things change

Mike’s blog – for his amusement

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  • Oxfam books (2)

    I came across this item in the comments section of a Guardian article about the worst book you’ve ever read. It’s rather relevant to my blog post Oxfam books.
    “I frequently buy books in charity shops and plead with fellow readers not to recycle their bad books in that way. If you have a woodburning stove, heat your house with bad writing. If you have a compost heap, fertilise your garden with literary manure. If you have a wheely bin for paper, cardboard and so on, anchor it to your kerbside with weighty nonsense. But please don’t pollute the charity shops with horrible books – somebody after all will buy them.”
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  • Cloudy London
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  • "It’s not a crime to cheat on your wife!"

    A terrific second story in The Young Montalbano series. This is turning out to be as equally wonderful as the Inspector Montalbano series and it’s hilarious to see the references to the characters in the original series.

    As I watched our hero open a bottle of wine and prepare a gorgeous plate of Italian food, I was driven to join him by quickly dashing to open a bottle of red!

    An absolute joy.

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  • Eirianfa B&B, Llanrhaeadr YM Mochnant

    “Eirianfa closed for business on Monday 9th September 2013. Thank you to all of our customers for making the past six and a half years so fantastic! If you would still like to stay in Llanrhaeadr YM try Bron Heulog 01691 780521 or The Plough 01691 780654. Very best wishes, Tony”

    Sad news.

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  • Kings Cross & Marylebone High Street

    It’s worth walking around the developments at the rear of Kings Cross station. Not much appears to have changed since my last visit, but I’m sure it must have!
    Marylebone High Street is a lovely street (it’s a fair distance to walk from Kings Cross!). The Oxfam bookshop has been revamped and now sells clothes. Boo! Unfortunately I couldn’t find any books on this visit.
    A light, cafe-lunch at the Nordic Bakery, which is just off the High Street, was very pleasant. Thanks for lunch, Lucy. Its web site has probably the worst home page you’re ever likely to come across!
    I managed to find a couple of novels (full price!) at the wonderful Daunt Books. Curiously they section books by country, which makes for a different browsing experience. It’s well worth a visit.

    Rear of Kings Cross Station
    Nordic Bakery
    Off Marylebone High Street
    Daunt Books
    Marylebone High Street
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  • The Young Montalbano
    Oh what joy on BBC4,  The Young Montalbano. 
    There are another 5 episodes, so that’s Saturday nights sorted!
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  • London Great River Race
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  • EIGHT toilets!

    Some friends have just bought a house with 8 toilets.
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  • Pineapple with spoon

    The 20p copy of the i newspaper was listed on the petrol station receipt as ‘pineapple with spoon – 20p’. Yummy!
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  • Hire a folding cycle!

    Hire a Brompton folding cycle!

    Locations throughout the UK and the prices look reasonable. Not sure how comfortable the bikes are, or how easy/stable they are to ride.
    Still, a great idea and a great website.
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