Tuesday 14 February 2012

Forget Baby Steps, I have done a bunny hop!

Today is Valentines Day, so the calendar, yahoo and all supermarkets say!

Of course I wished my husband a Happy Valentines day after I woke up and realised, oh that is today!
But no, I didn't get him a card or a stuffed teddy bear holding a heart and neither did he get me any of those things. We wont be going out for dinner and no he didn't buy me any jewellery, and if he did I would certainly be disappointed in him for spending money on something I don't tend to wear, and for what I do own it does me just fine when I need to put on a dress and high heeled shoes. I am just a plain Jane and I don't like a fuss being made.

This morning, the usual 6:30 rise and shine and the news being put on for the weather and travel updates the first thing mentioned the moment the sound was up enough for me to hear it, but not that the neighbours would be woken up by the question that was being asked 'What is the secret to a long and happy relationship' ugh, honestly? is what I said. What ever happened to common sense? Treating your spouse how you would like to be treated, yes yes, men are from Mars and women aren't but deep down don't we all want to be treated equally and be loved and shouldn't that be enough? I don't need gifts to know that I am loved and I would no doubt feel suspicious if a gift or flowers were bought for me, especially randomly like when I am not the one picking out a bouquet of something bright and cheery while picking out the weeks worth of ingredients for the meals. No doubt the OCD takes pleasure in making me feel paranoid and suspicious, then again when do I not feel paranoid and suspicious, even of strangers across the street. I think that I would almost rather be the OCD and not the person with OCD because it sounds like the illness itself is having a great time!

I am more thankful and happy for the times where my husband washed the dishes and he is thankful and happy that I have learnt to stop nit picking about the water and soap suds ending up everywhere on the counter tops, the floor and somehow the fridge. That is enough for me and if this Valentines Day he feels like doing the dishes and helping me to prepare dinner that is fab and if he feeds the cat too as I hate touching cat food, well that would be super!

On another note and this is one that I must share, photos and all!

I was searching on line for a bookstore in the West end of Glasgow and I just couldn't put a name to the place let alone the opening hours. I still am yet to find it but instead I found this amazing, breath taking shop with the description that sounds like something out of a dream that I would never want to be woken up from, well, except if the husband was to make a pot of tea. (Tea obsessed, yes.)

This place, this wonderful wonderful place has book cases from the floor to ceiling, filled with books, vintage books, slightly new books and some real treasures to be found. Not only are there the filled to the brim cases but books stacked from the floor to my own height and with only enough room to walk the circuit around the shop! It was heaven and I asked my husband upon finding this shop on line if he would drive me down and check it out and within an hour we set off! It makes me realise just how far that I have come and I am addicted and I must must must return to this place but I am afraid that it will be one of these magical places where it was there once but to never be seen again and that would be heartbreaking! and I am not being over dramatic.
HERE is the link with further information about this truly amazing shop and if you are in the area it is worth checking out! For those who aren't in the area, get your butts over to Scotland immediately or else you will not just risk missing out but because you surely will!

I am already counting the days until Saturday where I plan on going again. This time my husband will hopefully park the car closer to the shop, not that I grudge the 15 minutes it took us to walk there from what we thought was an alright place to park .. not that it wasn't but it turns out there were closer spaces that would have saved us at least 14 minutes and that could have been another 14 minutes spent on looking at all of these books. I will need to take more cash and more reusable carrier bags, being that the books are so so cheap, my 1898 copy of J.M Barrie's A Window In Thrums only set me back £1 where as a copy of PG Wodehouse 2010 hardback The Code of The Woosters was just £2.50 and my last purchase and how that happened that I only took away 3 books is beyond my comprehension! The second volume of the works of Francis Thompson Poems published in if I am correct, 1913 and again, £1 ..

I struggle with touching things, especially along the lines of such used books and yet my enjoyment overcame the worst of the thoughts. Yes, I did wash my hands a lot after touching the books and even when I touch them now that they are in my home I still find myself scrubbing away but that is not just a baby step, that is a bunny hop!








                                            

11 comments:

  1. I'd say you did more than bunny hop! You galloped!

    I love Wodehouse! Have you ever seen the series staring Hugh Laurie called "Jeeves and Wooster?" It is hilareous and almost spot on the stories in the books.

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  2. I love love love Jeeves and Wooster! I have the complete box set and I could never grow tired of watching it! That and I am madly in love with Stephen Fry!

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  3. I like what you said about "I would almost rather be the OCD and not the person with OCD." Sometimes OCD seems like such a smart villain, cleverly attacking each person where they are more sensitive. Really, I doubt a human villain could do any better if only allowed to play with thoughts but not actually hurt anything.

    Congratulations on your bookstore success! I just love it when enjoyment trumps fear!

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  4. Good for you for going to the bookstore! Aren't books just the most wonderful thing? I've spent many hours reading as an escape from life (and OCD). At least book reading is a healthy obsession. Well, I think it is anyway. ha ha

    I agree with you about the important things in a relationship. My husband and I do exchange small gifts for Valentine's Day, but honestly, it is the day to day treatment of each other that really makes the difference. I've been saying for many years that I'd rather have someone be nice to me all year round instead of giving me a fabulous gift one day a year.

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  5. I could never tired of Jeeves and Wooster either! I laugh out loud in every episode and I sometimes listen to the books on cd in my car if I feel like I need to be cheered up :-)

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  6. Oh, those are pictures of heaven! Books, books, books!! Good for you for bunny hopping over to the store and enjoying yourself! I wish we had something like that in my town. I am far away from Scotland, but maybe someday . . .

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  7. Congradulations!!! I'm still scared of used books and used book stores, altho i'm ok with buying new-looking children's books that are published late enuf that they can't have been stuffed in someone's basement for years.

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  8. Maggie, this is an amazing step! I am a novice writer myself, but I haven't been able to go into a used book stores for years. It's all e-books for me. But, I don't know. Reading about this makes me think that maybe I could go too. As long as I can wash afterwards, I might be okay. So thank you for this. I also wanted to share a link about OCD that I've found really useful in the past: http://onlineceucredit.com/edu/social-work-ceus-ocd Keep up the amazing work! I'm loving the blog; I'll be back for sure.

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  9. That place seems like my idea of Heaven! I would not have been able to walk away with only three books. I'm so glad you've found such a wonderful place to go to, to look forward to, and I'm so happy for the amazing strides you have made! : )

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  10. Hi Maggie! Just wanted to let you know that I went to the library today and borrowed two books!

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  11. I have neglected so much over these last few weeks and coming back to all of these messages have put the biggest smile back onto my face! Thank you :)

    Sunny, I am so so sooo pleased to hear that you have been to the library and borrowed books! Wonderful news!

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