Eddie Powell's impending sale was a reminder that, aside from making and dealing in modern sculpture, his family-run business was bathrooms through Miscellenea of Churt, and latterly Miscellenea Discontinued Bathrooms which it modestly describes as 'the largest collection of bathroomware in the world'.
 
The Miscellanea website URL is brokenbog dot com and on its eponymous YouTube channel has short videos made by Sam Powell. A couple of years ago was one made in the depths of winter using an icebound track amongst its acres of old multi-coloured stock-filled glasshouses where Floyd Kelly-Lord, Charlie and Sam Powell, Nick Raffe the flying scotsman, Matthew Owen and Paul Harrison, enjoyed a competitive curling match using a variety of nackered basins as stones.
 
The video shows each basin sliding down the keen sheet, with two sweepers feverishly at work, as it reaches the house the auld sanitary article is described with professional reverence. "Twyfords Soft Cream bathroom basin, two taphole," someone says, and to an upside down snow-encrusted dome, "If I'm not mistaken that there is a Classic Tulip 45cm cloakroom basin single taphole in Whisper Pink." The Flying Scotsman chose a white studio 30cm basin, but to the chagrin of the curling race, his balance and footwear resulted in an embarrassing fall.
 
The opposing players faithfully abided by the rule that it is completely unacceptable to attempt to throw opposing players off their game by way of negative comment, distraction or heckling. A match traditionally begins with players shaking hands with and saying "good curling" to each member of the opposing team. It is also traditional in some areas for the winning team to buy the losing team a drink after the game.
 
On another video Miscellanea can also be seen on a buying trip to Norman Cockroft, sanitaryware restorer par excellence of Alscot Bathrooms, another seller of old sanno who was going through one of his periodic downsizing exercises at the time.
 
An hour from Miscellanea, Ray Simmonds, another stalwart of the discontinued baths basins and bogs trade can be found at Sanitary Salvage near Salisbury.
 
Please send your salvage yard winter sports stories, pics and videos to thornton2@salvoweb dot com