Not far from me is a house whose owner concreted the front garden to save on gardening. After three years the cracks are now  filled by the great colonisers, weeds! A banknote collection evolves. It is not to be kept untouched in a safe for years (it will become toned and likely to have bumps… Read more »

Some years ago I bought a second hand fruit machine that I now use as a ‘bank’ for all loose change. It is also a bit of entertainment for children and young people and some adults, when they visit. The machine takes all silver coins and £1 and £2 coins. A Banknote collection may have… Read more »

The scrapyard on the other side of town always seems to be busy and the piles of metals seems so high. It’s good to make sure our collections are cleared every so often of unwanted notes (scrap) and that we keep it refreshed. Also, you may come into possession of a collection and may wonder… Read more »

In Leicester’s Market there is the damaged statue on the Corn Exchange. The person looks to have been sliced in half at some stage. For sure, something is missing. I have bought a large Scottish and English collection most of which will be listed over the coming weeks. There will an opportunity to fill gaps…. Read more »

Yesterday, as a family, we walked for several miles through the ancient by-ways of Leicestershire. So many fields with lambs and ewes alongside seemingly endless fields of yellow oil seed rape in flower that seemed to predominate this agricultural heartland of England. Have a look at your collection and perhaps it’s time to freshen things… Read more »

I have two allotments, one is an orchard that was inherited from a Latvian who planted trees in 1946. Some varieties are never seen in the shops: Crispin, Pearmain, Discovery, Blenheim Orange and more. The Crispin is one of my favourites, an Autumn apple with a very juicy ‘bite,’ and flavour that is just toothsome…. Read more »

I have two allotments, one a large orchard and the other one is for our vegetables. Each year we clear the weeds, dig over, cut away the invading brambles from the allotments on either side and have a fire to burn the garden rubbish that cannot be composted. We are advised to keep an eye… Read more »

As a family we regularly  visit the monastery which is about ten miles from our home. The monks produce fine Trappist beer (Tynt Meadow) as well as having a beautiful walk around its grounds. At the entrance to the church are two stone carvings, one of the first Abbot. His face looks out with authority… Read more »

I have built a pond in the garden. In a few days I shall buy some goldfish and hopefully this will be the beginning of a small colony of fish. Yesterday, the heron that flies over every day, stopped  on a chimney pot a few houses up the street. I suspect he was making an… Read more »

Yesterday, our local park showed signs of new growth and life. More birds around, including two jays and a pair of nuthatches, but the blossom on the trees struck me as so lovely especially as nothing had been seen just a week ago. Perhaps it’s a good time to seek new growth in the collection…. Read more »