ONCE UPON A DREAM; Matriculation

You can find me in the library

And so begins a whole new chapter...

September brings about the new academic year and the beginning of the autumn term is now under way.  Last week I attended my main matriculation event and I am now enrolled to start studying once more.  I met all of the other students on my course and they seem enthusiastic enough.  There are about a dozen of us in all, so it is a small group which means that we should get to know one another quite quickly.  I much prefer smaller groups anyway. 

We have had the induction day, where all the boring stuff is gone through such as health and safety, student and faculty obligations etc.  Next week the real work begins with the start of our formal lectures.  Although we will do lots of work with faculty tutors, each week we have a Masterclass with professional seminars from people who work in the industry affiliated with our course. 

I am really looking forward to these Masterclasses because they take place in the evenings, right after our last lecture of the day and although most will be held in the beautiful lecture theater on campus, some are taking place at key events held in the city, so they are more social.  It's going to be a lot of fun and already there are some very interesting people engaged to speak and present Masterclasses to us, so it's a great opportunity to learn more about what they do and the profession in general. 

I am finding my way around campus quite well.  The rows of lifts remind me of the Ministry of Magic in the Harry Potter books and our campus colours are burgundy and white, which is almost Gryffindor!  The campus shop opens next week I think, so that we can purchase our scarves, clothes, stationery and teddy bears, all in campus colours and bearing the logo.  I do like shopping, so it will be fun to see what they have on offer. 

Our course has a common room too, where we can meet up before class or sit in comfy chairs to get some reading done between lectures, if we want to.  There is a lovely sense of community and they seem to try and nurture an immediate sense of belonging and home from home, which is vital for overseas students to settle in - not that there are any foreign students on my course.  

I just love having a common room to go to though as it reminds me of the old Malory Towers and St Clair's books I loved reading as a child.  It gives me a feeling of nostalgia and wish-fulfillment  because I always wished that my school had a common room, but it didn't and neither did college - so I finally get a common room to curl up in with a cup of tea on rainy days.   That is one of my university goals achieved already!

I haven't had a chance to visit the library yet, but I did learn that there are six floors of books(!) and learning materials, plus access to vintage newspapers and periodicals etc.  So if I wanted to research beauty tips from women's magazines in the Victorian era, I can. I'm almost afraid to go in for fear that I will never come out again.  It sounds like heaven.  And not only is the library open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including Christmas - but you can take out 25 books and keep them for a whole year.  How marvelous is that? 

I am excited to get started with the course work.  The last counselling course I did was Level 4.  The Masters course I am on now is Level 7 - so I have skipped two full levels, which makes me a little nervous, but I wouldn't have applied if I didn't think I was up to it and I do like to stretch myself because that's how you accomplish things and achievement breeds confidence in general, so its good for you.   Mostly I'm looking forward to getting to know the other students and exploring different viewpoints etc.  I'm sure I won't agree with everyone all the time, but healthy, respectful debate keeps life interesting and its a great way to learn. 

As with most academic courses there are lots of campus groups and societies that you can join and take part in.  I've never really been much of a 'joiner' but when I saw that there is a Poetry Society I just had to register my interest.  I love poems and poets so a Poetry Society is right up my street.  It makes me think of the Bloomsbury Group or Tolkien's Inklings, so it is something that I want to be a part of.  It suits my bookish personality to a tee and I'm sure my own poetry will be enhanced by regular Poetry Society meetings, so it will be good for my writing. 

In the meantime there is already a ton of reading to do and I have a stack of books in my study from the course reading list, so I'm going to make myself a nice gingerbread latte and dive into the first book on the list.  All in all, it looks like it is going to be an interesting couple of years and I am glad that I decided to push myself and apply for another course of study.  I plan to enjoy myself and make the most of it! Until next time...

Blessed Be

Marie x

MUSICAL DOLL; Beautiful

After all this time...

One tears falls, tension cracks the walls and relief comes -

Kiss me once and you will watch me fall...

xxx

MUSICAL DOLL; Who Wants To Live Forever?

This is a beautiful gothic rendition - very vampiric.

The dark season is calling seductively once more...

 Bite me...

xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Cosy Seasonal Shopping

It's the 1st of September and to me that means it's the start of autumn!  While today is still bright and sunny, the weather is set to change and become much colder in the next few days and that makes me so happy.   

