A mid week pause..

I know it is a variation on an old theme -but I liked it anyway... We have a collection of soft toys and who should pop up between them but our Matilda...

As I suspected once I went back to work 'normal viewing was resumed'. We are all concerned to what the future is going to bring us and we are sad that as a staff we will be flung to the four corners... As one of the younger casuals commented that despite a large age gap we all get on extremely well and there is rarely disharmony. In my time there I have seen most of these casuals tentatively approach the desk for the interview and then I have witnessed a growth and maturing as they settled into another phase of their lives when they have come to work for us I will miss 'the kids' as I call them. I appreciate listening to their views on life and I think it keeps me with at least a link to their generation.

With all the speculation about the shop closing, it has made me reflective about my work life now that there is the likelihood of it changing. While I wish I didn't have to work as much or at least not full time, I again appreciate that I do work. I don't think that my personality is the kind to stay home permanently - I find after a little while I get 'cabin fever'. I know that I need the stimulation that going out to work brings - whether it is with the work itself, talking to other people or just having a purpose for each day... While I would like to know what will be happening with the shop I am endeavouring to take it one day at a time - I guess there will be time enough for its conclusion...

I have read a couple more books Jasper Jones written by Craig Silvey and Indelible Ink written by Fiona McGregor. Both great reads and I would highly recommend them... Each quite different however the central theme being about people and circumstances that they find themselves in. I am currently reading Sanctus written by Simon Toyne - it is a March 2011 release. Sanctus is the first book in a trilogy - it has been described (on the inside cover) as "an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller". I am in about 160 pages but not sure what I think so far. The chapters are only three and four pages long so that the 'landscape' is constantly changing... The characters at this point don't have very much "history" but I am sure they will develop depth as the book proceeds. This year I am trying to read more and be a little more selective as I go. It is always a bit of a trap when the reading copies come into the shop ahead of general release - you want to read them first -but I have a number of books I would like to read as well. Ahhh - so many books and so little time...

Today is Australia Day - a holiday for most people... Traditionally a day for get togethers, BBQ's and a little down time... I am taking full advantage of the mid week pause to do a little stitching, a little reading and generally be a sloth on the couch...

Take care all

S xx

Guess who...

...was 99 on Monday...Not the best photo but I couldn't let the day pass to far along without sharing it... Unfortunately for my dad he was in hospital for his birthday as he had a bad chest infection towards the middle of last week... He seldom complains when he is sick so it wasn't until he collapsed that the alarm bells went off and he was shipped off to hospital where he picked up fairly quickly...


I told him yesterday he only another 365 days until he gets his letter from the Queen... That and a BIG party...


That's him tucking into an 'iced coffee' which in his words was "bewt"


Until later please take care - especially those of you in Queensland flood affected areas - you are in my thoughts and prayers...

S xx

Sacred Hearts

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant has sat on my stack beside the bed for quite some time... I think I bought it not long after it came out so that will tell you something...

Since I have decided that I would like to lessen the chance of being buried alive I have made myself a promise that I shall try and read as many of them as possible...

Sacred Hearts, as you can see from the cover illustration, is about nuns - I have a thing about nuns - their whole lifestyle fascinates me (left overs from a past life, I presume) so of course the cover 'spoke' to me straight away...

Sarah Dunant has spent some time researching convent life in the 16th Century when the Roman Church was feeling the winds of change blowing...

Within the microcosm of the convent walls the internal politics reflect what is going on in religious world outside. Convents are struggling to maintain some autonomy as the Church Reformation threatens to make them even more closed to the world than they already are.

Inside the convent Santa Caterina, there is a faction who believe that the convent lacks sufficient discipline and that godliness has been replaced with other activities that while beneficial to those within the walls detract from the devoutness. They welcome the changes that are already being implemented in other Orders across Italy. The abbess, Madonna Chiara is astute enough to realise that they can only forestall change for a while. In the meantime she has to be sure that what goes on within her walls doesn't leave them.

