The scent of old books- lost forever?

In true New Year fashion I plan to leap into a whole new project. A Vintage Quarter has opened up in an old shopping area near to me and I am hoping to rent some space there. I'm not sure if they will consider me suitable, or if I can really afford it but it's an exciting prospect!

Many people have said to me how sad it is that Salisbury, like most towns, has lost its secondhand bookshops. I feel passionately about this and have to be careful not to start ranting at dinner parties.
Everybody loves the idea of an old bookshop.They say how much they enjoy the thrill of the chase- the piles of books, the wonderful colourful chaos and of course, that enticing, evocative smell of the old books...
" I could go in and wander around for hours"

But did they buy?
It is the same story with  little village corner shops. People like the thought of having them but in the end it is the awful phrase 'put your money where your mouth is' that sums up the situation.

Now I know that many people who are actually reading this are actually the very sort of person who did buy books and who do support the little independent shops in their home towns. So I am preaching to the converted but maybe you will talk about this and if I and other booksellers take that plunge and open up our doors again, book lovers will be there to make sure we survive.

I know that a recession is not the best time to be starting such a venture but surely it just needs a little shift of perception, a small alteration of habit that could make all the difference?

Perhaps instead of a bunch of flowers a pretty book might lift your spirits?

Maybe, if my local friends were noble and had one less tempting cappuccino when out shopping, they could treat themselves to a good read instead?

The Internet is the supreme place for research but I have many quirky, informative books which must surely suit somebodies enquiring mind?

I do tend to give books as presents and the nice thing about a secondhand or Antiquarian book is that it's unique- or nearly so.

 So if somebody has a hobby-

or a favourite character from history

Tea in a pretty vintage cup and a biography of Marie Antoinette, what could be more appealing?

There is a book for every occasion.

You can return to your childhood-

Re-read the classics you have just watched on film

You can think of it as a mad diversion

Or a sound investment.

So all you wonderful, passionate, literate book-lovers out there, heed this cry from the heart-

And buy books, books and more books and with just a little luck and a lot of support we might once again see our villages, towns and cities full of the shops we love and care about.

Hmmmm, I think I've said quite enough for one day. Just be glad you weren't stuck next to me at a dinner party....

(Apologies for using photos from previous posts, it wouldn't let me down-load any new ones)

Unwrapping the present

With every Christmas, I find more layers. As a child, it was a time of expectancy, excitment and then unalloyed delight. As years pass, more emotions are added and the simplicity is lost.
The magic can still be found. When I looked at our beautiful tree, the memories of all previous trees are still there inside me.
I can't re-create that wonderful piney scent that you smell when coming downstairs the first morning after the tree is up but this picture nearly captures the glow of delight I feel when we light the candles on Christmas Eve.

We have our rituals as most families do. The tree is carefully chosen, painfully positioned and then decorated (always in the same order) to a very old record from the 1960's.

We are each allowed to buy a new bauble.

 And every year we say -
"This is our most beautiful tree yet!"

Maybe we are right this year?
We put great skill and effort into wrapping our parcels. In the war of the wrapping, my brother always wins!

 It is still a time of delight, of families and love-

And yet it can be such a mad whirl, with so much striving to create the perfect setting for celebration.
I felt happy yet exhausted when I looked around at my home, decorated and ready for my loved ones to arrive

And a small, disloyal voice sounded in my head

"Oh no- It will soon be all full of people and get so messed up!"

I pulled myself together and looked up at my beloved mistletoe Kissing Bunch

And my edible wreath on the kitchen door

And thought, isn't Christmas all about loved ones to kiss and friends to feed?

And yet there is still something missing.

I love to be with my family and it is right that this is a time for feasting, presents and celebration.

But as so often at this most wonderful season, the spiritual side seems to have been put to aside. I do know this is my fault entirely and I that I have made my own choices.

I suppose I have come to realise that I simply do not have the reserves of energy and resolve to create a riotous family event and to still be quiet within myself and think about the other side of Christmas.

I did lean out from my window at midnight on Christmas Eve and think, just maybe, this is the actual moment that changed the religion and lives of so many people.

I did see the flame of love and joy that I call the soul, shining in the faces of people around me.

Yet I still feel that one year, I should like to be tremendously selfish and take myself off to a still, quiet place and just be and think and pray and spend an entirely different Christmas from the ones I know and ususally love.

But for now, this little gift is enough.

All my life I have rubbed berries on bark and longed to have an apple tree with its very own magic mistletoe.

And this year I have.

That season comes

Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes

Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated,

The bird of dawning singeth all night long:

And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad.

The nights are wholesome. Then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

So hallowed and so gracious is that time

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody

The best of Birthdays

Last year I had the great milestone birthday of 50 years. I have to admit, that despite some happy moments, it was a difficult time, with loved ones away from me and my Father so ill. I made up for it by celebrating in many ways throughout the whole year though!

Saints and Sinners Party with Ems and Sam

This year was made special by my lovely man. He (with some help from Emily) planned the most wonderful Birthday weekend to make me happy.
All was a surprise and a secret. We drove off into the dark night and I had to cover my eyes at particular places. When allowed to look around me, we passed an old arched gate, creeper covered walls -and suddenly the place seemed familiar...

He had brought me to stay in the Spread Eagle Inn, set within the grounds of the beautiful Stourhead Gardens.

The bedrooms are elegant, antique filled, old fashioned and comfortable. They were kind enough to have saved us supper, which was then brought to our room once we'd settled in.
I had packed with care-it was such fun to have a chance to use my favourite old suitcase.

...

 ( This discreet use of the three dots was first used in a romantic sense in Elinor Glyn's scandalous novel  "Three Weeks")
Next morning, after a suitably sustaining breakfast, we had the joy of wandering around these magnificent gardens all by ourselves. True, it was a little rainy but that didn't detract from their beauty or our happiness.

In fact, even the rain-drops looked lovely

We scuffed through fallen leaves

and in time-honoured fashion of happy couples, took our photograph with the camara held out in front us.

We were lucky to have peace and the time to look at the Autumn trees

The amazing colours

And those perfect moments that we usually miss during our tiring, hurried lives.

We stopped at The Gothic Cottage

to rest by the fire, with a  hot chocolate

and add our memories to the magic tree

It was a perfect way to celebrate my Birthday.

And there was still more to come!
We travelled to Bath where we were met by Emily and Sam, to finish the day with shopping, cocktails and the most delicious of meals.

So David my dearest, I can truly say "Thank You"

this was the happiest of Birthday Treats
xxx