British Guiana

You didn't think I'd go all through the winter without showing you some teasels, did you? Here they are, nestled down in their flat rosettes to bide away the colder months before their flower stalks grow next spring. We've got a ton of them out there -- maybe seven or eight?

Well, here it is, Dec. 21, and I have nothing for Dave for Christmas. I've been racking my brains for some ideas, but he just doesn't need anything. He's got a closet full of clothes and I'm not buying any more kitchen gizmos that never get used. Plus, I'm not really inclined to go shopping.

He's been wanting to make a couple of household purchases, so I think we'll do some of those for Christmas and call it a day. Among the ideas are new window blinds, a new stove top, a light fixture for the dining room and a new armoire for the bedroom. Some of these I've been resisting because, after all, we rent this place, and why should we pay to install a stove? But it doesn't look like we're going anywhere, so I may as well give it some thought.

I did, however, buy myself a present yesterday. You may remember that I was an ardent stamp collector as a child. You may also remember that I wrote several months back about the world's rarest stamp, the one-cent magenta from British Guiana, purchased by London stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons earlier this year? I tried to go see it at their shop in August, and it turned out I was too early and it wasn't yet on display. Well, I still haven't seen it and only just learned that its display period ended on Saturday (argh!). But Stanley Gibbons is selling shares in the stamp, and I bought one, so I can now say I am part owner of the world's rarest stamp.

As you can see, I even got to virtually add my initials to the back of the stamp, as its previous owners have traditionally done.

Of course this is all kind of ridiculous but I couldn't resist the opportunity. That stamp is just about the most famous in the world of philately. I have no idea what happens to my "share" if it gets sold again or appreciates (or depreciates) in value. Time will tell. Basically I just bought bragging rights, and hopefully at some point I'll get to see the darn thing.

Oh, and I did clean the heck out of the bathroom yesterday, so that's a job done. I cleaned the walls and I think I can get away without repainting them. The bathroom is another part of the flat that seriously needs an update -- the fixtures are old and when they get dirty it looks downright squalid. After my scrubbing it's slightly better, maybe less like Afghanistan and more like...Bulgaria.