By: Blonde One
I have a little bit of a love for old and antique books. I don’t have many but the ones I have are much loved and cared for. I have long since regretted not purchasing a beautiful old book full of maps and prints based on the Isle of Man when we were there on a Gold DofE trip 2 years ago. It was £90 and I thought (probably correctly) that that was too much! There has ever since been a space on the bookshelf that would accommodate it very well.
Mr Blonde One and I had a lovely Saturday afternoon in the sun a few weeks ago at Exeter quay. In the past there has been a antique shop that specialised in old books and a few of my collection have come from there. I decided that on this particular Saturday it was time to have a little look to see what was calling for me to take it home! When we walked in I was shocked to see that instead of the books dating from 100 years ago (ish) there were shelves full of much more recent books. Don’t get me wrong, I love all books: old or new, but I don’t really want these on my bookshelf. Once I had got over my disappointment I decided to have a rummage and found a very nice collection of postcards from Dartmoor. It was a bit odd really as the first one I picked up, was addressed to someone with the same surname as me! Weird. I didn’t buy it as the picture wasn’t very pleasing.
Instead I purchased the one in the photo dated 1955 of the clapper and road bridges at Dartmeet: a place close to my heart as it was next to this bridge that I had my first Saturday job at Badger’s Holt café. The clapper bridge is not quite so intact now!
I also bought a postcard depicting the church where several of our family events have happened: my wedding to Mr Blonde One and the christening of Little Miss Blonde for instance. I don’t know the date for this one but it’s almost beyond recognition now with a whole new road system next to it.
I admit to quite liking collecting things. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new collection!
