I purchased this wig for a Mera and Poison Ivy cosplay and I am so impressed with the colour, length and style! Its a beautiful wig and I can't wait to wear it with my planned cosplays!
I purchased this wig for a Poison Ivy cosplay in March and it completely exceeded my expectations! The curls are stunning and have held up extremely well over time. It can be styled and parted in any way and the lace blends in perfectly! Definitely going to be my new go-to in cosplay wigs!
Excellent wig and soft texture!!
Excellent wig. Soft in texture, Non-shedding, Full thickness and Heat resistant as promised, the lace is soft and blends well .The curly style is beautiful, I will definitely shop again .


Hitachi is to relocate its global rail business from Japan to the UK and make London its business headquarters.
The company says it plans to increase its UK staff from 200 currently to about 1,800 within two to three years and bid for contracts on HS2 and the re-tendering of rail franchises.
The company's new £82m factory at Newton Aycliffe is expected to be fully operational by 2015. Hitachi will use the facility to build trains to run on the Great Western line and the East Coast main line. The company plans also to open maintenance depots.
Hitachi said in a statement that it has created the post of Global CEO of the rail systems business to further accelerate the globalisation of its rail systems business and that Alistair Dormer, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Hitachi Rail Europe, has been appointed to the role.


text:
Complete Box incl. CD hardcover book, gatefold 2LP (180g, on exclusive transparent vinyl), bonus 7" single and wall flag. With their sixth full-length, "Über den Sternen", an allegorical German rendering of their band name meaning "Above the Stars", Empyrium still draw from the magic and spirits of wild places, nature's beauty, and human relics of ages long past. "Über den Sternen" echoes this reconciliation of the old with the new on a musical level as well. The Franconian duo is putting more emphasis on the electric guitars and harsh vocals again, which marked their first two albums and stood strong upon the band's melodic black metal foundations. Yet Empyrium also revisit the dark folk style, which the Germans had progressively embraced on their third and fourth albums. What used to appear to be a crossroad in their musical development has now merged into one breath-taking sound. The combined force of mastermind, multi-instrumentalist, clean and extreme vocalist as well as producer Markus "Schwadorf" Stock and classical singer Thomas Helm, who lends his amazing voice also to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, is painting a radiant sonic picture. It comes with the melancholic grounding of the sophomore album "Songs of Moors & Misty Fields" (1997), adds brushstrokes of the fairy-tale tempera colours of "Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays" (1999), and also makes use of a few hues from the palette that DEAD CAN DANCE have infused with world music, which Empyrium have already employed on "The Turn of the Tides" (2014). The crowning varnish is diligently crafted from rougher elements that reach all the way back to the Germans' legendary debut " A Wintersunset..." (1996). Empyrium have reconciled their early vintage sound with the acoustic expression of later recordings." Staying true to the Romantic tradition, Empyrium continue to take inspiration for their lyrical flights of fantasy from the local myths, ancient places, and natural wonders of the Rhön Mountains and their Lower Franconian homeland in the West of Germany. A circle is closing, and with Empyrium's label Prophecy Productions, which were originally founded with the mission to release the band's debut album, celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2021, it happens in more than one way.
Label: PROPHECY
Uber Den Sternen (Complete Box) (Box)
Artist: Empyrium
1. CD the Three Flames Sapphire
2. A Lucid Tower Beckons on the Hills Afar
3. The Oaken Throne
4. Moonrise
5. The Archer
6. The Wild Swans
7. In the Morning Mist
8. Ãœber Den Sternen
9. The Crimson Heath
10. LP1 the Three Flames Sapphire
11. A Lucid Tower Beckons on the Hills Afar
12. The Oaken Throne
13. Moonrise
14. The Archer
15. LP2 the Wild Swans
16. In the Morning Mist
17. Ãœber Den Sternen
18. 7" the Crimson Heath

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
from read_data import read_relation_name,read_ppdb
from nltk.stem.snowball import SnowballStemmer
from nltk import word_tokenize
from nltk.corpus import wordnet as wn
from predicate_extraction_set_matching import set_matching
from predicate_extraction_node_matching import node_matching
import os

'''
 * python file to extract predicate
 *
 * Copyright 2015 Vedsar
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
'''

def combi_matching(relations, user_query, dict1):
	ans_found=0
	#print user_query
	ans_found=set_matching(relations,user_query,dict1)
	ans_found.extend(node_matching(relations,user_query,dict1))
	return ans_found

def paraphrase(relations,user_query,dict1):
	print "loading lexical paraphrase"
	ppdb_lex=read_ppdb('ppdb/ppdb-1.0-s-lexical')
	print "loading one-to-phrasal paraphrase"
	ppdb_otm=read_ppdb('ppdb/ppdb-1.0-s-o2m')
	print "loading phrasal-to-one paraphrase"
	ppdb_mto=read_ppdb('ppdb/ppdb-1.0-s-m2o')
	print "loading one-to-many paraphrase"
	ppdb_mtm=read_ppdb('ppdb/ppdb-1.0-s-phrasal')
	#user_query paraphrasing using n-grams
	print "lex ppbd"
	user_query_paraphrases=[]
	user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query)
	for i in ppdb_lex:
		if user_query.find(i[1])!=-1:
			user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query.replace(i[1],i[2]))
	ans_found=[]
	print "number of paraphrases formed"+str(len(user_query_paraphrases))
	print user_query_paraphrases
	for i in user_query_paraphrases:
		ans_found.extend(combi_matching(relations,i,dict1))
	if(len(ans_found) == int(0)):
		print 'Not found anything relevant'
	else:
		for i in ans_found:
			print i

	print "one to phrasal"
	user_query_paraphrases=[]
	user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query)
	for i in ppdb_otm:
		if user_query.find(i[1])!=-1:
			user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query.replace(i[1],i[2]))
	print "number of paraphrases formed"+str(len(user_query_paraphrases))
	print user_query_paraphrases
	ans_found=[]
	for i in user_query_paraphrases:
		ans_found.extend(combi_matching(relations,i,dict1))
	if(len(ans_found) == int(0)):
		print 'Not found anything relevant'
	else:
		for i in ans_found:
			print i

	print "phrasal to one"
	user_query_paraphrases=[]
	user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query)
	for i in ppdb_mto:
		if user_query.find(i[1])!=-1:
			user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query.replace(i[1],i[2]))
	print "number of paraphrases formed"+str(len(user_query_paraphrases))
	print user_query_paraphrases
	ans_found=[]
	for i in user_query_paraphrases:
		ans_found.extend(combi_matching(relations,i,dict1))
	if(len(ans_found) == int(0)):
		print 'Not found anything relevant'
	else:
		for i in ans_found:
			print i

	print "phrasal to phrasal"
	user_query_paraphrases=[]
	user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query)
	for i in ppdb_mtm:
		if user_query.find(i[1])!=-1:
			user_query_paraphrases.append(user_query.replace(i[1],i[2]))
	print "number of paraphrases formed"+str(len(user_query_paraphrases))
	print user_query_paraphrases
	ans_found=[]
	for i in user_query_paraphrases:
		ans_found.extend(combi_matching(relations,i,dict1))
	if(len(ans_found) == int(0)):
		print 'Not found anything relevant'
	else:
		for i in ans_found:
			print i
	#print user_query_paraphrases
	#user_query paraphrase

if __name__=="__main__":
	#print "Reading Relations from Graph"
	relations=read_relation_name('nell_pca_svo_pra')

	dict1={}
	with open(os.path.join('nell_pca_svo_graph','node_dict.tsv'),'r') as fp:
		for line in fp:
			line=line.rstrip('\n')
			n_id,name=line.split('\t')
			dict1[int(n_id)]=name

	user_query=raw_input("Enter the query: ")
	paraphrase(relations,user_query,dict1)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


