Books, books and more books... keeping them alive.

I wrote this poem last year. I like to get books from charity shops and also am a supporter of keeping our local libraries. Tradition is important to me and hopefully we can keep it going for generations to follow.

Bedside Table

Library and charity

Upon my bedside table;

Supporting

The community.

Keeping the library

Open for everyone

A British tradition.

Give your books to charity

For others to browse

Through; or buy if they 

Want to.

Recycling words

In paper form 

Before they're extinct.

~

National Libraries Day 2015 see here to support the library.

World Book Day  information at 
http://www.worldbookday.com/about

For great books see Oxfam Bookshops.

Looking For The Good

After a few weeks of colds (the never ending sniffles), rain, wind and general grey days, it's no wonder the normal January blues are at an all time high. The other day, I decided to look for the good.

*

After heavy rain, came blue sky. Birds seemed to fly more gracefully, darting from tree to tree in the garden. My usual walk to the shops was highlighted by a pink flowering shrub (a camellia, I believe) which I vowed to capture on my phone on the way home, hoping for better light. I found warmth in the coffee shop and the local charity shop. Not just the heating, but kind people who smiled, rather than look the other way. Everyone seemed more chatty about the changeable weather in a heart-warming way. I didn't mind getting wet - my hood sufficed the forgotten brolly (why does it always rain when you have no umbrella ;D and never when you are prepared?!). The dark clouds cleared. The shrub - in the church graveyard was captured (felt a little strange doing this but had to be done... albeit it came out blurred). I apologise for trespassing - as one does!

Beauty lives in nature

I look up to blue skies on my return journey. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day...

Looking For The Good

January
is such a down
turned month to me.

I look around
to find the good -
this is what I see.

Reading Poetry

I have always enjoyed reading poetry; especially to relax my mind. I have just picked up a first edition (Goodwin, 1999) - edited by Daisy Goodwin 101 POEMS THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE. I borrowed it a few times from our library but bought my copy for a bargain 99p at Oxfam Books, whilst on holiday.

After reading many Wendy Cope collections from the library over the Summer holidays - (to keep sanity at bay) and mainly as Wendy was judging the Mslexia Poetry competition - alas it did not help with my competition entry... The plus side being though; I really enjoyed Wendy's poems and shall be ordering Serious Concerns and more of Wendy's books for my Kindle too. My favourite poems by Wendy have to be 'New Season', 'Loss', 'Flowers' and 'The Orange'.

Here is a poem that I wrote a while ago for my life poetry page.

Love reading, love books - keep it going.

***

Bedside Table 

Library and charity

Upon my bedside table;

Supporting

The community

Keeping the library

Open for everyone

A British tradition.

Give your books to charity

For others to browse

Through; or buy if they

Want to.

Recycling words

In paper form

Before they're extinct.

Supporting local charities

Like many of us nowadays - things are a struggle. I have shopped at charity shops for years and have worked in one for a couple of years also. I have written about it in a short fiction story and used ideas for poetry too. Best of all is the fact that I find something I actually like. In general; when shopping with my daughter I get it wrong ... as all Mum's (I hope) do with a fourteen year old! I can never find anything I like in the shops but always find something great in charity shops.

Today I bought a baking book on cupcakes - the first in the Primrose Baking series and a DVD from yesteryear for my daughter - I believe we never grow too old for such things ( I will not publish the series but it involves ponies and being six) - I know I need to let her go and grow up but I am lucky and she still has that child in her (bit like her Mum). I also bought a white linen top, which I think will make me look very arty or is it thespian I am not sure... It is for the garden when too hot to sit in the sun - as it is getting to be here this week. It is good for us fairer skins to cover up - but I get so hot! Need to dig out the floppy hat next.

Anyhow getting back to why I'm posting. I went and bought the items and on the price label there was a beautiful wording; which I felt I should share here. The cause is 'Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice' and you can see more of their work at  http://www.pth.org.uk/.

It is local and supported with very generous donations and they now have a furniture shop too I believe, in the locality. The motto they use on their tag; which describes their work for our local sufferers of long standing and non-curable diseases says -

'... because every day is precious.'

Beautiful.

Morning Beauty Sends Hope

I woke up very early this morning; as sometimes I do. I was so glad. The moon woke me with its strong light. It looks amazing but now it has gone.

From my window at 5.30 (a.m.) I could see the craters the moon was so defined. My photo I took could not do the size justice.

The sunrise has changed the sky from a sapphire to a blue and lilac spectrum within half an hour. What another beautiful morning.

My husband lost a family member yesterday. It was pancreatic cancer. My sister lost a friend to the same disease before he was even thirty. I support Cancer Research and am sending you; my reader, hope and understanding that nature is a good thing. Sometimes though it is hard medicine for us to take. All we can do is hope that one day a cure will be found for this wretched disease.

Take care...

You can support Cancer Research in so many ways. I ran the 5K with my daughter two years ago. It was very emotional but enlightening at the same time. You can find out more about their work here: Cancer Research.