Brian Wolfe

Thank you for your comment.  So far, here in Canada, we are not under such attacks.  However, as is said about many other issues, it is only a matter of time.  As to that designation I must say that I am a nasty, hateful and racist individual as are most people to some degree or another (seriously I don't really see myself in those terms but isn't our own opinion of ourselves quite sterile).  I would put the question to those with high PC ideals as to whether their lives could stand the scrutiny they apply to others. Whatever happened to that worn out statement, "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it". A good slogan for racist groups should be, "Forget about us, please forget".

Regards

Brian

Fair enough. Seems that I share that same fate  as well, thanks for your comments.?

Regards

Brian

Hmmm, that's strange as it is in print and every knows that if it is on the television or in print it has to be correct and 100% believable. 

Have I been wrong all of these years and if so how can I face the upcoming year knowing this? 

Happy New Year

Regards

Brian

Thank you all for your comments.  For some reason your comments were not related to me through the email process we use here otherwise I would have responded sooner.  Before I slam the system, I might have accidentally deleted the notices as this new computer came with updated programs and I am still getting used to them.

Thanks again for your comments, it is always good to know my musings are being read.

Regards

Brian

Thanks for your comment. Certainly not many pieces in mint condition. if any, in my collection; veterans all.

Regards

Brian

In apologise that I could not post an image of the whole rifle as I am still learning this new version of Photo Shop I purchased with the new PC.  There is just enough differences to produce a new learning curve.

It worked! .

Regards

Brian

Priceless!

Thanks for that one, Michael.

Regards

Brian

Hi JustinG,

I meant to respond to your Latin phrase "Qui novit omnia" then got distracted, it's a age thing.

To answer your rhetorical question, that would be my ex-wife and scares the heck out of me. 

Regards

Brian

Hi Stuart,

Thanks for your comment and compliment, it is appreciated (your cheque is in the mail).  As a note to new members who might not know, Stuart and I have been long time friends, though from opposite sides of the earth so he really isn't expecting a cheque; yep I'm that cheap. I'm sure the distance between us has prevented him from strangling me at times, I can be annoying, or so I have been told by those who don't really matter.

I think it is important not to get too distracted and thereby let those in power get away with whatever it is that they might be getting away with.  How's that for a veiled non-committal political comment?  Maybe I should enter politics.

Thanks again, Stuart.

Regards

Brian

Good one.

Regards

Brian

Hello Boris,

Good to here from you and thanks you for your accurate comment.

In researching for articles I write elsewhere I have found that many times our heroes are best left  as they are, without too close an examination.  It's not that they are especially bad just human.

Thanks again.

Regards

Brian

Hi IrishGunner,

Thanks for you comment.

Now we (Canada) is on the verge of legalizing Mary Jane who knows what will happen to my blogs, maybe I’ll start to see unicorns. I wonder if they are any good on the barbecue.?

Regards

Brian  

Hi 2dresq

Thanks for your comments.  As much as I enjoy the Star Wars movies I never once though about the name connection between Mr. Hutt and Jabba, that was a good one indeed.

I think if anyone every says I knew him in school it won't be when they pin a plastic tag to a uniform, perhaps while they are tying the toe tag in the morgue though. 

Regards

Brian

Hi SemperParatus,

Thanks for that great comment.

Regards

Brian

Hi Laurentide,

Thank you for your comments. Actually I don’t really care abut what the sports players get paid. They are providing a service in the form of entertainment and encourage our youth to get out of the house and get involved with others. How do you put a price on that. I actually just put that comment in to get a response. 

Thanks again for your comments that are appreciated 

Regards

Brian

Hi Laurentius,

Sorry l misspelled your name above I am using my IPad and it keeps changing some spellings 

Regards

Brian

Welcome back to the guild of historian/collectors and organized hoarders.  I decided to cut back in my spending as well but to paraphrase a familiar movie, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in". Of course that "thought" is a common one and getting pulled back in again refers to either the next show or simply checking the GMIC.

Regards

Brian

Hello Everyone,

After some experimenting I've come up with a way to photograph larger items.  It is not what I would like but with a few portable lights I've gotten some photos of the swords mentioned in the above blog.

You can see the vast difference between the Pattern 1908 (top sword) and the Japanese Katana c. 1650.  Completely different designs and weapons systems.

The other photo is of the Pattern 1908 and the guard's markings of R.H.G. (Royal Horse Guards)  While many may argue the Guards made some bad decisions, being the highest authority, under the Monarch, they did play an important role in the history of the British military.  I'm very please to have been able to add this sword to the collection. I've added some text to help you read the stampings.

