Sometimes ideas come from the unlikeliest places. My step-daughter and I had been to see a chocolate Labrador in a rescue kennel. (Unfortunately for Lucy, but fortunately for the dog, by the time we got there it had been promised to someone else. This was in the days before instant access to up-to-date information right across the internet. And she did end up with a rescued Labrador – an eight-year-old yellow Lab, Hugo.) I was consoling her by having lunch in a pub in a quaint village in Devon – Lydford – and there on the wall was a display of obviously ancient coins. Researching it further, I was fascinated that these coins had been found at this very place, and were from one of only four mints back in the 10th century – and rare, as most silver coins of that era had been stolen by the Vikings. You just never know of what history you are sitting on top! I pitched the article to Coin News, as I had just written an article for them about the medals in the Olympics. (I had been laid up in bed following an operation and the Olympics provided me with a source of several magazine articles.) Sadly I think I’ve lost most of my published articles, this one included, and I can’t find it on the internet. Too many house moves have seen some of my memorabilia boxes lost…