ACT's Quality Assurance experts offer unparalleled software testing along with full preparation, test plan and strategy documentation and use cases. ACT carries out professional software testing by following recommended methodologies in the IT industry. ACT professionals are fully versed in a number of key testing methodologies.
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ACT will deploy a small, dedicated test team to initially test your software before your organisation conducts any testing.
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Freestyle Now recently performed some bmx stunt shows at the Kelmscott agricultural show. Freestyle Now squad members Dylan Schmidt, Matt Adkins and Kim Bloodson were joined by guest riders Luke Tooze and Nathan Dobbie to roll out the rad to the patrons of the Kelmscott agricultural show. Freestyle Now performed some radical bmx stunt shows over the afternoon and evening. With Kim Bloodson on the microphone amping up the crowed during the bmx stunt shows the riders let it roll at show time with some crazy bmx stunt riding. Dylan Schmidt was throwing down some crazy superman tailwhips with Matt Adkins hitting some of the cleanest front flips we have ever seen. Guest rider Nathan Dobbie was successful on his 4th attempt to land a bike flip. A bike flip has never been done over the Freestyle Now jump box so a big bmx stunt show first to Nathan. Luke Tooze is a rad up and comer bmxer and he came so close pulling of his first front flip. The crowd at the Kelmscott show defiantly got a great performance. Be sure to check out our coming events page to see where and when Freestyle now will be rolling out the rad next.
Nathan Dobbie lands his first bike flip.
Recently Freestyle Now travelled out to Bruce Rock for a school assembly to give a motivational presentation to the students. Squad members Shaun Jarvis, David Pinelli, Matt Adkins and Jarrod Murfit, were on hand to roll out the rad and show them that through dedication and sacrifice you can reach your goals.
Through dedication and sacrifice you can reach your goals.
BMX stunt riding is an excellent example of what perseverance is all about. When learning a new trick, a rider must be willing to devote their time, energy and effort. They must be able to calculate risks, find out how to correct mistakes and pick themselves back up when they fail. Just as it took Thomas Eddison 1000 tries to create the electric light bulb it took Matt Adkins 99 attempts before he learned how to do a front flip – this is the type of drive, dedication and singular focus that is required for a rider to master a stunt. Coming to understand that to be truly successful you must learn from your failures can be broadened out to other parts of your life.
Clockwise from top left – Shaun Jarvis brought much of his life experience to the presentation along with some awesome bmx flatland skills like this backyard trick – David Pinelli spins a 360 without his hands on the grips – Matt Adkins mid front flip showing that anything in life is possible if you're willing to learn the skill – Matt Adkins arms are aerodynamic for more air lift.
At the school assembly presentation the squad also talked about leadership to the students. Leadership can take many different paths, and an example that Shaun gave was on how someone else can have an enormous impact on your life and they don't even know it! Shaun helped a young BMX rider set up his bike 25 years ago. Later that rider made contact with Shaun via social media saying that he never forget the time that Shaun helped him. He was so pumped and happy about the time that Shaun dedicated to him that it made him want to keep riding. Given that it was 25 years ago Shaun can't remember that moment but the other person can! Our actions and what seem like small insignificant moments of leadership can have far-reaching consequences. When Shaun was a young BMX racer, he met the Godfather of freestyle Bob Haro. The opportunity to meet one of the BMX industries heroes and be encouraged by him was the main reason Shaun started Freestyle Now. If you were to ask Bob Haro about that moment 33 years ago, he would not remember, but Shaun does. The message to students was that leadership does not necessarily mean being a manager or CEO – it is about your everyday actions and how they can affect people for their entire lives – so strive to be a positive influence!
Presenting these positive, meaningful messages and demonstrating the most radical heart-stopping BMX stunt riding that the students have ever seen is what Freestyle Now is all about. When you combine these motivational stories with back flips, front flips, 360 spins and so many other crazy epic stunts those messages stay with students for a long time and Freestyle Now is grateful to bring that radness to life to our young generations.
Please don't hesitate to contact Freestyle Now today for pricings and any relevant information you may require for Freestyle Now to deliver to your school a great school assembly presentation.
Freestyle Now recently performed some bmx stunt shows at the 2017 Corymbia festival. Freestyle Now squad members David Pinelli, Shaun Jarvis and Matt Adkins and recruits squad member Jack Carwardine. Freestyle Now performed some great entertaining bmx stunt shows with many rad tricks taking place. The people attending the Corymbia festival were entertained from the great performance that Freestyle Now put on. Make sure you check out our coming events page to see where the next Freestyle Now bmx stunt shows will be going down. If you would like this type of great entertainment at your next event please get in contact with Freestyle Now with your requirements.
David Pinelli getting all upside down.
Clockwise from top left – David Pinelli hits a perfect Indian air seat grab – Matt Adkins firs a cannon ball over the jump box – Jack Carwardine sending a tailwhip – David Pinelli back flips over Shaun Jarvis.
Freestyle Now recently performed some bmx stunt shows at the Perth Esplanade Australia Day celebrations. Freestyle Now squad members Dylan Schmidt, David Pinelli, Matt Adkins and Jack Carwardine were in charge of rolling out the rad to the masses. It was one of the hottest days that Perth had experienced in a long time. The riders performed some great entertaining bmx stunt shows for the masses. Some rad bmx stunt shows took place over the course of the afternoon with the riders performing a variety of bmx stunts over the portable bmx jump ramp drawing in large crowd numbers for the Freestyle Now bmx stunt shows. One of the shows highlights was the flip train, with all the riders riding close to each other, Dylan backflips, Matt front flips, David back flips and Jack finishes with a flair.(check the below video) Nothing but pure radness. Make sure you check out our coming events page to see where the next Freestyle Now bmx stunt shows will be going down. If you would like this type of great entertainment at your next event please get in contact with Freestyle Now with your requirements.
David Pinelli getting all twisted up as he sends a 360 unlookback with the City of Perth in the background.
Dylan Schmidt likes to do backflips and sometimes his hands come off. We are lucky he has got skills so he can get his hands back on before landing safely.


text:
← The Ten Best THE ODD COUPLE Episodes of Season Three
THE XENA SCROLLS: An Opinionated Episode Guide (309 & 310) →
QUITE A CHARACTER: In Celebration of RETA SHAW
Posted on September 10, 2014 by upperco
Welcome to another Wildcard Wednesday! Today's post is in celebration of Saturday's 102nd birthday of one of my all-time favorite character actresses of stage and screen, Reta Shaw. As per usual with our birthday/tribute posts, I'm here to present a few goodies related to this talented lady's career. Of course we all know her from her role in Mary Poppins (1964), and Miss Shaw has guested on many sitcoms that we've covered here — including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Lucy Show, That Girl, Here's Lucy, and (as all you'll see next Tuesday), The Odd Couple. Additionally, Shaw had a recurring role as Aunt Bertha/Hagatha on Bewitched, and spent two years as a regular on The Ghost And Mrs. Muir (1968-1970, NBC/ABC).
But, as is the case with most TV performers, their careers really began on the stage. One of Ms. Shaw's credits is the role of Lady Beekman, wife of Sir Francis Beekman in the Original 1949 Broadway Production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She also played the role in the National Tour, during which an audio was recorded. Part of this recording was featured here in celebration of Carol Channing, but today we're sharing a brief scene in which Lorelei (Channing) has a run in with Lady Beekman.
In the glorious days of live television, Shaw could work the boards (in William Inge's Picnic) and simultaneously appear in a recurring capacity as Aunt Lil on Mister Peepers (1952-1955, NBC). Only two of her episodes have been released, and we're sharing one that aired October 18, 1953, in which Peepers tries to distract his aunt and keep her from visiting his classroom.
Following Picnic, Shaw originated the role of Mabel in The Pajama Game (1954), which she also got to play in the motion picture. From the film, here's Shaw's duet with Eddie Foy, Jr., "I'll Never Be Jealous Again." (One of my favorite numbers from the score!)
Shaw spent the majority of her career bouncing between various guest spots on dozens of television shows — mostly sitcoms (as were mentioned above). Here's one of the lesser known shows… Date With The Angels (1957-1958, ABC), a Betty White vehicle that lasted two half seasons. In this episode, "Double Trouble," which aired January 15, 1958, White plays a dual role as a lounge singing doppelgänger who causes trouble for the Angels.
In another forgotten series that we've featured here once before, The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971-1974, CBS), Shaw guested in two January 1972 episodes playing a nurse. Here's the first, originally aired January 8, 1972, entitled "Annie Get Your Bike." (It's one of the best I've seen from this series!)
And we'll end today's post with an episode of the two-season supernatural sitcom, The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, which although never released in the US, was just released this year in Australia. This episode, originally aired December 21, 1968, is entitled "Love Is A Toothache," and concerns Martha (Shaw), the housekeeper, and her relationship with a dentist — who turns out to be a big mama's boy!
Come back next Wednesday for another Wildcard post! And tune in tomorrow for more Xena!
Posted in Uncategorized	| Tagged 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1972, broadway, date with the angels, gentlemen prefer blondes, mister peepers, reta shaw, television, the ghost and mrs. muir, the new dick van dyke show, the pajama game, theatre
6 thoughts on "QUITE A CHARACTER: In Celebration of RETA SHAW"
Adam Tawfik
What an interesting and eclectic choice. I liked the crustiness Ms. Shaw brought to most of her roles. You should check her out in The Man From UNCLE, where she is really excellent in an against-type role of a formidable THRUSH agent; she's quite scary. Thanks for another fun post Jackson.
upperco
Hi, Adam! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I'll have to check out that episode — should be exciting to see her in a dramatic role. I found out yesterday that the acting school at which she once studied is about five minutes (by car) from where I'm living this semester.
How interesting. Where are you at?
I am currently in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ms. Shaw also made great appearances on "The Andy Griffith Show". Her most prominent guest role on that show was as the leader of 3 lady convicts who held Barney & Floyd captive in a mountain cabin. I also saw her more recently in a later episode where she was encouraging Barney's singing. She was certainly unforgettable wherever she appeared.
Hi, Jon! Thanks for reading and commenting.
That's right. Like Verna Felton, it's always enjoyable when this character actress make an appearance. I just saw her not too long ago in an episode of LOVE ON A ROOFTOP!


New VIDEO PAGE and other updates!
I know, I know, I know, there's been nothing but crickets chirping over here lately. But here's a general recap and…pre-cap?
The pilot, in case you haven't heard, is pretty much done! (pause to acknowledge thunderstorm of applause) Thank you! We have sent it off to a motion graphics animator to punch up the text elements and add some of those awesome Indiana Jones-style traveling maps I've dreamed of all my life, but aside from those final finishing touches, we have a beautiful product that is ready to see the light of day.
"So I see lots of aforementioned daylight here, Sadie. How come I can't see this mythical pilot you've been bragging about for a year and a half. Did you even really go to Thailand? Maybe I want to contribute corporate sponsorship for this project or heck, I'm a network executive and I want to buy the rights to air it, but I don't even believe that it exists," you may be asking. To this question I have a number of responses and even some exciting news.
1. We aren't releasing the pilot on the internet until we have sold it, period. We are guarding it pretty tightly because we really do want to sell it and it's not in our professional interest to broadly give it away for free in the meantime. Stay tuned to the end of this blog entry for ways for you to get around that (wink wink, ow my eye).
2. Yes, we went to Thailand and I can't wait for you to see the footage, really I can't!
3. We are now actively seeking corporate and promotional sponsors for the series, on a variety of levels. If you are a company that is interested in reaching out to an audience who enjoys traveling, food, vegan lifestyle products, etc, please talk to us about partnership possibilities. If you are an investor who is excited about spreading the word about how fun, easy and worthwhile a vegan lifestyle can be whether at home or abroad, please talk to us about partnership possibilities. We are working to assemble a full dance card of sponsors and investors as we continue to delve into the world of the network pitch.
4. You work for a TV network and have read this far? Please talk to us!
5. Okay, okay, you really want to see some visual representation of what this is all about, I get it! I told you we're not releasing the pilot online. But what about the hours and hours of footage that sadly didn't make it into the 26-minute finished product? That we can post online! We're releasing some outtakes and deleted scenes over the next few weeks. The first is live here! Thank you everyone at May Kaidee's Vegan and Vegetarian Cooking School for a super fun day. They are featured in greater detail in the full episode, never fear!
5.2 And that final episode that is not being posted online no matter how much we want you to see it? You can join us for its first live screening here in beautiful Portland, Oregon this Saturday, August 4th! The super sweet folks of Try Vegan PDX are hosting us in an event to show the pilot and lead an informal discussion about traveling as a vegan. We are considering this our premiere so it's kind of a big deal. Here's an invitation. More on that soon.
This entry was posted on July 30, 2012 by sadie in production.


