Kia ora koutou, the Lilliput Library is still going like a train. Just been out and checked and rearranged and put one more in. Secret book takers and leavers are still stealthily going about their work. Very heart–lifting stuff.
Since I was diagnosed with age-related macro–degeneration, I’ve been blessed by being able to use eBooks. I still read print but it has to be larger to be commfortable. I take a longer time to read a print book if the font is small.
I’ve seen an ophthamologist and two eye doctors. The first told me I wouldn’t go blind, that I’d always be able to find my way around. The two doctors, at great expense, confirmed that diagnosis. None of them pointed me in the direction of any help or suggested things I could do.
It took a friend to do that.
You remember Lynley Hood? The one who writes fabulous books? The one who put me on to the Viz-Stick? Well she did the good deed again. She sent me articles (large font) and links to youtube films, and she gave me advice.
I’m lucky. There’s lots pf people who have eye problems or even blindness from birth or because of accidents. In my case it waited until my late 80s.
The thought of not being able to read is a daunting one but there are things I can do to delay or even avert that kind of outcome. My experience with audio books so far has not been good but I might have to persevere. I might have no choice.
Technology is wonderful. I use a Macbook Pro, an iPad and an iPhone. I change the font to large to work on and (mostly) remember to make it smaller before I send it back to its writer. Good torches in strategic places are great.
But it was print books I was thinking about when I went to read at a Friends of the Library event at Kapiti Library this afternoon. Tea and cakes, a warm room, over fifty people who’d gathered to listen to us read and answer questions. How magical is that? And we were all there because of books.
There was a huge reservoir of books knowledge and interest in that audience and while we all might enjoy (or not) technology most of us there learned to read on print books. And all of us there loved them.
And how lucky are we to have the organisation called Friends of the Library? They nurture this love of books by organising all sorts of events that feature different facets of books. And yes, they do it for nothing. So big ups to them.
For your interest the writers were poets Mary Cresswell (Field Notes), Peter Rawnsley (Light Comes), Marion Castree and Finnbar Johansson read from their mother/grandmother Dulcie Castree’s novel. Surfeit of Sunsets and me reading from These Two Hands.
All the books were published by Makaro Press and as always Mary McCallum did a great job of compering.
Just another Tuesday afternoon on the Kapiti Coast.
