BOOKTOWN....

Last weekend I went on my first, ever, trek to Booktown (aka Clunes).

With good company (daughter ) it was a lovely drive (not the part through the city) but after that, out to the west, with the autumn trees beginning their brassy show. Quite pastoral and picturesque.

I discovered new things...

On a side note- how on earth have I missed potato twisters? Where have I been?

Of course I went, not for the potatoes...nor the mulled wine.....nor the home made ice-cream - I mean Turkish Delight flavour..yummmmm.....I went for the books.

And books there were. Books in all sorts, sizes, shapes, conditions..and price. Even some fancy lamps made out of books.... with a fancy price tag.

Because of where I work, I was positive I was not going to buy fiction---I mean I'm surrounded by books, all sorts of books and I rarely read the same book over and over. There are a few exceptions but I'll save that for another post...so I was determined to ignore the fiction, and perhaps only buy what I really NEEDED.

Turns out I needed fiction.....and a dose of poetry (get all excited when I know people who feature in an edition). How could I turn down the first Inspector Morse....or a collection of Father Brown....I couldn't.

Then I stumbled upon these prints---only $2 each----and I thought they would be lovely framed....in the spare bedroom that I'm getting ready to paint and beautify. 

Then of course I stumbled upon a gardening book, can never have too many of those ( or so I assure anyone willing to listen) and a book that I intend to tear pages out to frame. Sounds horrid but they have some lovely cat pictures...nice for the other spare room.

And then I came across this...I paused.....I ummed and errred and then I thought when am I ever going to find one like this again. 

Beautiful Gardens: How to make and maintain them - modern artistic flower gardening, with plans, designs, and photographic illustrations and coloured plates. Selection of beautiful flowers given, with particulars of how to grow them------by Walter P Wright - Horticultural Superintendent under the Kent County Council.

Could not go past her. She's gorgeous...first printed 1907- this edition 1913----and the coloured plates....

It is full of wonderful advice such as 'Let us clear the way by wrestling with the word "herbaceous," which we all use glibly nowadays, but do not understand, just as we talk of mechanical motor valves and turbine engines without knowing what they are.' 

and "Our Ideal Garden shall come close to the walls of the house, and linger lovingly there, as though it were indeed a part and parcel of our home. It shall caress the walls, lay tender fingers upon the windows, and spray itself across the threshold." 

Just love it. 

So home we went, tired, nourished both in body and soul by our day out, and our bags of books.

I'll leave you with this last quote from my new best book - 

'By the time the average man is able to contemplate making himself a garden the age for ideals has apparently departed. He has "come to forty year" and tasted the bitterness of seeing the illusions of his youth pass away one by one. He finds himself hard put to it to take a gracious and charitable view of life. His outlook is grey."

Since I'm well over the forty year, I must do something to relieve the greyness of my life....perhaps time for another look at a book...or two.

Vicki