For Brenda

A few weeks ago I was wandering the streets with the buggy complete with two sleeping little ones when I walked past a second hand bookshop that was closing down and selling all books at 25p.

I have been in this shop before and it is not really any good but it was cold so we went in. I heard the owner mention that arts and photography were at the back of the shop so after fighting with the buggy and a few piles of old books we found ourselves in an old damp room at the back of the shop.

I had a good hunt around until baby woke up and we came out having spent a whole pound. Two of the books I bought were old photography ones. A 1979 copy of the Photographer's Handbook by John Hedgecoe and a 1981 copy of Me and My Camera by Joe Partridge. I chose these purely on the pictures inside thinking that they could give me some inspiration od tough blip days.

The other day I opened these books to have a quick look at them and saw that Me and My Camera was actually a sign copy. The message seems to read "For Brenda, Remembering a lot of roads travelled and a lot of roads still to travel"

When I read this I wonder why Brenda has given this book up. I like to presume she was not a fan of the authors poor use of past and future tense in his kind words and so discarded it on that basis.

Well I already feel I have got my 25 pence worth from this book and I have not even got to page one yet!