Author: Thomas

I am a founder member and currently secretary of the West Norfolk Autism Group and am autistic myself. I am a very keen photographer and almost every blog post I produce will feature some of my own photographs. I am an avidly keen cricket fan and often post about that sport.

More research, the Great Centenary Auction etc

First up can you spot the deliberate mistake in the following “email address”:

Refun@tax.co.uk

I would not have been fooled by this one even without the deliberate error, but unlike other variations which are merely tedious this one gave me a least a bit of a smile.

One of the things I have been doing recently is attending to my aunt’s plants while she is away, and I am delighted to report that a planted out bit of rose which gave little sign of being alive when I started is now showing definite hints of new growth.

I am continuing to work away on the social media side of things for the Great Centenary Auction, and am making sure to mention it any time I get a chance. If you have not already like http://www.facebook.com/GreatAuction please do so. Unfortunately the website is still not properly up and running, but those of you into twitter can visit http://www.twitter.com/great_auction.

Just a few pictures this time…

Definite signs of new growth here!
Definite signs of new growth here!

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Training Session and Press Release

I have just attended a training session for my role on the social media side of things for the Great Centenary Auction , and I now feel that I can handle twitter and facebook. The website is not fully up and running yet, but that will be a doddle compared to the other stuff. I have also sent out a press release about another of our donated items, as you will see from the attached media.

Don’t forget: if you have not already liked http://www.facebook.com/GreatAuction please do so.

GCALancs ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? medal close up 2

A summer saturday

The shopping is done, the washing is on the line, and I am now in shorts and t shirt, having set up the “outside office” as it is such a beautiful day. I got some very fine pictures while walking to and from the Hardwick Estate to do my shopping. I will soon by tuning into some cricket commentaries on the net (although the spoiled brat millionaires have finished their season in the f-game, there is lower division playoff action which in the minds of those who control scheduling at the BBC trumps T20 cricket).

I will conclude the very brief text portion of this post with what is going to become my equivalent of  “delenda est Carthago”: If you have not already liked www.facebook.com/GreatAuction please do so.

To think that some local government numpty thought that this land could be built on! Note that this is just an ordinary high tide, not a storm surge.
To think that some local government numpty thought that this land could be built on! Note that this is just an ordinary high tide, not a storm surge.
With the fine weather, boats are once again making use of the jetty
With the fine weather, boats are once again making use of the jetty
The Outside Office at my humble abode.
The Outside Office at my humble abode.
One for the botanists to puzzle over - these flowers grow just outside Hardings Pits.
One for the botanists to puzzle over – these flowers grow just outside Hardings Pits.
The Purfleet on a summer's day.
The Purfleet on a summer’s day.

Great Centenary Auction and a Timed Bid Sale.

I now have administrative rights for www.facebook.com/GreatAuction, the facebook page for the Great Centenary Auction, and I hope anyone reading this who has not already liked the page in question will do so now. I have today sent out my first press release relating to this auction, regarding a Canadian medal, which I sent to all the people I regularly include in such mailings plus the 10 most popular English language newspapers in Canada.

Today we completed the work necessary for the May Timed Bid Auction to go live, and it will soon be available for viewing on www.the-saleroom.com  – there are approximately 1,000 items, mainly stamps with some coins going under the hammer. Although most of the items had already been imaged, there were 23 lots which needed to be done from fresh today (as they were all small coins I was able to put them all on the scanner simultaneously, thereby saving some time). Apart from the Canada Medal press release all of today’s images are of those coins…

AUCTION APPEAL UP AND RUNNING ???????????????????????? Cross close up ???????????????????????? 1439 1467 1480 1482 1496 1502 1514 1523 1527 1531 1538

Summer is here

Yesterday was a beautiful day in King’s Lynn. After a morning walk (see pictures at the end of this post), I set up outside on my little wooden decking area with cricket on the Radio, and spent virtually the entire day in the open air (for the first time this year it was warm and sunny enough late into the evening that I ate supper sitting outside).