Murray Glen is well located 13km's from Jingellic, 66km's from Holbrook, 95km's from Albury/Wodonga in a 33-35" (825-875mm) rainfall district.
Murray River frontage with a 63 meg Murray River water licence plus 5 meg stock & Domestic licence, property is well watered with over 11 surface dams (some spring fed) plus a reticulated trough system.
Murray Glen boasts alluvial Murray River flats to rising undulation to hill grazing. Some areas pasture improved, balance native pasture species.
The property is subdivided into 18 paddocks with the improved country receiving regular fertiliser and lime applications, the rising country has been fertilised aerially.
The property is graced with 2 homes the main double story Homestead (built 2005) presents in excellent condition comprising 5 bedrooms plus a study, large country kitchen, open plan meals/entertaining area, double sided fire place, evaporative cooling, solar integration back to the grid. Adjacent to the home is a delightful in-ground pool. The second home is of brick/veneer construction comprising 3 bedrooms, kitchen and living areas with evaporative cooling.
Working improvements include, steel cattle/sheep yards with crush & loading ramp, Barn style machinery/workshop with power, 4 bay shed, stables, dog run plus ancillary shedding, Woolshed.
Murray Glen offers an excellent opportunity to purchase a good income producing property with Murray River frontage and an enviable lifestyle.