During this time many young women who were considered not marriageable were committed to the convent by their families. In fact the convents depended on these young women joining their ranks so that the convent could remain viable. This was made possible through the donations from the families. Whilst most young women accepted their fate there was those who resisted becoming 'brides of Christ' and rebelled against their confinement.

We join the story when one such young woman, Serafina, arrives at the Santa Caterina's doors and sets in motion a chain of events that will shake the convent to its centre.

I am probably not even scratching the surface of the story but I can tell you I have been thoroughly committed 'behind the convent walls' for its 400 plus pages... As I paused for a moment and marvelled that there are those people who have such a way with words and can weave a story that is totally mesmerizing - storytelling at its best...

It took me a little while to "come down" from Sacred Hearts but because I have borrowed my next book from the library I have made myself settle down to it. It is Indelible Ink by Australian writer Fiona McGregor... I have heard mixed reviews about this one but because the main character and I are nearly the same age that in itself interested me...

I have just loved these holidays - lots of reading, some stitching, some catching up with people, lots of sleeping. Just having a different pace to life - time to think and catch my breath - I feel so much better -shame it will all be ending soon...

Until later, back to page turning

S xx

The Third Day of the New Year...

Today I got confirmation of what I have been expecting to hear for weeks now. The book shop which I work for is to be sold. The book trade universally has been taking quite a beating – books can be sourced from so many different places and in so many ways that one no longer has to rely on the bricks and mortar shop front to buy from. Our Christmas trade was way down – not only for us in the book trade but across the board – retailers were slogging it out trying to catch the eye as well as the dollar of the paying public – hence the mad sales that were evident leading up to Christmas and beyond.

The book industry however has been doing it tough for a number of reasons and as booksellers we could see the writing on the wall as the one shop after another faltered. Even one largish book chain is rumoured to be in deep trouble...

Our store is part of a franchise which means although it comes under a larger banner it is privately owned – in essence- much like your corner milk bar. Our boss while he was optimistic initially that we could ride it out, has seen disappointing sales put an end to that. Try as we might we cannot compete ultimately with overseas online companies which can deliver books to your door in some cases with free delivery and at a much cheaper price... Nor can we compete with the department chain stores that sell their books at a loss primarily because they know that once over their threshold you will more than likely buy another unrelated product. And let us not forget the ipad, e-readers and other book delivering devices. These hold x amount of books are more convenient than bookshelves and according to their fans are "just, more well... more convenient!!!" Let's hope the power doesn't go out for any length of time or they drop it in the bath...

Ironic really, we hear so much about creating customer loyalty, achieving excellent customer service etc but when push comes to shove no one is really all that interested in how well we do our job and what our knowledge base is - as long as we do it the cheapest price...

How do I feel? Sad for the most part – our boss had a dream and it has evaporated – not because he wasn’t delivering an excellent product or that he didn’t have the support and expertise of a great staff but he was the casualty of a greater war and sometimes one has to know when it is time to walk away.

What is the future? For me it is unknown – I guess we are all hoping that someone will step forward and take over the ownership – if that doesn’t happen then it will be only a matter of time before the doors close...

The publishing/book industry I believe is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts. Yes, I believe that books will survive - whether bookshops in their current form do - is debatable. My wish is that somehow, that somewhere in the future a child will take delight in a real book - (one that has a cover that opens, pages to turn and a smell that only a new book has) which was recommended by a person who too delighted reading it as a child and works in a bookshop because of that love, the adventure and pleasure that books and reading brings...

On the SECOND day AFTER Christmas...

Today was the day I promised myself all through those l-o-n-g pre Christmas customer service days. My oasis - after the rush of Christmas - a day in bed! It was to be my day of unapologetic sloth.The weather even obliged me - grey and chilly not an inducement for me to leave my cosy nest. As I arranged the pillows around me and wiggled further under the doona I thought this is just Bliss with a capital B!!!!

