Coles Books News, Edition 18 – 1st May 2021

There’s a wonderful poster from the Second World War, it’s been titled ‘We Can Do It’ and was produced as a motivational image for workers at the US company Westinghouse. At a time when many men were away fighting, industries became reliant on women to provide the labour in the factories – the image has become iconic and a rallying call for strength and equality – it is simple, it is powerful and it is beautiful. These are the times for powerful icons, these are the times to be strong.

Coles Books News, Edition 17 – 24th April 2021

A switch has been thrown and as if by magic, conversations seem to be back in fashion. Now we’re able to mix with one another a little more freely, it seems we’ve re-discovered the joy of chatting. Subjects for discussion are wide and expansive, it’s like a dam has burst and the words come pouring out. Conversations in the shop have always been a ‘thing’, it’s a great place to chat, but being shut for three months it’s been a little quiet and has excluded those outside influences which come from meeting customers, publishers and other folk connected with what we do.

Coles Books News, Edition 16 – 17th April 2021

Like the unfurling of a bloom, petals turning to face the sun, the Town comes back to life – the busy’ness of commerce returns to these streets and lanes, the market on Friday, fully re-inflated, bounces through the day with gusto, smiling eyes and longed for conversations, the chatter in the book shop, the giggles from the children, the sights and sounds of people being together again – this is what makes Towns special, they’re not just places to buy, they’re places to be – and it’s so good to be back. Click on the image of Sheep Street below for a little film from fellow Bicestrian, Eddy Gong, it is a little piece of joy – putting the boost back into Booster!

Coles Books News, Edition 15 – 10th April 2021

The hawthorn blossom along Skimmingdish Lane is so fulsome at the moment, hedgerows with branches darting out in every direction, laden with white flowers like a head of mad, old white hair in need of a good cut. We have a few barbershops in town and on Monday they’ll be busy cutting their way through three months of growth, rooms full of chatter and the snip snip of scissors and sweep sweep of brushes – there is work to be done in those chairs and we wish them, and all our fellow shopkeepers in town, the best of luck in what is sure to be the strangest of days. The last thirteen or so months have taught all of us who have had to close our shops that fortitude and resilience are attributes which can see us through the darkest of times, for some those times have been, and have just become, some of the saddest and darkest ever experienced – but those times pass, the stone rolls on, it’s time to get back in the chair.