 Couples umbrella stand is lost chinese vase
 An ancient Chinese vase used as an umbrella stand by an elderly
couple for 50 years has turned out to be worth up to £500,000 - more
than the value of their house.
The 18th century masterpiece was discovered in the spare bedroom of
the couples small Dorset home by a gobsmacked antiques expert. The
couple had no idea how valuable the 18.5 inch ‘lantern’ vase was, or
that it may have once belonged to Florence Nightingale.
Research revealed it was an imperial vase and almost certainly made
for the Emperor Qianlong in about 1740, during whose reign the
production of porcelain in China entered a golden period that has never
been surpassed. The couple was given it as a gift. Although it is
expected to reach half a million pounds it could have gone for double
that if it had not been damaged.
 Dog rescued from ice floe in Baltic Sea
A dog had a lucky escape when a Polish boat rescued him from an ice
floe that had carried him more than 100km up a river and out onto the
icy waters of the Baltic Sea. Polish sailors found the animal on an
ice-floe in the Baltic Sea, struggling to stay out of the freezing
water. When the Baltica crew found him, he had already drifted some 24
km out to sea.
Senior Officer Jan Joachim said: “A shape was moving and we
immediately decided to get closer to check if it was a dog or maybe a
seal relaxing on the ice. As we got closer to the ice we saw that it was
a dog struggling not to fall into the water.” Its not known how he
landed up on the ice. The lucky dog has since made a full recovery.
Lady Thatcher’s eggs-traordinary secret diet
 Now Lady Thatchers secret ingredient for power has been revealed - 28
eggs a week. The Iron Lady went on a crash diet ahead of her 1979
election win packed with protein, according to thousands of newly
released personal papers. The programme promised to help the future
Prime Minister shed 20lb in two weeks.
A yellowing note outlining the strict regime was found tucked inside
her 1979 black leather Economist pocket diary.
The Margaret Thatcher Foundation (MTF) released Lady Thatchers papers
- covering the period between May and December 1979 - to the Churchill
Archive Centre at Cambridge University. It is the first time a British
Prime Ministers personal notes had been made public during their
lifetime. |
