The Bookseller From Hell

There can’t be much going on in the world when a book shop in Hawes, a small Yorkshire town, hits the national news.  A secondhand bookshop owner who has received more than twenty complaints about his rudeness has admitted he was wrong to call a customer a “pain in the arse”. Apparently visitors to the shop got upset when he started charging 50 pence entry fee to browse (refunded if you bought a book).  The book shop owner was interviewed on BBC breakfast news before the camera switched to John Blackie, local councillor, who had branded him “the bookseller from hell”.  

When I lived in the Yorkshire Dales, Hawes was our nearest town and my mother used to visit the weekly market to buy cheap clothes (before she married her rich farmer).  Nowadays it is described as a delightful and picturesque market town but as a young teenager it always struck me as a rather drab and dismal place.  All that grey stone and dreary old shops.  Occasionally I would go to dances in the town hall.  Local bands Orange Glass and Mother’s Lament would painfully play their limited repertoire of songs; they compensated for their lack of talent by turning the speakers to the highest possible volume.  It’s no wonder I’m deaf now.  My friends and I would march out to the centre of the room wearing our hotpants and tank tops, fling our handbags onto the floor, and then dance our little hearts out.  Eventually the boys would stagger in from the local pubs, drunk enough now to approach the girls and ask that delightful question, “Now then lass, tha’ want t’dance?”

Little Miss Sunshine

 

I’m getting very excited by our trip to Spain and so when I saw some sunshine coloured jumpers in the shop today I decided that’s exactly what I needed to brighten up my outfits.  I wear a lot of dark colours in the winter so I thought a splash of lemon and mustard would liven things up for the Spring.

Paul patiently waited while I disappeared into the changing rooms to try stuff on.  It is freezing cold here today so I was wearing layers and it took a long time to remove it all, try on the new tops (and a pair of jeans) and then get dressed again.   Changing rooms for the mature lady are horrifying places, you see views of your body that you would rather not see.  The mirror in this changing room was very honest and showed every lump and bump, but when I modelled the clothes for Paul the big mirror in the main shop was very flattering.  I chose to believe the big mirror.

Now that I’m home I’m not sure about the mustard...

Lunchtime conversation with Paul:

"So, why aren't you wearing your nice new outfit you bought this morning?"

"You mean, why am I slouching around in these saggy black tracksuit bottoms and a lurid pink velour jumper?"

"Exactly."

"Because I could be sitting here in a gold lurex boilersuit and you wouldn't notice. That's why."

 

  

Buddy's Road Trip Part 1

 

Buddy eyeing up the booze

I've finished my ironing, cleaned the flat, done some Tai Chi, looked out of the window and checked that all my neighbours have returned to work.  A boring (but relaxing) day and nothing to blog about.  So I will update you on Buddy's adventures in Australia.

Buddy's two week road trip is nearing an end and his little Destination Paradise red van should be careering back (it's the way Andy drives) into Sydney on Friday. The guys have clocked up a lot of mileage touring the coastal areas of Victoria before turning inland and exploring the outback.  (I think I need one of Rachel's maps.) The van had to go for repairs in Adelaide after losing first and reverse gears. 

Here are some photos of Buddy enjoying the beach and the vineyards of the Barossa valley.

Buddy with his humans

Wine tasting at Jacob's Creek

Happy pooch

Hola

It’s a bank holiday in England today but for me it feels like the festive time is over and things are back to normal.  Like Weaver we have taken down the Christmas decorations and stuck them back into the attic.  The rooms immediately look lighter and bigger although the sun is highlighting my dirty windows.

Traditionally this a time to plan summer holidays and Paul has been happily organising our next trip.  In March we usually head back to our home in France but this year we are going to take a bit of a detour.  We are taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander (northern Spain) and then driving down to Salamanca, (described as one of the most beautiful cities in Spain).  I’m hoping for a lot of impressive ancient architecture here.  Then driving on southwards to Seville, the city of Carmen, Don Juan, Figaro and oranges.   I would be thrilled to catch some authentic flamenco dancing here.  After a couple of days in Seville we head east and recuperate from our sight-seeing with a week at an Airbnb villa (or it might be a shack) in a small coastal town about 100 miles east of Malaga.  At the end of our stay we will start our drive north along the east coast of Spain towards France and home with several overnight stops on the way.

I’ve only visited Spain twice before, the Costa Blanca, and really didn’t like all the noisy resorts and English bars.  I’m hoping this trip will give me a different flavour of Spain. Hola!

A Stitch In Time

It seems incredible that sixteen years have gone by since the millennium.  A couple of years before 2000 dawned I started a craft project to mark the occasion – a counted cross stitch Millennium sampler.  It is made up of significant dates and names in world history since the 1066 Battle of Hastings.  William Shakespeare, Robert the Bruce, Captain Cook’s discovery of Australia and the more recent Space Shuttle are all featured.  

The millennium arrived and the sampler was unfinished.  At the time I had my hands full with career, husband, two young daughters and Daisy the dog, with little time to do cross stitch. But when we used to travel on holiday the cross stitch came too and gradually progress was made.

When I retired in 2005 I was determined to complete the piece.  It had become a bit of a standing joke.  Everyone kept asking me if I would finish it before the next millennium.  I bought a magnifying glass to help me see what I was doing.  It was finally completed in 2008.  A family heirloom to pass on to my daughters?  Probably not!

Happy New Year everyone!