The Lewis Chessmen

Going out later tonight with MrsB, and neighbours Kevin and Tracey, but there are only so many emergency blips I can take of an illuminated McClaren garage after dark. I can sense that palpable feeling of relief in the ether.

I am in the slow process of selling various things on Ebay. Partly getting some money for other 'things', and partly my determination not to get attached to any possessions. Before you ask, this has also applied to fishing rods in the past. These selling sprees go in fits and starts, but most recent was the sell-off of my complete collection of Troika pottery from 1970s St Ives. Earlier last year, I even sold my Hurley 22 yacht Scheherazade on Ebay.

Nothing is safe essentially.

Latest on the hit list is my compact chess set reproduction of The Lewis Chessmen, and today's lunch time saw me photographing this in the conservatory whilst the sun shon briefly. Don't get me wrong, I really like it, but essentially, I don't play chess; the set is too small; and the pieces don't have a crisp detail. A sale, would also gives me an excuse to talk MrsB about heading back to the Outer Hebrides again to get a bigger-better set, plus maybe a lovely Harris tweed cap. That said, the impending sale would not even cover the diesel to get there.

I don't know an awful lot about the beautiful 12th century chessmen, other than they were un-earthed in the 1830s at Uig beach on the western side of Lewis; that they are mostly carved of Walrus ivory or Whale tooth; were probably of Norse, but post-Viking, origin; and that (like many things), the British Museum 'owns' the vast majority of the original pieces - whilst the Museum of Scotland hold just a few.

I understand the Scottish Government want them back, and I would say quite right too British Museum.