Back to Battersea Boot. I really wasn’t prepared. I took a box out of my attic that was labelled “Greek Wedding”. It was china. I had labelled it. Bulk crap china.
That was all I took apart from the same things I took last time that didn’t sell, and a couple of bags. I really didn’t have time to organise this, but I want to keep doing it every fortnight as this stuff needs to move on. It’s why I have it. Not to keep it in my attic until I die. To shift it onwards.
My favourite sale today might have been my least satisfying. I had a box of nine beautiful and fine Victorian bone china tea cups and saucers. An American lady from Oklahoma was there, travelling back home shortly, looking for English things. She only wanted one cup and saucer. A set of eight is as good as a set of nine, and will sell the same really at a car boot sale. So I sold her the single cup and saucer and nobody else showed interest all day in the set. I wanted to get rid of it all. Heigh ho. I like the idea of someone in Oklahoma who literally has the period perfect English bone china tea set for one. Just the cup and saucer, didn’t even want the matching side plate. I hope it flies back okay. Now I’ve got eight cups and saucers and nine side plates.
Other people bought other plates. There’s an astronomical amount of tut in my attic. It is satisfying transforming it into shiny coins. And none of us felt like working today. We weren’t prepared and two of us were hungover. My morning trip around London led to a late arrival. They charge tiered start times at the boot but they don’t honour it on arrival. I had paid £5 extra for 11 – 11:30 entry and all the 11:30 guys waiting had been let in before I arrived at 11:15. That’s bad policy. I tried not to get too shirty about it but it has caused all three of us to look for other car boot sales that get good footfall in the London area, as our pitch was bollocks this week compared to every other time despite paying for a window and getting there within that window. The footfall wasn’t what I’m used to but apparently it was a big day in the football – someone proved that sport is about how much money you can eat.
I wouldn’t be very good at sport after today, but I sold some bits and made some small money. More next time, keep it going until it’s all gone. Hooray hooray etc. I’m watching Brian play a small time feudal lord in Mount and Blade: Bannerlord, which is one of those incredibly involved games that teach you how Genghis Khan happened. You start with a small group, plundering outlaws. It grows and grows and they all need to eat and want spoils and so you have to take out bigger and bigger targets until you are stopped in your tracks or you’ve eaten everything.
Today the car boot sale. Tomorrow the world. We are both enjoying a glass of Tiny Rebel.
AlBarclay 