text:
Tag: Fakenham Racecourse
A Successful Day At Fakenham Racecourse
An account of yesterday's auction at Fakenham Racecourse.
Yesterday James and Sons had an auction at Fakenham Racecourse, the first in 2018 to take place anywhere other than our shop in Fakenham, and the first at that venue with me in sole control of the IT side of things (the latter being a cause of some trepidation). The auctioneer and I had visited the racecourse the Friday before to establish that our IT setup (including the card terminal as part of the IT setup) would work there, and the auction lots and IT stuff were moved down to the racecourse on Tuesday.
I caught the 7:00 bus to Fakenham (the earliest, and my regular one on workdays anyway these days) and on what was already a warm sunny morning enjoyed the walk from Oak Street to the Racecourse (which is located not as its name suggests in Fakenham but just outside the adjoining village of Hempton), arriving at the venue at just before ten past eight. The auctioneer arrived a few minutes later and I was able to accomplish the IT setup before any viewers arrived. We had Croc's providing catering at the event, and I took the opportunity in a quiet period to fortify myself with a bacon bap.
Crossing the Wensum en route to the racecourse I spotted this pair of mute swans enjoying the sun.
This bridge across the Wensum gives Bridge Street, Fakenham its name.
A BRIGHT START
For various reasons (to do with a combination of over-ambitious planning and an important member of staff being absent for a long period of time) this auction had some odd numbering of lots (it started at lot 741, and then there was a 50 lot gap between the end of the first section and the start of the coins at lot 901, then a massive gap after the last coin lot, no 1072 to the start of the Militaria at 1,466, then another major gap from the end of the militaria at lot 1,620 to the start of final segment at lot 1,920, with the last lot of the sale being lot 2,000), but although there was a range of almost 1,300 between the first and last lot number there were only 503 lots in the sale. We originally planned to take a short break at the end of the coin section before starting on the Militaria, but this as you will see changed part way through.
The first big success of the auction came at lot 747, three gold rings, which had been valued at £70-100 but ended up selling for £150…
Then lots 757 and 760, a ladies cigarette case and a ladies powder compact of similar styles, both esitmated at £30-40 went for £65 and £60 respectively, both to the same online bidder.
Lot 757 (three images)
Lot 760 (two images
These however were a mere curtain-raiser for…
LOT 764 – A PHOTOGRAPHER'S TRIUMPH
There were indications that this elegant Mantle Clock, with a case carefully designed to show off its workings was going to do extraordinarily well, but we were all absolutely gobsmacked by what actually happened. The item had gone in with a modest valuation of £10-20, but I having noted the effort to which the makers of this clock had gone to put the workings on display created an image gallery for it which reflected this:
The main image, showing the whole clock.
This metal plaque was obviously of some significance, hence a close-up photograph of that.
And since the makers had been so determined to make the workings visible I devoted no fewer than four photographs to ensuring that thsi was reflected in my online image gallery.
The opening bid was £310! Then, a bidding war between four internet bidders who all obviously saw something that eluded those who are not experts on clocks pushed this already barely credible looking price up to an eye-popping £750!!
Incidentally, just for the record, the valuer himself said that it was the photographs that did it for us, hence my title for this subsection. Here are some photographs of this item that I took during the break:
UP TO THE BREAK
After the events described above almost anything else was going to feel a little anticlimactic, but a few items fared well nevertheless. Lot 919, a forged 1791 farthing estimated at £5-10 ended up going for £35.
The other effect that the early excitement had was that we were progressing slower than normal, and in the end the auctioneer brought our midauction break forward to lot 1,000.
AFTER THE BREAK
We finished the coins, ending with lot 1072, which went to me for £4 (it is a small medallion, which I considered to be railwayana by association since it refers to Isambard Kingdom Brunel):
The Militaria section went pretty well, with most items selling, and two doing very well indeed:
With this lot of badges being sold as one I could not spare the time to provide close-ups of all the badges…
…so I nselected a couple of what I considered to be good ones…
…the lots had been valued at £100-200, but interest possibly stoked by my choice of close-ups, pushed the final price up to £300.
The other big success in this range was lot 1584, valued at £80-100 and going for £140.
Please note that the fact that we as auctioneers sometimes handle Nazi memorabilia does not mean that any of us entertain anhy sympathy for Nazi ideology.
The books fared poorly, although The Royal Liverpool Golf Club by Guy Farrar which I had given a deliberately cautious estimate of £15-20 fetched £55.
The auction over, all that was left was the clear up, which was done by 3PM. I had one worrying moment when it seemed that a problem was developing with the internet connection, but fortunately it never got serious.
On Saturday the action shifts to The Maids Head Hotel, Norwich and the focus to cigarette cards. A full caftalogue listing for that auction can be viewed here.
Author ThomasPosted on June 28, 2018 Categories Nature Photography, PhotographyTags Auctions, clocks, Fakenham, Fakenham Racecourse, Photography, ScanningLeave a comment on A Successful Day At Fakenham Racecourse
A Successful Work Week
An account of James and Sons' October auctions.
This week was auction week at James and Sons. This post covers the events of the three days.
MONDAY – JAMES AND SONS PREMISES
I arrived at our premises in Fakenham at about 7:15AM, and made a cup of coffee, checked my emails and attended to IT setup. I had time to take a few photographs before anyone else arrived.
Lots 1-500 laid out for auction
The layout of the ersatz auction room.
The big screen running the slideshow.
The last lots we would be seeing today.
The ephemera (lots 251-400)
A theatre poster.
Lots 1-250 (military RP postcards)
LOTS 1-250 (POSTCARDS)
These fared reasonably thanks to the internet. Three lots in particular went way above estimate. Lots 175 was estimated at £8-12, but courtesy of an internet battle soared to £28. Lot 213 with a modest estimate of £5-8 went for £25. Lot 227 had an estimate of £8-12 and sold for £30. Here are the items in question.
All these pictures incidentally are scans, at 200dpi.
LOTS 251-400 – EPHEMERA
No high prices from this section, although lot 353 went for significantly over estimate. Lot 321 fell my way unopposed, and lot 399, which I had had an eye on also fell to me (I ventured a hopeful bid, not expecting for an instant to get the item, only because lot 353 which I had assessed as the more likely bet went elsewhere).
Lot 321 (two images)
Lot 353 – the railway outlined in this bill now forms part of a line that runs from London Waterloo to Reading.
Lot 399 (five images).
CIGARETTE/ TRADE CARDS – LOTS 401-500
Nothing noteworthy happened in this section. The auction finished, it was still necessary to move the items from this sale upstairs and to bring the stock (save the very large stuff) for the next day's sale downstairs.
TUESDAY – JAMES AND SONS PREMISES
Again an early arrival gave me time to do a bit before anyone else was there. I also had time for a few pre-auction photographs.
The opening lot of the day as shown on the big screen.
The closing lot of the day as shown on the big screen (I had the slide show on a loop, so that after showing lot 1100 it started again at lot 601)
LOTS 601-900 – POSTAL HISTORY AND STAMPS
Although this was in absolute terms a quiet period, this items fared much better than usual. The headline grabber was lot 850, which had an estimate of £40-50 but sold in the end for £85.
COINS AND BANKNOTES – LOTS 901-1100
Lot 947, which was an 1809 Demi-Franc, had an estimate of £30-50, but some vigorous internet bidding pushed the price up to £130. Lot 980, a brass token from Long Sutton had an esimate of £8-12, but attracted sufficient interest to sell for £20.
Lot 947 (3 images). I do small coin lots on the scanner, at 600dpi and with the scan area set to A5 landscape, which means I can only use half the scanner bed, but this saves time in the end, as they scan more than twice as quickly than if I had used the full plate). This main image is the two scans (of each face of the coin) joined together to make a single image.
Lot 980 – the usual three images for a single coin.
The auction concluded, it remained to render the premises something that looked more like a shop and of course to ensure that the IT stuff got the racecourse, where the stock bar a dolls house that was still in the shop had already been laid out.
WEDNESDAY – FAKENHAM RACECOURSE
My first action an arrival the venue inadvertently caused a problem. I had been equipped with a key to the venue, as it was highly likely that I would be the first James and Sons employee on the scene. Unfortunately I had not been told that an alarm had been set, much less what the alarm code was. I only realised this when I unlocked the door and heard the telltale bleep of an alarm that needed to be deactivated. Fortunately that was the only significant problem I was to have in the course of the day. The fact that I had to use my employer's laptop as the master machine because my machine has nowhere to attach the cable that connects the big screen to a computer and the third laptop was needed by my colleague for the invoicing (which apparently could only be done on that specific machine). The trouble with using my employer's laptop as the main machine is that goes to sleep every few minutes, which in turn means that the slide show will go blank. I had time for a bit of photography.
ANTIQUES AND BYGONES – LOTS 1201-1300
Some of these items were very interesting. Two achieved significantly more than expected. Lot 1245 was a set of four world cup 1966 placemats and four world cup 1966 coasters which had been given a modest estimate of £5-10. They actually sold for £25. Lot 1252, which was a set of two railway themed badges which I had been interested in, estimated at £8-10, caught the attention of the internet and ended up going for £20.
Lot 1245 (three images).
Lot 1252 (five images, as the second badge is double sided, which had to be shown.
MILITARIA – LOTS 1301-1540
Most of the lots in this section found buyers, but not for very large amounts. There was one headline maker however. Lot 1520 was a Luftwaffe Paratrooper's Private Purchase Dagger, estimated at £40-50, which ended up going for £85.
Lot 1520 (three images)
TOYS – LOTS 1541-1600
Again it was a case of steady rather than spectacular sales, but three items did particularly well. Lot 1547, a model train that had been valued at £5-10 ended up selling for £20 (it had been described as a Hornby, but was actually a Triang, a better name as far as collectors are concerned,). Lot 1590, which was a complete Hornby train set, and had been estimated at £20-30 went for £50. Finally, the last lot of the sale, a Star Wars Millennium Falcon estimated at £15-20 went for £30 (this was a case of patience being rewarded – the successful bidder was a chap who had travelled over from Norwich specifically to bid on that one item and waited out the entire day's selling until it came up).
1547 (two images)
THE FINAL FURLONG
After the last lot had sold, and the last payment from a room bidder had been taken it was time for the clear up, which was accomplished swiftly. Back at the shop, once everything had been unloaded from the van I produced a printed list of online bidders to bring my working week to a close.
Author ThomasPosted on October 26, 2017 Categories Photography, UncategorizedTags Antiques and Bygones, Auctions, badges, Banknotes, Cigarette Cards, Coins, dollshouse, Ephemera, Fakenham, Fakenham Racecourse, Great Eastern Railway, Hornby, IT, James and Sons, Liebig Cards, Luftwaffe Dagger, Medals, Militaria, NUR, Photography, Postal History, Postcards, Railwayana, Scanning, slideshows, Stamps, Star Wars Millennium Falcon, Toys, Trade Cards, TriangLeave a comment on A Successful Work Week
Auction Delayed
The rescheduling of an auction – a first in my time at James and Sons.
Yesterday was the day on which James and Sons' second August auction should have taken place. This post is about what actually happened.
TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
I arrived at Fakenham Racecourse precisely as planned, which was about the last occasion on that day that anything could be said to have gone to plan. We were slightly late getting things set up. Then my computer failed to connect to the racecourse's internet as their set up is not secure enough for my computer's liking. Another laptop having been located it then became apparent that we would not be able to run video, although the audio seemed fine.
Just after lot 923 went under the hammer we finally and definitively lost our audio as well. Discussion with the folks at the-saleroom.com, which included them being given remote access to one of our computers failed to resolve the situation, and after 15 minutes attempting to resolve the situation we decided that the only option was to postpone the auction, so on Friday 8th September at 10AM we will be having an auction at our shop which will start at lot 924 and end at lot 1600.
DAMAGE LIMITATION
Once the we had got the stuff back to the shop we got the auction officially rescheduled and I sent out a bulk email and a press release about the new auction. Here are both documents, and all the images used in their creation save for that of the record.
I know I got the date wrong on this one – I was very tired and failed to notice.
JAMES AUCTION ON SEPTEMBER 10TH JAMES AUCTION ALERT
Author ThomasPosted on August 31, 2017 Categories PhotographyTags animals, Antiques, Auctions, Books, bygones, Emails, Ephemera, Fakenham, Fakenham Racecourse, James and Sons, jukebox, Maps, Militaria, Records, technology, the-saleroom.com, Toys3 Comments on Auction Delayed
Back to the Present: James and Sons June Auction
An account of James and Sons' June auction.
Having completed my series of posts about Scotland, I am now returning to the present with an account of James and Sons' June Auction, which happened earlier this week.
THE AUCTION SCHEDULE
To set the scene for the rest of this post, the auction was arranged to run in two parts. Lots 1-600 went under the hammer at our own premises in central Fakenham on Monday June 26th, while lots 701-1300 were auctioned at Fakenham Racecourse on Wednesday June 28th. The Tuesday was set aside for getting things set up down at the racecourse, since experience had taught us that combining this with a day of auctioning at the shop was not a goer.
MONDAY 26TH – NORWICH STREET
The set up was accomplished fairly straightforwardly, and the sound and video checks went swiftly and easily. The auction got under way with 100 cigarette card lots, then 100 postcard lots, then some general ephemera, some numismatic and philatelic covers and ending with the stamps. The day started quietly, with the cigarette cards attracting very little interest and the postcards not much. It was the numismatic and philatelic covers that provided the only consistent sales of the day.
TUESDAY 27TH – SETUP DAY
We had loaded the first van load of stuff for the racecourse at the end of the previous week, so I headed straight from the bus to the racecourse to help unload that. This done and some stuff unloaded from the boss's car it was back to the shop to load up the van for the second time. This van load then went to the racecourse without me, as I would be of more use working at the shop than down there. Then one of my colleagues was left alone at the racecourse and so I walked back down there to minimise the period for which this situation continued (the person who could drive the van was going to be at the shop for half an hour at least, and I could walk it in much less time than that). Finally, after a few final things had been brought down to the racecourse I got a lift back to the shop. At the end of the day I locked the shop, handed my key to a colleague who would need it on the morrow and headed home. Here are some pictures from the setup.
I was at the racecourse before my colleague arrived with a key, and this wagtail caught my eye while I was waiting.
We had a lot of toys in this auction.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 28TH –
THE RACECOURSE
This was a very tiring day. It was raining heavily most of the time, including for the entire duration of the walk from Fakenham town centre to the racecourse in the morning.
We had been assured by the racecourse that they now had working wifi, but this proved to be an optimistic assessment and we had to use a wired connection, which dropped out four times in the course of the day (fortunately never for very long).
This was the scene immediately after I had carried out audio and video checks, as viewed from my seat.
The early lots passed quietly, but then with lot 633 the first tranch of toy lots went under the hammer, and the internet bidders got busy, with three figure prices the rule rather than the exception. The 'Manod' steam toys later on also sold spectacularly well. After a few books and related stuff went under the hammer it was time for a few jewellery lots, which also sold well. Then it was into the coins, which started with some proof sets which fetched remarkable prices.
LOT 933: THE BEST LAID PLANS OF
MICE AND MEN GANG AFT AGLEY
When you see the image gallery for this lot you will realise why I had had my sights on it to the exclusion of all else in this auction:
Unfortunately from a personal point of view I had competition, and although I bid up to £40, when that final bid of mine was topped I conceded defeat.
LOT 935: ROMAN STYLE COINS
Although these were not the genuine article I decided that at next to nothing they were worth securing as a tiny consolation for the disappointment of a few moments earlier.
The main image…
…which is a combination of this…
The first of two photos taken this morning.
The coins continued to sell well. After the coins it was time for some militaria. Lot 1051 fetched a good price, and then came lot 1052 fetching the only four figure price of the auction.
The whole lot (main image)
Both faces of the medal, assembled from the close-ups below.
Three images which combined as here show the rim in full detail (important as it is generally the rim that people look at when checking the authenticity of a medal – and this is definitely NOT done with a modern engraving machine – I have seen enough such to know whereof I write!)
This combination of the whole lot and all the close ups was the feature image in an alert sent out to militaria buyers (click the link below to view it in full).
JAMES AUCTION ALERT (Militaria)
In the display case at the venue.
Focussing solely on lot 1052.
The auction finished with 100 miscellaneous lots, which went fairly quietly, although even these attracted some interest. After Monday we had needed Wednesday to be a successful day, and it was.
For us there was still the clearing up to be done, but even that was accomplished sufficiently swiftly that I was able to get the 16:37 bus home. This departed late, but for an acceptable reason – the driver was resolving a situation created by another driver who was guilty of dereliction of duty – he had arrived from Wells, let off passengers, switched his destination to "Sorry Not In Service" and had then dashed off without picking up passengers. Stagecoach track their buses, and identified that this one had been parked up just outside Fakenham, and the rogue driver who by his selfishness had let down about 10 passengers was ordered back into service. This same thing had happened the previous day according to the waiting passengers except that he had got away with it, the passengers getting the later bus.
Author ThomasPosted on June 29, 2017 Categories Photography, UncategorizedTags Auctions, Books, Cigarette Cards, Coins, Ephemera, Fakenham, Fakenham Racecourse, James and Sons, Jewellery, Militaria, miscellaneous, Numismatic and Philatelic covers, Postcards, Public Transport, Stamps, ToysLeave a comment on Back to the Present: James and Sons June Auction
James and Sons March Auction
An account of James and Sons' March auction with lots of photographs. Also a brief mention of the theme of my next blog post.
James and Sons' March auction took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, with the first two days taking place at our premises on Norwich Street, while the third took place at Fakenham Racecourse.
DAY 1: LOTS 1-500
I arrived at the shop at 8:30AM, the setup was accomplished with no serious hitches, and the sale got underway at 10AM as planned. The first lots to go under the hammer were coins, and a few of them sold well, with a large internet presence making up for the fact that we had very few people bidding live. After coins came banknotes and related epehmera, including the first Traveller's Cheques to feature in a James and Sons auction. Here are some pictures of lots in this part of the sale…
This was lot 25
Lot 140.
Lot 254 (two images – the first Travellers Cheque lot)
Lot 255 (six images, the other Travellers Cheque lot)
The remaining lots to go under the hammer on day 1 were cigarette cards, Liebig cards and match attack cards. None of these fared especially well. I therefore end this section with a picture of one lot that did sell and will feature in much more detail in my next post…
Lot 369 went to me. My next post on this blog will be about what I shall be referring as Autism Acceptance Month in preference to the older, less expressive and misappropriated (I won't name the culprits, but if you want a clue think blue jigsaw pieces) Autism Awareness Month, and I shall display these pictures in the context of talking about special interests.
DAY 2: LOTS 501-950
This was in many ways the most stressful of the three days, because in addition to the middle part of the auction it featured the setup at the racecourse to enable people to preview the third day lots in advance. The auction part of the day was very quiet, although there was one brief moment of excitement around lot 696, a Chinese stamp for which I do not have an image (I rarely do stamps these days because they are easy to scan and my time is better spent doing the more difficult imaging).
