The linger longer bookshop

...actually, it's the exhibition of The Book: a celebration, which I wrote about here.. I popped in after work to catch the last few minutes of a talk by Stroud-based children's author and public library campaigner John Dougherty. A heated discussion was under way about whether books are "too expensive" or not. The consensus seemed to be that, given the lasting value that they provide, that they are not merely consumed and forgotten, that they aren't really expensive, and we ought to try harder than to just go online for all our book needs, without trying terrestrial shops, charity shops and friends first.

Afterwards I hung about with Jeff and Richard, two fellow poets that I haven't seen for far too long, and we caretook the exhibition, which is wonderful and is going to take the full three weeks to get round. Jeff wouldn't let me help with his crossword, because he said he might get Alzheimer's after all if I helped him, but I gave him my last cough sweet, even though what we all really needed was a cup of tea!

CleanSteve and I then went on to the next exhibition, marking 30 years of the Stroud Preservation Trust, which was responsible for saving several historic buildings in Stroud from insensitive development or demolition and preserving them, not as museums, but as working buildings with a sustainable future. CleanSteve is a trustee of the SPT, and was taking pictures for the newspapers, which is why I have hardly seen him since we got home! More about the SPT here..

I've posterised this image and altered the colouring to make it softer. It's to make it more like a bookshop: they tend to have subdued lighting, and of course have links with the past and the golden age of reading, though I have no idea when that would have been! Speaking of a golden age, I still have about 100 pages of Rebecca to read before tomorrow's lit class!

The commenting has been non existent lately; I am sorry about that, but the combination of being without internet, and spending parts of last week back dating some holiday shots from Feb 2007 has meant that I have fallen behind too far to worry about catching up. C'est la vie. Looking forward to seeing today's blips, though, and looking at older ones, even if I merely pass by without remarking.