After all these years…

… I finally won one of Guylty’s pocket shrines in this year’s Richard Armitage birthday auction! I’ve been admiring her shrines for years, I have seen some up close and personal from a few fans I have met over the years, but I have never managed to win one.

I didn’t want just any shrine, I preferably wanted one with any of my fave Richard Armitage characters, i.e. John Thornton, John Porter, John Proctor, Harry Kennedy, I could have done Adam Price as well, he’s so cute, or a Thorin or Astrov one, and even would have accepted a Daniel Miller. I can’t tell you how stoked I am that in the end I now actually won a John Thornton shrine! The bonus is that it also contains a candle holder (I love candles). John Thornton is my gateway drug to Richard Armitage from when I first saw North & South 14 years ago and I still think it’s one of the absolute best things Richard has ever done. Now I’ll have him in a shrine too. So, this is what I will be receiving…

Oh man, my heart rate went way past healthy when the last minutes of the auction started. I was the highest bidder on this item from almost the beginning and it surprised me that it still remained within my price range during the whole auction. Usually I am quite quickly outbid on shrines and I turn to lovely other items instead (and this year’s auction had some really lovely other items!), but this year was different and the item remained affordable for me. During the last minute I raised my bid a little higher than I had originally planned beforehand (I could almost taste victory, so couldn’t let it pass) and it paid off and I won! Mr. Esther looked on in amazement and is extra pleased for me because I won a John Thornton item. He knows how much I love John Thornton. I’m sorry the other last minute bidder was not successful but I am also very happy for myself.

So, I win a shrine and it benefits the LOROS charity in Leicester in celebration of Richard Armitage’s birthday. Best of all worlds, I’d say. 🙂