After the auction part of the day finished I helped with the unloading of items of the racecourse to be set up for the morrow, took some close up photographs of a couple of items that were needed to enable me to answer last minute queries and walked back to the shop (it takes about 15 minutes from the Prince of Wales Suite, the part of the racecourse where we hold our auctions) to edit the images and answer the queries. I also got a small amount of April imaging done before closing time (having arrived early to ensure that I had time to do the IT setup, and given the day that I knew to lie in store for me on the morrow I was not going to burning midnight oil, and when the last of my shop based colleagues finished his day at 3PM and I had seen him out I called it a day myself. Here are some pictures of the lots I was answering 11th hour queries about…
The first five of these images relate to lot 1142.
The remaining images relates to lot 1117 – a gun stock without the barrel which would have been stored inside it. Both these items sold for good money in the end.
DAY THREE: LOTS 951-1560
In view of the fact that the catalogue advertised viewing at the racecourse from 8AM I decided to get the first bus of the morning to Fakenham, which leaves King's Lynn at 6:28AM. I was therefore outside the Prince of Wales Suite at about 7:30AM, and had to wait for someone else to arrive with a key to open it up. Still, while waiting I did get this picture:
With the setup accomplished, and knowing that all was working properly I could get some pictures from the venue (the first had actually been taken the day before):
The books at the near end of this shot did exactly as expected (those familiar with my opinions ion the subject of books at auction will have no difficulty working that one out).
Sadly this sledge failed to sell, largely because at the last moment the vendor put a reserve of £55 on it.
After a fairly quiet start to the day the militaria sold well and the toys/ collectors models also fared well. As on the first two days it was the online bidders (who by the end of the auction numbered some 350) who were responsible for most of the action. The auction finished, it remained to dismantle the sale, load the goods up and transport them back to the shop. This was accomplished just quick enough for me to get the 3:35 bus home. The third day more than made up for the comparative quietness of the first two. James and Sons next auction is on April 24, 25 and 26, with all three days happening at our shop on Norwich Street. Here are a few final pictures to conclude.
This was the first lot under the hammer on day 3.
This lot was the subject of query that led to the taking of a number of extra images (the sale price justified the extra work many times over)
This was the first of toy/ collector's model lots.
This little thing did not make big money (I will be collecting it and paying for both lots that I won when I go back to work on Tuesday).
Author ThomasPosted on March 30, 2017 March 30, 2017 Categories PhotographyTags Auctions, Autism, Autism Acceptance, Banking Ephemera, Banknotes, Books, Cigarette Cards, Coins, Collector's Models, Fakenham, Fakenham Racecourse, King's Lynn, Liebig Cards, Militaria, Public Transport, Railwayana, Stamps, Toys, Travellers Cheques3 Comments on James and Sons March Auction
Overcoming Hurdles For The November Auction
An account of final preparations for James and Sons' November auction.
James and Sons' November auction takes place at Fakenham Racecourse tomorrow, which combined with the somewhat stressed preliminaries led to the title of this post.
A CHANGE OF VENUE
Firstly, a miscommunication led to this auction being held in the Long Bar rather than the Prince of Wales Suite. Then when we arrived at the venue with the items for auction (as the picture below shows this was a very full van load) it was in state of disarray.
This is a full van load.
The next hiccough was the necessity of running a long cable from a building with an internet connection into the Long Bar, which involved stretching it across a bit of road that was due to be used by caravans, but some metal supports of the type more usually used for putting up shelving came in handy to provide a secure guard for that bit of wiring…
Here is one we made earlier!
A close up of one section.
Also, the Long Bar has a very antiquated heater, which had clearly not been used in a long time.
I had a picture to take to resolve a query and also located a lot that had not previously been imaged…
This was the image used to resolve the query.
This lot had not been imaged.
I also in odd quiet moments got some pictures from the Long Bar, and on the way back to the shop took a few pictures through the open window of the van…
This horse turned its head at the key moment, so the white flash down the front of its head is not visible here.
BACK AT THE SHOP
Back at the shop I had some big stamp lots for our December auction (on the 14th) to attend to, and was then required to buy some paper (there is a stationer down the road who sells plain A4 at £17 for five reams).
The box with the books in had fallen to the floor shedding some of its contents, so had to be dealth with as a matter of urgency.
Author ThomasPosted on November 29, 2016 Categories UncategorizedTags Auctions, Coins, Fakenham, Fakenham Racecourse, Horses, Photography, Postcards, Stamps, The Long Bar4 Comments on Overcoming Hurdles For The November Auction
The September Auction and a Sneak Preview of Some October Items
An account of james and Sons' September auction, with a spotlight on the October auction.
James and Sons' September auction took place this Wednesday at Fakenham Racecourse, while apart from on that day my recent work has mainly been focussed on the October auction (Wednesday 26th, Maids Head Hotel, Norwich.
THE SEPTEMBER AUCTION
I was not involved with setting this auction up on the Tuesday due to having other work to do back at base, but I did make a flying visit to the racecourse that day to resolve some queries that people had raised at the last minute about auction items (one potential customer wanted an image that had been missed and another wanted a detailed condition report on pair of vintage spectacles – the fact that both items sold to the customers who had made the inquiries was final proof that their queries had been resolved). That just left…
THE DAY OF THE AUCTION
My work day did not get off to the best of starts, because I fell victim to a recent timetable change and arrived at the racecourse a little later than I would have liked (I now have a copy of the timetable that will come into force from this Sunday). Fortunately there were no serious issues with the IT, and the auction started on time.
INADEQUATE COVER
With the auctioneer needing regular breaks from the rostrum, and the only person capable of substituting for him being also the only person who could substitute for my role on the rostrum I was at my post while the first 650 lots went under the hammer, finally getting to consume my sandwiches at 2:20PM, before resuming my post for the last 50 or so lots (the auction ended at lot 781). This, combined with the heavy lifting work at the end, made for an exhausting and stressful day.
THE TALE OF THE HAMMER
The auction began with banknotes and coins, which fared pretty well overall. Then there were a large number of stamp lots, which predictably enough did not attract huge attention (www.the-saleroom.com while good for many things are poor on stamps, and there were not many people there in the room). After that there were a variety of different items, some of which sold well. In among the medley of items in this middle and latter part of the auction was lot 461, four decorative plates produced by Coalport, all in their original boxes with paperwork. This might not sound like the kind of lot to catch the photographer's eye, but the the images below may provide some explanation…
My opening bid of £12 proved sufficient to secure the items (I had prepared for the possibility of success by bringing a stout, empty, fabric bag with me to transport them).
The auction ended with some 'Bradbury' stamp pages, which may as well not have gone under the hammer at all since by then there was no one left in the room save staff.
Overall it was a successful sale.
THE CLEAR UP
While two of my colleagues took a few items to our storage unit near the village of Syderstone (principally the rostrum and the stools that we sit on behind it) I moved as much stuff as I could (almost all of it) over to the door so that it could be loaded straight on to the van once they were back. The van duly loaded it was time to head back into town, and thanks to my colleague dropping me on Oak Street I was just able to catch the 16:38 bus home. The bus to work yesterday morning was 20 minutes late leaving King's Lynn, so by the time I arrived there were a mere five boxes of stuff left to carry in to the building, a task I accomplished in not much more time than it took the kettle to boil for my coffee.
SPOTLIGHT ON OCTOBER
Wednesday apart, since September 15 I have been engaged on a major project at work – describing and imaging a vast number of posters – a task that is not quite finished, but which is responsible for almost 250 lots so far. The first 230 or so of these lots were film posters, ranging in size from a colossal 40 inches by 30 to 16.5 inches by 16.5. Here are a few examples…
This poster is definitely worth money.
This is an example of a double sided poster – one side facing inside, the other with mirror writing on it designed to show in a passing driver's mirror.
Yesterday, after a few more film posters I finally got some variety…
I particularly appreciated this poster and the next.
Author ThomasPosted on September 30, 2016 September 30, 2016 Categories UncategorizedTags Advertising Posters, Auctions, Chelsea Flower Show, Coins, Double sided posters, Fakenham Racecourse, Film Posters, Hampton Court Flower Show, Imaging, IT, Music Posters, Network SouthEast, Photography, Plates, Posters, Railwayana, Stamps, The Maids Head Hotel, Theatre Posters1 Comment on The September Auction and a Sneak Preview of Some October Items
An account of recent events at James and Sons.
Yesterday was James and Sons' May auction, at Fakenham Racecourse, and today we had a badge sale at our shop in Fakenham.
Our main auction was blighted by problems with the internet connection at the venue. Eventually we relocated the auction itself to Cool Roxy, the owners and trainers bar, while leaving the stock in the Prince of Wales Suite. This left us way behind schedule. Nevertheless, the sale was very successful, with five pieces of postcard artwork accompanied by sample postcards by a man called Twelvetrees selling phenomenally well, some old vinyl records selling well (a Black Sabbath recording went for £340), and many other items faring well. Among the lesser lights a book of photographs from King's Lynn's past went for just £4 (it goes well with my substantial digital archive of pictures from King's Lynn's present thank you), while a Cornwall Polytechnic Society medallion featuring a bust of James Watt (he after whom the unit of power is named, and who along with his distant predecessor Heron of Alexandria, his closer predecessor Thomas Newcomen and his near contemporary Richard Trevithick played a key role in the development of the steam engine, the first power source for locomotives) went for £11. In amongst all this I had to get images of the reverse sides of the some of the badges being sold today to resolve queries.
Overall, the early problems not withstanding it was a successful day, and here are some photos…
These helmet plates all did well
The model aerolplane was another success
The model soldiers (of which we had vast numbers in various lots) also went down well.
These mounted soldiers were one lot
The Twelvetrees artwork and sample postcards referred to in the text.
This map piqued my interest but was beyond my means.
This barometer has seen almost as many auctions as I have, but this time it found a buyer.
Had this been being sold individually instead of as part of a much larger lot I would have been interested.
A plastic case full of fishing flies, of which this is just a sample, sold.
The medallion referred to in the text.
Today's sale proceeded smoothly. Although no huge prices were recorded a number of items did better than expected. Overall therefore I think we can say it was a successful week, although very draining (especially yesterday).
Author ThomasPosted on May 26, 2016 May 26, 2016 Categories UncategorizedTags Auctions, Black Sabbath, Charles Twelvetrees, Fakenham Racecourse, James and Sons, James Watt, James Watt Medallion, King's Lynn, Militaria, Models, Postcard Artwork, Postcards, Railwayana, Steam Engines, Vinyl Records1 Comment on Trials and Tribulations
A TWO DAY AUCTION
An account of James and Sons auction on March 3oth and 31st, with some other stuff at the end.
As the main part of this post, about James and Sons' March auction (I am also sharing a few other bits at the end) develops it will become obvious why I am doing it now as one big post, and why I have posted very little these last few days.
PART 1: THE PRELIMINARIES (TUESDAY)
With the auction scheduled for Wednesday 30th (lots 1-699) and Thursday 31st (Lots 700-1051) the setup at the venue (The Prince of Wales Suite, Fakenham Racecourse) had to be accomplished on the Tuesday. This day did not require any earlier start than a regular work day would, and although a lot of heavy lifting was involved (a thousand plus lot auction, four people fit to do serious carrying) it was less draining than the other two days.
PART TWO: DAY 1 (WEDNESDAY)
I had to be at the venue by 8AM, which meant leaving my flat at 6:30AM to be sure of catching the 6:50 bus, to make sure that the IT setup was working and to assist with the viewing the precedes the sale. A couple of technical hitches at the start aside the day went smoothly. There were some great successes, although the flag that we had hoped would raise serious money did not attract a bid high enough to warrant selling it. The books tanked, as anyone with any experience of books at auction would have expected. Lot 466 fell to me, and lot 494, five volumes on Buildings of Scotland, found its way to East Rudham. Here are some pictures from day 1 at the venue…
This was still in the sky when I left my flat on the Wednesday morning!
Not one of ours – one the racecourse's own pictures)
The view from the rostrum
The rostrum before the auction started.
This shell has been interestingly decorated, although it would still have looked better when it was on a turtle's back.
A building frontage in Bridge Street, Fakenham that I had not previously noticed.
After the sale had concluded it was time to get the unsold lots from day 1 back to the shop (and they had to go on the top floor of the shop, including four plastic tubs full of back issues of Private Eye magazine). Then finally, work was done for the day.
PART THREE: DAY 2 (THURSDAY)
Fortunately I was able to set off an hour later than on the first day as although I would still have to do some preliminary IT stuff there were unlikely to be many viewers present (and indeed there weren't). The internet was still very lively however, and a number of the early commemorative and proof coins on this second day sold exceptionally well. The stamps and postal history did not shine especially brightly. Lot 920, an Isambard Kingdom Brunel £2 set, went to me. The last lot went under the hammer just before 12:00, after which it was time for the clear-up. Once we had the first van load back at the shop we stopped for lunch, before doing the unloading, heading back to the racecourse for the last bits and getting them back. At this point there was a break from heavy lifting, during which I obtained a full printed list of those who had signed up to bid via http://www.the-saleroom.com, which ran to a James and Sons record 277 (paddle numbers 400-676 inclusive). There was a little bit more lifting to do before the end of my day, as it was necessary to get some stuff ready for loading for a collectors fair on the morrow. I have some pictures from day 2 as well…
One of theirs again!
This tapestry is also theirs.
Caravans parked where on race days there would be bookies.
Golfers in action, srrounded by the racecourse (hence no golf on racedays – a mishit shot might do more than frighten the horses!)
Che Simnor auditioning for the role of security guard!
An item on display in the shop.
The Fakenham Sign
A FINAL THOUGHT ON THE AUCTION
I have not previously been involved in running a two-day auction, and it was an incredibly tiring three days. However, the auction was very successful.
LOTS 466 AND 920
These were the two lots I bid on, and I got both. Both lots attracted my attention because of my special interest (in the best autism circles we do not use the word obsession) in railways (and indeed public transport generally – check out my website www.londontu.be).
This was a rail atlas of Britain, dating from around 1980 (Blake Hall station was open so it is pre-1982, but that whole section of the Central line – Epping– Ongar – was already being considered for closure), and it is very detailed, showing goods and passenger lines. Here are pictures, starting with the images that were available at auction and finishing with some later shots…
This was the image that people saw during the auction – the front cover
The three images starting with this one were also available to internet viewers.
A picture showing the Ongar page – and note where the Chelmsford oage continues to…
The page from which this picture comes…
A new post in 'stations' on my website will be coming soon.
A joint pic of the images from pps 32 and 33 showing that the downright dishonourable "costs a Priti penny" Patel has nothing approaching a justification for claiming more in expenses than any other MP in the house – her constituency is hardly far-flung!
This was the Brunel £2 set, and I have the image that was available to auction followers, some images taken of it on display at the venue and some further images taken of it at home…
This image was one of the few at this auction not done me, hence the rookie mistake of showing an 'obverse' (just a portrait of a ridiculously over-privileged old woman), when the 'reverse' is the key face.
On display at the auction
One of the reverses (still at the auction)
A picture taken at my workstation back at the shop
The outside of the folder
The two obverses.
This one, showing both reverses and the accompanying info is an example of what the auction image should have looked like.
A close up of the 'reverse' showing Brunel in his top hat
a close-up of the other 'reverse', a pattern based on Paddington station
What the folder looks like closed.
HAIRPIN POINT – UNINTENTIONAL COMEDY FROM THE GOP
I have called this 'Hairpin Point' because it represents a switch in direction on this post away from anything connected with my work to other matters. To set the scene, here is a screen-dump from my email inbox:
The Gun Obsessed Plonkers (GOP for short) have made a spectacular blunder here:
As my email address surely indicates (it ends .co.uk after all) I am not American.
Even I was American the odds against me ever even voting for a Republican, let alone being a registered member would be of the order of zillions to one against.
How someone came to perpetrate a bloomer on this scale I do not know, but it did provide a laugh.
A FEW LINKS TO FINISH
First up from the Daily Mirror comes this story about how putting a kiss at the end of a letter was enough for the DWP to question the professionalism of an MP.
And at the very end, a link to a piece by Mike Sivier of Vox Political about what Labour is doing to attempt to save British Steel, and a follow-up link to a petition on the same subject that has already garnered more than the 100,000 signatures needed for a debate in Parliament:
Mike Sivier's piece.
The petition (please sign and share to amp up the pressure on Scameron)
Author ThomasPosted on April 1, 2016 April 1, 2016 Categories UncategorizedTags Auctions, Autism, Blake Hall, Books, Chelsmford, Coins, David Cameron, Epping, Fakenham Racecourse, GOP Blunder, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, James and Sons, Kenton, Mike Sivier, Militaria, Northwick Park, Ongar, Paddington Station, Petition to save the steel industry, Photography, Postal History, Priti Patel, Railwayana, Stamps, The Box Tunnel, The Central line, The Clifton Suspension Bridge, The Daily Mirror, The DWP, The GOP, The Great Western Railway, The Labour Party, The SS Great Britain, The SS Great Eastern, Vox Political, Witham1 Comment on A TWO DAY AUCTION
March Catalogue With The Printers
An account of yesterday at work and the current state of play as regards James and Sons March Auction.
A brief post about two interlinked things – yesterday at work and the plans for James and Sons March Auction, which is at Fakenham Racecourse.
A TWO DAY SALE
Due the quantity of items we have received, we have over a thousand lots in this sale, so we will be conducting it over two days. The format for this auction will be:
Tuesday 29th March: Set up and viewing
Wednesday 30th March: Day 1 – lots 1-600 go under the hammer (the cut-off is after half-way as we can leave the stuff at the venue overnight).
Thursday 31st March: Lots 601-1050 and clear-up
The catalogue has been sent to the printers and will therefore be available shortly, and an online version should be ready for viewing by the end of the week.
Although the vast amount of stuff in this auction and lack of staff to image it has left us a little behind where we would like to be in that regard there are only about 200 lots in this sale for which we thus far have no image. I conclude this post with some of the best of yesterday's images…
The war that led to the creation of this silk map was one that I am proud to say that I virulently opposed, but the map itself is splendid.
This was the lest lot O imaged yesterday.
For those interested in historic buildings, these five volumes which form lot 494 represent effectively a "Complete Guide to Scotland's Historic Buildings".
Author ThomasPosted on March 2, 2016 March 2, 2016 Categories UncategorizedTags Auctions, Coins, Ephemera, Fakenham Racecourse, London Bridge, Maps, Militaria, Photography, Richard Trevithick, silk, Steam Engines1 Comment on March Catalogue With The Printers


