A broken resolution

I only made one New Year’s Resolution this year, which is one more than I usually make.  This year, I would not buy any more second-hand books from charity shops – my main sources for all kinds of serendipitous purchases – till I’ve read almost every unread book on our own shelves.

Well, that worked.   It’s January 13th and I’ve just spend £3.75 on this little lot, culled from the charity shops of Ramsbottom, just up the road from where Ellie lives.

books

Ramsbotton is a post-industrial once-upon-a-mill town, a nice little market town with a whiff of artsiness about it. It has a cute little heritage railway: you can catch an East Lancashire steam train on high days and holidays.  There are lots of independent shops, great coffee shops and restaurants. As a side-line, it does a fine line in charity shops with book departments that are a cut above the average, and I spent a happy hour or two browsing this afternoon before the boys came home from school.

Ramsbottom seen from snowy fields.

I’m in Bolton this week because on Monday Ellie had her second operation, her mastectomy.  It went well, thanks, and she’s recovering at home.  Her dad and I  took turns to manage-a-patient and manage-a-dog and manage-the-twins .  The worst job is definitely getting the boys up in the morning.  They’re just like their mum used to be when she was 11.

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and living in North Yorkshire, where I walk as often as I can, write, volunteer, and travel as often as I can.

47 thoughts on “A broken resolution”

    1. Er …. football, Saturdays, usually. Bright and early. Luckily they no longer let me watch, as they always lose when I do 😉 . Ellie’s being very positive. Thank you.

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  2. When do you find time to read? Do you always carry a book with you for waiting times or what? I find I read a book every year or two. Hard to say but true.

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  4. Bargain! You did well to last until Jan 13th.
    I’ve started to attack our book shelves – trouble is I shall be offering them to you first once I’ve read them! x

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  6. Don’t ever make that resolution again! Oh, to deny yourself the pleasure, better to resolve to give more books to charity. I hope your daughter recovers well, sending healing vibes to her and courage to you, standing in for her.

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  7. I’m with Claire – turn that resolution on it’s head! Such great finds and such good value – I congratulate you on breaking that resolution 😉

    Why is that everyone else seems to find such amazing books lurking in their charity shops and it so rarely happens to me? I study every shelf carefully but rarely do I find a genuine treasure. Sigh…. I’ll keep looking though!

    And on a serious note, very good to hear that Ellie’s home and recovering. Wishing her well – and you and hubbie as you pick up the slack.

    (My Ellie is moving house today – 300 miles from me. And her youngest has just come down with tonsillitis. I’m supporting from a distance, which really means I’ll be getting in the way with encouraging texts 😉 )

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    2. Oh dear, I have a feeling that this name Ellie = getting into regular pickles. I hope her move goes well, even without your practical input. As to charity shops. First find your town. Ramsbottom was superior in its offerings in every way.

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  8. First, that’s great news about Ellie–and it’s so helpful that you and Malcolm can help on all those fronts. A friend recently had a mastectomy and I was sort of shocked, how quickly she seemed to bounce back from it! Re: the books–you need to look at it as supporting small business in a small town! You’re helping people make a living on their own terms! You’re making sure books don’t end up in the trash!! It’s all good.

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    1. Of course it’s all good, except …. where to put them? In fact Ellie’s other care-giver on this occasion was not Malcolm (who hasn’t been very well), but her dad, to whom I’ve not been married for a very long time. But we’ve been quite a good team, and she’s doing well.

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      1. I’m so glad to hear she’s doing well . . . and concerned that Malcolm isn’t. I guess I had an idea that you weren’t married to her dad anymore–whatever, as long as she’s being well taken care of, and those boys, too!

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  9. Have you read Daughters of the Dragon? It’s by William Andrews and a must especially for anyone with knowledge of Korea

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  10. I just had The Master out on audiobook. We use the library a lot. We used to buy charity books but as I still have books from student days, this did not help with the storage problem. I have been clearing out since New Year, but it’s so hard clearing out the classics, even when they’re so yellow and dusty no-one would ever want to look at them again. Many of them have lots of underlining and scrawled notes too.
    Pleased to hear Ellie is home and recovering. Wishing you all a quick recovery 💜

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    1. Thank you! I love Colm Toibin – have you seen Brooklyn, which I thought was a great interpretation of his book of the same name? As to charity shop books: new rule – one in, one back to a charity shop.

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  12. I wish Ellie very well and also you all the best in your care-giving.
    I tell myself that book-buying is forbidden but somehow I still manage to accrue more than I give away each year. I don’t have as much time for reading books as I used but that doesn’t seem to have any effect on the urge to acquire them. £3.75 for all those books? What a bargain!

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  13. I wouldn’t be able to keep that resolution either. I’d never buy another book if I had to read all of the books that I currently own before I bought another one. It’s good to hear that your daughter’s surgery went well.

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  14. I chuckled when I read your resolution and saw your pile of books. I promised my younger daughter that this year I would “shop” for books among those already on my shelves or on my Kindle, rather than acquiring any more. I’ve not done badly, so far…only bought 3…. 🙂
    Best wishes to Ellie!

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  15. If you are going to break an resolution it should be over books or good food or wine… something worthwhile and substantive. Hope your daughter is doing well – sending good wishes. I don’t believe any 11 year old is easy to get up in the morning. Have a wonderful week, enjoy your time with your grandkids and your daughter.

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    1. I will, thanks! My daughter and her children were/are extra challenging in the getting up departmemet. I tell my daughter it’s pay-back time. But she’s pretty fine at the moment and we’ve had a nice time thanks.

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