This is a supplement to a small series of articles in which I will discuss items that I have either purchased or just seen when visiting antique establishments in Hungerford and elsewhere.
A Spring Day
It was one of those early spring days which state clearly that winter is over, even though the air is still cool. Blossom is on the trees and all kinds of creatures (including the crazy ducks) are engaged in complex courtship rituals. One feels good to be alive, safe in the knowledge that the home test matches are two or three months away.
Today was such a day and Caron and I decided to catch up on a few chores that we had put off during the darker winter months. Once these were complete, I decided to pop into the Arcade as Tesco’s was not my scene. I purchased four items which I have listed below;
A vintage clothes brush in the likeness of a Marie Antionette (this is my best guess although I have never met her).
Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil) by Charles Baudelaire (a brand new paperback copy).
The Dryad Quarterly dating from Jan-March 1935 (which contained some great thirties advertisements).
A pamphlet containing the works of Edward De Stein (1887-1965) who was known as a First World War poet (he only published once in 1919 and this later collection appears to have been printed just for fun).
I do not intend to go into any great detail in this short article and have written it (whilst waiting for a train) to illustrate what can be found when just browsing within the Arcade and elsewhere.
As you can see, I love poetry and tend to gravitate in that direction and the Marie Antionette clothes brush was just a small gift for my wife for putting up with my general disinterest during the day. It is great fun drifting through antique Arcades and shops and the like. You never know what you will find. If I had set out with the above on my shopping list, then it is unlikely that I would have ever found them.
This was my journey and for the price of a book of stamps, I was able to purchase all these fascinating items You should try this yourself (wherever you live) as it is great pastime.
Happy Hunting
Stuart Miller-Osborne
