Disappointment

Disappointments, life is full of them. I am consoling myself with a pretty jug of flowers and some mini macaroons…but that only does so much. For the rest, it seems to me that you just have to sit back and let time do the work. Emotions are funny things, rather impossible really. You can feel that something is the end of the world, whilst knowing in your head that this is the complete opposite of the truth. But until those feelings go away, no amount of telling yourself this will change matters. Is there a secret to getting over disappointment that I am missing?

Day 12: Collecting

I am both a collector and a bit of a hoarder. I can get rather obsessive about it which can be a bit of a problem! Throughout my life I have gone through stages of collecting different things from Beanie Babies, to china animals and China dolls to Momiji dolls.

Its rather a wasteful habit as particularly when I was younger I would collect something for a time and then decide it was time for a clear out and take it all to the charity shop. So I have little evidence of many of the collections from my past!

For example, I once decided that I needed to buy beds for every single Sylvanian family I had (I also collected Sylvanian Families) so saved up all my pocket money and over the course of several years succeeded! Only now I am left with stacks of dolls house beds which are just collecting dust. But I will hang on to them; if I ever have children, who have the same irrational desire, they wont be wasted!

When one discusses collecting things, stamps are often cited as a classic item, and invariably sneered at as a hobby. I collect stamps in a way, not rigorously, but will keep a stamp if an envelope has a design which is not the queen's head. No offence intended to her Majesty, but I have rather a lot of those! This started when a friend made me a box with stamps inside it (over ten years ago) and I saw them in a new light!

The Peter Rabbit stamp that was in the box remains my favourite!

I am also a bit of a hoarder of might-one-day-possibly-be useful-maybe things. Like train tickets, which I have kept from the past year of commuting into London as I feel that it would be a waste to get rid of them. So if you have a creative train-ticket-use-upping idea, I’m all ears!

In a similar vein I have a box of odds and ends ranging from broken scissors to a battery-less Tamigochi and my first phone and digital camera thrown in for good measure! I feel like they will be useful one day…

Something that I have to struggle with myself to stop obsessively collecting are the Willow Tree Figurines. Something about the faceless figures really appeals to me.
 

Similarly I could very easily spend any money I had on buying copies of books to match. Indeed that is what takes up the majority of birthday/Christmas lists!

So I would love to be a minimalist. To be able to have that self restraint, but I fear that I will always have a lot of clutter in my life, albeit clutter with lots of sentimental value!

Day 11: Lots of Books!

I love books. It’s not just reading them (although I enjoy that too!) but its having an object with two covers and filled with hundreds of paper sheets, or something about that at least that just makes me happy! Not really sure why! If I buy a new book I will read it open at some absurdly small angle, so as not to crease the spine. And enforce the same rules on members of family who borrow them, to their annoyance.  

Choosing my favourite book its rather an impossible task, so is limiting myself to five that have changed my life. But perhaps I shall revisit that topic when I have had more time to think about it. So I shall rather overstep the five book limit and talk briefly about some of my favourites. Although really they each deserve a post to themselves.

Even with possibly-my-favourite-book I can’t seem to limit myself to one. So ‘The Lord of the Rings’ will have to do. If I was forced to choose I think it would be ‘Book Three’ (as in the first part of ‘The Two Towers’). I find the story of ‘The three hunters’ much more exciting and less emotionally draining than Frodo and Sam’s quest.

‘The Little white Horse’ is another book that I love. I’m one of those annoying people who will be upset at any minute detail that has been omitted when a book is transferred to the screen; its not another ‘interpretation’ of the story that I want to see, I want to see the book come to life. But surely even someone less picky would feel that the heart of the book was lost somehow in the film.

 

 

 

Similarly so with the adaptation of the ‘Wolves of Willouby Chase’ which was awfully nightmarish. But back to the book, as in 'The Little White Horse', I loved the characters, and the happy endings all round!

 

 

The same can be said for ‘White Boots’ by Noel Streatfield.

 

It is due a re-read, but the ‘Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society’ is another full of characters that you just want more of. Thinking about it, it’s the loveable characters that make a book so dear to me. I just want to witness more of their stories, more of their lives.

 

 

Like in Lousia Alcott’s books. I’m particularly fond of ‘Jo’s Boys’, I suppose because it is so satisfying to see the characters grow up and develop.

 

Another of Alcott’s that I really love is ‘Eight Cousins’. Which also has a sequel, although as with ‘Jo’s Boys’ discovering the future can be as heart-breaking as it is exciting.

And another loved book…‘The children of the New Forest’. Set during the civil war, tells of four Cavalier children, saved from being burnt alongside their property learn to live off the Forest till the return of their King. But my sleepy state can’t seem to recall why I love it so much.

