Friends

06 March 2016

A post about books...

One of my biggest jobs lately has been sorting out Joe’s vast collection of books and deciding which to keep and which to donate to charity. The job itself would have been easy if it wasn’t for the fact that a lot of books were on the top shelf of his wardrobe, out of reach for me. This was when I discovered that our steps are missing. We have ladders and tall steps, all too heavy for me to carry, but the smaller steps that I can manage have disappeared. I’m thinking a tradesman must have waltzed off with them and we never noticed. Because of this, getting the books down was a dodgy experience. I'm thankful the rest of his collection was and still is in a simple floor-standing bookcase.

But let’s get back to the books. There were great heavy tomes. I love that word – it was my surname at one time, but with a capital T. The books were mostly instructional, about the accountancy profession or ‘how to do’ things: household tasks, computer lessons, photography and lots more. The daft thing is that he didn’t read them. He bought them to learn from but never got round to it. He wasn’t a DIY sort of man, you see. He did have some novels and historic works but those books are housed in a floor standing bookcase. I’ll get round to them another day. BUT you only had to ask him a complicated question involving figures or accounts and he had the answer in seconds without using pencil and paper. Some have that kind of brain, others don’t. I’m one that doesn’t quite know how to use a brain.

The book in the picture is one I bought, one I had forgotten about, and one he didn’t bother to read even though he had set his heart on ownership. I’m not really surprised considering the size and content.

One book of significance is a book about Bobby Charlton, ex Manchester United football player. Joe was at a function where there were books for sale so when he spotted said book he bought it. Coincidentally Bobby Charlton was at the same function so when Joe spotted him he showed him the book. Bobby signed the book and also gave him an autographed photograph. This book was precious to Joe so I needed to do something more than leave it on a shelf. I took it to the St Giles Hospice charity shop to ask their advice on the best way to use it. Apparently they have a ‘shop’ on EBay so they can auction the book and raise more money for their charity. After the care the hospice gave to Joe the least I could do was help boost their funds.

Ha...since writing I have found the steps. One place I forgot to look in was the garage. Imagine my surprise when I opened the garage door and spotted the steps lurking in a corner ... right next to my car. Apologies to all those I blamed.

Finally, I have a book called The Memory Handbook .... I guess it’s time I read it.

12 comments:

  1. "Finally, I have a book called The Memory Handbook .... I guess it’s time I read it."

    HA! Valerie, I think I need to buy that one as well because over the past couple of years, my memory (especially when it comes to remembering names), has gotten soooo bad.

    And I too have a shelf in my clothes closet that is waaaaaay up high and need to use a step stool to reach it. It's been years since I've gotten up there and rearranged/cleaned things out.

    And hey that book, just from the title, looks very interesting. I may have to Google to see if I can find it.

    "Apparently they have a ‘shop’ on EBay so they can auction the book and raise more money for their charity. After the care the hospice gave to Joe the least I could do was help boost their funds."

    That is so thoughtful of you!

    Have a super Sunday, dear lady!
    X

    ReplyDelete
  2. How lovely about the book and E-Bay Valerie, and so good of your to give it to them. I am going to be donating clothes soon and I had never thought of the hospice shop, didn't realize they had them, until a friend told me about hers. Next time I drive out to see her I will bring a box of things that need to go but didn't want to just 'throw away'.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ron, they do say that forgetting names is the first thing to happen in the memory loss programme. I rely on notepads to see me through, on the basis that if something has to be remembered it's better written down... aaaaagh!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Denise, it would be a worthwhile gesture to donate to a charity shop, especially one that would bring cash in to a hospice. I hope you do, they need all the help they can get.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Valerie. I was so sorry to hear you have lost Joe! I was not aware of that. I wish you well, and hope you are doing okay. As for your question: I do use Photoshop Elements 14 (on a new iMac). But the mat and frame on the horse photo was done in PicMonkey. Thanks for stopping by!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. One step at a time Val, at least you found your steps :) Books can bring back so many memories, enjoy your time with them before you send them off to make memories for someone else.

    ReplyDelete
  7. We're downsizing here and my book collection bit by bit is being donated to charity, though I'm rereading a few at the same time. Its good to know these old friends will be meeting new people and perhaps making them feel better to...;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love this post because it is right my street. Not just re the book collection but also the impossibility of reading said collection. It's funny, isn't it? I'm still thinking of buying more books and yet I have a long queue of tomes (I also love that word) I know I will never read.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad you found your steps, and a wonderful way to help out others by donating those books. Oh Val you are such an inspiration and grateful for your friendship. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing these memories and books Val. We've been doing a lot of sorting, recycling...here with a pending move coming up and so many books etc, DO bring up memories, mostly good ones.

    Too bad about the one set of steps disappearing. I love your UK terms though, like dodgy etc. makes me miss watching Corrie St. at bit. I gave it up a few years ago after faithfully watching for over 20 years. But that's another story. ;-)

    Big hugs to you and take care. Hope you have a good week, G

    ReplyDelete
  11. Geraldine, I ended the post by saying I actually did find the steps.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a very good idea to use a particularly precious book to benefit the hospice. I am sure Joe would have approved. And I'm glad you found the steps! I don't like to imagine you standing on chairs and trying to drag down lots of heavy objects from on high!

    ReplyDelete

If you're new to A Mixed Bag you might find something to interest you, a bit of mirth, a story or two, or some pictures. I'm so pleased you popped in, do leave a comment if you have time.