The Work That Spoke The Truth

Auchallater, Braemar, 1962. In Auchallater, when the village hall filled with the smell of sugar, peel, and warm butter, Margaret Smith set her Cherry Peel Cake on the long wooden table. She had baked it after long days of work, hands sore, apron dusted white, choosing not to hide behind modesty or fear. When the WRI judges awarded her first place, the prize was a small set of silver spoons — ordinary, yet hard-won. Years later, one spoon was shaped into a ring, its silver worn smooth by use. The ring held a simple truth: reward comes not from luck or applause, but from steady effort and the courage to let your work be seen. Worn on the finger, it reminds its bearer that pride, when earned through honest labour, is something to hold — not to hide.