Saturday 10 October 2020

Facing up to reality

 


Yesterday was another rather stressful day on two counts.  Firstly we had complete strangers here to give quotes and although we were all wearing masks, I still feel very uneasy, especially as they were inclined to stay and chat at the end and I just wanted to shove them out of the door soonest!  One even needed to use "the facilities" and that freaked me out.  The shower room has since been bleached within an inch of its life and the window left open/door shut.  

    Then I had to take myself to task to go through my collections of books - rather than just novels, which are a lot easier to part with.  A boxful of the latter had come from the Donation Table in Tesco last year - some I was still waiting to find time to read, but - there will be other books.  Those will be going to a friend next week.  I have now got a much heavier boxful of defunct craft books to go to the charity shop.  I was being practical there and the special craft books - and magazines - have stayed.  I have a pile of craft magazines and booklets that is nearly knee high, plus another pile of Country Kitchen mags to pass on to others who might enjoy them. I would hate to have to put them on the bonfire. This is where the Tesco Donation Table is sorely missed - I got rid of a lot of magazines and books that way last year, looking ahead to "when we might move".  Some charity shops won't take any magazines. The Green Shop in Llandeilo may do, but I don't know if they are open at the moment.  I've e-mailed them, so will find out in due course.

    Anyway, I have been through the first shelf of my archaeology books, and valued the 1st editions etc.  Some quite valuable, though getting their value is a totally different matter.  I will keep a selection to stay with us.

    Then I tackled my Countryside and West Country collections.  With my West Country roots, I have long collected books about Devon.  I had to dig deep to find the strength to be ruthless, but I looked at each and every one and have packed (get me being so organized!) two packing boxes of books to go and the rest to be rehomed.  Memories of those days out in Hay-on-Wye bookshops in pre-Covid times, when I would allow myself the luxury of choosing a book (normally only £3 or £5) for my collection.  

    Then I came upstairs to the bookcase Keith made me from a solid oak wardrobe. This has recently had a door and lovely brass hinges fitted on it and will be our food cupboard when we move.    However, it needed to be emptied first and being deep, had acquired a double layer of books on each of the 4 shelves. These were some overspill books from my Literary collection (these ones are mostly about Thomas Hardy), Victorian Social History, Folklore, a few books about Herefordshire when I thought we would be moving there, and some of my collection of Antiquarian Horse Books.  I have reduced it to 3 shelves of single depth books now and 100 or so are piled on the coffer in the hall.  I will have to get these moved on before I can do much more clearing.  I am going to call a bookseller friend to see what he would take.  He came out years ago when I was thinking of parting with my horse books, but now they really DO have to go, so I hope he can manage a decent offer.  

    I have always loved books, and as money was short when I was growing up, books were what I got from the library or as Christmas presents.  I began collecting Antiquarian Horse Books when I began work aged 16.  I am unashamedly a bibliophile.  I like to have my own Library around me.  I will have to prune back now but know there will be more books in the future . . .

    We now have some tangible proof of works done on the house, as fortunately in going through all our photographs recently, I have found one of Danny in a pushchair, with the front wall clearly drilled for a damp proof course, so we can now prove that was done (though in a house of this construction with walls 3 feet thick and a rubble centre, I don't think it was of any use whatsoever!)  We have also found other photos of when we were turning the totally derelict dairy into a flat for my mum, showing the flagstones up and membrane going down in there and also beneath the new floor in her bedroom.  Plus others which show other improvement work on the house and what it looked like when we moved in - you know, that "we must have been MAD to buy this" sort of decor . . .  Our buyer is here again on Tuesday to meet with his Builder (outbuildings plans), though  I doubt we can sit out on the patio to talk now it's autumn.

    Right, this won't do.  Just gone 6 a.m. and I have been awake since 4 again.  This will be another long day.



22 comments:

  1. Do try to take it easy for at least an hour a day and sit quietly somewhere and try to relax.

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  2. Don't worry Pat - I am 100 pages into a anew to me Ruth Rendell novel, so will sit down with that and relax with a cuppa soon. We always sit down at 3 p.m. too, that's tea break time for Keith.

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  3. I would have freaked out with those visitors too - I was a nervous wreck when we had the gas boiler services and used that dettol anti viral spray on everything in sight after.

    I don't envy you the task of trimming your book collection - it is so very hard to do. As The Weaver of Grass says try and find somewhere to relax for a while each day and pleased to hear you have a good book you are reading.

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    1. I'm glad it's not just me that goes mad with the anti-viral sprays after people here. When Rhys came to put our bedroom radiator back on the wall, we left the window wide open overnight and slept elsewhere, just in case. He wore a mask all the time, without being asked.

      I had a LOVELY shortish walk with Tam today, from a friend's house across in the next valley, and it was so good to walk somewhere new. We had a chat with my friend for a little while too, sat in the sun in Socially Distanced Deckchairs : ) That cheered me up as much as anything has since the Pandemic hit. You need FRIENDS.

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  4. Goodness, what a lot has happened with you while I have been 'away'. (I've just been having a catch-up read on your posts.) You definitely need those beach walks and tea breaks after dealing with so many stressful things - and sorting through books and deciding which ones to let go is right up there with the main stressors! Gives me palpitations just thinking about it. Best of luck with everything.

