Pen and watercolour painting started in Canterbury, some thoughts from the bookshop on bookfairs, book fairies and books

Painting Canterbury from life as opposed to photographs in the winter is a tricky business. Getting the same window seat with a view in any of the cafés very difficult, this means I often start new pictures and never finish old pictures.

This is partly due to the rate I get through sketchbooks, as I only carry one around with me in the poachers pocket of my gillet, and if I haven’t got the sketch with me then I can’t do more to it.

So today this new pen and watercolour sketch started from one of the downstairs windows of Chocolate Café in Canterbury.

On Saturday I went to a book fair at Faversham to buy books for my bookshop and books for me. Since Driff – the author of the idiosyncratic and often sarcastic guide to All The Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in Britain – coined the phrase “book fairy” to describe the people who sell books at book fairs, I can only see them as being slightly wingged.

People often ask me to explain how I can make money from driving to other bookshops, book fairs, etc and buying books to sell in my shop. The most expensive book I bought there was £80 I would expect it to sell for between £140 and £160.

The cheapest book I bought there was, Bygone Thanet & Channel Coastlands by John, Malcolm for £1, which I would expect to sell for around £4, it’s on Amazon for a bit more than that, a case of bringing coals back to Newcastle. 

I returned to Ramsgate with about 70 books, so a worthwhile day.

Allthatsaid, I will own up to buying some books that I will make no profit or even make a loss on, this applies particularly to children’s books. However having a good children’s book section where most of the books are less than £2, encourages local children to read and even collect books, which means they may become weathier customers when they grow up and start earning money.

Of course the fact that as book readers they will do better at school, get better jobs and so on is just a side effect of my capitalist plot. 

Here is the link to the newly bought stock that was priced and put away in my bookshop on Saturday http://michaelsbookshop.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-pink-panther-in-bookshop.html just one day.

Now all of these books should be cheaper than comparable copies of the same book inc p&p on Amazon, my main competition, which isn’t necessarily that easy to achieve, so a lot of work. Also a lot of travelling about on my days off, so not many pictures of Thanet.

Here is the watercolour I started over lunch in Faversham

The cup and the profit on the books brought to mind this quote “A racket like that, out in the open on the boulevard, seemed to mean plenty of protection. I sat there and poisoned myself with cigarette smoke and listened to the rain and thought about it.” Raymond Chandler. ― Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep   

And of course the one about the legs, however I prefer my coffee in me not on me.

“I don't mind your showing me your legs. They're very swell legs and it's a pleasure to make their acquaintance. I don't mind if you don't like my manners. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter nights.”

― Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep    

And finally this purportedly  from  Cllr Collins!

"Dear Walter Mitty hunters Club. As of yesterday I instructed a trusted friend to post this on my behalf due to ill health.
You recently published a page alleging that I fabricated service in the Parachute Regiment and that I had inappropriately displayed medals which were not awarded to me. This became a story in the national press to which I am very ashamed and I would like you to post a sincere apology.

I can confirm I have never been a member of the Parachute Regiment. A Regimental Sergeant Major or that I was never awarded any of the medals that I had claimed as my own on several occasions, both in private and social functions in my civic duty's . I cannot explain why I did it other then I am a fool that let things get carried away.

I am very unwell and I would like the matter to be drawn to a close so I can recover in peace. I have withdrawn from public duties and wish to be left alone."

Konnor Collins