These images were taken at a London antiques centre and show a variety of the items that were for sale on the day I visited.

Aren't these cups and saucers pretty?  We call a cup, saucer and sandwich plate sold together in a set a 'trio'. The lady with the crinoline skirt is actually a pincushion. If you look carefully you can see a few pins sticking into her dress. I like the little stand for paper napkins. It's a clever idea. You just place the napkins in the stand and it resembles an umbrella.

I think the pinks and blues here look particularly good together. Toast racks, like the little one in the front of the picture, are always popular. Once you have toasted a piece of bread it is a good idea to stand it on it's side in a rack. If you lay the toast flat on the plate it goes soggy as moisture escapes from the bread. Toast racks keep the toast crisp.

There really are some very strange animals here. I think the two on the right are supposed to be chipmunks. They must be American because the chipmunk is not a native animal to Britain and can only be found here in zoos. 

The black cat is a teapot. In Britain it is lucky if a black cat 'crosses your path'. I know that cats are considered lucky in Japan too. This teapot is old but be careful, there are a lot of modern copies of this type of teapot around.

Blue and White china has been popular in Britain for a very long time. Lots of people have it in their kitchens as it looks so fresh. I love it myself and have quite a few pieces scattered around my home. There are so many patterns to look for. 

We call this sort of china 'Chintz'. It is available in a large variety of attractive patterns. Here are just a few. The mirror has some barbola work on its rim. Objects with barbola decoration are highly sought after by collectors.

This pink water lily is so cute, but I wonder what it is supposed to be used for. Perhaps you put little snacks in it for guests to eat?  It is nice as a decorative object in any case. The little 'buttercup' sauce boat is also pretty but quite small. It could be used for cream.

This colourful collection of china would brighten any home. The little man is an egg cup. You have to hit him on the head with a spoon to break the egg! The rabbit and chicken napkin rings match the dog in one of the other pictures.

This 'Scotty' dog is one of the set of napkin rings we saw in a previous picture. Not all the china on this stand is British. I can recognize a Japanese piece. Yes, I expect you have guessed it is the pot with the blue bird sitting on it's lid. The parrot in the background is not a native British bird either although the jug was made in Britain.

Well, I think quite a few of you will recognize the maker of the cup and saucer on the left of the picture. I have met many people who collect Susie Cooper china.  The little mug with the girl watering her flowers is very pretty. It would make a lovely present for a child.

Not a very good photograph I am afraid! It is however a very nice selection of Carlton Ware china in some very pretty colours. The cruet set in the front of the photo would be used for salt, pepper and mustard. The container with one hole is for salt and the one with many holes would be for pepper. Nowadays many people prefer freshly ground pepper and would use a pepper mill instead.