Before getting to the main meat of post I have a few links to share with you.
LINKS
My first link is to a devastating expose of the bogus organisation Autism Speaks, courtesy of The Art of Autism.
My next link, for those of a scientific bent is to an interesting post on Faraday’s Candle.
My last two links are related, in that they refer to the necessity of making sure that on this day next week Downing Street is the scene of an eviction. First of all, a piece focussing on the NHS. Secondly, and accompanied by the picture that is at it’s heart comes this expose of just how vile the Tories are courtesy of Vox Political.
YESTERDAY’S AUCTION
I have already written about the presence of a display for the Great Centenary Charity Auction on their website. Here is a single picture to whet your appetite for that…
A combination of the necessity of being on a bus that was due to leave at 7:00AM and wanting have lots of time to make my preparations before setting off meant that I rose at a ludicrously early hour (suffice to say that even with summer approaching and the cricket season well under way I was up before the sun).
The presence of TV cameras filming Antiques Road Trip meant that I felt obliged to dress for the occasion, wearing a previously unworn shirt, a tie and a smart jacket that I knew would go with the shirt. I knew I would be on camera, because I was going to be on the rostrum next to the auctioneer when the road trip lots were going under the hammer. We were also providing training to a colleague, who did a couple of stints on the rostrum, immediately before the break to set up for the road trip stuff, and taking over after the road trip section had finished to do the final furlong (well we were at a racecourse!).
The two experts, Charlie Ross and James Braxton, both made a point of shaking hands with David and myself before leaving. It will be interesting when it finally goes out on air to see how it all looks.
After a quiet start, with the postcards doing nothing and the banknotes not all that much, things did pick up. I got one set of bookmarks, although not the ones I had really wanted.
The auction finished as expected just before 3:30PM, and then it was just a matter of clearing up. Finally, at 4:50PM the last van load was dealt with, giving me time for a pint at the Bull Inn, Bridge Street before catching the bus home.
I finally got back to my flat almost exactly 12 hours after setting out. A change of clothes, a quick call at my Aunts house to pick up the post and see if the plants needed any watering (they did not – it had evidently rained in King;s Lynn earlier in the day) and I was finally able to switch off.
Here are some pictures from the auction room before things got underway properly…
Here is a small selection of banknote images (I did over 100 today)…
After the banknotes came some coins, then militaria, medals and badges. There was a brief lull when some postcards went under the hammer, and then after a break for lunch, it was time for the stamps. These fared respectably. The postal history and ephemera items brought up the rear of the auction, by which stage hardly anyone not helping to run the auction was still in the room, and they fared poorly.
The second piece was rather more intriguing. It centred on a couple of African cultural artifacts, a Kuba mask and a witchdoctor’s stick. The latter has some serious history – it was once the personal property of no less an individual than Sir Henry Rider Haggard (of King Solomon’s Mines fame). A full gallery follows…
I have a few non-work related pics to share as well, including an opportunistic pair of eclipse shots. It was vey overcast in Norfolk today, but between getting off the bus at Oak Street and arriving at James and Sons I did get one half decent shot which I turned into two pictures…
aspiblog 