Bliss

I love a really good bookshop. And to be left in one for a number of hours. Well, not being able to walk very far so that one's husband disappears to do his own thing, does have its compensations.

I love Foyles . . . but it is certainly not the same as it used to be. Years ago it was quirky to say the least, now it is swanky, shiny, modern, but then as now they had books you just couldn't get anywhere else.

Founded in 1903 by two brothers selling their redundant textbooks, it has been an institution ever since. I remember it when it was full of dusty corners and wobbly stairs and a mystifying system of shelving that made it very difficult to find anything. When you did find what you wanted, it was hard to make a purchase - one had to get an invoice, pay the invoice and then return to collect the book. Two quotes of the time: 'Imagine Kafka had gone into the book trade' - (seen in a book shelter) ' Foyled again? Try Dillons.'

It has now lost all of that and become efficient - but it still has books you can't get anywhere else. Some books were purchased today!