We're taking a bit of a breather while the world rearranges its underpants. Meanwhile, the other blog is here.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Lotus eaters

Staying with friends in the Fort Baxter area affords me the opportunity to take up The Major's invitation to have a look around the Sheboygan Library, Sauna & Wet Room. It is exactly as advertised: a palladian splendour with malachite urinals and rosewood handles to the birch twigs. The main lending library is a gobsmacker: it's so high that none of the walls quite reach the ceiling and there are shelves upon shelves upon shelves. They even have books on the shelves. I'm suitably impressed.

Repairing to the Major's place in downtown Australopithecine we sit on the porch sipping tea and sharing a chocolate hobnob (the local store sells them at a price slightly short of the cost of an Aston Martin). Lolling in the sunshine, watching the vultures circling overhead, I listen to the urgent threnody of miscellaneous Insecta in the shrubbery and the barking calls of the sambar and langur (or is that lumbar and Shergar?)
"By gad, Carruthers, it's not like the old place!"

"Nay lad," he replies, "who'd a thowt it?"

6 comments:

Gadjo Dilo said...

It all sounds delightful. Is anybody actually reading those books in the library? (Sorry, I'm getting cynical, but here in Romania I swear people buy them by the yard for display on their shelves.)

Kevin Musgrove said...

Allegedly so, according to the statistics.

If you were to read some of the comments about libraries in the national press you'd think that the only thing we should do is buy books by the yard for display purposes.

Lavinia said...

You're whetting my appetite for the annual university book sale (thousands of used books donated for the purpose). Several of the colleges at University of Toronto participate. Its a book buying bonanza!

I feel as though I needed a Canadian/English translation dictionary for parts of your post!

Kevin Musgrove said...

There's folk who require English/English subtitles to this blog!

Anonymous said...

I just want you to know it was a pleasure having you in the Fort Baxter / Sheboygan / Australopithecine triangle. Some of the other staff ay the Sauna were impressed by your Birch-Twig work.

Kevin Musgrove said...

How kind. Thank you Major. I may have found a new vocation.