Saturday 8 October 2011

Interesting Customers

Some days are just more interesting than others, especially when there's time to chat to some of the customers.
These lovely gentlemen all came in on the same day:
Our first gentleman was researching lichens in churchyards, and trying to find lichens in the wild that corresponded to them. (He was buying Natural History books, of course). He was very disappointed by the Radnorshire habit of whitewashing the outsides of churches - before he'd managed to look at the church walls!
Our second chap was setting up a small blacksmith's forge in his garden shed, and was looking for books that gave details of blacksmithing tools. I chatted to him about some of the people I'd met in re-enactment circles that made their own armour, and our local Tools For Self Reliance, that sends blacksmithing kits out to Tanzania from Crickhowell.
Our third gentleman came from Bradford, but was fascinated by all things Welsh. He belongs to the Bradford St David's Society. Over there in Bradford, he is able to take regular Welsh lessons, and spend evenings practicing Welsh conversation with local Welsh people. On St David's Day, the Lord Mayor of Bradford holds a reception for them, and they have dinner (Welsh lamb, of course) at one of the best hotels, and they also have a Noson Lawen (which is a musical evening).
Finally, it was a bit rotten of me, but I had to giggle. A gentleman came in towards the end of the day; he was on a walking holiday, and he'd packed his Kindle to bring with him. So why was he buying books?
It broke.

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