Ely Library

Another few days away and I'm ensconced in the Ely Library huddling over a public computer in the warm.

Visiting a library is a new thing for me. Since leaving (what they called) college many years ago, I haven't walked even near one let alone stepped into one. Never felt the need really. Anyway, last time I was in the city I popped in to see if I could access my emails and Ebay, and I could. It was very easy registering at the desk and logging on was simplicity itself, and it has turned out to be a 'must-vist' place while I'm in town centre.

It's got me thinking (that's a good thing I hear you say). I've heard libraries are under constant threat of closure or, worse still, are being handed over the community in order for local councils to concentrate on more important things like painting white lines on the roads or making lists of their favourite potholes and broken street lights so I think I'm doing my bit to support them especially as they have been kind enough to let me in out of the cold.

Fortunately, most of the people they let in are normal, quite well-to-do kind of folk who sit silently or chat quietly and just get on with their reading or research or whatever. On the other hand, I have come across a few people who seem to be just treading water at the shallow end of the gene pool and have been advised by their Social Services Support Assistant and/or their Probation Officer to think of a library as a kind of drop in centre. You know the kind of thing; they eat peanuts and crisps at the computers, use the free papers to practice their reading-out-loud skills and paper aeroplane designs or let their noisey offspring burn off some energy by running around the islands of shelves or jumping up and down on the chill-out chairs. At least they aren't smoking or singing football songs so I should feel grateful I suppose.

Anyway, as you know, I have been trying to develop my patience skills recently but there are times when I just have to say (to myself) 'enough is enough', and find somewhere else to finish my banana sandwich.

So, I'm off now to find a nice park bench to sit on.