Month: May 2018

Treasure Junk

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Hiding beside the sofa in a junk shop beside the sea …

The brass plate under the table was placed on top of an upside down case. Could the case be hiding something good, or a collection of wicker donkeys?

Not wicker donkeys.

I fished an index card out of my satchel…

This was the best I could do, moving the platen along manually, and slotting the card in from the front. Such a shame to see this machine with a bundle of issues, but you come to expect it on safari 😀 ( And I think I know who finds all the good ones around here before me 😉 ) The left hand platen knob was smashed and missing, and those with sharp eyes will have noticed the old rubber band fix on the base, just for starters. Ah well, never mind, at least it’s the right way up now. Maybe someone else will fall in love with this old Remington and bring it back to life 🙂 ? First time I’ve seen one of these in the flesh, and the first time I’ve seen a rupee key.

A visit to George Blackman’s

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Last weekend I was down on the south coast again and on Saturday I made another jaunt to Bexhill.

Huzzah for George Blackman Business Equipment. A kind of secret typewriter shop! There’s not much on the outside of the shop to say what treasures are waiting inside.

The first item to greet you as you walk in at the moment is this lovely Continental.

Gavin Eldridge, partner in the business, gave me a warm welcome and was happy to show off some of the typewriters in the shop. The standard of work done on their machines is extremely high. Look how sparkling and bright the interior of this Olympia is.

Gavin was also very obliging when I asked if I could see inside some of the closed cases, and I tried out this next gorgeous Olympia.

There were more machines ready for sale in the shop than there was time for me to see them, and there was a healthy pile of machines waiting for repairs behind the counter. If you live in the UK and need expert help with repairs, or supplies, check out their website.

I had a good chin wag with Gavin and stocked up on ribbons and paper.

It was so heartening to visit a typewriter shop in such good fettle. I forgot I had a hangover while I was there!

Unfortunately it was raining when I came out of the shop so I didn’t fancy wandering about taking snaps of the seafront in the rain with my pack of A4 paper under my arm.

Back to St Leonard’s on the train. For once a fare I can’t quibble about, £3:50 round trip. Seagulls go free 😉

Sunday was gorgeous and sunny, and I took the Lettera 22 out onto the roof terrace. Typing and tea for two. Perfect.

Balancing stones

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When it happens, it feels like magic 🙂

This is one of those satisfying activities that you do for no reason other than the moment of satisfaction. The stone will tumble, and a photograph doesn’t really capture what it feels like in real life. Your mind emptied of everything you are at one with this stone until you let it go and see it balanced. I could get addicted to balancing pebbles on the beach. If you can, give it a try, you might surprise yourself.