Elaine White's Life in Books

I’m a sucker for a bargain. I was in a little shop called The Glory Hole a few years ago, up in Tighnabruaich, a little village in Argyll and Bute. We were just browsing the shops at random since there weren’t many of them and we found this little charity shop. I was nosying around and found a typewriter sitting on the floor, in a black box. Well, as a writer and as a total history buff, I wanted one. When I saw the price tag, only £5, I picked it up, box and all, and told my mum I had to have it. I wouldn’t leave the shop without it. So I bought it and put it in the car, all excited by my brilliant find.

We went other places and eventually got back to our cabin in Dunoon, where we were staying on holiday. I was going to clean the box because it was clearly very old and had been neglected, the poor thing. So I pulled the heavy Royal typewriter out of the box and was shocked by what I found. Inside it said it belonged to a Flight Lieutenant of the Voluntary sector of the Royal Air Force. I was gobsmacked, but very excited. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find out more information about my mystery Lieutenant, but I hope to one day. It would be a nice little story to add to the beautiful machine.

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I'm not a great photographer, because I can't keep steady, but here is my beautiful typewriter, pride of place, surrounded by my Marilyn Monroe memorabilia and an Art Deco lamp. The dinosaur is made from nuts and screws, another bargain find that we discovered in Glencoe. The phone is from Dunoon, a cute little artsy cigarette shop where I got a lot of cool stuff, and the small wooden/glass box at the back is actually an antique spyglass and letter opener set. The Marilyn statue was an amazing find at a little place called Highland Arts, in the Isle of Seil. So, as you can see, not only do I love a bargain, but I'm a huge fan of anything Art Deco, 1920's or just outright weird. ;)