WEDNESDAY, 9 JULY
Online orders: 3
Books found: 3
Laurie made it in again today, but she had to bring the kittens with her because there was nobody at home to feed them.
The time may have come for a dreaded visit to the Polish dentist in Stranraer; I awoke with diabolical toothache this morning. My reluctance to visit the dentist is in no way a reflection on his ability as a practitioner, and has more to do with the memory of my last visit, during which he extracted a wisdom tooth. That trauma, however, paled into insignificance when I bumped into an old friend and two of her young children in Morrisons supermarket shortly afterwards. They all looked terrified. When I got back home and checked in the mirror, I understood why. Most of my face was frozen in a stroke-like state from the anaesthetic, and my chin was covered in blood, much of which had dribbled onto my shirt.
The depressed Welsh woman phoned again, the usual disappointment in her voice before I had even replied that there is nothing in stock for her.
Till total £334.99
28 customers
THURSDAY, 10 JULY
Online orders: 3
Books found: 2
Laurie in again today, yet another beautiful day.
Among the emails this morning were two, both from angry customers, each of whom complained that they had received the wrong book in the post. The customer who had ordered a book on bullfighting had instead received a book on creative candle-making, and the creative candlemaker had received the book on bullfighting. Despite the fact that we have agreed to refund them and rectify the mistake, the bullfighter left negative feedback on Amazon with the following comment:
The book listed above, which I ordered, was not sent. Instead a book called Creative Candlemaking was sent by mistake. The 2 books could not be more different in content. I have contacted the suppliers – Wigtown Book Shop – to inform them of this mistake. They have acknowledged and have agreed to send the correct book when I return the book I did not order.
Vincent called to say that he has found a van in Inverary that has 50,000 miles on the clock and is £10,000, so I will speak to the bank about setting up another loan.
Till total £89.29
14 customers
FRIDAY, 11 JULY
Online orders: 2
Books found: 2
Nicky was back on duty again today – another beautiful sunny day marred only by her presence. She announced this morning that she will no longer participate in the videos we’ve been making for Facebook, in which she expounds her wisdom on various subjects, to the enormous amusement of the people who follow the shop’s page, because I changed one after we had agreed on a final cut. She has, however, agreed to do the filming and make me the victim.
I found a customer in the garden, gazing into the pond, despite the gate with a ‘Private’ sign that she would have had to open before she could get near to it.
A customer brought three books to the counter, pointed to two of them and said, ‘I’ll take those two; you’ll have to put that one back on the shelf.’ He subsequently asked if he could pay for the two books that he wanted with Tesco Clubcard points.
Till total £149.90
14 customers
SATURDAY, 12 JULY
Online orders: 2
Books found: 2
Nicky was in once again. The weather has turned and is now damp and dreich.
The online orders are becoming fewer and fewer: possibly another problem with Monsoon.
Today was the start of Wigtown Civic Week, and Tam Dingwall, the former landlord of The Galloway, the pub directly across the square from my shop, marked the occasion by singing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ to a small group of drizzled youths in the town square. Civic Week is one of the highlights of Wigtown’s calendar. It involves all manner of curious activities and is squarely aimed at the local population, rather than tourists. There are quizzes, activities for children (such as a muddy nature walk on the salt-marsh), a raft race and all sorts of small town festivities, including the slightly anachronistic crowning of the Wigtown Princess. There are prizes for all manner of wonderful things, such as Best Decorated Toilet Roll. It feels very much like travelling back to the 1950s.
A customer asked one of his companions where the philosophy section was. He replied, ‘I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the chappie.’ Chappie? I don’t think so.
An elderly man brought in a box of books that contained a Victorian family Bible. There is little demand for these nowadays, if there ever was. This one contained a handwritten letter dated 22 February 1879 and addressed from Carnwath:
Dear Mother we write
with the greatest delight
our promise to you to fulfill
so we’re here safe and sound
on the old honoured ground
and we cannot complain very ill.
I am happy to tell
that our friends are all well
and hope you are all still the same
When Marion’s away
Now mind what I say
Take care of yourself we shall blame
Janet means to go down
To that great big town
with Aleck on Monday forenoon
She’s all ready to go
so this lets you know
She’ll be back to Carluke very soon.
Yours affectionately,
Maggie.
Old letters are not unusual things to find in books, but one written in rhyme is rare. I once bought a copy of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom that contained over a hundred letters of condolence to a widow, many of which were from people who had never met her, but whose lives had been touched by her late husband. My curiosity is always piqued by such things, and it is hard not to speculate about who these people were, both the senders and the recipients.
Till total £367.91
33 customers
MONDAY, 14 JULY
Online orders: 6
Books found: 5
Laurie made it in today. Clearly a family member is on kitten duty. Shortly after she had arrived, a customer came to the counter and said, ‘Good morrow to you, sir! Would you mind, perchance, directing me towards any of your shelves which might contain any books on the subject of military history?’
The shelves were particularly untidy by the end of the day, an inevitable consequence of a multitude of children being in the shop. Some parents think that it is acceptable to let their offspring run riot around the shop, disturbing other customers and leaving a trail of devastation. Most, though, are fine and the children well behaved. There is an instinct that appears common to all boys of four years old when presented with a shelf of books, the spines neatly lined up with the edge of the shelf. They seem incapable of resisting the urge to push them back as far as they can, against the back of the bookcase. The sight of a neatly lined row of books is irresistible to small boys, and they can no more control their desire to make a mess of them than they can suppress the urge to pull a cat’s tail or jump in a puddle.
Nicky reminded me recently that she thinks that my insistence on keeping the place ordered and tidy is some form of OCD and genuinely believes that customers like piles of books all over the floor and don’t really much care for them being organised by subject or category.
Till total £223.98
21 customers
TUESDAY, 15 JULY
Online orders: 2
Books found: 2