A Bookshop in Bath
A bookshop found in Bath.
It has been over a month since I ditched the social media, and I am really really enjoying it, or at least I am enjoying the time gained in its absence.I haven’t quite kicked my WhatsApp addiction – I slightly long for a life without WhatsApp groups, as I hate not knowing the tone of voice being used, and constantly find myself being irked by messages that were probably never intended to be irksome. But I am attempting not to use my phone after 9pm in the evening, and often now don’t check it until lunchtime, which is very refreshing.It has made me think a lot about being ‘offline’. There are some things I wouldn’t even know where to begin with without the internet, for instance train times and flight booking, some - Google Maps - that are just so useful and efficient, and others I would never want to give up – audio books, music and films (currently The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Frank Turner's Be More Kind and everything about St Elmo's Fire, in particular Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy's outfits).I have however been reading a lot more books and actually finishing them (Maggie Nelson's Bluets the most recent), I even bought a second-hand Pentax K1000 camera and have been learning to use it, I love that every photo needs to be considered, and the slower process of getting them developed and receiving a hard copy. I am seeking out recommendations from people, as really these are always better than any Tripadvisor review can ever be. And I thought I would never say this but I really am enjoying wearing a watch! I am also trying to stand up straighter, as I am sure I have developed a minor ‘looking down at your phone whilst walking / all the time’ hunch, so now I am looking up at things!!This weekend we went to a wedding in Bath, which was wonderful, and on Sunday we explored the city in the sunshine. Not far from where we were staying we came across the more amazing bookshop, Mr B’s Emporium.I love bookshops so much, the time spent browsing, the quietness and the vast amount of knowledge, ideas and stories stored neatly on shelves, waiting patiently to be discovered. This is a very very good bookshop indeed, it’s just as it should be, situated in a townhouse with narrow corridors and creaking floorboards, ideal for exploring, with the sunshine gently falling through the windows, and an unexpected book around every corner.After the lovely surprise of bumping into a friend in the shop (the best people can be found in bookshops), and much browsing, I came away with two books, a new notebook and a Palomino pencil (pink with a blue rubber) and was very very happy. Afterwards, we sat in the park below the Royal Crescent near to the bandstand, from which some fun show tunes were playing, and enjoyed an afternoon of reading, with a Mr Whippy ice cream too.Below are some photos I took, and do do go to Bath - it’s only an hour and a half by train from Paddington, and is such a beautiful place, with amazing buildings and architecture around every corner.
Alice xxx
