Hmmm, a long time since the last missive... not that nothing's been happening. Too much happening. And finally I put on the website that for the moment we are not taking donations of 2nd hand books. - Last week we received 60 boxes of brand new books from the Arbeiderspers. Wonderful! This is from a group of top publishers who are not in favour of pulping. Once a year for the past 3 or 4 years, they donate to us all the books that were not sold to the staff. We're talking classy Dutch literature! A wonderful gift, real quality. This compared to the people who lure us to drive 20 miles in the rain to take posession of their treasure which turns out to be 6 not 3 boxes of mouldy out of date textbooks most of which I had to throw out to prevent the mould spreading... - that is uncommon but has happened... Instead of feeling grateful I just felt I was being used to remove someone else's trash. Not a pleasant mood.

I think it has something to do with the fact that 'people' imagine that if a thing is free then it must be old or broken or dirty. That is why I have always gone to some lengths to make our workspaces clean, light, neat and welcoming and why I have always designed neat flyers and cards and other stationery. I've also done my best not to offer old, dirty broken books to people who come to us for books. Those I have tried to put aside and save for the illusive art projects... Yes because of course, as well as BookSpaces I want studio spaces where we can play with broken books and build furniture out of them and give them a new incarnation.

In the meantime, today I have more or less asked someone NOT to give us books but to pass on the message that we need people, not books. Really not books. People with enthusiasm and creativity and networks and ideas and connections and compassion... and just a little time and just a little space.

And the best thing of today was a gift of 3 large boxes of English languages books and videos of Miffy (Nijntje). Fantastic! Right on time for Christmas in England where we will be seeking out new organizations and delivering packages to several we have already been in contact with... not forgetting our teenage friends in Sunderland, for whom we have put together a great collection of fiction and non fiction.

Who knows, I might even bake a mince pie or two... it seems so long since I did any creative cookery. Yum!!
The website has been update in semi-festive style.