I was writing about my early years for my autobiography and talking about my local library when I was a boy. You went in via one door and out via another. Inside the in door was a high counter where you gave the books you were returning to a grumpy looking assistant who gave you that "what is someone of your age doing in the library?" It wasn't welcoming. The shelves were high and regimented in a line. If you wanted a book from the top shelf you had to stand on these little platforms that for some unaccountable reasons were on wheels (castors). This meant they were easy to move around but equally easy to fall off.
When you returned a book the assistant would manually or womanually sort through boxes in alphabetical order of library users and find your tickets which would be little brown devils into which slips could be inserted. You then had to carry these around with you. I seem to remember that as a junior you were allowed four books at any one time and when you got older this was increased to six.
The children's section had lower shelves. After choosing your books you took them to the out counter which was close to the out door. Slips would be taken from the book, inserted into your little brown thingees and then popped into alphabetical boxes, of which there were a number. Then you would exit.
Throughout this process you wouldn't talk to anyone. There were probably "Silence" notices around the library and if you did talk you would get a stare at best or a warning at worst. There were no seats to sit and read. It was all very clinical but I still loved going there as it contained (not surprisingly) books and I loved books. You never knew what joy was contained in the pages or what you could learn through the simple process of reading.
On Saturday evening I went to a quiz organised by the Friends of Hethersett Library group of which I am vice-chair. It was held in the village hall as the library wouldn't be big enough. We do organise talks and presentations inside the library, however.
I popped into the library yesterday to take some books back. I do remember when Hethersett library was organised by assistants giving you tickets but these were pleasant people and illustrated just how the library system was changing.
On Saturday the library was alive. I popped my books into a computer reader which then printed out a receipt to say I had taken them back. A few weeks ago a post office was set up in the library and so there was a queue for this. Children were enjoying a Lego club in the central area. Tea and coffee was available and the library has been designated a warm space for people to go in the winter months. Boy how things have changed.
Norwich Library at the very modern Forum building is somewhere I actually travel into Norwich to go to. There are plenty of seats and relaxing areas where you can read books and magazines and lots of groups meeting there. Sometimes I lose track of time as I 1/read and 2/keep and eye and ear out for what is going on around me (material for future blogs).
But getting back to Hethersett Library. It really is the hub of the community. There is joy and fun within its walls. Children are very much welcomed. Next Saturday we even have a children's party. Numbers for this were limited and it was over subscribed within days and a waiting list was set-up. It is rumoured that Father Christmas will be there.
The library service is something that has moved with the times. It is no longer a musty place of silence and almost fear. Today it is vibrant and modern. Go to any football ground in the country and you will hear a chant from fans aimed at opposition supporters when they aren't making much noise. This chant is "Is this a Library?" That implies libraries are still places of complete silence and that couldn't be further from the truth.
A few years ago libraries were under threats from cuts. In modern day vernacular I for one would go ballistic if our library was forced to shut through Government cuts. It would be an assault on art, literacy and much more.
If there was any suggestion that our library is/was under threat (and hopefully that is no longer the case) I would write to our MP Richard Bacon. Oh hold on a minute I wrote to him over a year ago and haven't received a reply. And yesterday I looked at his official website and on the front page is the following:
Richard welcomes appointment of Prime Minister Liz Truss
This headline links to an article welcoming Liz Truss as Prime Minister and states that Mr Bacon is looking forward to working with the new Prime Minister. It concludes:
"Another cause to give me hope is the fact that we now have our third woman Prime Minister, (who also is a Norfolk MP to boot), and a woman Deputy Prime Minister (from neighbouring Suffolk – but we won’t hold that against her!). As we head into autumn, with very real and serious problems facing the country, I am glad to be working with such excellent and determined colleagues."
If this isn't a case of an MP being totally out of touch and not fit to serve I don't know what is. I really don't know what Mr Bacon is playing at. For Bloggettes reading this who live outside the UK - Liz Truss was Prime Minister for 44 days before she resigned (or was forced to resign). Rishi Sunak has been Prime Minister for 33 days as of yesterday. That means Mr Bacon's completely out of date piece was written around 11 weeks ago.
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Next I continue to feature blogs written whilst on our recent holiday.
You've heard about the English Civil War, the American Civil War and many more wars but I'm going to write about a little known skirmish entitled The Laundry Room War.
The most dangerous place on the cruise ship is without doubt the laundry room.
These are dotted around the ship. They are small rooms with three washing machines and three driers above them.
With 1500 passengers you might think it's a scramble to get to use one anyway but it gets worse.
We have heard stories of two people being ordered off the ship and a member of staff being hit with an iron.
I ventured into one of these rooms on a couple of occasions during the trip and it wasn't a pleasant experience I can tell you.
The war itself featured a number of skirmishes including the battle of the left sock, the battle of the linen basket and the bloodthirsty battle of the ironing board.
Apparently the laundry rooms bring out the worst in people.
Two people were sent packing from the ship due to incidents in the laundry room. The first involved a man who didn't like somebody taking out his washing and putting it in a basket so they could wash their things. Apparently he had a meltdown and was asked to leave. Then a woman also lost it and attacked another guest with an iron. She left the ship very quickly as well. There were other instances of staff being abused over washing.
So the next time you feel a little fragile about doing the washing, just remember the high seas washing wars.
We tended to wash every couple of days to keep everything fresh and save us time when we get home.
That probably qualified us to be multi washers, earn spin miles and join the clean up crew.
So here we are in Perth, Western Australia. I won't say that Perth has exceeded my expectations because my expectations of what I would find were high. What I will say is that Perth has met my expectations.
Many days ago I wrote about saying hello to people, asking them how they are and not waiting for a reply. I mentioned a lady who told us of her Monday woes. She epitomised everyone who served us in Perth. They were helpful, friendly and polite. They smiled, asked us where we came from and genuinely made us feel welcome.
The lady I spoke about was at the city's new cricket ground. Unfortunately it was shut and we couldn't get a look inside. But to me that didn't really matter. There is no real history to this ground. Just a short distance away is the much older WACA.
This is one of the most historic cricket grounds in the world. Again we couldn't get in but we did see the back of the Lillee/Marsh stand named in honour of fearsome Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee and former wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh.
Lillee was inadvertently the subject of one of the most famous wickets in history. He was caught by Peter Willey off the bowling of Graham Dilley hence the phrase Lillee caught Willey bowled Dilley. I believe he also caused a stir by going into bat with an aluminium bat rather than the usual wooden ones.
As for the strange name of the ground. WACA simply stands for the Western Australian Cricket Association.
As soon as we got off the cruise ship in Fremantle and through customs we were met by the Fremantle Doctor and very welcome he, she or it was.
Just to explain - the Freemantle Doctor is a cooling wind that comes off the sea and brings welcome relief from the heat to Fremantle and Perth.
Mind you the temperature here was so much more bearable than in Asia. We walked to our hotel along the Swan River, stopping off on the way for a coffee. Spent the afternoon looking round Perth and then sat outside an Italian restaurant in the evening and enjoyed a pizza. More about Perth tomorrow.