29/05/16: Beatles book bonanza (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. Eight Beatles books, plus tomes on Amy Winehouse and Keith Moon.

28/05/16: New shop (MS: Multiple Sclerosis Society)

MS: Multiple Sclerosis Society, East Barnet. The old MS closed down. Pleased to see that this has opened just around the corner. A friendly blackboard outside the door states "Thank you E Barnet for your great support".

14/05/16: Shimmering shirt (North London Hospice)

The refurbished North London Hospice reopened in Whetstone. I bought a shimmering shirt to celebrate. Too shimmery to photograph.

16/04/16: Anne and Evelyn (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, North Finchley. Bargain books. Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize. Evelyn Waugh's Scoop is a 1938 classic comedy-satire about a newspaper journalist. I read it in the late 1980s/early 1990s and would like to read it again soon.

10/04/16: Glamour Babe wig (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. "Glamour Babe" wig: £3.50. That's 49p cheaper than the "Beatnik" wig on sale in Swanage. I did not buy either.

10/04/16: Dark Side of the Moon mug (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Dark Side of the Moon mug, 75p. Can't really go wrong. As one Amazon reviewer puts it, 'tea and coffee actually taste better out of this mug!"

06/03/16: Before Sunrise/set (All Aboard)

All Aboard, North Finchley. Didn’t buy the dolly or the moustaches, but I did buy two DVDs. Before Sunrise is a 1995 film directed by Richard Linklater. The plot deals with the chance meeting of Jesse and Céline – and what happens next. Before Sunset is the 2004 sequel. I found both in a boxed set for just £1. A third film (2013's Before Midnight) was not included, but you can't have everything.

Also bought a cheery rubber phone case for 50p.

06/03/16: Manly Moustaches (All Aboard)

All Aboard, North Finchley. For 50p, you can transform yourself into ALL of the following:
The Biker
The Banker (my favourite)
The Wise Guy
The Snob
The Casanova
The Villain

06/03/16: Dolly, vase, tiger (All Aboard)

All Aboard, North Finchley. Dolly peers out from vase. Tiger looks on. Dolly has nice jumper, but scarily small hands.

06/03/16: Carol (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, North Finchley. Today saw my first visit to this new branch (they have moved down the road a bit). Recently saw the film Carol starring Cate Blanchett and am intrigued to read the 1952 Patricia Highsmith "lesfic" classic it was based on.

28/02/16: Galsworthy (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. This three-volume Forsythe Saga tempted me for a few seconds, but I have heard that it's a somewhat turgid read. Jaws, meanwhile, races along. The latter could once be seen in every charity shop in Britain. These days, however, copies are rather scarce.

21/02/16: Easy Rider (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. The iconic 1969 road movie starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson. The above viewer's favourite song on the soundtrack is "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf. Mine is "Wasn't Born to Follow" by The Byrds.

14/02/16: Mask (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. This creepy mask (£1.49) was described on the label as "Endless fun!" That's not quite the same thing as "Serious fun!" (see HERE for details). I did not buy it, but I did buy a hardback book – Play On: Now, Then and Fleetwood Mac: The Autobiography by Mick Fleetwood with Anthony Bozza. The man at the till told me that Mick is a great drummer, a great backing singer and the one who binds Fleetwood Mac together.

30/01/16: Presence (Barnardo’s)

Barnardo’s, Whetstone. Presence by Led Zeppelin – their classic seventh album, from 1976. I have always enjoyed the deliberately banal cover design by Hipgnosis. The young fan shown here cannot decide whether her favourite track is "Achilles Last Stand" or "Hots On for Nowhere".

30/01/16: How to Make Your Husband a Sultan (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. For just £1, I purchased Özel Türkbaş's How to Make Your Husband a Sultan. This is a classic album of bellydancing music. The booklet even includes instructions. Somebody is tempted to have a go...

16/12/15: Classics are "in" (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, North Finchley.

16/12/15: Classics are "in" (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone.

14/11/15: Bright Eyes (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. I enjoyed the neat serendipity of the Bright Eyes CD sitting next to The Art Garfunkel Album. Older readers will know why.

14/11/15: Glut of Dan Brown (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. No shortage of Dan Browns and Gone Girls.

30/10/15: Shiny & stylish adult bunny set (Age UK)

Age UK, Swanage. If you weren’t tempted by the “beatnik wig”, maybe this “shiny & stylish adult bunny set” is more your kind of thing.

30/10/15: Beatnik wig (Age UK)

Age UK, Swanage. Formerly £9.99, now £3.99, this wig is both "unisex" and "beatnik".

10/10/15: Wanderlust (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. Always worth a look at the DVD shelf. Was tempted by The Rutles and Scott Walker 30 Century Man, although not tempted enough to spend £1.99 in either case. Of the others shown here, I have previously enjoyed watching GoodFellas, Prometheus, Skyfall and Almost Famous. The least tempting disc by some distance was Wanderlust, whose oxymoronic description as "a comedy starring Jennifer Aniston" is enough to send a shudder right through me.

