SPOT THE FAKE

That wasn't difficult, was it? The fake is the little jug on the right. In the box marked "Roman pottery" I found quite a few fakes. One has a faded price sticker on the bottom, 1/1. That would be one shilling, one pence. I have no idea what that would be in today's money, supposing that the price goes back to the Victorian era.

I don't think the broken one is Roman but just as I am not a botanist, I am not an archaeologist, either, but I'd say it was Orcadian. It was not thrown on a wheel but was made by the coil method. It is very heavy. It is 13.5 cm high, or 5 1/2 inches. In the hands it feels very ancient and primitive. Detail of broken pottery.

The weather forecast for rain was correct except that when I opened the shutters this morning, big fat snowflakes were falling out of the slate grey sky. The snow didn't stick around but I was not ecstatic to see it. So much for birds, bees and flowers yesterday.

For the record: +5 C. Snow, rain, downright unpleasant. The house is a tip again. The electricity is off, the generator is on. The forecast for seven days of rain has been reduced to four days.