I have not been travelling around much this year and this disappoints me greatly. Either my knees or my health or the weather have hindered me. This in spite of strenuous efforts at exercise that have left me in more aches and pains than before, I'm told this is a good sign...hmmm.
However I looked at some old pictures and thought these were not bad, probably because they have been hidden for a while. These books still line my dusty shelves and most of them have either been read or made use of in previous studies. Greek tragedies are to me not something to get me excited even when a brief understanding of the background is clear, drama is not my thing. Aristophanes is good however, he is the satirist and a very good one even through translation. Bare faced cheek towards Sophocles is abundant in some of his works, well worth reading.
Josephus 'Jewish War' written to help the Romans understand that strange people they had just crushed is also worth reading. In spite of his abundant lack of humility Josephus is a good read and historians claim it is reliable, though exaggerated in places.
Some of those books have been sitting on the shelves for over twenty five years, one or two of those considerably longer, yet I cannot see myself letting them go to a good home, even the tragic Greeks would leave a gap. Isn't it funny how some books must be kept, just in case, while others of less worth, trashy novels, can be dumped easily?
Books are a must, they are always useful!
Many moons have passed since I took this early morning shot. I suspect that as the year turns and the nights draw in I may get more chance to find such sunlight at the bottom of the empty car park! While the US can spot an eclipse I can just as easily spot threatening rain filled clouds passing by ensuring I cannot see the sun much more efficiently than any eclipse can manage.
This postbox has been collecting letters since the reign of King George V who reigned from 1910 - 1936. I suspect this came nearer the end of his reign and that he neither made use of it nor knew of it's existence. When employed at that job I have had occasion to empty the contents, not very exciting I must say, and at least there were no nasty surprises found therein as there have been on other occasions.
Famously imperialist English arrogance placed a brand new pillar box in the new housing estate in Edinburgh after the war bearing the legend QRII. This of course refers to the newish queen who got her well paid job in 1953. However as the Royal Mail imperialist soon discovered there had not been a Queen Elizabeth in Scotland before so the legend 'II' had to go. This was emphasised in those non terrorist days by a Scots hero placing a small piece of gelignite into said post box in a safe manner and destroying the offensive item. Boxes, Royal Mail vans and other apparatus since that period are now bearers of QR and no longer the offensive QRII.
5 comments:
I was talking to our Postman the other day and he was telling me that there is a regular check on the usage of postboxes and where they are not used often they are removed. We are fortunate to live near a small industrial estate which uses the box regularly. It just goes to show the trend in the decline in hand mail. But we had a postcard last week, a very very rare occurrence nowadays.
Dave, Only a quarter, or less of RM mail comes from the public. Three quarters comes from industry and big industry at that, gas, electric etc. Any chance to save a penny and they will take it. Service is a word they do not use now.
I hate parting with books, too, but the other day I bit the bullet, and gave a few away to a woman who is going to hospital shortly for surgery, followed by a lengthy recovery. I wanted to give her some books to read.
Books are so hard difficult to give away.
That is heavy duty reading material. I know what you mean about not wanting to get rid of certain books. I have been supplying the local charity shop with its books more or less single handedly for the last few weeks - not that you would know it to look at the shelves - and there are some which I try to be ruthless about, since I haven't read them for ages, and can't see when I will. But they do remain on the shelves. And I am in fact glad of it.
Lee, Losing good books is always difficult. I allowed a woman to borrow one 18 months or more ago and I think it lost!!!!
Jenny, I loved London charity shops. Here they are mostly wimmins stuff and not always much of that. Good books are found in the 'Sue Ryder' shop on occasions however. Too many books are just too good to give away.
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