If you haven’t already heard or seen the jubilation of parents partying
in the street, the LockOut of Danish teachersis finally over and my kids cycled
off to school this morning at 7.30am – hooray! They were, of course, a tad sad
to be going back after an unexpected hiatus of 5 weeks – not to mention very
grumpy when they were dragged out of bed selvfølgelig – but resigned
and looking forward to seeing their friends and getting back in to their
groove.
On a side note: I had to laugh on Saturday night when we were watching Danish
kids’ tv. At the top of the screen was a countdown: 1 day, 12 hours, 38 minutes
and 35 seconds until…school starts! Yep, gotta love those crazy Danes and their
warped sense of humour… 
Anyway, now that the kids are back to their textbooks, how about some other
books? (Y’all know how much I love Danish libraries– I promise not to mentionthem again!) Free books. From our
local alfresco book trading posts!
Yep, Gentofte council has set up specially designed book trading posts– book ‘sculptures’ – around the commune. You can come and take books around
the clock. 24 hours a day. But, um, if I want to borrow a book in the wee,
small hours, won’t it be too dark, I hear you say. Why, no, because inside
there are LED lamps which are powered by solar panels on the top! Okay, I’m
interested, so where do I get the key, I hear you ask. No need – they aren’t
locked – just help yourself! 
You’re free to keep the books once you’ve finished reading them. Or return
them – along with any others you have lying around at home, collecting dust and
clogging your feng shui. But won’t it just turn into a giant junk heap of
books, I hear your ask? No, because a team of volunteers ensures that there is
a good varied selection and rotates the stock.
And what can you expect to find? An eclectic mix. The occasional DVD,
foreign languages books, plenty of crime and Agatha Christies, kids books and
non-fiction. From Dan Brown to Tolkien and everything in between.
It’s a ‘green’, self-sustaining project – which is absolutely dependent on
trust. (Indeed, part of the thinking behind the project is that it will
actually help to promote trust in public spaces.) Six-months down the road, it
looks like a success. No vandalism and lots of happy customers!
Happy Monday – whether you have your nose in an ebook or a free book!
Diane