It's got to me again! I've spent most of tonight (whilst intermittently getting distracted by other peoples blogs or skim watching TV) clearing a tiny corner of my living room, lounge, or whatever else you might want to call it. I do this periodically and never finish the whole room. In fact I do it in every room and never finish any of them. Having moved (years ago) from a very small house with a very large cellar, to my minute (but could look good if I didn't smoke in here and got rid of all the clutter) one bedroom flat with no extra storage space, I still haven't managed to get rid of enough stuff to have room to move about in here.
Anyway, to waffle on a bit more, the reason I started this time was so that I could move my shiny new widescreen laptop (it might be a laptop but it's not an overly portable one) off the chair that I'd moved directly in front of the sofa to somewhere a little bit safer. I've managed that now (it's still right by my favourite sofa spot), but on looking around I've got a very nice laptop space but have just moved everything else onto the floor, table, old PC desk (with the old PC still there) and various bookcases. In fact I haven't really made a whole lot of difference!
The problem is I find it really difficult to get rid of things. Over the past year I've managed to move out 20+ black bin bags of old clothes, and get rid of other stuff, but as fast (well, probably not that fast) as I do that, I replace it with even more stuff.
Books are one big problem. I never used to be able to get rid of any. In fact I abandoned a load at my mum and dad's many years ago (and they're still there, and I keep adding to that collection), I also took a load to one of the local market stalls at one point. I do still however have 3 bookcases full that I can't bring myself to get rid of. As an avid reader the collection kept growing so last year I joined the Read It Swap It site thinking that I could stop adding to the collection by getting rid of a book every time I got a new one. That doesn't work, I still buy new books and will often swap the ones I don't want to keep for ones to add to my favourite authors collection. I think I need a new job that pays enough for me to be able to buy a huge house so I can have a room set aside as a library!
Anyway, I've started again, and told people here this time, so let's see how far I get. If anyone has any advice on how to let go of things (I always think they might come in useful at some future point even though I will happily acknowledge that I haven't used, looked at, thought about, them for ages), please let me know. I really do need to just dump loads!
Sorry, not an exciting post I know. Maybe when I do manage to declutter I will find more interesting things to post about...
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Saturday, 17 February 2007
From TV to childhood books
OK, before I start this, I'm going to admit that I am a very sad TV addict. I religiously watch all sorts of stuff, not at all educational, and I am a total reality TV addict. This has no connection to reality TV though, it's closer to my other TV thing which is becoming known in some places as cult TV, things like Dr Who, Lost, 24, Star Trek and so on. With my TV preferences now almost fully exposed I can say that I was watching the first episode of the second series of Life on Mars the other night. I'm getting desperate to know exactly what is going on. Is Sam in a coma, is it all his imagination, or has he actually managed to time travel to 1973? This series is apparently going to be the last - so I hope we actually get to know by the end of it. It's quite strange to watch, sort of The Bill in a UK Starsky and Hutch style, but with a kind of possible time travel sort of twist.
Well, that's what got me going. During the episode Annie Cartwright, "a female in the police at a time when women were often undermined, underused, ignored, and taken for granted" (that still sounds familiar on occasion), managed to persuade the guys to listen to the results of some investigative work she'd done and mentioned Nancy Drew. That immediately started me thinking about the books I used to read.
We travelled a lot when I was younger, so much so that by the time I was eleven I was at my eleventh school! As an only child this meant that, until I'd had time to settle in at a new location, I had to keep myself entertained. This resulted in a very early love of reading just about every genre of fiction going. I still remember my blonde curly haired "cousin" taking the mick out of me as I laid on the sofa or floor reading, my arms tended to extend straight upwards as I got more engrossed. (Unfortunately these days my eyes can't quite cope with that distance.)
I have to admit that I was a total Enid Blyton fan. I think I started with things like Noddy, The Faraway Tree, The Wishing Chair and The Naughtiest Girl, but it soon moved on. I know there are quite a few people who are anti Enid Blyton but I still think she's great. She kept me entertained throughout my childhood and definitely helped me develop my imagination.
I moved on, got into Mallory Towers and St Clares, both also by Enid Blyton, and then also found the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer. I think it was the constant changing of schools that got me into these.
Eventually I found mysteries. I'm not sure which I got to first, the Secret Seven or the Famous Five, but I think that is where my interest in adventure stories started.
I did move on to other authors, The Hardy Boys published under the pen name Franklin W Dixon but actually created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Also created by the syndicate were Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins, more old favourites of mine – you can find more information on these by following the links from the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
Thinking about it I’m sad that with all the moves over the years my extensive collection of childrens books got left behind somewhere. I would have liked to revisit them. I guess if it comes to it I could always borrow them from the library but I do always have a huge pile of books waiting to be read.
Now I'm a tad (ooohh - that gives my age away) older I still have a diverse interest in fiction (I'll probably elaborate on that for me at some point in the future). I'd like to know what everyone else read as a child, and where it has led them to nowadays. Go on; let me know with your comments.
Well, that's what got me going. During the episode Annie Cartwright, "a female in the police at a time when women were often undermined, underused, ignored, and taken for granted" (that still sounds familiar on occasion), managed to persuade the guys to listen to the results of some investigative work she'd done and mentioned Nancy Drew. That immediately started me thinking about the books I used to read.
We travelled a lot when I was younger, so much so that by the time I was eleven I was at my eleventh school! As an only child this meant that, until I'd had time to settle in at a new location, I had to keep myself entertained. This resulted in a very early love of reading just about every genre of fiction going. I still remember my blonde curly haired "cousin" taking the mick out of me as I laid on the sofa or floor reading, my arms tended to extend straight upwards as I got more engrossed. (Unfortunately these days my eyes can't quite cope with that distance.)
I have to admit that I was a total Enid Blyton fan. I think I started with things like Noddy, The Faraway Tree, The Wishing Chair and The Naughtiest Girl, but it soon moved on. I know there are quite a few people who are anti Enid Blyton but I still think she's great. She kept me entertained throughout my childhood and definitely helped me develop my imagination.
I moved on, got into Mallory Towers and St Clares, both also by Enid Blyton, and then also found the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer. I think it was the constant changing of schools that got me into these.
Eventually I found mysteries. I'm not sure which I got to first, the Secret Seven or the Famous Five, but I think that is where my interest in adventure stories started.
I did move on to other authors, The Hardy Boys published under the pen name Franklin W Dixon but actually created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Also created by the syndicate were Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins, more old favourites of mine – you can find more information on these by following the links from the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
Thinking about it I’m sad that with all the moves over the years my extensive collection of childrens books got left behind somewhere. I would have liked to revisit them. I guess if it comes to it I could always borrow them from the library but I do always have a huge pile of books waiting to be read.
Now I'm a tad (ooohh - that gives my age away) older I still have a diverse interest in fiction (I'll probably elaborate on that for me at some point in the future). I'd like to know what everyone else read as a child, and where it has led them to nowadays. Go on; let me know with your comments.
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