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    1. Hi Elaine. Nice to see you "back". Everything seems to be happening at once, but boy there were some really fraught moments in the last month when we couldn't find anywhere to move TO - house after house after house was WRONG though they seemed so right "on paper".

      I knew a lot of books needed to go, but knowing it and DOING it are two entirely different things! Some may just be sneaked back . . .

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  5. Packing books can be exhausting!

    I understand you're downsizing, but try to keep as many books as you can? Maybe not the novels, but all your reference books. I have had two book purges over the years and regret both, especially the second stupid 'declutter", of a lifetime of loving and collecting books. Hardly a week goes by that I don't want to look thru a quilting/ antiques/ book that has discarded. I diiiid keep all my nature and seashore reference books, but almost all else was eliminated, including my very large children's library, sad. All my little Beatrix Potter books from my own childhood, a beloved gift I'd always ask for. [Blogger won't let me correct typos, sorry..]

    lizzy

    gone to the beach.

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    1. It's the reference books I have 100s of Lizzy!! I shall put them in boxes and have a final look through and some may have a reprieve. I still have a little set of Flower Fairies books that I read to my girls, and I can't bear to part with those - part of me still hopes we may be grandparents, although none of our 3 grown up "kids" are in a relationship at the moment, nor likely to be for a while due to Covid. I have all my childrens' pony books upstairs in a container and they will go with me. They are old friends.

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  6. I've had two very major unloadings of books--the first in 1998 when we moved to Wyoming, the second prior to the 2010 move from Wyoming to Kentucky. Luckily in both cases there were area second hand bookshops where I donated many. Sadly, the humid climate of Kentucky spoiled some of my older books with mildew. I think there are always regrets over items we must part with.
    Your mention of Ruth Rendell has me thinking I should dig out those paperbacks for winter reading. Maybe Colin Dexter's 'Inspector Morse' series again as well.

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    1. I like a good detective story. The Ruth Rendell I'm reading at the moment is The Monster in the Box, and good reading. It takes Wexford reminiscing on a man he knew was a murderer and I presume the entire book will be spend unwinding it all. Plus it tells of how he met his wife . . . What a shame your older books got spoilt by mildew.

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  7. Glad you found some photographic evidence it will surely help. Its so hard to sort through books and pass them on, so many places won't take them these days.

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    1. I am DELIGHTED to have done so. Just so I can say "so there" if necessary! The last surveyor chose not to believe us over the Damp Proof Course (which was a complete waste of our money with walls 3 feet thick with a rubble core). He didn't even notice a strip of blue waterproof membrane which was put beneath the slate slabs in the main kitchen which was left sticking between the slab and the wall by the door . . . Now I have photos of it being put down beneath flooring in mum's flat. I have to say, I do miss the Charity Table at Tesco, where we could leave books and magazines and people would take them and give a donation to charity.

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  8. It sounds like you have a lot of sorting to do, I hope you are not feeling too overwhelmed by the task. It sounds like you have a lovely collection of books, they are like old friends aren't they and often so hard to let go off. I do hope you can find someone to take them off you. Thank goodness for your old photos proving you had work done on the house!

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    1. I could do with a bit more sleep - the worry makes my body think it's on steroids and I've just gone 22 hours without sleep. Trying to keep cheerful. SO glad I found those photos . . .

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  9. Sorting books is a problem, when you give them away, their titles will come back to haunt you ;) But it is all good news for the moment so don't despair.

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    1. I can see me rebuying some in the future, but will have to try and keep myself Under Control!

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  10. Wrap up warmly and you WILL be able to sit out. I sat outside playing the harp with 3 friends (carefully distanced) this afternoon for 2 hours. Only my fingers got cold!

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    1. My daughter has a harp but has been concentrating on her piano playing since moving back home and the hot spring did for a couple of strings on the harp! I am glad that you were able to have a Socially Distanced meeting with your friends and relaxed with your harp. We will wrap up warmly I think! It is raining earlier on but then a little sun.

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  11. That looks like a hermit's lodge under the tree. You might have said what it was, but I don't have the energy to read it all tonight. I have suffered a setback and am feeling sorry for myself. Oh well.

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    1. It does rather doesn't it? It's a bit (a wee staircase) from Dryslwyn Castle.

      I am so sorry to hear you have suffered a setback. Chin up Tom. I have been very miserable/worried sick/stressed recently and have found a lovely relaxing recording of a river and birdsong (British) which plays in the background when I am on line and calms me down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCk16sC3dP0

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  12. For many years my best friends were my many books. I have a very hard time weeding them out so I know what you are going through. I think you have done very well.

    God bless.

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    1. You have struck the nail on the head. Over the years my books have seen me through times good and bad and are MY reliable best friends. Especially ones I can totally escape in. (I recommend Phil Rickman, who writes crime novels with a slightly spooky slant, set along the Welsh/Herefordshire borders - the Marches.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCk16sC3dP0

      Thanks for saying I have done well - letting go of the books has been SO hard.

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