OPEN THE BOX

A1 found an obviously full-but-locked cashbox while emptying the loft and we had to use one of the ancient tools we found up there to prise it open, to find these buttons. I have no knowledge of these and don't know whose they were originally.

We emptied the loft – hooray! – apart from some spare tiles and bits of skirting board. Extra shows it just before we swept up as much dust as we could and shut the hatch, for good I hope. Here's what it looked like five-and-a-half years ago when I first vainly blipped my resolution to empty it. Quite honestly, not very much had been removed from it up until this last week, and now it's almost all gone for recycling or charity. What a relief! My sister remarked that I could open a shop selling brass door handles. I have no idea how or why we seemed to have so many tucked away in assorted crates. And I could definitely have opened a museum of old technology and software, except I know that's been done several times over.