Saturday 18 June 2016

E.U. bans Scotch Eggs shock


These arrived in the post last week and have been added to the other identical ones, bringing up my collection to six. I have just brought two more, so the number will be up to eight by next week. I have set myself on a course that means if any more come up at any time, I will have to buy them. Yesterday, I bought a new tin of Brasso.

I cheekily emailed the seller of the latest pair to make her an offer, and candidly told her that I had paid £57 for the previous pair, but she declined, saying that she would let the auction run its course. I must admit that this is what I would have done, but I also would have kicked myself afterwards. I ended up paying £18 for her pair. Auctions are strange, unpredictable things.

The thing is that I am not a natural collector. I hate the idea of collecting loads of the same thing, but the average early 18th century coffee house or tavern would have had around 20-40 of this type of stick, so stopping with a pair just doesn't seem right.

What will I do with them ultimately? Well I might keep them until Christmas and run the risk of burning the house down with a magnificent cheery blaze which will make electric lighting pointless, then I will have to think of a museum or coffee house to sell them to - or maybe a genuine collector.

Handling artefacts from the 17th and 18th century is a form of escapism for me, and I am sure you will agree that there is a lot to escape from right now - or at least put-off thinking about until the last moment, like getting out of bed on a cold Winter morning.

That scare about banning Scotch Eggs is not so far-fetched as you may think. Denmark (not more E.U. than G.B.) has banned the sale of Marmite on the grounds that it contains too many vitamins. If the E.U. tried to ban Marmite, nothing will have changed as far as the referendum goes - half of us love it and the other half hate it. It's a Marmite thing.

What - if anything - do you use as a transportation away from the troubling daily events of modern life which is not edible?

25 comments:

  1. I write a blog, I talk to myself and enter another world. Sometimes I get pissed and sometimes I do it all at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do all of that, with added candlesticks - and varying degrees of success, especially when pissed.

      Delete
    2. By the time I'm pissed the degree of success has become an irrelevance.

      Delete
    3. I tend towards the pissed option. Would love to get " pissed" with Rachel, Tom, John, and Cro. That would be a good night out! If Gowans could come as well ….icing on the cake! You might guess I am part way through a bottle of red as I write!

      Delete
    4. I think it could turn into your worst nightmare.

      Delete
  2. I read your blogs - thank you.
    I have tasted Marmite and I liked it. The same goes for Nutella; half like it, other half hate it.
    Greetings Maria x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can eat Nutella by the spoonful, but not Marmite.

      Delete
  3. The candlesticks are beautiful. Even certain Welsh male figures will have to agree with that. ;)

    I do the common thing of reading a book to distract myself. Cozy village mysteries are my favorite. There is nothing like the little old lady from down the lane solving the murder. There is something strangely soothing about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, I too read books, but not as many as I would like to, because I am usually too busy drinking or falling asleep because of it.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Actually, weed is edible. Oops.

      Books, then. ;)

      Delete
    2. Well. it's consumable, though I did once have a kitten which ate most of my bag of African weed before passing out. And there are bookworms....

      Delete
  5. Bastard
    My cardiac rhythm just went haywire

    ReplyDelete
  6. Seems to me that you've quite a bargain with your candlestick purchases. How it is possible that such antiques cost less than contemporary knock-off stuff for sale in home furnishings shops? I do know how, but still want to raise the question.

    When I get wound up about something, I will go for a long walk, or talk with a friend, or do rows and rows of knitting on some current project. Reading is also a choice.

    Currently, there is quite a bit of knitting going on.

    I might also resort to watching old movies on television. Or doing the laundry or vacuuming. Any diversion.

    But Tom, the troublesome thoughts always find their way back in. Maybe a bit diluted.

    Best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A revision of yesterday's response: Yes, I too have a couple of old 1940s films on DVD which I watch over and over. That's real escapism!

      Delete
  7. Red wine.

    I hope you re-Emailed the woman for not accepting your £57.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't want to rub it in. She has been so polite all along that I almost feel sorry for her. She thanked me for paying the £18 (plus postage) so promptly!

      Delete
    2. Oh, and I have wine AND candlesticks. Even John owns some decent candlesticks - I've seen them in a photo.

      Delete
  8. We have similar candlesticks sitting on our shelf in Perth. My partner bought them for £10 in 1975 along the Edgeware Road. I am quite surprised that they are so old. I'd like to send you a photo, but Blogger doesn't allow that in the comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, yours are Victorian, Margaret. Thanks for showing them to me.

      Delete
  9. I love the way you more or less collect candlesticks Tom - whenever I see any I think of you.

    As to what I use to make me forget all the terrible events at the moment - the beautiful countryside and the love of friends - we meet many times a week, always in the same cafe, for scones and coffee. Worth every penny as the world situation is never mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I think of you whenever I see beautiful towns, rolling hills and cream teas piled high on plates. I do hope your life is as pleasant as it looks from here, Weave.

      Delete