The power of a nice piece of furniture

I had not noticed this before but on Platform 3 at York Rail Station there is a memorial to someone who had passed well before her time at the age of 38. The bench with her name engraved on it is solid oak and on closer inspection I noticed it was a Mouseman bench, beautifully adzed as is the Thompson style. I sat down thinking of the person whose name was carved in the bench and how lovely it was to have such a nice memorial, both practical and beautiful. I had only been there a few minutes when I was joined by another traveler who, as she sat down, ran her fingers over the mouse. With a mutual love of the bench we struck up a conversation that was a lovely start to the day, covering, furniture, heritage, traveling and the legal system (she was a solicitor). A conversation that would not have happened had it not been for the Mouseman bench and Kate in who’s memory it was installed. I am sure Kate would have approved.