Blog

Iron Maiden to Shakespeare with an auction in between.

Posted: 09/08/18 (14:31pm)

I had an amazing night at the Iron Maiden gig in Newcastle. It had been 30 years since I last saw Iron Maiden play and they didn't disappoint. After queuing from 2 in the afternoon I raced to the front and stood the closest I have ever been to the stage (my ears were still ringing 3 days later!). The stage sets were amazing and the raw energy of Bruce Dickinson et al was just as impressive. At 60, the band could run rings around most 30 year olds.
In emulation of my childhood heroes I leapt about, screamed and yelled and sang (to the best of my ability) at the top of my lungs. I felt like I was 18 again.
Unfortunately, the next morning I felt more like I was 80! My shoulders and neck ached, my feet hurt and my throat was raw. Ah well, it was worth it!

At the completely opposite end of the scale, Sue and I spent the weekend down in Cambridgeshire with my parents and on Saturday evening we watched an excellent production of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" at the Tolethorpe Hall open air theatre in Stamford. We arrived early in order to enjoy a leisurely picnic on the lawn, as did most of the audience - it's something of a tradition. 

On the Friday, I visited an auction in Derbyshire and picked up some quite rare bayonets. I bought two No.5 Mk II Jungle Carbine bayonets (one of which I listed on Monday) and a No.7 Land Service bayonet. I also bought a No.9 bayonet and the Imperial German Army M1890 Dove Head sword that I have just listed on the website. In the evening, I visited a friend in Peterborough. I hadn't seen him in about 20 years and we have only recently made contact again. The years melted away as soon as we started chatting - the sign of a true friendship. I look forward to catching up with him again soon. From 1991 until 2012 I spent most of the time working abroad and lost touch with all my childhood friends. It's nice to be finding them again.

On Saturday morning Sue and I met with a long time customer and friend in Ely to deliver five of his recent purchases. We enjoyed a coffee together and it was a real pleasure spending time with him. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, a mix of work and play and all of it a pleasure.