Regards

Brian

Hi Stuart,

That may be, but what a collection you have! The term "World Class" comes to mind.

Regards

Brian

Hi Veteran,

Thanks for your comment.  I think if my family were to sell it after I am "gone" (and they will) they would be lucky to get 50% of the worth. However one can hope.

Regards

Brian

Hi Rick,

Thanks for your comment, all well here, though perhaps I need to find my own friends rather than always going to my wife's friend's functions.

Regardes

Brian

.

Thanks Paul.

Regards

Brian

Sorry for the delay in responding, it is garndening season here in Ontario and I got completely distracted, even more the advancing age usually causes.

I thought I responded to your comment, JustinG, and you replied but I don't see it here so I either imagined it (age again?) or the posts have gone astray.  I do like your avitar as it shows imagination in that it reads "to the rescue" and I understand it is a reference to your career.  Well done!  At times I think that I use my real name mostly because I lack the imagination to come up with a good avitar name.  I can't seem to come up with a name or title for my collection room.  Some fellows call their collection room their bunker or man cave etc. but all I could come up with was "collection room".  I do call my office "The Home Office" as not only is it my office in my home but also a reference to the British Home Office, not that I served in the British Police Service but as more of a tribute to those members who have and or are serving there.  Strange that we don't think to thank a cop for his or her service even though they could be putting their lives on the line every day over what could be a career spanning decades.  So to all the police officers everywhere, "Thank you for your service".

Back to original or catchy names for a collection room, since I have expanded the collection into three rooms I now have a greater problem  I still call two rooms, the collection room and the home office but the middle room just got "the middle room" as a name, how unoriginal was that? 

Hello Stormy, I must say that your avitar name is one of the best stories regarding avitar names.  What can I say? I think I recall that you have mentioned that before on the forum, quite a while back.  I would use the name of my ex as an avitar name but the rules of the GMIC forbid swearing.

Regards

Brian

Hi 2dresq,

Thank you for your comment, all very valid points.  As you said you can't take it with you and unless my health fails and the kids put me in a "home" I'll be collecting until I stop breathing.  Then again if I am on life support and assisted breathing I will be collecting online. The photo I included  is of only a portion of my collection as I felt I needed to add some sort of photo with this blog.  At least this time it was more relavent than usual.

You have also hit on the very thing that makes the GMIC a great place to belong to in that we do make friends here, and many of them long term friends.  By the way I really do like your avitar name, very cleaver and leaves me wondering about the inpiration for its creation. Well done.

Thanks again for your response.

Regards

Brian

Thank you for your comments "E". 

One of the issues I have problems with, keeping in mind that my wife says that I am the most paranoid person she knows, is allowing anyone to view my collection.  Unless the person in question has been known to me for quite a while and we have built a relationship based on trust I simply am not interested in "showing" my collection.  Most of these trusted friends are fellow collectors of like mind when it comes to security.  There are those who might look at my deactivated automatic weapons collection and then through the telling and retelling of the story gets to the "street" as this crazy old guy who is sitting on a pile of working machine guns.  Not a story you want to be told around the wrong crowd.  The crazy old man part notwithstanding.

I know of one fellow who will change his avitar on a regular basis because he has a following on the internet and is seen, rightfully so, as an expert on one particular brand of sporting rifle.  He is known as Mr.(the band name of the company) and other collectors watch the on line auctions and if he is a bidder they know the item has to be rare.  This drives the closing price up.  His changing of his avitar is not so much security as it is economic, which is still a good enough reason not to use your own name making it even easier for others to watch your movements.

On a more positive note.  One evening a decade ago the phone rang and it was a fellow GMIC member calling me from the other side of the word wanting to speak with me in person, so-to-speak.  He had easily traced me though the internet.  The fellow and I have been very good friends ever since, communicating several times a week through email and once in a while through Skype.  I will leave this entry with the thought that using your name rather than an avitar is not completely a bad idea; nor is it totally a safe one.

Regards

Brian

Thanks for your comment Ulsterman,

All good points from the membership and ones I would agree with completely.  I recall that incident you have mentioned, not the high note in the collecting world to say the least. Using my own name certianly makes me think twice about blurting out some comment that I would regret later. On the other hand if I decided to "take on" a knob such as the one you mentioned it would be without reservatiion.  For the most part those on the internet out to do harm are rarely worth the time to get into a confrontation, I just can't be borthered to put in the effort as they are not worth my time.

Regards

Brian