May I humbly add my voice to the lovely sound of sharing; not only
do I regularly play (and others play if they so desire and they seem
not too bull-in-a-china-shop) all of my collection, but I actively
promote my collection as a place to retire from the modern world for
at least a short while.  No one has ever left without a smile (goes
without saying.)

The one difference I see is that my space is quite cozy, so in fact
what I have are 'at homes', very soothing and peaceful, except when the
louder boxes are played when it becomes pretty jolly.  In my collecting
what I always wanted was to surround myself with music in my own home
with no sense that I was in a 'museum', but more that I was simply
providing myself (and now others) with music using the 'latest'
inventions which happen to hover around 1900.

As an actor I love to assume characters, so my invitees are served
a bit of tea with me as hostess dressed to suit the era and, if I can
keep a straight face, doing my best Maggie Smith/Emma Thompson
impression.  Now if I could just have an adjunct built in the garden
where happy technicians blissfully puttered about making adjustments,
repairing  and machining the odd part...

Claudine Jones
San Francisco