i like my little yarns, so i'm thinking of posting an older one every now + then to sort of fondle it with my eyes. someone else bought this set and i never got to see (at least, yet!) what, if anything, they turned it into...we get kind of attached to these creations, especially if we were trying to accomplish something with them, learn a new technique, say something.
for anybody who doesn't know, this is yarn. they are created from fibers such as wool, linen, silk, and spun on a spinning wheel to create a continuous length. just as people have been doing for zillions of years. and so much string has disappeared that we don't always realize how much cultures communicated with and via string. but i think we know it in our bones, at least women do.
i have been meaning to mention a couple of neat sites. one is this great reference for all things sheep !
another is the fiber femmes online newsletter, a different perspective on spinning, often written from the perspective of the people who raise animals.
and last, please check out all the images here at the yarn museum, and submit submit, submit!!! thanks!


Stefan graduated with a masters degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto in 2008. Over the next 5 years, Stefan worked with in-patients at the Toronto Rehab Lyndhurst Centre, a spinal cord rehabilitation unit. During this time, Stefan discovered a passion for seating and wheelchair mobility. Certified with various custom seating manufactures, Stefan has been finding solutions for his clients with complex seating and mobility issues. Originally from Moncton and having grown up in Quispamsis New Brunswick, Stefan was happy to relocate his family back to the Maritimes and join the Occupational Concepts team in September of 2013. When not solving seating problems, Stefan continues his creative interest by playing drums in a band.


