A quiet Christmas day at my aunt’s house yesterday. We went out at 4PM to watch the new light show that is being projected on to the Custom House. This one is entirely devoted to mechanical devices such as can be seen at Thursford, and is every bit as compelling as the original…
The catalogue for James and Sons sale this coming Saturday at the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich is available for viewing at http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/james-and-son-auctioneers/catalogue-id-2901714
Today I have both managed to complete the information gathering for our last sale on 29/11/2014 and get the database ready for our next sale this coming Saturday. As part of this I am able to share with you descriptions and images of the lots that did best in relative terms at our last auction. Some of the images included as part of this are not my work. I will mention in the captions I provide when images are not mine.
The second part of this post is a response to the following tweet (I did not think I could do it in 140 characters):
Clivve @ClivveW 4 hours ago
@aspitweets @patcondell @RichardDawkins The killing fields in Cambodia is why I have no time for atheism.
As briefly as possible: this was an atrocity committed by an atheist not an atrocity committed in the name of atheism. This is in direct contrast to the almost innumerable list of atrocities carried out not merely by religious people but in the name of religion.
Now for those images (and a PDF file – I have taken care that no personal details of anyone are included)
Today at James and Sons I have moved ahead of where I expected to be. Not only have I produced proper copies of all paid invoices for the last sale, I also have a complete and checked stock database for the next one, have produced those pre-auction Vendor Advice Notes that I had sufficient information to do and I amongst all that also spotted and resolved a small but serious problem with the December images.
Lot 109 is a piece of Hungarian Postal History which is unlikely to make a fortune, while lot 601 is a pair of binoculars specially designed for use on a U-Boat which will make a fortune. The image for 601 was with lot 109 while there was no image with lot 601. A quick renumbering of the binoculars image and a scan of lot 109 followed by an apologetic email to the people at the-saleroom.com did the job.
The catalogue listing we now have for this auction, which takes place at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, is available at: http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/james-and-son-auctioneers/catalogue-id-2901714 while those who would like to follow the auction but cannot get to Norwich can sign up to bid via www.the-saleroom.com.
I have a few images of lots that exceeded their estimates (in one case spectacularly so) at the last auction, as well as two items mentioned earlier.
My personal twitter account, @aspitweets continues to thrive, having recently passed 700 followers.
Now for those images…
Owing to the decision to have James and Sons December auction a mere two weeks after the November auction I am currently in the position of simultaneously attempting to deal with the post-auction side of November and produce pre-auction paperwork for December.
A full catalogue for the December sale can now be viewed at http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/james-and-son-auctioneers/catalogue-id-2901714
I have two other topics to mention, firstly the appalling behaviour of the Right Dishonourable Stephen Dorrell who in spite of admitting to a conflict of interest between his role as an MP and his employment by one of the companies who are looking to profit from a carve-up of the NHS has refused to stand down. A petition regarding this is being run by 38 Degrees. To view and/or sign click here: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/david-cameron-force-stephen-dorrell-mp-to-pick-a-job-now#petition
Finally a brief comment about Englands performance vs Sri Lanka yesterday, only their second win in nine ODIs. It was not nearly as conclusive as the final margin of five wickets with an over to spare suggested, the match being decided by a flurry of boundaries immediately after Joe Root had been reprieved by the TV Cameras spotting an overstep by the bowler. Since Root, along with Buttler, was one of the two batsmen who carried England victory more than a little was owed to fortune. England looked second favourites for substantial periods, notably between the end of Moeen Ali’s innings (brought about by his partner Alex Hales) and the flurry of boundaries already alluded to.
I have some pictures for you…
Last night was the Christmas meal of the King’s Lynn Asperger Support Society, and an excellent time was had by all. We were delighted to welcome two new members to the group. Although the food was not by any stretch a triumph, the bill came to less than expected as £10 was knocked off it by way of acknowledging a particular fail with one of the main courses (a roastie that was still solid in the middle and in consequence the dish was sent back and replaced with something else.
Although I am still without my Nikon P520 Coolpix I did get some interesting pictures during the day yesterday with my other camera.
My personal twitter account, @aspitweets continues to go from strength to strength, now having 637 followers.
Now some photos…
Saturday was almost entirely taken up with the November auction of James and Sons, which went very well. Those of you who follow @aspitweets on twitter will have seen a few highlights (a very few – not easy to live tweet when you are also recording details of the sale on the company database).
Yesterday was bright and sunny, so I enjoyed a morning walk before heading to my aunts house for Sunday lunch. This yielded some interesting photos…
Today has been a hectic day, with getting things set for the auction coming up this Saturday at Fakenham Racecourse. Those who cannot make it to Fakenham can bid online via http://www.the-saleroom.com. In addition to this it was necessary to start imaging for the December auction since there are only two weeks between the two auctions.
Also a class from twitter: in an example of self-inflicted gunshot wounds to both feet a member of UKIP contrived to mistake Westminster Cathedral for a mosque!!
Here are some pictures for you…
Yesterday I travelled to Norwich to take part in a research project relating to Asperger’s Syndrome/ Autistic Spectrum Conditions. The project, being run by Graham Bradley of UEA, involved three stages: an abbreviated version of the diagnostic test that confirms whether or not one is on the spectrum, then a two part intelligence/ reasoning test, first attempting to define words and then a pattern recognition exercise (I was got by one word, pavid, but as you might expect handled the pattern recognition exercise with considerable ease), the final part of the session being a computer based exercise, again themed on pattern recognition. This last involved identifying the letter H or L according to what came up on the screen. The two fundamental variants: sometimes the key letter was a large letter made up of a collection of smaller (irrelevant) letters organised in appropriate array, and sometimes it was the smaller letters that were key and the large letter they formed that was irrelevant.
Anyone who is able to get to Norwich and interested in taking part in this project can contact Graham Beales. His email address is G.Beales@uea.ac.uk and he can also be contacted on 07851 319347.
I do also have some pictures for you…
I did not allow the fact that is a bleak, rainy November day to prevent me from getting out and about, and I have some good pictures, particularly of birds to share with you. My twitter following continues to grow, 450 having being reached today.
Now for some pics…
First of all, some good news from the wider world: Sheffield United finally made the right decision regarding Ched Evans – they ditched him.
Although I did some stuff on behalf of the Great Centenary Charity Auction including posting images on their facebook and twitter accounts, most of today was spent working on James and Sons upcoming auction (A week tomorrow at Fakenham Racecourse). The catalogue can be viewed at: : http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/james-and-son-auctioneers/catalogue-id-2901720 while anyone who would like to bid online can do so at:
My own personal twitter account continues to thrive, with 443 followers at present.
Now for some images…
aspiblog 