Saying goodbye to old friends

I know that autumn is almost here (well, not really, because in my book it is always summer in Dubai), but I am spring cleaning. Yes,the carpets are getting a beating, the curtains being cleaned - all those once a year tasks are happening. But this year I am doing something that I usually find myself unable to do ...

I am culling my book collection.

My lovely Concise Oxford English Dictionary talks about "reducing the population by selective slaughter". It sounds brutal and as I sort and select it feels like brutality.

How can I choose which books have to leave my shelves forever, and which get to stay? Why must I make this choice?

The second question is fairly easy to answer. I have six bookcases. After thinking long and hard I have decided that another bookcase is not really an option. I just don't have space for it unless I get rid of the sofa, the bed, the bath or something else which may prove useful. Also, walking across my bedroom has become a bit of a minefield as I navigate my way between piles of books, hoping that I don't accidentally knock over one of the tottering high rises.

Seriously, it's time to find homes for the new and to send some of the old to a new home.

As I look at each book in my collection, the flashflood of memories is overwhelming. I remember where and when I bought most of them. Can I really bear to part with them even if I know they are going to a good home? (Our office runs a book collection - people pay 5 dirhams to borrow a book and the money goes to charity.)

How can I decide?

1. Books that have been given to me must remain. They are dearly loved not merely for their content, but for the thoughtfulness of the giver
2. Books that I have disposed of before, and then re-bought deserve to stay. It's unreasonable to expect me to buy them a third time and if I needed them twice, I'm sure to need them again
3. Books by my favourite authors continue their residence on my shelves. Even if they're not my favourites sometimes I need to look at them again
4. Books ...

Okay, so deciding which ones should stay and which should go is proving difficult. This is no small task.

Maybe I'll beat another carpet instead.

The Big Question

Okay, so I've misled you. This is not THE big question, but ít's the one that's been perplexing me for the past few minutes, and I think it's important.

Once upon a time, labels on jars and bottles needed a mere soak in water to smoothly, most often in one piece, slide from the glass, without leaving a nasty residue. When did this change?

I am sure there are some people out there who collect labels. If they live in the Middle East I am sure they create designs of the UAE flag or the president, or some other illustrious personage, with them (why not, they do it with matchboxes!). How these people must be suffering from this 'difficult-to-remove-label' trend?

Some weeks ago I made the decision to cook Indian food. Anyone who does this will know that you end up with a ridiculous number of different spices. In the UAE many of these come in plastic bags, rather than jars. But jars are better for storing them. So instead of taking glass jars to the recycling bin, I decided to remove their labels and reuse them.

Now I regret this decision.

I have one particular jar that I have soaked for hours - twice! Yet the residue remains.

If anyone reading this blog is a label collector and has an elegant solution to this problem, please post a comment.