S is for Swoppets

Probably had that title before, but then I think we may have had the earlier post today's title before too! It is a fact that I have detractors, people who dislike my manner, even 'enemies', but as I've said before I'm not here to make friends; I'm here to waffle and rant - 'cos that's what Blogs are about! I tell my friends that I posses the ability to bring out other people's worst opinion of me - on the Internet!

One of the ways I annoy people is by pointing out from time to time that we collect infant toys, like little babies, we're all little babies! They were/are made of a mass-produced, near-indestructible material (certain additives notwithstanding!) in their millions and have a the intrinsic value of tuppence-ha'penny!

Tuesday's addition is second from the left - strangely with a blue tomahawk blade to match his jerkin? Ten, no eight-year's ago I had err . . . none. And I haven't paid dealer's prices for any of them. I say again - they were made in their millions, and while we've looked at these before here, I though it was illustrative to show how just one pose continues to grow, especially if you are just starting out, or on a tight budget, these were all next-to-nothing in job-lots.

The paper label - which clips round an ankle - was a floor-sweeping from the Sandown Park show about a year ago. If I put all my floor-sweepings over the years in a single heap it would fill a family sized ice-cream tub! Me and Paul Morehead's nephew used to sweep the old PW show-venue together, as we put the tables and chairs away, and we'd both get a handful of 'stuff'; each! It's all grist to the mill, and free.

And then there are all the empty boxes, packaging and catalogues left behind, possibly the same Sandown (or it may have been this Spring's?) gave up a whole pile of catalogues some chap had abandoned as he A) hadn't sold them and B) couldn't be arsed to carry them back to his car - or to another show!