bundle up

Current outside temp: 34 F

Today: Mostly sunny, high 47 F

So winter seems to have suddenly arrived.  It is windy and cold in London, with that cold that seeps into your bones no matter what you do.  It probably doesn't help that I am not a big fan of central heating and that the shop door is open all day, but there are always ways around it.  For example, yesterday Chloe brought me down a small space heater, which made a world of a difference.

The transition to winter was only official yesterday when it started to hail at 6pm.

One good thing is that I think I have inherited some of my father's warm bloodedness.  As soon as I begin to warm up, either with a sweater, a space heater, or a blanket, I warm up quickly and soon I have turned into a thermal ball of heat.  

This I am grateful for.

tiles oh tiles

At work we have a bit of an obsession with tiles, only the beautiful ones of course ;)

Most recently we have been surfing through ebay and by luck have found some very good finds.

The first was this Sherwin and Cotton, c1895-1900, "Village Belle", a very rare and collectable tile that was modelled by George Cartlidge in a rich cobalt blue Majolica glaze and in great condition.  It is a large tile, 6 x 12 inches.  What is very funny is that we had seen this tile before about a year ago when we went on a tile mission to a fireplace scrapyard, but the owner refused to sell it to us for any amount.

This one will have a place of honour in Chloe's new kitchen.

The original two designs

And then yesterday we had a bit of more luck.  This time there was a tile that David really wanted to win for Chloe for Christmas, and again, the ending price was a lot lower than it would sell for normally.  

Nice finds.

back

I'm finally back from being away for so long. A number of complicated factors (moving house, Decorex, vacation) added up to me not having internet at home for weeks, but now internet is up and running and I can post again!