Although rain earlier in the week had spoiled a lot of this round of championship matches  a couple remained interesting to the end. In the game at Lords, Lancashire looked like they might escape with a draw until Ashwell Prince was out playing a dreadful shot. This led to Lancashire being all out with a lead that they could not defend, and it took Middlesex less than five overs to complete the task of knocking off 3o to win. Meanwhile on the other side of the Thames, Graeme Smith’s first century in Surrey colours set them up for a successful chase of 264, which was duly completed with four wickets to spare.

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The Great Centenary Charity Auction.

The Great Centenary Charity Auction, to take place at Raynham Hall this September is well and truly up and running. Having been asked to take on handling social media I have had to reactivate my Facebook account so that I can attend to posts via that medium. Fortunately I am not going to have to sign up to twitter. The auction will be raising funds for research into blast injuries.

Some good donations have already been received, as you will see from the attached media. There are three websites for you to check out in this context:

www.greatcharity.org

www.jamesandsonsauctioneers.com

www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww2-centenary/the-great-centenary-charity-auction

The attached media shows some of the first donations…

AUCTION APPEAL UP AND RUNNING ???????????????????????? Cross close up ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? medal close up 2

Imaging for the May Sale finished at last.

The imaging for James and Sons May auction is now finished, and the printed catalogues should be available early next week, with online catalogues being available at www.the-saleroom.com or www.jamesandsonsnorfolk.com at around the same sort of time.

Once I finished the stamp lots, there were some postcards, some first day stamp and coin covers and some collections of military buttons to do.

Since I have been imaging all day today I have lots of good pictures for you…

181 198 204 339 630 683 687 695 697 699

Some South African stamps are right-angled triangles, but this is the first time I have seen equilateral triangles in this context
Some South African stamps are right-angled triangles, but this is the first time I have seen equilateral triangles in this context

710 716 745

As well as looking good this stamp had the additional merit of being the last I had to image for this month's sale.
As well as looking good this stamp had the additional merit of being the last I had to image for this month’s sale.

 

Imaging

After a full day spent imaging stamp lots, which can be accomplished at a good rate, the backlog of imaging for James and Sons May sale, which takes place at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich on the 24th is looking a lot less bad than it did this morning. Printed copies of our catalogue should be available early next week.

The stamps I encountered today were from the full range of places and eras, and as you will see from the pictures which dominate this post, there were some gems…

569 573 578 580 582 586 589 596 598 613 615 656 661 668 751 758 791

 

A trip to Cambridge

As planned yesterday I travelled to Cambridge to take part in some research into Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC).

This took me to a part of Cambridge I have not visited before, the Trumpington Road, where the Autistic Research centre is based. Unfortunately my astigmatism meant that I was not able to do most of the visual tests, but I did complete various other tasks, and following an email from one of the researchers I have just signed up as a volunteer so I can complete some online questionnaires.

Given my strong opinions about the levels of ignorance and prejudice that continue to exist re Autistic Spectrum Conditions I always accept any opportunity to contribute to increasing the level of knowledge about these conditions.

No pictures with this post as I have to leave for work.

 

Databasing, Imaging and a busy day in Cambridge tomorrow

I managed to get some good work done on the database today, and to image some more lots for the May sale. I now have invoices and vendor advice notes sorted out, and am starting to assemble some detail about stock for the May sale. I hope that I will be able to handle the May auction with my system, which will be stage two.

Today’s imaging was quite interesting, featuring a variety of lots.

Tomorrow I will be in Cambridge for most of the day taking part in various projects being carried out at the Autism Research Centre on Trumpington Road. I have just been doing some online bits in preparation for this.

As usual when I have been imaging I have some highlights for you…

96 97 154 162 167 168 172

This large batch of postcards may be worth a bid!
This large batch of postcards may be worth a bid!

563 565

After selecting a sample of four cards to serve as an image for lot 175 I then did a detailed image of this one for myself. So successful was this 1931 design that every urban rapid transit system on the planet now uses a schematic diagram of this type.
After selecting a sample of four cards to serve as an image for lot 175 I then did a detailed image of this one for myself. So successful was this 1931 design that every urban rapid transit system on the planet now uses a schematic diagram of this type.