If my train will come

Browsing. It’s a good way to pass some time. For me, I’d always opt for a book shop over a record shop, for MOH it’s probably the other way round. But when we were in Northumberland in the summer neither of us wanted to pass up the opportunity to browse Barter Books on the day we visited Alnwick.

We’d opted to visit Alnwick Castle and then headed into the town and found our way to one of the largest second hand bookshops in Britain, which is also home of the original ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster.

The bookshop opened in 1991 and as its name suggests was based on the swap system. It opened in Alnwick’s old Victorian railway station, where it remains today. Today the bookshop is made up of seven rooms, and retains the Old Waiting Room as a place to sit, have a meal, read newspapers and enjoy the open fire with a coffee.

A model railway circles above you as you browse the books, and I must admit I became quite taken with it, trying to get a shot of the engines as they passed by. There’s so much more than I can share with you in a single blog post - but if you’re in the area, or close enough to visit, then it’s really a must visit kind of place. But if not, there’s so much more for you to see on their website.

The books, the building, the trains and the whole ambience was a wonder to experience. And that’s without mentioning the cafe, ice cream bar, the art installations and the poetry on display.

SUNSET AND EVENING STAR. AND ONE CLEAR CALL FOR ME! AND MAY THERE BE NO MOANING OF THE BAR. WHEN I PUT OUT TO SEA. - TENNYSON.

TO POSTERITY

WHEN BOOKS HAVE ALL SEIZED UP LIKE THE BOOKS IN GRAVEYARDS
AND READING AND EVEN SPEAKING HAVE BEEN REPLACED
BY OTHER, LESS DIFFICULT MEDIA, WE WONDER IF YOU
WILL FIND IN FLOWERS AND FRUIT THE SAME COLOUR AND TASTE
THEY HELD FOR US FOR WHOM THEY WERE FRAMED IN WORDS,
AND WILL YOUR GRASS BE GREEN, YOUR SKY BE BLUE,
OR WILL YOUR BIRDS BE ALWAYS WINGLESS BIRDS?

LOUIS MACNEICE (FROM VISITATIONS, 1957)

We spent a good hour or so here, and could quite easily have spent the same amount of time again. It’s a place you could come back to again and again, and each time find something new to marvel at. And that too is part of what makes it great.

Books and bed...

So now we know our post-lockdown tiers. For London it’s tier 2, which is what I expected really, and hoped that it wouldn’t be tier 3, I do feel for those that have unexpectedly found themselves there. I think it was probably close for London, and to be honest with the amount of people out and about on ‘essential’ trips, it could quite easily escalate.

And so, books and bed is quite apt. That feels like a very sensible option. So I thought it was a good time to share the bedroom in the holiday cottage we stayed in last month, ahead of all these tiers. It was a small, but perfectly formed space.

So small that it was mostly the king size bed. The ‘room’ itself had two ‘doors’ or rather curtains across each entrance. There was no walking around the bed, and the bed was high. So high, that there were small stools to help you climb in. But it was a fab space.

The alcove above the pillows held plenty of stylish looking books. Carefully arranged, but books that were clearly well used. As books should be.

The colours drew me in. And then the books did too.

The childhood memories from these Observer’s books came flooding back. I’m sure we had a similar series of books, if not these.

Definitely a world of information at your fingertips.

I told you the room was small didn’t I? But one stuffed full of character.

And despite the decorative approach to the wardrobe there was plenty of inbuilt storage space. Under the bed. That’s why it was so high. The pull out drawers were large enough to hold our travel bag. That alone was worth climbing into bed for.

I hope you’re coping with the latest announcements and the restrictions they bring. I’ve a busy few weeks at work ahead, but the thought - and promise to myself - of books and bed will get me through it.

Narnia: A good book and a beautiful border

The Chronicles of Narnia was one of the books of my childhood, it’s a classic and I hope it’s regarded in the same way for children today. The most classic, or the classic-ist of the series, surely has to be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and so there had to be a wardrobe in this Beautiful Border at Gardeners’ World Live last year. And thankfully there was.

It turned out to be a smart move as complete with mirrors, false perspective trellis, vertical bedded walls and the top it provided a lot more space and height than many of the other borders at the show. Of course the ice queen and her surroundings are comprised of the white, silver and blue plants, cool enough to make you shiver.

It was a border that was packed, and packed with plenty of my favourite plants. These white astrantias and as I walked further around the border - and not through the wardrobe - the much warmer colours of the red hot pokers and gazanias.

The garden was designed by Derby College and sponsored by the Derby Branch of the MS Society, and was clearly popular with everyone who clamoured around it to see more, to experience the Narnia-factor for themselves.

Stepping back the garden just worked, it transported any of us that knew the story but also worked for those only just discovering Narnia. The bigger picture only worked though, as in life, by ensuring the detail was correct too.

The slate on its slide representing a stream of trickling water, and as ever with these borders it makes use of plants that are easily accessible: hostas, roses, lobelia and I think I can spy some alyssum in the photo below too.

Isn’t it great? And doesn’t it make you want to re-read the books?