04/10/15: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. This 2013 Booker Prize winner was in (nearly) mint condition and only £1 – cheaper than many of the mangled paperbacks on offer. Should I take his as a warning that it's an unreadable disaster? It has 74 one-star reviews on Amazon, of which this one is typical: "A dreadful mess. A dreadfully long mess. A complex plot, delivered in a confusing way. Twelve sections of ever-decreasing length, with ever-shortening chapters with ever-lengthening preambles. Twelve characters representing (I assume) different signs of the zodiac, but all devoid of emotion. I failed to identify with any of them, and indeed most of them seemed indistinguishable except by name and profession. Their personalities lacked depth and I got no sense that the writer had any sensitivity or understanding of them – certainly if she did, she failed to convey it. How this got shortlisted for the Man-Booker prize is beyond me. It is simply not a good read. Brevity in writing is a virtue. 832 pages is a chore."

19/09/15: Star Wars jigsaws / family of gnomes (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, North Finchley. Slightly tempted by the original Star Wars jigsaws – particularly "Inside the Millennium Falcon" – although they seemed pricey at £5. Rather less tempted by the gnomes – "sold as family £20". Instead, I bought a bargain CD – Animals by Pink Floyd for only 75p:

06/09/15: Cher (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, North Finchley. I was very tempted by this Cher T-shirt, except for the fact that it is sized XL. Price was £4.50.

06/09/15: Spiders (All Aboard)

All Aboard, North Finchley. Spiders is a 1996 album by Liverpudlians Space. For some reason there were four copies of this on the shelf. Also unwanted: Atomic Kitten, Five, David Gray and Madonna.

30/08/15: Kiss guitar (Weldmar Hospicecare Trust Caring for Dorset)

Weldmar Hospicecare Trust, caring for Dorset, Swanage. This is an axe-shaped guitar with Kiss heads at one end. It was very heavy, in every sense of the word.

16/08/15: "Due to a water leak..." (Barnado's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone.

02/08/15: Philomena (Norwood)

Norwood, Golder's Green. The sign said "All single DVDs £1". There was a stack of still-shrinkwrapped Philomena DVDs. I fancied seeing this thought-provoking Dench-meets-Coogan drama, so I took one of them to the till. The lady there was speaking on the phone, distracted. She said "Two pounds." I pointed out the sign and she replied "No, these came in yesterday", as if that proved something. This irked me, so I left sans disc.

29/07/15: Jumping Jack Flash (Age UK)

Age UK, Swanage. "Jumping Jack Flash" on the radio. Not much else going on.

29/07/15: Catsuit (Weldmar Hospicecare Trust Caring for Dorset)

Weldmar Hospicecare Trust Caring for Dorset, Swanage. Inside: a poor book selection and a £3.50 Eagles T-shirt that did not detain me for long. Outside: a brown, plastic caveman club, a pink wig and a catsuit – "adults medium" – priced at £15.

29/07/15: Sorry – we are NOT taking part in the window competition (Oxfam)

Oxfam, Swanage. There was a strange beeping noise coming from the direction of the till, almost – but not – in time with the music on the radio. It was quite enjoyable – for a while. Nearly bought a huge novel (The Count of Monte Cristo), but didn't want to have to carry it around Swanage with me all day and then heave it all the way back to London.

20/06/15: No Angel (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. CDs included Saint Etienne, Boo Radleys, Echobelly, a slightly tempting Bryan Ferry bootleg, plus two copies of the obligatory No Angel by Dido. In the book section, the signed copy of Nick Rhodes' polaroids anthology from 1984 had been sold. I should have bought it and sold it on eBay.

20/06/15: Down the Road (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. Purchased Down the Road by Van Morrison from a selection of CDs that also included: Katy Perry, Funky Divas: The Autumn Collection, Armand Van Helden, Ray Lamontagne, Rihanna, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Regina Spektor, Lauren Hill (x2), John Denver, Pet Shop Boys, The Pogues, Diana Ross, The Style Council, Dean Martin, Usher and Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson.

24/05/15: Singles... ... only 50p! (Bargain eh?) (RSPCA)

RSPCA, Highgate. "Singles... ... only 50p! (Bargain eh?)" reads the enthusiastic text on the fetching pink starburst. But surely they are only a bargain if they are good singles, and "Victim of Love" by Erasure was not a promising start.

23/05/15: Black Sheep (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. One pound. Julian Cope's Black Sheep is probably the most obscure CD I've ever found in a charity shop. It's a double, too. Very pleased with this.

