Karoo Travels - The Serendipity Book Store in Bedford

The Signs Of this Little Book Store In The Karoo Town Of  Bedford Caught Our Eyes

BOOKS AND THINGS! why resist?

The Serendipity Book Store in Bedford in Donkin Street is situated in a "historical"

Since there is not too much traffic on the main road of Bedford, stopping right o away on the side of the road is not a problem. The small Karoo town is a rather sleepy place, except on Fridays. The signboard that captured our attention belongs to an old house, 150 years, that has already historical value in South Africa.
"Well it's not like in Europe, where you have houses, that are a thousand years old," the owner explained,"but for here it's a very old lady."  

Bedford Street Scenes - A Karoo Town In South Africa

The Signs Promise Books, Books, Books  - In Bedford

The Serendipity Book Shop is located on the left side of the main just before leaving Bedford

old houses and old walls

The Karoo has seduced many with their indescribable charm. The open plains, extremely hot in summer and wit icy cold nights in winter have drawn many from the big cities. And so it happened to  the owner of this book store, who relocated from Cape Town where she has lived many years to this small village in the Karoo.

Mountains in the distance

"We decided to move to the country and have never regretted it. It's a beautiful place and we have so many gorgeous old houses here. Just drive off the main road and you will see them".

The inside is as interesting as the outside.

The owner busy marking some German books

"Just be a careful" she says, there is so much dust, I have been away for a while and I just opened the doors today. Lucky us!"

Some other "Things" at the entrance of the Bedford Book Store

The locals are having their chat across the road

DAILY LIGHT

MY DAILY LIGHT

OUT OF TUNE

But they would like to sing

Writing A Book Is No Easy Thing

I was told by one of my friends last night that I should start writing a novel or a book. She said it's overdue.

She said also that I should not just throw my thoughts and reflections out into the world, or for the matter of fact into your face, you treasured friends and readers. She said this was to easy.

I have been told so repeatedly. That it's time for me to write a book.

TRUE. I know for sure I am writer. I am born to write because words come easy to me like bees to the honey and I am story teller in real life.

The problem is just where to start. There is material for 12 books. Yes I think I could do twelve or more in my life time. Long big books. But where to start, where to start...............

Would I have been born 500 years earlier I would have spent my life with great pleasure traveling on a horse-wagon through the countryside, pausing here and there in small villages and earning a coin for every story told. Making people believe. Drinking wine and eating roasted goats-meat in my free time. A man of no conventions and no responsibilities, traveling free like a goose in winter.

But I also fancy myself in the orient, in hot and dry countries- the world of beautiful women in veils. I could have done a little bit of Persian carpet selling at the side. And by the way, I would have been a man for a change 500 years back .

And in the unlikely event that my stories should have dried up - there would be always a nice tea-drinking and resting place on top of the carpets in the airy corner shop with two doors on the market of which I would be the owner. Watching the women in their veils pass by would make me more than happy. Life is great and simplicity is happiness.

Which does not help us with the question now how I will get my first book onto paper? I am not even thinking about publishing but to have it in black and white in front of me would be a miracle.

I have been turning this thought an eternity in my head. So now it's decided. Faites vos jeux.

The book will be written. And unlike the tree in the picture it won't take an eternity anymore to grow.

All the pretty books

The Book of Wisdom

I met a seer

He held in his hands

The book of wisdom

"Sir", I adressed him,

"Let me read"

"Child"----- he began.

"Sir", I said.

"Think not that I am a child,

For already I know much

Of that which you hold

Ay much".

He smiled

Then he opened the book

And held it before me

Strange that I should have gone so suddenly blind.

Stephen Crane

The physical presence of books in my life is given.They are everywhere. It is unlikely that I can pass a bookshop, a sale, or shelf without stopping for a glance. I don't know why. The reason can't be that I have always read and that I have to write simply to feel good.

No, I like to be in the presence of books. Like to look at them, feel them.

The books that I have read are like old friends. The ones that I have not read are accumulating patiently on my bedside table, under the bed, on shelves, in hidden corners, on top of cupboards attracting disapproving glances from the ones that do not share this hobby.

Living without books is simply not an option. Space for books is a problem but buying them is apparently not.

But the life-cycle of books is funny.They are reborn many many times.

I am writing a book and millions of other people are also writing a book - and everybody is hoping to publish it one day.

All the non-published writers are hoping to share their story and get recognized. Otherwise we all would not write. A rare minority of people writes for themselves. The hope to be a good writer one day has been around for thousands of years. And millions of people have written books before us. Beautiful books, pretty books.

And all the pretty books like the ones on the pictures here end their life in a dusty corner or in a box with others. For years and years they live in darkness and neglect, forgotten until they are re-discovered. And re-evaluated. Given a new price and a new life. Called antiquarian then. And there are the ones now who are looking and collecting them, often not so much for the content but for their age and the way their were printed and published.

And now they are even more attractive because gilt decorated, pictorially blocked and hand bound hardcovers are simply not made any more. The paper is yellowish in color and has tiny age spots. But the binding is intact and the book smells of old. Everybody is free to interpret old in exactly the way he wants to.

But the pretty ones are the ones that are saved. Millions of other books are not so lucky, they really land on the rubbish dump or are recycled. With them the thoughts of their creators. It gave me a strange feeling the other day when I visited a recycling company shredding thousands and thousands of books. I was free to choose from the mountains of books lying there whatever I wanted. There are so many books around, some making their way though hundreds of hands and other are never opened.
I ask myself the question should I write a book?. There are so many. Is there something new still to be said.

The answer would have to be YES.

To Look At Any Thing

My task which I am trying to achieve, is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is before all, to make you see.

That - and no more, and it is everything.

Joseph Conrad

The " A book shop " in Quigney owned and managed by one of the friendliest ladies I have ever met . A place to find beautiful antiquarian books.

And there is plenty of them on the tiniest space.

 
To look at anything

To look at any thing,

If you would know that thing,

You must look at it long:

To look at this green and say

" I have seen spring in these Woods," -will not do - you must

Be the thing you see:

You must be the dark snakes of

Stems and ferny plumes of leaves,

You must enter in

To the small silences between

The leaves,

You must take your time

And touch the very peace

They issue from

John Moffitt

25 square meters at most and more books than you can ever read in a life time

A place where you can spent the whole saturday morning.