And it slips through our fingers

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Lathriel

I love old buildings and when I moved from Europe to Canada I really missed them. It is not because I want to embalm the past. It is because these old buildings show us how it used to be and it also partly shows how people used to live and how they progressed. I am always curious about how things used to be and it is not just because I want to embalm it.

This what I love about ordinary buildings which are old. My own house has uneven floors and doors, and stairs so steep they would be illegal today. It has been updated with modern comforts, so it has not been completely 'embalmed' but it retains traces of the lives of those who once lived there with the worn back step, the nicer detailing in the front room which would at one time not have been used much, the fact that there are fireplaces upstairs which makes me think how cold it must have been in winter. Such houses are in demand here, despite all the modern flats being put up, as I think people search for a little 'character', which to me suggests that we like the possibility of stories having happened where we live.