23/05/15: 'Hello!' (The Loft)

The Loft, East Barnet. 'HELLO!' screamed the woman at the till – but not to me and not to any of the other customers who were looking up, slightly alarmed, and distracted from their browsing. 'Hello! HELLO! HELLO!!' In fact, she was shouting into a mobile phone. It was too noisy for me. Had to leave.

23/05/15: Great Train Robbery (MS: Multiple Sclerosis Society)

MS: Multiple Sclerosis Society, East Barnet. Two of the staff and a customer were deep in (loud) conversation about the Great Train Robbery. One of the three appeared to have some insider information on the event. An underwhelming selection of books and CDs. The Best of The Nolans was about as exciting as it got.

23/05/15: Inside Out (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, East Barnet. The CDs were £2 each. That seems pricey by modern-day charity shop standards – especially when those CDs are by Dido and David Gray. Had a quick scan of the books. They had a copy of Nick Mason's Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, but very little else of interest.

16/05/15: Black shirt (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Black shirt, previously unworn, £2.75. Bargain.

10/05/15: Dire Straits concert programme (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Concert programme from Dire Straits' On Every Street tour in 1991–92 – in fact, their final tour. They played 216 shows and shifted 7.1 million tickets. This was going for 15p, reduced from £2.50. I did wonder if it might sell for a bit more on eBay, but was not sufficiently tempted to find out.

03/05/15: Clarkson (North London Hospice)

In North London Hospice, North Finchley, there were two girls at the till, studying their phones. A man walked up and said 'Don't you ever switch those things off? It's like an illness.' They just giggled. In the books section, there was no shortage of unwanted Clarksons...

03/05/15: Days Are Gone/Cara Massimina (R.F.F.R.)

RFFR, North Finchley: bought a Tim Parks novel called Cara Massimina for 50p, plus a two-disc version of Days Are Gone by Haim (still shrink-wrapped) for £1. The latter had rave reviews when it came out in 2013, so I am keen to hear it.

03/05/15: Led Zeppelin/Contra (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, North Finchley. Bought the first Led Zeppelin CD (even though I have it on vinyl) and the second Vampire Weekend album (Contra), which I've never heard. 'Only 99p' say the stickers.

02/05/15: The Tide is High (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Would have quite liked this Blondie single. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside the sleeve and the disc was nowhere to be seen. Plenty of Tight Fit, Billy Ocean and Tracy Ullman though.

18/04/15: Cat Sense (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. Brand new copy of Cat Sense by John Bradshaw for £1.99. Some cats have more sense than others.

11/04/15: Harry Styles / American Hustle (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. The One Direction dolly was at a slight lean. He looks like a middle-aged farmer. Saw American Hustle at the cinema on the first day of 2014. One of the 10 or so best films ever. If you like the novels of Elmore Leonard, you will almost certainly enjoy this. It is a very neatly plotted thriller with a couple of con-artists and an FBI agent trying to out-con one another, and the emerging love triangle that complicates this further. The lead actors – Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence – are so good that they are a joy to watch. There's not a single scene or line that doesn't move the plot forwards or deepen the characters. It's funny, too. Several of the people involved (the director and three actors) also made The Silver Linings Playbook. These people know what they are doing. And who can forget the "Live and Let Die" moment?

28/03/15: McCartney (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, East Barnet. A generous Beatles fan had clearly dropped in recently, based on this window display. In the vinyl section, too, there was evidence of the same donor: a selection of solo McCartney albums including Pipes of Peace, Give My Regards to Broad Street, McCartney II and possibly (I am slightly struggling to recall) Tug of War. I've heard McCartney II, which has its moments, and remain intrigued by this later-phase Macca, although not intrigued enough to pay the £2–3 asking prices on offer here.

22/03/15: Thelma & Louise (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, North Finchley. Having never seen this modern(-ish) classic, I was more than happy to spend 99p to find out if it's as good as everyone says.

14/03/15: Skulls (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Lots of T-shirts with pictures of skulls on them. No purchase made.

08/03/15: Casino (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. I noticed this film previously next door in Barnardo's. This time, I couldn't resist. And nor can someone else, by the looks of it.

28/02/15: Bande à Part, Birth, Nobody's Perfect (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. The CDs were £1 each. The Keith Jarrett album (from 1971) sadly has the inside booklet missing. Nouvelle Vague play entertaining easy listening/bossa nova versions of punk and post-punk songs. The Anthony Lane book carries a Martin Amis quote on the cover stating that "Anthony Lane has energy, wit, taste [and] learning". For £1.75 it seemed a bargain – 752 pages of film and book reviews. His review of The Scarlet Letter begins "What is the point of Demi Moore? It's not that I don't get her; I simply can't see what's there for the getting." This looks like an ideal train-journey read. Just need to get a train somewhere.

22/02/15: Casino (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone. After enjoying GoodFellas, I was tempted by this (sort-of) follow-up Scorsese film, but not tempted enough to buy it. Is it worth seeing?