You can make easy money or swindle

... From me pretty easily.

Today was another busy busy day. Natural History Museum, V&A, Harrods, then back to the boulevard type of place with all the patisseries, Portobello market, and Westfield. It was a busy day.

Okay. How to make money from me: just ask.

So at Portobello market I found this 1932 copy of Anne Sewell's Black Beauty. So-so condition, but considerably ok, maybe just one part where the spine is slightly cracked.

Black Beauty is a special book for me. It's the first book I bought with my own money some 20-something years ago when I first went to London with my mom. (I bought Black Beauty whereas my sis bought Mort, one of the Discworld books). I read that book every summer throughout primary and secondary school.

So it held quite a bit of sentimental value to me.

So I took the book to the guy, and asked "how much?"

He flips through the book and says "41 pounds, is that ok?"

At that time, I simply coughed up the cash for him. Now that I think about it, should I have asked "am I supposed to haggle?"

Now as I flip through the book I see, scribbled in pencil, "£6". £35 easily earned from me. Let my hypnotize myself that it's an antique book. (Read: now I wonder what I'm supposed to do with this book that I already have)

Then, much later, when we were walking from portobello to the tube station, a woman stopped us and went on a long winded story about running out of gas and having to get her kids somewhere and it's freezing and whatnot. She showed me some official looking letter claiming it's her name and whatever else. She asked for "7 quid". I suppose a quid is a pound? I gave her 10. In truth, it's not me being altruistic or what, it was more "take this and go away". I'm not sure if it's a scam, or if she really needed help. Let me just buy myself some good-feel and naive hope that one day in future someone would help me.

I'm tired. We walked a lot. We ate a lot. I'm going to bed now.