text:
Marketing as an Entrepreneur: Before ...
Couture for Charity: Cause Marketing ...
Marketing as an Entrepreneur: Before and After Social Media
by Grady Capstone Journalist December 5, 2017
By Kelly Miller
There are 2.46 billion active users on social media. Of those 2.46 billion, 40 percent follow their favorite brands on social media, according to the Global Web Index, a technology company providing audience-profiling data to marketers. Since the rapid rise of social media, beginning around 2010, business owners had to quickly learn to navigate the instant and widespread reachability most social platforms offer.
Today, 44 percent of small businesses say they depend on social media to generate brand awareness, and 41 percent depend on it to drive revenue, according to eMarketer. Social media marketing seems to be one of the most necessary and vital components a business owner can employ, especially for entrepreneurs trying to break into competitive markets.
Now the questions is whether or not business is simply about creating a product that consumers need, or about building a brand that consumers also find follow-worthy. According to Zack Brendel, the answer is still the former.
Brendel, owner of Oneta Woodworks in Athens, Georgia, started his business in 2008. This was before the age of Instagram, founded in 2010, and before multitudes of craftsmen utilized social media. So how did Brendel spread the word about his business?
"Signs in windows. I went after a lot of bars and restaurants downtown," Brendel said. "We started to get our name out there and people recognized our signs, and that was it."
Brendel wasn't posting custom fabrications of furniture on Instagram, following similar businesses to keep up with competition or networking via Facebook. He simply focused on building strong relationships with clients, who would in turn tell others about his work. Nine years later, not much has changed.
"When I saw Facebook and Instagram coming on I just wasn't interested in it," Brendel said. "For a few years it was rough and I was like, 'Uh, maybe we should do this.' But ultimately, we don't have to because we are in with the right kind of clients, the word of mouth has spread and we're established."
Brendel has an Instagram account for Oneta Woodworks, but said social media does not play a significant role in his marketing plan, nor does any other traditional form of marketing.
Signs in windows may have worked for woodworker and entrepreneur Brendel, but for today's young entrepreneur trying to break into a competitive market full of craftsmen, social media seems like the perfect solution.
Richard Begando, a competitor of Brendel's, is a senior at the University of Georgia and owner of Athens Woodworks. Unlike Brendel, Begando grew up fully immersed in the world social media. So when he decided to start his own woodworking company in 2015, creating social media accounts for the business seemed like a no-brainer.
"I did the standard– I made the Instagram page and I had a couple pictures of stuff I had made, either for me or for other people throughout that semester," said Begando. "The social media was good getting my name out there, but honestly the best way I realized for marketing myself was word of mouth."
Marketing professionals agree that good, old-fashioned word of mouth is an effective way to spread brand awareness. Katie Salmon, owner and creator of Katie Does Marketing, said she loves helping brands and entrepreneurs find out how they can use social media to help their businesses, but the majority of businesses are built through networking and word of mouth. According to Salmon, word of mouth is still the most profitable way to build a business.
"It's pretty exhausting to play the social media game, and while I think it's important and necessary, it doesn't replace the value of networking," said Salmon.
Social media isn't going away anytime soon, and creating platforms for consumers to easily access products is a simple way to stay relevant. Brendel, although not focused on building a social following, still has an Instagram to display some of his company's work. Begando uses social media analytics to see who his customers are and determine the types of products they want to see.
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter certainly have a place in the world of marketing, but the bottom line is nothing beats word of mouth.
Kelly Miller
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RFA: Tell me about the Thousand Mothers Movement, which you founded.
Kadeer: I witnessed first-hand that Uyghur women were uneducated and dependent upon their sons, and their husbands. Educated women were very rare. There weren't many of them. And through my experience in business, I learned a lot more. They didn't know what was going on in society; their lives were very circumscribed. Through my experience with my business, I learned a lot more. And I wanted to teach Uyghur women to stand on their own two feet and take care of themselves and be independent. That way, they could learn a lot more than they could by locking themselves up at home. I learned that for a nation to move forward, its mothers must go forward as well.
I swore to myself that I would save women, mothers, from the same fate that came to me... I kept my word. I fought for 30 years after that.
RFA: You are, were, a successful businesswoman. You are a Uyghur woman who dealt with the same social situation, the same oppression, that other Uyghur women are now suffering from. Where did you find the courage to swim against the tide? Where did you get your courage to do that?
Kadeer: I had two marriages. During my first marriage, I was just like the majority of Uyghur women. I stayed home, cooked, took care of my kids, and depended on my husband to bring money home. I was just a wife, and mother to six children.
Then, I noticed that my husband wasn't bringing enough money into the house, and the family was kind of suffering for lack of money. So I was quietly doing a little business on the side. I was making clothing, I was distributing it and selling little things that I stitched, little things I made. And then I was discovered by the Chinese authorities.
So the Chinese government, the Chinese local officials, told my husband-my ex-husband-to divorce me. They put pressure on him to divorce me because they accused me of secretly doing business. They said that it was wrong for me to do secret business. So they pressured my ex-husband to divorce me. So my ex-husband was forced to divorce me at the time.
Then I realized that Uyghur women had to wake up, they had to take action against this. When I was divorcing him at the court, I swore to myself that I would save women, mothers, from the same fate that came to me... I kept my word. I fought for 30 years after that.
RFA: There are women across Asia who face some of the same problems that Uyghur women do: poverty, dependency on men, a lack of [legal] rights. What larger lesson would you like women in all oppressed societies to learn from your life, your experience, your successes, and your dark days?
Kadeer: Many women in my country have learned many, many lessons. I set an example, and many women follow in my footsteps. And now I want to write books-to write down what happened to me-and also what I did for Uyghur rights and women's rights. And I will help other women and others in the world to understand that and that they need to take a step forward.
RFA: Men are an integral part. Do you plan to involve men, so that they understand the importance of empowering women?
Kadeer: Men and women, at the same time, should learn the same lessons. When men and women go hand in hand and fight together for the same future, then we can all accomplish something at the same time.
One of the most important things we can do now is to get influence from the Western world and from Europe and have these influences in Central Asia. Women and men should learn to respect each other, and then we can accomplish more.
RFA: Tell me about what kind of work you do with Uyghur women. What are some of the businesses and trades they are taught?
Kadeer: I have lectured constantly. Everywhere I went I gathered women and tried to teach them the ways that I learned. And I taught them how to do business. I taught them how to be independent. I also asked them to do charity work through the money they make.
For example, the women who were in the close circle that were constantly following me, they learned most of the things that I learned in my experience, and they learned how to do business, and they made a lot of money after this. They're still making money today. And they started distributing the money and [sharing] the wealth that they made with other people in the community. And that's the exact thing I was trying to teach Uyghurs.
My arrest angered Uyghur women, and through my actions they learned a lot of things. They learned to be courageous. Now they're out there more. They have finally awakened because of my experiences.
RFA: What kind of business?
Kadeer: There are many different ways. To be specific, some women are better at certain things, and others are better at certain things. So they picked what they liked, what they're better at. So for example, we did fast-food restaurants. We had fast-food restaurants, import/export, we bought different merchandise from different places and distributed it in our area. Also real estate.
I built an empire after starting with just 60 yuan in my pocket. So after women saw the success in my life, they thought it was possible for them too. They learned the ways that I took in life, and they took the steps that I took: Start a small business and make it a bigger business.
When there were earthquakes, people were left homeless, and I would bring these women together, and they would go together to the areas that were affected and do charity work and help the people left behind.
RFA: How did their [male relatives] react to this?
Kadeer: Many men in my country respected me. So when these women, Uyghur mothers, followed my example, they saw the good things that we were accomplishing together. They understood, and every day they understood more.
Ultimately, they said, "These women are getting together and actually doing something good for the country, so let's let them do it." That was the reaction they got from the men. I wasn't only teaching Uyghur women business. I was teaching them morals. I was teaching them how to be people. I taught even the men.
RFA: In terms of the Chinese government, did you fear that as more and more Uyghur women became empowered, that this was going to make the Chinese government want to crack down?
Kadeer: It's definitely a fear. [These changes] threaten the Chinese government. They feel threatened by the Uyghur community when Uyghur women are out there like that. My arrest angered Uyghur women, and through my actions they learned a lot of things. They learned to be courageous. Now they're out there more. They have finally awakened because of my experiences.
RFA: Do you plan to involve Uyghur women here in affecting the lives of women back [in Xinjiang]?
Kadeer: I want to make my fights international. I want to involve anybody out there who wants to get involved. So through that, I can help more people back home. I need help in this fight, from the American government, from the American people, from anybody who shows concern for human rights. And through their support, I can fight on here and affect the [people] back home.
RFA: We have seen several Chinese dissidents who, once they've been released from China and have been denied access to China, they find it very difficult to do grassroots work just because of lack of access. And they begin to feel very powerless. Do you have ideas in mind to bridge this distance?
Kadeer: I don't believe in failure. I believe that nothing is impossible. The only way to overcome the concern, not having access back home, is to make more people out here understand and realize the things that are happening in Xinjiang, and get more people involved outside of the country so that they all stand by each other and actually voice the same concern and then let people all over the world know that what's happening in Xinjiang is actually affecting many people's lives.
And this way we can accomplish more, and this way we can affect more people back home, and this is how it's accomplished. If you don't have access, you let people know. And then if enough people voice the same concern, then back home people actually will listen. I am not alone in this fight. I succeeded once. I will succeed again. And I will always try hard, try my best for it.
RFA: When you were in prison, were other Uyghur women imprisoned there?
Kadeer: I looked around. I observed. Even though I wasn't allowed to speak to them and they weren't allowed to speak to me, I saw 62 political prisoners who shared the same fate. An example is that there was a woman, a political prisoner, a Uyghur woman-she was 96 and still in prison.
RFA: You obviously are a woman with a dream and a vision. What is your dream for your people?
Kadeer: My dream is to bring freedom to our people. And if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, I will pass this on to my children, to the younger generation, that they will accomplish it one day. That's my dream. I have high hopes and beliefs in human rights organizations and the American government and the American people, that this will happen one day.
RFA [to Kadeer's daughter]: You have a strong role model, sitting right next to you. How has her life affected your life here?
Rouzi: [in English] In the beginning, when she was arrested, it came as a shock. But I knew the things she was doing, I knew the political things that she was involved in, I knew she was fighting for our people's rights. I mean, I grew up in the same house, so I saw the things. I observed. I learned.
But the arrest definitely came as a shock. Because I was young, [I thought] no one can touch my mother, no one can lay a finger on her. What doesn't kill you only makes [you] stronger. Everything in my life is a lesson. She's a big role model. I'm constantly learning. I'm stepping into her footsteps. Everything she says, everything she does in life, teaches me a lesson, teaches me how to be a human being, and teaches me how to be a woman. Especially coming from a minority.
Everything she says, everything she does in life, teaches me a lesson, teaches me how to be a human being, and teaches me how to be a woman.
So definitely, she made me stronger. Growing up, I was not weak, but I wasn't as strong as she is. But every day it's changing. Every day I'm being stronger because of her presence.
RFA [to Kadeer's daughter]: Do you yourself have fears for your siblings, for your brothers and sisters back in China?
Rouzi [in English]: I do have fears for them. But I know that nothing will stop my mother's fight. I know that nothing will stop our fight for our people's rights. And they also say the same thing. They say: "Do whatever you want. Do anything in your power to help our people.
They constantly tell us, "Don't worry about us." But I don't think the world would stand by and watch if something were to happen to them. Because they didn't commit any crime. They're just sitting at home, doing business. And my mother is the one over here, fighting. They're supporting us, but in a verbal way.
They're not doing anything wrong. We're not committing a crime either. So I have fear for them. The Chinese government put my mother in prison, [and] she was innocent, she is innocent. And if they could do that to her, they could do a lot of things to a lot of people. I do have fears, but I'm hopeful that the world will [act] to prevent that.
Original reporting by Arin Basu, RFA's diplomatic correspondent in Washington. Produced in Uyghur by RFA's Uyghur service; director, Dolkun Kamberi. Produced for the Web in English by Luisetta Mudie and Sarah Jackson-Han.


