20th June 2011

Green fingers, awful jokes and how too much China can affect your eyes

Glyn Page

Nick Kerridge had his sleeves rolled up back in the office this week after representing Grosvenor at the North East Philatelic Weekend in Washington, at which the company sponsored a drinks reception. These events are part of the beating pulse of the stamp world and Val Beeken, together with her happy band of helpers, deserve every congratulation for another successful event. 

I am expecting Nick to be passing on Robert McMillan’s latest joke so I will be getting ready to groan when I next see him. More usually we swap seed potatoes and garlic bulbs to freshen up each others’ vegetable patches, Nick having exceptionally green fingers. He always scrubs under his fingernails very carefully before he handles the stamps, though. 

Similarly, do not be alarmed should you see Nick acting oddly in a quiet corner of our saleroom. Nick teaches Tai Chi and he will perhaps be “Pushing the Waves” rather than performing slow motion Tommy Cooper impressions. When you see him carrying a box he will however, almost certainly, be carrying a box. 

Back in the describing room Glyn Page is faced with a virtually complete 50 year collection of the issues of the People’s Republic of China. After all the North East China and Manchuria that Glyn had to pore over for our May auction I hate to think what this is doing to his eyes …

JG