Wednesday 6 July 2011

Self in a Telephone Box

All around the country, the legendary red telephone boxes are dwindling out of use. In my own sparky little village, we have two - one of which contains a terrifying effigy of some sort.. not quite sure who he is supposed to represent. He scares me. Someone stuffed him in years ago and although he doesn't quite fit, he looks real enough...

The other telephone booth contains me! Well, sometimes. It is a sweet library, available to all. Take a book, put a book in its place, and write a post-it on the glass wall requesting anything particular... I asked for more audio books and lo and behold there they were a week later. It is all very mysterious and exciting enough for me :)

Am pootling off into hospital this morning for my next rounds of chemotherapy infusion - so I may stop by the red box on my way to Rituximab...

Toodle-oo! Wish me luck xx

photo credit: Elenice Tamashiro

12 comments:

steven said...

i grew up in england in the early sixties so i knew these kiosks well. they were magical all on their own with their smells of wood and metal and of course they had a telephone which to me was most magical amd mysterious. how did it work?! i love the lending library and stickie notes because it takes that very same magic and puts it into a kind and thoughtful place. take care. steven

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Oh that is the sweetest thing: books in a red telephone booth! Villages tend to have sweet things like that. When I lived in Tofino, one always came across the amost adorable little surprises........One morning on the trail to the beach, the bushes were strung by freshly-made cookies. You could pick one off and eat it. So cute. And one morning, I emerged from the trail to find the statue of a lady sitting on a log, she hadnt been there the day before. I hope the treatment goes well and does good things for you, Shaista.

Loree said...

What a sweet idea. Best of luck with your treatment. Hope all goes well for you.
PS we have red phone boxes here too.

Cait O'Connor said...

I have a red box very close and will fight to keep it if it is threatened. I work as a librarian so don't want to set one up there just yet but it may come to that one day .......
Good luck with the chemo, I've been there so know what you are going through,
Do spoil yourself.
Cait.

ds said...

I adore those red telephone boxes, and am sad to see them go. Love that yours is a bit of a library; it's a nice touch.
Best of luck with the chemo.

Lorenzo — Alchemist's Pillow said...

A library! What a wonderful way of preserving these icons of yesteryear cityscapes. Much strength and joy to you, Shaista.

Shaista said...

steven - that is exactly it!! pure, unexpected magic. and practically outside my front door! how does it work? i never see anyone in there, ever... and yet, the books appear. magic...

Shaista said...

sherry - as steven said, telephone boxes and books are magic, but free cookies?!! i'm half-envious now...
i wonder who carved the statue? maybe you could place some of your stones in a special place... the ones with the words 'believe' carved into them..

Shaista said...

cait - they are threatening to close the main village library, so i know exactly why you are fighting. always dreamed of being a librarian myself... but maybe i can just help take care of the telephone box instead.

Shaista said...

loree, ds and lorenzo - thankyou so much for your good wishes and love. am home already... until the next one!

* said...

I've seen pictures of these telephone libraries, but never first hand. Another reason to revisit the UK and you!

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