Library (2)

 

The unusual September heatwave is breaking up, and we had a bit of rain on and off today. After lunch (and the rain just then more off than on), I went to explore the interior of the new district library (cf. previous post for photos of the exterior).  

Indoors it turned out to be a bit like a labyrinth on first impression, with several small rooms opening into one another in various directions - but turning out to lead round more or less in a circle, ending up back at the reception desk facing the entrance. I only snapped a couple of photos where there were no people at the moment. 

I spent about half an hour trying to get aquainted with how they have organised the books (by genre etc). I also picked one book to borrow, as I also wanted to update my library card and get (re)acquainted with the current registration system they're using. As I also told the librarian at the desk, it's been a while since I last borrowed a physical book - my loans lately have all been e-books and audio books online. I knew I had updated my online data not too long ago, but (as I suspected) it turned out that I also needed a new physical card. 

Even at this small library one can now also borrow and return books by "self scanning"; and as the librarian at the desk happened to have some temporary trouble with her own machine there, I also got an instruction in that.  Either way, the procedure at this small library felt a lot less daunting than all the machinery one has to face at the main library these days. (Cf my post from 2012 that I also linked to in my previous post.) Because of the premises, it also has quite a cosy old-fashioned feel about it. I will probably continue to drop in now and then just for that, even if the bulk of my actual reading is likely to continue to be by digital downloads... ;-)

Library

A Big Happening in my little world took place this week: My neighbourhood got its district library back. 

When I first moved to where I live now, 16 years ago, there was a district library only five minutes walk from home for me. A number of years later (I can no longer recall exactly when), they had to leave those premises, and ended up being merged with another district library - too far away and in the wrong direction to serve the purpose for me. At the time, it was actually easier for me to get to the main library downtown (but up a hill), by bus. The main library, however, had by then already got rather "impersonal"... (Searching my blog now, I found this post from September 2012 describing that.) So ever since the nearby small library closed, I've really not frequented any physical library much, but mostly kept to Kindle and Audible + now and then some online library services.

The reason that the district library is now (temporarily) back in my neck of the woods is that the building where they resided over the past X years is now about to be torn down and replaced by a new assisted living facility for elderly people. After that project has been completed, I understand the library will probably be moving back there. But meanwhile, they have now moved into a charming old wooden building some 7-8 minutes walk towards the town centre for me. It used to serve as a preschool, but has now been empty for a while.

They opened on Monday, and yesterday afternoon I thought I'd go and check it out - only to find that on Fridays they close early. So I had to settle for just having a good look around the outside to start with. Good opportunity for that, though, as there were no people about!

I'll be returning to check out the inside another day. Even if I prefer reading on Kindle and "by ear" these days, I'm looking forward to some browsing - and just a place like that within easy walking distance, not least in winter.

Between Seasons

 

Today I got out for an "early" walk, as in around 10 a.m., before it got too hot. We're still in that rather unusual September heatwave, which at the moment seems likely to last into next week. At the same time, certain trees are turning more and more yellow already, and also dropping quite a few leaves to the ground. The sensations one gets from one's eyes vs the warm air touching one's skin don't quite add up, somehow.

 

Who drops one sandal on a footpath without noticing??
(It's not a really small child's shoe.)

 A high summer flowerbed starting to look a bit "wild"...

 

Time is Out of Joint

 

 

 

Photos from a flowerbed in my neighbourhood, snapped about a week ago. I was surprised to see the pansies, as they are normally spring flowers!

A Shakespeare quote comes to mind: "The Time is Out of Joint"... (Hamlet)

Another proof of that is that today is 4 September, and in the southern parts of Sweden we are setting heat records for this time of year, with temperatures around 28-29'C (82-84'F)

Laundry day for me anyway, so I had a good excuse to just stay in. Even with the dryers going, the basement laundry room felt nice and cool compared to my balcony...

Colour

At the end of yesterday's post I mentioned that from recent visits to a couple of clothes shops in our town centre, my impression was that we seem to be facing a rather "beige" autumn... (Which did not really appeal to me at all.)

In the hope of finding other options, today I took the bus "across town" to my favourite clothes shop in one of the malls there. To my relief, there I was indeed met by a wider and more colourful selection. I ended up buying two items from their end-of-summer sale (a thin pink cotton cardigan with zipper + a dark blue T-shirt with print), and three from the autumn collection: Two T-shirts with long sleeves (one burgundy and one dark green), and one pair of stretchy burgundy trousers. Those are all basic colours in my wardrobe since before, and the new items therefore easy to match with older ones.

The downside, I suppose, might be that no one will actually notice I bought anything new! (The upside, though, is that I'm pretty sure I'll feel comfortable in them.)

 

 

Quote/image copied from I'm not sure where...