I took the opportunity to do my next favorite thing - read.. What did I read I hear you ask - "Her Fearful Symmetry" written by Audrey Niffenegger. I found it at the library a couple of weeks ago when I was there. I wasn't sure that I would like it as it had had mixed reviews from a couple of people who had read it - but surprisingly I did... Left me with a bit of an odd unsettled feeling though - not unlike wisps of a dream which curl around long after you wake up... I haven't read any other of Audrey Niffenegger's work - her most famous being "The Time Traveller's Wife" so I couldn't make a comparison. However I genuinely liked her characters - they were well drawn - peculiarities and all which I guess in turn makes them more believable. Perhaps the ones who touched me the most was Martin and his wife Marijke and of course Robert Fanshaw and Valentina Poole.

The plot is essentially about love, loss, the striving for identity and family secrets with a ghost as the pivotal character... The backdrop is London and the immediate surroundings of the story is the famous Highgate Cemetery. Worth a read if you are looking for something a little different...

One of my 2011 resolutions is to try and do a little more of what I have done today - I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time. Now I'm off to have a look through the pile of books beside the bed and choose another one... There are two which are equal contenders with a third following close. My goal was to read three books before I went to work - one down, two to go...

S xx

...it's starting...

... to feel like Christmas... Every year it seems to take me longer and longer to get into the spirit of things... I don't know why it is perhaps because I work in retail and we always seem to be way ahead... At the moment I am being shown books for Easter and Mother's Day by the reps... No wonder I always feel a little confused at to what part of the year I'm in... At the moment I can hardly wait until it is over and I can get down to the job of just being slothful for a few days and catching my breath... I can feel the end coming to my bookselling days and I wonder what Life has in store for me next... I wish I could just stay at home for a little while and 'play house'... But unless I win lotto that is not likely to happen any time soon...

But I digress...

Today I got the Chrsitmas pudding made - a new recipe and a new slow cooker so I am crossing my fingers that all is well and by the morning I shall have a great tasting pudding... I had priced some - puddings that is - and I was very tempted to just buy one but in some mad way I feel like I am 'letting the side down' by not making one. P is going to make his special vanilla icecream and I was thinking about an old recipe of a chocolate mousse I used to make... We are thinking just simple home cooked roast chickens with perhaps some ham and roast veggies or a salad if it is warm...

We are aiming at a simple Christmas this year - just enough food with a little left over for Boxing Day and a present under the tree (or in the absense of it - in the space where it should be) for every one to feel that they have been thought of...

What do I want this year... I can't actually think of anything... I have enough books and needlework to keep me well and truely occupied for a very long time and there isn't anything I actually need...

I know I am making it hard for P and E as to suggestions on what they might get me but I am wracking my brain to think of anything at the moment... I am hoping inspiration will hit me soon...

I am not one for buying DVDs once I have seen something that is enough... However yesterday I sat for probably close to four hours totally enthralled watching the first couple of discs in the series the House of Eliott... I absolutely loved it - apparently made about 16 years ago - it had a huge following - I can understand why it is well put together and for anyone interested in that era it makes for compelling watching... Worth a look if you haven't seen it...

Well, time for me to head off to bed before it starts all over again tomorrow...

** P and I had a laugh earlier on - we have just managed to start the last block of chocolate we received last Christmas - the space in the fridge is clear - just in time for a refill!!!!

Sharon x

...where to start...

... perhaps I will just pick up the thread anywhere so bear with me...It may take a few posts to get up to speed...

As you can see by my previous post we have had a death in the family... He was my ex-husband's brother and as with all marriage breakups, parts of family are inevitably lost to either one side or the other. It was still a shock to hear how he became so very ill and see that once fit, healthy man go down hill as quickly as he did...He had just turned 62 - still in the prime of his life and looking forward to retiring... If anything, his death has made me once again look at my own life and appreciate it - swearing not to flitter it away on the trivial and unimportant...

While we were still in recovery mode from J's death, my eldest daughter's beloved cat Toshi also went to meet his maker... He had been ailing for a little while but deteriorated quite quickly and passed away on Thursday...



This is a (not very good photo) of Tosh doing his second favorite thing - sleeping... The first favorite being eating...

Rest in peace in your favorite part of the garden Tosh...

More later