Cupar
Next stop was Cupar, a small town of nearly fourteen thousand people. This was chosen as a stopping off point on the way home, and is good for a coffee and stretching the legs. It may sound like a random place to visit, and it is, but you never know what you may come across so I think it’s always good just to do so and see what happens. Some folk may say why, there’s nothing happening there, and to an extent that’s true, but the alternative of just not bothering and staying in the car isn’t much fun and as I say, you never know what’s going on unless you take the time to look.
I’ve visited before and I recall a number of years back I decided to browse the charity shops in the main street. My interest lies in books and music, and it’s fair to say most towns have a charity shop or two, so these are good places for a bargain, and of course, far more fun than browsing online. I get you can find almost anything online and simply search, click and spend money, but I enjoy the random nature of finding something unexpected, as if it was waiting on me turning up at that exact moment to discover and make the purchase. That day I arrived to find a number of vinyl records, 45-rpm singles, from my favourite period in music (1976-84) which I didn’t have. I have the tracks on CD compilations, but seeing singles complete with picture sleeves of Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Beat Surrender by The Jam among others was such an exciting find. I went up to the counter to pay and I forget now what the cost was, but it was incredibly cheap. Not that I would ever sell these records, but they were worth far more online than what the shop was asking for them. As it’s for charity, I insisted on making a donation and not accepting my change from the notes I handed over. It felt the right thing to do. It’s for moments like these that make the time spent visiting random places worthwhile.
Back to the present, and I discovered a shop I didn’t know existed. An image of it is included with this blog post. It sells Grandfather clocks. I love these clocks and have quite a collection of photographs of various examples I’ve discovered while visiting sites of historical interest. I really ought to collect them together and post them as right now they are scattered throughout numerous backups over many years and are effectively lost from view. Grandfather clocks play a key role in a fantasy series I’ve been writing on and off for around eight years now, so I’ve taken a keen interest in them. I’m hoping one day to put the books out, but for various reasons I’ve found it challenging to do so. I was so excited to find a shop that sells clocks. I didn’t go in, but simply peered through the window. I can’t afford to buy one, and thought it a bit much taking up the owner’s time when I could never make a purchase. I would feel awkward going in and start taking pictures so stayed outside. I never thought it was a thing, a shop that sells Grandfather clocks and again, it just shows when you take the time, you never know what you will find.
The Fiction Factory 