About Me

My photo
No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Friday, December 13, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events Saturday 14th-Friday 20th December 2019

Well! It seems like the Tories have won a landslide? Never have so many turkey's voted for Christmas so close to the oven. Being on the 'losing side' albeit as a Liberal voter rather than Labour, it not for me to pontificate now; I can only temper my disappointment with the hope that the Yahoos and Morlochs get everything that's coming to them.

I would also add that it was a full-moon yesterday and it's Friday the Thirteenth, so one can't be that surprised . . . oh . . . and news just coming across from the 'Well Fancy That' department is that a government requested and paid for independent report came out today (the day after a General Election) stating that waiting times in the NHS got worse last month, that's the NHS Boris was assuring us he loves like a brother . . . oops! If you voted Tory yesterday and are poorly, I hope you'll have the decency to go to the back of that queue before an over-worked nurse sends you there?

And - this close to Christmas - there's precious few events to drown one's sorrows in, nor - indeed - celebrate, and anyway, we'll all need to start husbanding our money!


Toy Fairs

Saturday 14th December 2019

Gateshead - Jim Corr Fairs - Toy, Train & Sci-Fi Fair
Gateshead International Stadium, Neilson Road, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE10 0EF
Mob. - 07504 035 955
10:00 - 15:00hrs
Admission £3, children/senior citizens £2, 'Early Bird' £5

Maidstone - Michael Spencer - Maidstone Vintage Toy Fair
Lockmedow Market Hall & Leisure Complex, Barker Road (Hart Street entrance), Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8LW
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 01622 298 159
Mob. - 01732 840 787
09:00 - 15:00hrs
Admission £2.50p
Park & ride, pay and display parking, refreshments


Sunday 15th December 2019

Stafford - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'Stafford Showground'
The Preston & Argyle Suites, Stafford County Showground, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD
Tel. - 01604 846 688
Mob. - 07966 527 177
Fax. - 01604 771 070
10:30-15:00hrs
Admission £4.00 (early-bird £8), OAP's £3.50, Children £1,
Free parking

Pudsey, Leeds - Steel Promotions - Leeds (Pudsey) Toy/Train Fair
Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawson's Corner, Stanningley Road, LS28 5TA
Internet presence unknown
Tel. I - 0161 283 1255
Tel. II - 0161 766 2012
10:00-15:00hrs
Admission charge unknown
Café, licensed bar


Auctions

Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th December 2019

Newbury - Special Auction Services (SAS)
81 Greenham Business Park, Newbury, West Berkshire, RG19 6HW
Web - www.specialauctionservices.com
eMail - mail@specialauctionservices.com
Tel. - 01635 580595
Fax. - 0871 714 6905


Overseas Events

Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th December 2019

Dulles (USA) - Greenberg’s Great Train & Toy Show
Dulles Exposition Center, Chantilly, VA, Virginia, USA (venue)
Greenberg Shows, 280 Carlton Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188, Illinois, USA (organiser)
Web. - http://greenbergshows.com/
Tel. -  ++6302 794 087
Fax. - ++2405 974 482
10:00-16:00hrs
Admission is $10 Saturday (for both days) or $9 Sunday (on-site ticket sales cash only), children 11-or-under free

Sunday 15th December 2019

Montvale (USA) - National Collectors Club - Montvale Train & Toy Show
The St. Joseph High School, Montvale NJ, 07645, New Jersey, USA (venue)
PO Box 604, Englishtown, N.J. 07726, New Jersey, USA (John)
PO Box 812, Ramsey, N.J. 07446, New Jersey, USA (Joe)
Web. - http://www.eastcoasttrainparts.com/98mar8.htm
Tel. I - ++7328 455 966 (John)
Tel. II - ++2013 275 254 (Joe)
09:00-15:00hrs
Admission $7.00
Featuring America's premier model train dealers


Links

Because of the time difference, this may be of use to you if you happen to be near North NY State and read this in the next hour or two!



News
A World War II mascot teddy bear that went to war in a tank fetched £4,000 at auction earlier in the week. That's a Christmas story if ever I read one!


H is for How They Come In
Has gone almost as quiet as the show dates and auctions, but I still managed two things to show you this week;

A leery, purple and puke-green bag of Moshi Monsters, something which is on the long-list and has been since I announced the imminent staring of them (and there ilk - they are piling-up) on the Blog about two summers ago!

And I also managed an almost perfectly 54mm Santa Clause - caught in the act of stealing someone's door-wreath! And I think he's going to announce the theft by ringing a bell to wake them . . . bad Santa! He's poured resin, but it's that 'polystone' stuff which loks quite chalky.


Other Stuff

Only a horse this week, in the figural line (and Santa I suppose!) on the advent-calendar front and more 'hobby-' than 'cavalry-', note also how the different lighting and backgrounds change the colours of what is identically-coloured chocolate, always shot with flash, stopped-down two grades.

2 comments:

Harry Palmer said...

Yep, the Kleptocrats are secure in their majority for a full five year Parliament, which should tie-in nicely with Trump's second term. By then the twitching corpse of our Welfare State will have been reduced to a fly blown carcass. Now they're free from pesky regulation and constraint, the Tory criminals and all their pals can help themselves. They've never had it so good!

Hugh Walter said...

On 43.6% of the turnout, while the BBC bleat-on about a "landslide" . . . you can't make this shit up 'cos nobody would buy it!

H