Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Under the Hammer for a Holiday

With winter approaching and temperatures dropping by the day, I admit to spending one too many hours watching antique and auction shows on the BBC. I'm thankful for this British obsession, especially when I miss the English language but need a break from the EU's debt crisis according to Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron. Plus British English sounds so distinguished - I'm always delightfully entertained and well-informed when tuning into: Flog It!, Cash in the Attic, Cash in the Celebrity Attic, Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Bargain Hunt and Homes Under the Hammer. The premise for most of these shows is an antique expert and contestant rummaging through a home, car boot sale (that's British for flea market) or quaint antique shop for items to flog or go under the hammer (auction). If a profit is made, it's often used by the contestant to purchase even more antiques for his/her attic or towards a dream holiday in Spain. The educational aspect is evident when the host visits stately homes, country castles, medieval museums or other places of historical interest. All this got me thinking about a possible undiscovered treasure in my neighborhood antique shop and wondering if I could Flog It! for a dream holiday in Spain!





2 comments:

  1. Hmmmm .... not sure which of those items would get you the dream trip to Spain. Perhaps the silver pots although the deer hat and purse are quite intriguing! I love those shows on BBC, I used to watch them all the time, but I've forgotten about the BBC channel lately. It appears i will have to tune in again and pop in to see how my friend Hyacinth and her husband and neighbors are doing .... I used to love that show. If you ever go on one of those antique shows do the one with the Richard Dawson wannabe and choose me as your partner and hopefully we can win! tee hee

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  2. Yes, it was a stretch to think anything in that shop, at those prices, would get me a dream holiday in Spain! The flea markets and knowing what you're looking for is the way to go about it :-) I love BBC1 and BBC2 - my favorite show is Homes Under the Hammer where people buy usually dilapidated properties at auction and fix them up. Some need just a "lick o' paint" but many are completely renovated. I also like Bargain Hunt which is the show you described - we'd make a good team :-)

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