On one of my recent flea market forays, I found these lovely porcelain dishes – they just called out to me from their crate! They weren't all that expensive so I bought six!!
The basic ngredients are very simple: cherries, cream, milk, eggs, sugar and a tiny bit of butter to grease the dishes.


My phone died on Saturday. There I was, at my son Jake's baseball game, just clicking around on Pinterest and the screen went blank. There was no beeping sound, no flash of the screen, no warnings. Just nothing. The smell of the last pin was still in the air.
I tried five times to reboot the phone by removing the battery but it just looked back at me with that blank stare. I knew it was a technical error beyond my control. While I am notoriously clumsy and have broken another phone in the past, this time it wasn't operator error. I got my current phone less than a year ago. I've done everything from buying a protective case to making sure the phone is in my bag and not my pocket to keep it safe and in one piece.
So there I was sitting at the game surrounded by parents, kids on the field and kids in the stands. Crap, now what? It was weird how calm I was because I knew this was beyond my capabilities to be fixed. After the game, I went to the Verizon store to see what they could do.
They pushed buttons, replaced the battery and even called some 1-800 tech support number. Nothing. The words 'order a replacement phone' was the answer. Still I was strangely calm. Ok, let's just go with it and I went through the process of getting a replacement phone sent to me by overnight mail. But overnight mail only means BUSINESS days and it was Saturday. I wasn't going to get my new phone until Tuesday.
Discussions were held about activating an old phone and instructions were given. I knew I had two old phones at home and I could at least have phone service again. We wrapped up all the paperwork and the Verizon lady says to me, "What's the best number to reach you at?" Seriously? Did you just ask me that?
Now I'm cracking jokes. Still feeling oddly calm.
I couldn't my old Blackberry to power up so I tried the really really old one. I got that one to work but it had a low battery message and the charger was gone. When I cleaned out my office closet, I threw out all my old chargers and cords. Crap, now what? I checked with my neighbor and even tried Walgreen's. Nothing to help me charge the battery for the old phone. It was a sad little pathetic phone.
By 9:30pm, the sad little pathetic phone shut down. It gave me one last warning to charge the battery, flashed at me three times and powered down singing that old familiar tingling song. And now I don't have phone service. But you know what? I didn't do what everyone thinks I'm gonna do. I didn't freak out.
I felt disconnected. Not a disconnection because no one could reach me with a call or text. I felt disconnected from the phone itself. The house seemed eerily quiet. No phone calls, no texts, no emails, no funny notification noises if someone posted something on my Facebook page. Nothing.
I admit it – I've turned into one of those people who check my email on my phone before I even get out of bed. I check the weather before I get dressed. I read Facebook or click through Pinterest when I'm waiting in the carline to pick up Jake. And here I was with this …. this phone thing and it wasn't even working.
I wish I could say that this experience happened because it was one of those life lesson moments reminding my to unplug but that's not true. I wasn't completely unplugged. My neighbor offered to let me use her phone if I had to call someone plus I had my computer and the new tablet. I couldn't shut off the world. I have a business to run, clients to work for and a my son to take care of. I don't have the luxury to turn off the phone and disappear for awhile.
Don't sweat the small stuff in life … and its all small stuff.
I got a smart phone about a 1 1/2 years ago. I wasn't sure how much I would use it. Iswore I would not be one of those people that falls asleep with it on their lap while on the bus. No, that is what you do with a child. Fast forward and I am way to into the phone. I'll spare you the details.
However, I do love shutting it off and freeing myself on the Sabbath. it sounds liek you got this break – even if it wasn't planned.
It's strange how much we've all grown to feel connected with our phones. Sometimes I see people at meetings look at their phones and I want to say, no one called you, stop looking at your phone.
Good for you. Now, you have to impose a break. Show the phone whose boss.
You need serious help. They are going to have to pry some gadget out of your hands when you go cold.
I know that is harsh, but I say it because I care.
Good for you. Nine to go.
You're on FIRE today! Must be too much sponge bob on the brain.
I made that image in my Instagram account and one my friends commented to say, I didn't think they made those phone anymore.
LOL I am like that! I had a nextel for like 100 years!! I'm sure the company HATED ME LOL!!!


Not to be Captain Obvious here, but even in the deepest of red states President Obama got a quarter of the vote. Now I know that sounds really bad, but think about it, even in the states that we liberals might dismiss as lost causes, there are still reasonable people. OK, I just ticked off a lot of Romney voters with that statement. Well, I never said we weren't a divided nation! But I think it's worth pointing out that the country might be divided by party and by ideology, but it's not like all the liberals are in the north and all the conservatives are in the south. Likely apparent, but worth stating from time to time.
Take Utah, where Obama got 24.9% of the vote. That's a pretty poor showing, but that's still a quarter of Utah voters casting their ballot for the — Kenyan socialist — president. Even in the deep south state of Alabama, the president managed 38.4% of the vote.
Obviously Democrats, and especially northern liberal Democrats, can't expect to win states like Utah or Alabama, but we need to remember when we look at those red and blue states on an election map, there are plenty of liberals in the south. We liberals should not write off an entire region as quickly as conservatives want to write off large urban areas with their electoral vote rigging plans.


Price in Reward Points : 400 Only 22 Left Need More?
SAVED Patch is embroidered in Black / White. Measures 4x2.25 inches. The patch can be sewn or ironed on. Do not iron on patches to leather or nylon material.