Monday, September 08, 2008

CHARITY SATURDAY

Saturday afternoon in a sunny Glasgow - now this is the September I was dreaming about. I took myself off to the West-end; the poor end, Partick and all its wonderfully cheap charity shops - after only two I was weighed down with bags. So lumbered that I had to find somewhere to relax with coffee; and here we are, well just me because I couldn't get hold of Herman, in a window with sharp shadows and bright sun making it all look very arty.
One of the books I found was I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith, the other is a beautifully new hardback collection of Scottish short stories - both of them for £1. So, I settled myself in this wonderful cafe that wasn't there last time I tramped the road; it's called Yasmine's and if you ever visit that part of Glasgow, get yourself in there, it's fab. There are twin sofas, a little bamboo 3-piece suite, two black leather sofas and your ordinary tables and chairs - even those outside for the smokers.
In between the toasted cheese and latte I took some pics but I wish I could've captured the atmosphere, with a mixture of jazz and blues and then a whole album of Madeline Peyroux - I was in heaven, just chilling, reading my new book and being so impressed with the whole day. The thing in the pic is a lamp I got for £2.50; it's made with hand-crafted paper and has sparkly bits sprinkled through it. I finished off my late lunch with a melon, mango and strawberry smoothie. They've got internet access there too. Oh I need to go back soon; I only did two shops.

In the last year that I've been back in Glasgow I haven't spent much time, or money, in cafes - except when on the romp with Tilly and ZaZa. So this was bliss for me. I think I'm going to go back there to write. I found another cafe further along the road, that had a mixture of art and clothes but I couldn't decide if it was a charity shop or a business; the paintings were priced over £200. I didn't ask because they were busy with a couple but I will find out next time. It might be somewhere to sell my arty-farty stuff.

I also got 5 videos for £1 in The Solidarity shop - it took me half an hour to choose them because I don't want to litter the place up with old movies I'll never watch again; I'm only allowing myself reference stuff, like music, dance etc and the very odd old favourite film that I know I'll watch again and again, like Lord of The Rings and Pricilla, Queen of the Desert - which I got too. So I ended up with Riverdance, Celtic Feet, Cher-fitness and Country Line-dancing! Go Irene.

13 comments:

E.G. said...

I'm loving the sound of your day, Irene. I miss charity shops! Where I lived in London I had 6 within a two-minute walk, and was forever popping in - some of my children's best-loved toys have come from charity shops (a child-sized kitchen for £3.50, which we lovingly dismantled and shipped to Oz!). But in Melbourne they - op-shops - seem to be sparse on the ground - there is one uninspiring one within walking distance. So make sure you have another spree one of these days and I shall live vicariously through you when you post your finds!

Emily

slippingthroughtheworld said...

hi emily. actually i was trying to get myself out today but don't think i'm going to make it. oh god, i couldn't live without knowing that there's a line of charity shops near! how shocking. i find stuff wherever i go; in brussels i found a car-boot!

my friend is coming to visit in feb and we're going on a charity shop/car-boot spree. ooooo! x

Anne Brooke said...

That Dodie Smith novel is soooo wonderful!

:))

Axxx

slippingthroughtheworld said...

hi anne, i just love the way it begins, with her sitting in the sink! wonderful stuff. i'm loving the whole set-up and looking forward to getting more time to really dive into it. x

BetteJo said...

It does sound lovely, shopping, sitting and having a coffee and having a read. Nice! And all at your own pace, that's the best part!

slippingthroughtheworld said...

oh that's exactly it bettejo, all at my own pace - the pace i allowed myself that day. i should do it more often! x

Amazon said...

laidback easy read. good job

slippingthroughtheworld said...

thanks amazon, and glad you popped in and commented. x

HopScotch said...

Hi just dropped by your blog and love the photos, I felt I could just step inside and join you for a latte.

I love prowling the thrift stores here in Vancouver and joining a friend on Saturday mornings to go "yard" or "garage" sale-ing. It's amazing what people want to get rid of and what I want to buy! I find toys and books for my grand bairns, rugs, garden ornaments and pots, CD's videos etc. and all are things that can be moved on and recycled around friends and family. Magic!

slippingthroughtheworld said...

hey hopscotch, thanks for popping in. god, i can find car-boot sales all over the world; i'm drawn to them. can't wait till i get another car to go browsing - but the shops will have to do for now. x

Crafty Green Poet said...

so Partick's where all the Glasgow second hand shops are! I have wondered!

slippingthroughtheworld said...

yep. there are trails of them when you get off the subway at partick, kelvinhall and hillhead - lots of lovely browsing. x

Anonymous said...

And where are there charity shops near Brussels, Belgium?