Mine

There’s a different rhythm to the city when one is on holiday. Once everybody is safely shut away at work or at school, everything seems to take a big sigh of relief and change down a gear. The shops are quieter, the car parks emptier and even the TV is less frenetic.


As a sort of a case in point, I went to my local charity shop, an activity which usually only results in me wandering around the various sections wondering how so many people ever came to own so much cheap tacky crap. But then, I usually go on Saturday, apparently after a whole bunch of people who aren’t at work all day have strip-mined anything cool from the shelves during the week.


However today is Tuesday, so now it’s Zoidberg’s Blandwagon’s turn to do the strip-mining! I actually came away with two great things… rather than my usual zilch. The first was a small cowhide rug in a rich, dark colour. The second was a 1960s Turi Design ‘Marketplace’ serving dish from Norway… a bargain at $4.75. Scandinavian china from the 60s and 70s is almost painfully cool at the moment, and the Marketplace range is amongst the most iconic. Put this piece in a smart antique store and you could increase the price ten- or even twenty-fold.


Ah, holidays: when buying an old plate is the most notable thing that happens in your day.