Budapest I

Loathe as I am to leave the comfort of Hill Towers, I do enjoy travelling. Particularly when it allows me to spend time touring the antiques, collectables and junk shops of my destination. Today I find myself in the 30 degree warmth of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, celebrating a friend's pre-wedding jaunt. While I'll spare you the details of the revelry that occurred, I will let you know where to go and what to do if you're 'tiquin', as they say across the pond.
First stop should be a visit to the network of 'BAV' stores that are dotted around the city. Effectively a chain of state-owned pawn brokers, they stock everything from jewellery to furniture, and ceramics to glass. It's worth bearing in mind that anything over 50 years old needs an official export permit to leave the country, and I'm told that quite a bit of their stock comes from pieces seized by Customs! Although most branches carry a selection of pieces, some specialise in certain items. You can find a full and up-to-date list at www.bav.hu.
I spent considerable time at the branch in the centre of the city at 1-3 Bécsi Utca, on the corner, which has good and varied range of stock. Only metres up the road a branch specialises in jewellery, watches and fine art. I then crossed the river using the 'Chain Bridge' to visit the branch on Frankel Leó Utca in Buda. There're also three or four other antiques shops nearby that are worth checking out.
I found my first bargain in the BAV there - a great 1960s Czech Zelezny Brod vase, with an elegant applied spiralling trail, in Alexandrit (or Neodymium) glass. This glass changes from violet in natural light to ice blue in fluorescent light. The kind gentleman who helped me spoke different parts of our conversation in four languages, but we got there in the end. One tip - don't bother haggling in a BAV store as it's just not the done thing. Believe me, I tried! Still I was happy as I walked away with it for the princely sum of 4,500 florints - or a bargainous £14.75. A good start, me thinks.

Bid for charity!

To celebrate both the forthcoming 'Hi Sklo Lo Sklo' exhibition and the accompanying catalogue on postwar Czech glass design, I have decided to auction the only spare advance copy of the catalogue on eBay.
Having unusually watched quite a bit of TV lately, I've been appalled by the situation in Burma, so I have decided to donate all proceeds from the sale of this copy to the Disasters Emergency Committee (www.dec.org.uk). I've also made this a 'private' auction, so your identity will not be revealed if you decide you really want to know the secrets contained within the covers before everyone else. For starters you'll learn who really designed Exbor's stunning range of fish, such as the one shown here.
Click here to go to the auction. Bid now and bid high - it'll benefit more than just you!

Z

Why, oh why, are people obsessed with adding a 'z' to a name to make something seem more fun, cool or zany? Annual accounts cannot and will not be made more fun just because the software package is called 'Accountz'. When will they learn?!

Mdina in Hollywood hit TV series

Over the past few days I've become a fervent fan of US hit TV series 'Dexter'. It's getting so bad that I watched four back-to-back episodes into the early hours last night, although I'm told my addiction will get far worse as the series develops! Bring it on, I say.
When the serial killer with a social conscience is researching just how evil and warped his next victim is, he uses his Apple laptop from the privacy of his home. Imagine my surprise to see that accompanying him on his desk is a large Mdina 'Fish' vase. You can see it to the right hand side of our anti-hero in the image shown here. That the set designers have taste is beyond question - his 1950s Miami apartment is very well-appointed yet comfortable - but I think this shows a really impeccable eye.

Chasing sheep is best left to the shepherds

No, I haven't lost my mind, it's the title of what is perhaps my favourite piece of music by avant garde contemporary classical composer Michael Nyman. I've been listening to Nyman's music since I was 16, when my school friend Simon and I first encountered his work. Thinking back, we must have been odd kids, I guess, when most of our peers were listening to The Cure.
I was lucky enough to not only hear this piece of music conducted and played by the man himself, along with his really rather excellent Michal Nyman Band, but also to meet him in person. Much to my surprise, unlike many 'artists', he doesn't shy away from the public or his fans. I was amazed to see him circulating and mingling with the audience both before and after the performance, and during the break.
Call me a sad groupie, but the chance was simply too good to miss. I rushed over with my programme, mumbled words of apology and admiration, and he very kindly signed it for me in a truly flamboyant manner that reflects much of his music. I really can't recommend seeing this guy play live enough - his music is a feast for the ears and mind on CD, but a million times better when filling an auditorium live. Check out his website at www.michaelnyman.com. It may be the first concert I have actually managed to attend but, after tonight, it certainly won't be the last.

Listen and learn?

I really do enjoy talking about the things I love. I just always hope that the people listening to me enjoy it too! Thankfully, that certainly seemed to be the case when I visited the Reigate Antiques Collectors Society in leafy Surrey yesterday evening.
Societies are strange animals today. All too often superb events organised by what appears to be a thriving society only attract a very few members on the day, despite the fact that membership numbers are large. I should imagine that the increasingly busy lives we all lead today account for a large part of the reason behind this. I always think this is a shame, as those who don't attend are sure to miss out.
What I found in Reigate was very different, however. Over 70 members turned up to listen to me speak about new markets in 20th century glass. Not only that, but they were charming, enthusiastic, interested and inquisitive - they sure gave me a run for my money! I'm not complaining though. It's always much better to have a dialogue about the objects we love, as different reactions can spawn all manner of new avenues of thought.
As you can see from the front page of my presentation, I covered a huge range of glass makers from Dartington to Hartley Wood to Mdina to Stevens & Williams and postwar Czech glass. I always bring a large box of glass with me when I do events such as this. A picture speaks a thousand words, but nothing helps us learn and understand more than actually handling the objects themselves.
The main thrust here was to encourage people to look away from the more obvious makers such as Gallé or Lalique. Gone are the days when you may find a good piece by either going for a song in a junk shop, but you may still find a rare 'Flame' red Dartington vase from the late 1960s. Did you know that it could fetch anything from £100 upwards? And if it's a large size, you could be talking triple that.
I was told in a very kind thank you letter that local charity and junk shops had been overwhelmed with punters by the end of the following day...so much for my plans for returning and trawling them myself!