Two weeks ago, I decided it was time to catalog the contents of J’s main scrapbook. This is the perfect mini-project for cold winter evenings. I actually really enjoy the work, as I’m the sort of person who finds comfort in the tedious. Aside from to-be-expected hand-cramping and a bit of eye strain, I look forward to sitting down with a hot cuppa and century-old newspaper clippings, letters, and photographs. It helps if I have a piece or three of chocolate and T20 cricket on in the background (go Canterbury Magicians and Kings).
Cataloging J’s archives is merely the first of several steps involving their contents. Up next: adding dates and performances to the timeline. After that, I’ll need to make a list of everyone mentioned in the articles and letters. From there? Chasing info and archives about those people to see if they mention J, etc. And so it goes on…