The waning and waxing and knowing when the next full moon was seemed to hold a fascination for me – how could all this stuff be known in advance?
Seeing the full moon the other evening prompted in me a faint memory of a grandmother’s annual purchase of an almanac in January. As the daughter of a farmer, her need to know the cycles of the seasons and the year ahead had become a habit which she couldn’t shake. As a small boy, leafing through the pages was always fascinating – so much information, almost too much for a young brain to take in – tide tables, weather forecasts, planting schedules and in particular, the phases of the moon – the waning and waxing and knowing when the next full moon was seemed to hold a fascination for me – how could all this stuff be known in advance? The two small Collins editions we stock in the book shop, Night Sky Almanac and Weather Almanac are great little bedside companions – chock-a-bloc with things you never thought you needed to know, but life becomes a little richer when you do.
Moonlight by Sara Teasdale
It will not hurt me when I am old,
A running tide where moonlight burned
Will not sting me like silver snakes;
The years will make me sad and cold,
It is the happy heart that breaks.
The heart asks more than life can give,
When that is learned, then all is learned;
The waves break fold on jewelled fold,
But beauty itself is fugitive,
It will not hurt me when I am old.
We’ve started making a few changes to our website – you can now see inside many of the books throughout our online shop – it’s not quite the same as browsing in the real world, but it’s getting closer to that experience. At this time of year we do a bit of housekeeping and we’ll be updating the website with the last few copies of some of our Coles Signed Editions – these are often our shop display copies – you might find a few hidden gems! And we’ve also upgraded our online payment process with a smoother experience with increased card options.
The full newsletter with links to books can be found HERE