 

And because it is impossible to limit myself, here as some more of my favourite reads: ‘Heidi’; the ‘Anne of Green Gables’ series; the Harry Potter series, I think ‘The Prisoners of Azkaban’ and ‘The Deathly Hallows are my favourites; ‘The Starlight Barking’; ‘A little Princess’; ‘The Hunger Games’ (and sequels); ‘Northanger Abbey’ etc. etc.; Laura Ingalls Wilder’s novels, ‘The Long Winter’ possibly being my favourite; ‘Milly Molly Mandy’; ‘’Ballet Shoes’; ‘The Girls in the Velvet Frame’; ‘The last Battle’ (I love all the Narnia Books, but perhaps it’s the satisfaction of an ending that appeals to me most?); ‘The Railway Children’; ‘Wildflower Girl’ and whilst sad I would also recommend the prequel and sequel; the ‘Katy’ books, my favourite being ‘What Katy did at School’, so I’m not sure why I photographed ‘What Katy did Next’!; and lastly, anything written by Georgette Heyer!

 

That last comment is an over exaggeration, as I have only read her Georgian romances, which are frivolous, light hearted, incredibly funny and I can’t recommend them enough.

So what can be learnt from this long and not very informative (or interesting) post, on a topic that deserves to be revisited? That I like characters, and finding out what happens to them after the story has ended, have lots of favourite books but can’t put in to words why they are such, and that I find it impossible to choose between them! Oh, and also that I still can’t spell favourite…thank goodness for spell check!

If you had to recommend a single book to read, what would it be? (Not that I would be able to complete that task!)

 

Day 10: Travel Dreams

We have been blessed with such a beautiful world, and there is so much of it I have yet to see. Two years ago (almost) was the first time I had been outside of Europe. A trip to Africa, experiencing a place so utterly different to anything I had experienced before, definitely gave me the travelling bug. (Not that I’ve visited many countries since then, but I want to!) But if I could go anywhere in the world right now, it would be a toss up between three places, all of which I hope to see one day. The first is New Zealand, the second America and lastly somewhere I can see the Northern Lights! That list has been in my mind for several years now, and I don't feel any closer to ticking one of those places off it. Sometimes it feels like all I will ever see of it is what's on my front door step. But here's to dreams, and wishing...

 

 

Day 9: Not so Social Media

Today’s topic for BEDM was ‘favourite social media’. I’m not really sure if I have an especial favourite. It probably would be Instagram; I have a bit of a thing for filtered photographs, they turn the world into something much more aesthetically pleasing! It’s rather like wearing sunglasses (although I find them a little uncomfortable on my nose) the lens turn the world into something a beautiful place. But sadly, lacking a phone that is ‘instagrammable’ I don’t think I can really claim the app as a favourite of mine. Facebook is perhaps the platform I use most regularly, but more as an e-mailing system rather than to update the world with my daily goings on. Overall, I think that if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Youtube. Perhaps, ironically, because it requires the least amount of social interaction. It is rather  an indulgent website, as there is so much for one to consume. My relationship with it is rather a love-hate one: love for the wealth of content and hate for the many hours it has taken from me. As clichéd as it is, I have wasted a good many hours watching silly cat videos! Youtube is a bit of a maze, where you can discover the most curious things. I also rather like that poor quality footage and HD videos with high production value can co exist in one place.

Day 8: A Pirate's Life for Me!

My first ever job was working at a kennels. I washed, walked and fed dogs, cats and the occasional rabbit, although less washing and walking was required for the latter species. But I was volunteering rather than being paid, so I’m not sure if it really counts.

I think I will write about a job that was more recent and less temporary, but felt to me like my first proper job. On reflecting about my experience with my sister, we came to the conclusion that the establishment could have easily been a Pirate Ship (I shall write about it as if it were such). The crew struck me as a rather dysfunctional family where everyone gossiped and complained about everyone else, but there’s a sense of  unspoken solidarity which comes from belonging to the same ship.  

And so, without further ado I shall regale to you a little about the mismatched members of the ship. Firstly there was the Captain, who was more interested in telling yarns and singing the crew sea shaties than actual 'Captaining'. That was left to the First Mate, who did all the real work and generally kept the ship afloat. He slightly resented the presence of the Captain’s mistress as well as the Captain's own lacklustre ways. The aforementioned lady was rather younger than the Captain, but much more determined and forthright. And even more than with the First Mate, she oftern came into conflict with the ship’s cook, who’s temper, when at work, was as short as his stature. When not cooking he was an amiable chap, but his temprament still contrasted against his large and gentle assistant. Lastly there were two identical cabin boys, who felt the most of the cook’s wrath but did most of the work!

 

So all in all, it was a very interesting experience!

 

 

 

Brown Paper Packages tied up with Ribbon

I love brown paper parcels.



Belated Birthday Presents for a couple of friends