The brass shield...

Part of the Euro trip was to visit England and go through the belongings that had been cleared out of my parents' house before it was sold. I wanted surprisingly little: a few books, a few records, and The Brass Shield.

This shield was brought back from Nigeria by my grandfather, who was in the merchant navy for a while. I've always coveted it. It was, it has to be said, in a pretty appalling condition. Yet an hour of Brasso-ing it to kingdom come, and it started to resemble the thing I remember. It used to hang on my grandparents' landing, then on my parents' living-room wall. Now, of course, we have to reorganize the house so it fits in and creates some more history.