A cold draft lightly on the nips of my ears.
When I turn around,..
the warmth of sunshine.
Old-man-Winter is starting to play his games.
He's in the neighborhood,
...after a loooong summer vacation.

A few years on the Streets,
you become 'friends'.

In summer's heat,
I use him,
as 'an excuse' (🙂),
to search old book shops,..
for 'winter relief'.
Good books.

This past,
I've found some promise!

One: 'Twenty Years of Spoof and Bluff' by Carlton (The Human Saftey-pin) {1920}

Great book,...
altho it isn't REALLY winter,...yet. (😕)

Whenever I feel a bit chilly,
I grab it.
Swear,..to only ONE page.
,,.then read three(!).

Here's a taste:
(pages 5 & 6)
As a preliminary I went and begged the lid of a cheese-box
from a near-by shop.
This I covered with a bit of old cloth my mother gave me,
and trimmed it round with a yard or so of
penny-threefarthing ball fringe.
Next I set my transmogrified
cheese-box lid on top of three thin bamboo canes,
arranged tripod-wise, and behold I was in possession
of quite a pretty little table, such as street conjures affect.
Next I procured a rabbit, all conjurors had to have a rabbit
in those days,
...and some balls and tins for what is called the cup-and-ball trick,
together with a pack of cards, and a few other simple paraphernalia,
not forgetting half-a-dozen pennies,...in conjuring parlance "a pile of megs",...
for palming and working disapearing coin tricks. Thus equipped I set out.
I had been told that Southend was the best place to go to,
and as I had no money to pay my fare I had to walk there,
carrying my poor little 'props' with me.
It was weary work. The long dusty road seemed endless.
....
Eventually I reached Southend, hungery, thirsty, and footsore.
Also I was penniless, having been forced to part with my six coppers
in order to keep myself in food on the road,
thereby spoiling my best tricks.

😆 🙃 😕 🙂

,...i won't mention his 'eating of the rabbit'(!).

It's a great read!

After 'finding' the book, in Poland,
I researched,
and found it,
as a 'free' pdf, as well.
I recommend 'the smell of a book',
...but if you can't track it down,,.,.
https://archive.org/details/twentyyearsofspo00carl/page/n9

With the right books,
,..Winters can be our friend!

Have a pleasent evening,
gallagher

… very nice post young fella'!

What a good find. Thank you. I think this will be a fascinating read.

Carlton is credited with being the inventor of the Sliding Die Box amongst other items.

This is amazing! I actually live in Southend. I don't visit the Magic Café that often these days but felt compelled this morning (I've had a little bit of bad luck recently) as I needed a bit of inspiration - and this is what I find! After completing Mario Morris' busking school I have done a small amount of busking in London and Southend. I make my living doing children's parties but I have often found myself longing for a more... free? nomadic? footloose and fancy free? lifestyle. But I have found it hard going. Especially with an ex-wife and 2 children to support. Busking, I have discovered, is tough. Children's parties are also tough but I've been doing them for 20 years so I now can rattle them off without too much thought. Last week (half term here in the UK) I actually did 44 x 25 minute magic shows at an historic Norman Castle over 6 days. But busking requires a whole different set of skills.

Thank you for this. I believe it is the inspiration I was meant to find.

Mark