I'm not much of a blogger, unless you count my "John and Marie" fiction on the Great War Forum. However, as I get older I feel the urge to muse in (semi) public, which is certainly better than wandering down the street talking to myself.

I've been collecting since 1973, and have gone from British Military longarms to badges, to uniforms, to medals. I've never been an "I never sell anything" collector (can't afford to), but nonetheless bits and pieces of each historical period remain (like the non-original front sling swivel from my Martini-Henry III, and a .577 Snider brass cartridge).

This is one of the downsides of collecting. Medals and badges can pass fairly easily on eBay, etc. But the bits of webbing, helmet covers, paper, etc. are harder to move. Even cataloguing it is beyond me. But realistically most of this stuff I will never look at again, the boys are now too big to fit the uniforms, and I certainly could use the spare change to finance more R.G.A. Victory Medals.

I can't look on this as a retirement project, as retirement at 65 doesn't look like a realistic option for me. I suppose I could stuff a moving box and bill it as "Grand Militaria Surprise Package".

Books are a similar problem. I've got a great British Colonial library, most of which I haven't looked at in nearly 30 years. I'm sure there are collectors out there who could use these books, but postage (even in Canada) is prohibitive. I remember all too clearly clearing out my parents' books from the family home in 1988 with my then fiancée, (now my wife of almost 25 years). It's not a job I want to wish on my sons.