as the conservatory does not get used very much during the cold weather, I am happy for the machine to remain. Perhaps there is something to be said for those 70s wallpaper designs though. My plain walls painted with emulsion clearly do not fire any sparks of imagination.