
A Mugs Game
This was my favourite mug, after the first one got smashed.
The original was given to me by my parents for my birthday back in 2013. It even came with a little card telling the story of how ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ became an inspiration slogan for the British people during WW2 (you can read the history here) before it became an over-commercialised horror story in the early 2000’s.
My mug didn’t last as long as that war. It lasted two weeks before it was shattered at work in a near fatal dish washing incident.
After kicking several cupboard doors in, I tossed the shattered mug and, with my upper lip resolutely stiff, Kept Calm and Carried On.
In April 2014 I bought a replacement in London. That mug survived a week of hooning around England and Scotland in a rental car, a month long coach tour of Europe, a very long flight home and the best attempts of numerous baggage handlers to reduce it to rubble inside my suitcase.
Unfortunately, a month later (again at work) it fell into the sink and… well, I kicked in more cupboard doors.
With more determination than common sense, I glued the handle back on and returned the mug to service.
Sadly, I had to glue the handle back on two more times.
It was like playing ‘Coffee Roulette’ drinking out of that mug.
It’s difficult to enjoy a nice, hot brew while wondering if the handle was going to break again and dump the scalding contents of the mug into my lap.
So it was retired to the bathroom where it has served admirably as a toothbrush holder.
Until last night when it slipped into the sink.
Making the sighing noise I keep for such occasions, I picked up the bits and plodded into the garage to find the glue. Instead, I reached for my file instead.
The result:

No more handle, no more disappointment.
Carry On Folks.