I had a very busy day today that seemed to feel much busier after my journey into Canary Wharf on the tube turned into a bit of a nightmare. First the tube broke down and then because the Docklands Light Railway is out of action I had to change at London Bridge because the escalator at Bank Station was out of order. It was not just me changing at London Bridge, so was everyone else!
As a result of my travel troubles I got a chance to read the newspaper and spotted a lovely story about a couple who had a vase worth £500,000 that they had been using as an umbrella stand. According to Guy Schwinge, of Dukes auctioneers in Dorchester the couple had been given the vase as a present 50 years ago. The 18th-century vase, which may even have been owned by Florence Nightingale, was found in the spare room of their home. The 18.5 inch blue and white piece is an imperial vase and almost certainly made for the Emperor Qianlong in about 1740. There is some slight damage, and even a splash f emulsion paint, without the damage it may have fetched £1million.
It will be auctioned at Duke's on February 11
