OUTDOOR BOOK LIBRARY

Number of times I’ve thought about work since retiring – ZERO.

Has boredom set in yet? NO.

Another weekend of reading articles extolling the virtues of working past retirement age or urging punters to invest their nest eggs in shares rather than cash accounts. Just who are you kidding?

Lacking the imagination to make something of your life when you give up work is no excuse to just continue that same life in servitude to the Tax Man because in reality that is all you are doing.

Persuading people to work longer is not about alleviating their boredom, giving them a purpose, countering loneliness with an office social life or water-cooler gossip, funding a cushier retirement – it’s because the State needs as many taxpayers as possible to balance its books. Work if you must but count me out.

Anyhow, this post is not about the whys or wherefores of whether to give up work or not but is about outdoor book libraries.

One of our neighbours very kindly set up a mini lending library in her front garden which being a life-long lover of reading, I loudly applaud. I've been an active contributor since its inception.

Neighbourhood book exchange

Encouraging others to read instead of spending hours with nose buried in a gadget is top of my list of things that should actively be pursued. Books are a wonderful form of escapism and libraries (indoor or outdoor) can transport you to other worlds energy free.  Nothing beats a well crafted novel or crime thriller.  Not even chocolate or sex comes close.

My son it seems has the same idea in mind, wanting to pop one outside his front door. A free book exchange for anyone who has a hankering for a good read. Shocked by the cost of acquiring one of these little lending libraries online, it’s time to head to the timber merchants for a bit of wood. Hey boys, I’m back!!

Guess what my son’s getting for his birthday this summer? Yep, a little lending library loving crafted by the workshop of mum and dad.

I’ve already found a simplistic design for an outdoor book cabinet to be used as a model for ours because the best ideas are always someone else’s.

Could we make one of these?

Our little lending library will be fashioned using principles and skills applied to a whole host of previous projects. It will be made from pine board, finished in a couple of coats of exterior weatherproof paint with a waterproof roof then mounted on sturdy posts cemented into the ground.

Sounds simple but for a pair of old duffers with the carpentry skills of a plug-in air freshener, it’ll be like trying to broker a ceasefire deal in the Middle East or understanding the new Make Tax Difficult rules. Complicated to say the least.

I hope this next series of posts will inspire you to make your own little book library but let’s get this project off the ground while we wait for the flooring quote to arrive.