annalee

I love to find old books with personal inscriptions inside them. Last time I was in the second hand book shop here there were lots of books of Rilke who I love so I looked through them. They had been given to someone called Daphne and in one of them the person who had given her the book had written to her "To Daphne with love" and had then written out some small pieces of text from the book -

For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.

As the bees bring in the honey, so do we fetch the sweetness out of everything and build Him.

I thought it was such a sweet and precious thing to come across, I know I am foolishly sentimental but it's an emotion I really enjoy. Was the writer of the inscription madly in love with her? Did she love him back? I didn't buy the books but I enjoyed so much to steal in on that little experience. I am such a hopeless romantic, it was just a really delightful interlude. I use words like delightful and beautiful far too often but it is just how I feel about life :-) I'm kind of fascinated by other peoples possessions, or rather objects which once belonged to someone but for whatever reason, do no longer.

Maybe Daphne passed away and her family sold her things because they couldn't keep them all, or maybe she is alive and well and eating a scone as we speak but simply didn't want all these things anymore. Some objects can embody and mean so much to a particular person in which others won't see a single piece of worth. I suppose this is why I love museums so much too, imagining all the history and things that have happened around objects, how many people have used or passed or been close to them. I think I see too much value in things sometimes but it's sort of my hobby.

I wonder what will happen to my books once I die, will I have a family who will keep them and pass them on and on or will I be alone and my books will be sold on when my house is sold by the council as there is no one to take it? What will happen to all the cats though??? I mean, surely I will be a crazy cat lady....









I saw a fox last week and today at lunchtime I sat outside and there were four kinds of corvids sharing my oatcakes with me. I love the way magpies hop and run, they look like tiny funny dinosaurs with feathers.