Yesterday my better half suggested we visit the big antiques and collectors fair at Stafford Show Ground. Initial reservations dispelled by visions of stalls with ancient sporting goodies I agreed and off we went. A nice leisurely drive, plenty of parking, a modest entrance fee all put me in an amiable mood. Disappointment loomed though as I scanned each of the three large halls for rods pointing skywards and drew a blank in each. Maybe there may be some lying horizontally in their bags or some reels or smaller items? Well an hour later, more than a hundred stalls perused, I found a few with guns that will never kill again and just one with a Scarborough Reel, a bag of modern Pike floats and an old looking tin with a few interesting items within including two tackle winders, one shop bought with nice bone or horn bobbins and a very early Celluloid float set up on what looked like fine string, possibly Watercord? Well for four quid I didn't even haggle and slipped the tin into my capacious coat pocket.


I went into the workshop to photograph the items and thought I might take a snap of the bench and surrounds. So if you are of a tidy minded slightly OCD nature don't look at the next picture!

Despite the chaotic appearance I know where everything is and it works for me though occasionally I do need to have a good tidy up and a month or two of relative order before the slide resumes.