This week we are on holidays. A traditional family beach holiday with a plethora of boogie boards, sunscreen, sandcastles, and all the ball games you can think of. It has been lovely. We are ignoring the absence of the Aussie summer, but I am sure that somewhere in the world the current temperature of 22 degrees celsius constitutes a glorious summer’s day. We are pretending the same here. It has not halted the trips to the beach.
But today I have felt the need to reconnect to the cyber world. What’s going on out there? How many blog posts have happened, how many pictures on pinterest have I missed? Some may say I have a problem – but I’ll just refer to it as one of my passions. I don’t have an iphone or any similar technology by which to check online status updates or to add to my own blog posts while out of the home zone. I won’t do an “oh woe is me” spiel here – I don’t have the technology for no special reason except that I have never sought it out. I think 2013 will be the year of new technology. An iphone, ipad, an external hard drive, some new tech stuff for the TV, and a new digital camera as the current one is on its way to crapping itself (as you will tell by some current and near future posts). I also think I will start wearing a watch again.
The laptop is on holidays with us. Not for any bad work related reasons. Consequently I can (re)connect with the cyber world. Hooray!
Today we went for a lovely walk into town and there is a charming bookshop there. How long has it been since you last bought a book from a good old fashioned bookshop? It has been a while for me. I tend to buy my books online, and they are my standard gift during Christmas so I definitely buy a lot during this season. This year however I have not done the online things so much. I wanted to go out and buy them myself and I really noticed the diminished presence of the bookshop. I could buy books from Myer, BigW and the like, but when searching for a special not current best-selling book I found it a little disappointing. And the browse factor is gone. Oh how I love to browse.
At the bookshop today, Boobook on Owen at Huskisson, I enjoyed the browse. I felt a little naughty caressing the books, lightly touching their covers, peeking into a few that seduced my glance. And it was calm. No poky aisles with shelves packed to the brim with numerous copies of the same book. Instead there was space to peruse, to stroll and meander, a place to sit and indulge a little in something that caught my eye. And all four kids were quiet. Whisper quiet. We are not naturally a rowdy bunch but we are voluminous. A genetic mishap (my side of the family I hate to admit) has meant most of us know only two volumes with our vocal chords – silent and full-ball-loud. And given we are not a shy bunch either, loud is what one normally gets. But today at Boobook on Owen we were all quiet.
A book each. What a joy. What a glory. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow and introduce myself to a few other friendly tomes.
How long has it been since you last enjoyed a bookstore? Which is your favourite?
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