WEEK ENDS IN THE COUNTRY

Our pair of barn owls in the roof have hatched two eggs........they normally hatch a couple of days apart. Photos soon

The six baby geese are growing

But below them the fish present a terrifying sight when you are small.........

especially when they steel your bread

BUYING ANTIQUES

The joy of viewing an auction............especially when the furniture on sale is of exceptional quality is that unlike a museum you can touch! Last Thursday we were invited to  drinks at Claridges by Europauction to view the wonderful pieces of furniture that they were selling. Wow........as a dealer it was fantastic!

What wonderful things a desk that could have inspired Christian Louboutin

I have also been buying and these are some of the things soon to be in the shop.

A period Regence open arm chair 

and a small Empire gueridon with a lot of charm........more soon!

ANTIQUES IN THE DIGITAL AGE

 I had this wonderful message from a happy client recently..............


"Modern commerce is really to be marveled at: a large piece of furniture, spied on the internet late on a Friday evening is happily ensconced some 4,000 miles away 12 days later. Amazing."

How things have changed, from the wonders of the Nikon camera.......my Nikkormatt was almost indestructible, twice into the sea once off Maine the other time near Athens,  to the polaroid,

instant photos at about £1 each to the joys of the digital age. The digital camera, the mighty Mac and the software to design websites, blog, maintain your Facebook profile.......I have yet to start twittering about ormulu and veneers, but all of these things have become part of a way of life.



This evening we had squealing girls with their noses pressed to the shop window.............ah what it is to have a celebrity in the shop..............even if you don't realise  that you have, am I the only dealer not have recognised Madonna when she came in, the list of unrecognised stars is long my ignorance is  I suppose rather embarrassing! One of the most exciting moments of doing Antiques Fairs was when Jesse Norman came around the Battersea Decorative Antiques Fair many years ago when I exhibited there, for me she is a serious star..........

As they say "BRAVA LA JESSYE"

ANTIQUES & BABIES

Last week end saw the arrival of our annual baby geese, the proud father and the two mothers who have been sitting together for the last weeks have six little goslings.

The following morning they were taken to the top pond where they were confronted by the other geese, not a happy meeting and there was much hissing and attacking and flapping pf wings........

Back in the shop I have been shopping and these are some of the things that will shortly be arriving........

A beautiful little  Louis XV French Commode, great veneer and marble Good bronze handles and only 38.5" wide.

This desk,  though late 19th century is wonderfully decorative black lacquer with Chinese figures

 

and because I can't resist dog pictures this has a lot of charm...................