I love the dark season and I have a few little traditions of my own. I always book my holiday for the following year in autumn and this year is no exception.  I've already booked a trip to the Orkney Isles for next year and I am so much looking forward to that.  John O'Groats is the furthest north I've ever been so it will be wonderful to visit the Northern Isles.  I can't wait and I get excited whenever I think about it.

I also like to go shopping each September for a few treats to cosy up my home ready for the colder months - candles, oils and bath products are a must.  I like warm scents such as cinnamon, gingerbread and vanilla.  I also like to buy something for the house that looks autumnal or wintry, but which can be used all year round.

Over the years I have collected a lovely set of oak leaf man ornaments - mirrors, candle and tealight holders, dishes and trinket boxes etc.  They bring the spirit of the autumn woods to my home all the year.  I like to have things around me that remind me of the dark season, even at the height of summer.  There might be a heatwave going on, but once indoors I am surrounded by autumn and winter, my favourite seasons. 

A couple of years ago I bought a few owl shaped plates, mugs and teapot and I always find myself reaching for them come August, when I am sick of the sun and ready for teatime on rainy days.  

I am a pluviophile which means that I take great comfort and joy in rainy days and 'dismal' weather.  I love the cosyness of it; of walking in the rain with a bright umbrella and then coming home to a cosy, warm house, a cup of tea and a good book.  

This year I have added to my woodland crockery collection, buying a gorgeous fox shaped chopping board that looks fantastic in my kitchen.  He is a joy to see each day and always makes me smile. I wish I'd got the set of tea-towels to match, but I might go back and pick them up another day. 

I also got something that has been on my wish-list for a while.  A few years ago as I was watching Once Upon A Time, I noticed a pumpkin shaped cookie jar in Snow's kitchen.  I looked everywhere but couldn't find one and I had given up on it as just one of those American things that never made it to the UK.   But now I have one!  A burnt orange ceramic pumpkin oven dish and lid that will make a fab sweetie jar to keep treats in.  Its from the same range as the fox (pictured above) and was quite inexpensive.    I love it when that happens; when you've wanted something for years and it suddenly lands in your lap right when you've given up on it.  It's manifestation as its best.   

So now my kitchen at least is ready for the dark season and looking very pretty, cute and autumnal.   Shopping is always a fun way to mark the turn in the seasons and companies these days are tapped into the lure of Instagram, producing lovely items that seem to be made for those of us who like to buy pretty as well as practical.  Even the cheaper supermarkets are getting in on the act, so a few seasonal treats and trifles needn't break the bank. 

But for the moment I'm going to make a cup of chai tea in my owl mug, fill the pumpkin with yummy treats and settle down to write a seasonal column for Samhain.  My October column is already in, but we decided I'd write a bit extra for the witchy month of the year, so that's what I'm off to do now. My writing life calls and there's no rest for the Wiccan. Enjoy squirreling away a few autumn treats for yourself this season.  

Blessed Be

Marie x

BOOK NOOK; Luxury Books & Curating a Library

I

Love

Limited

Editions

I always think of books as luxury items - we don't need them to survive, but they certainly do help to make everyday life more interesting and fulfilling.  Buying books is an affordable luxury and with public libraries closing down all the time, it makes sense to build up a library of your very own.  This is something I have been doing since I was a young girl, when I would spend my pocket money on new books.  I loved the sense of ownership, because I didn't have to take them back to the library when I had finished reading them - they were mine to read again and again.

Curating a personal library is the hobby of a lifetime.  It will never be finished as there are always new books to discover.  Your library will grow and evolve over time and the books you read as a teenager are unlikely to still fill your shelves in your dotage, apart from the odd sentimental favourite.   As a youngster spending my pocket money, I didn't care what edition I purchased, so long as I had the story and so my early library was made up of inexpensive paperbacks, apart from the red leather-bound set of classics my parents bought for me when I was fifteen. 

As an adult with more disposable income, I have developed a love of limited and collector's editions.  These editions are designed to be durable and to last for years, so they are the backbone of any library.  More than that, they have beautiful details that make them a joy to own, such as the stunning gothic cover art of the Bronte Deluxe Duo pictured above.

I was thrilled when I found these collector's editions of two of my favourite classics.  I've had editions of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights since I was a  young teenager, but they are slightly abridged and they are not a matching set.  So when I saw this gorgeous matching duo I bought it immediately and I love them!

Not only is the cover art evocative and eerie, just like the Bronte's stories themselves, but the artwork continues on the back covers and also on both the inner French flaps.  Plus they have deckle edged pages to add to that vintage, old library feel.  I love the windswept look of Cathy's hair and the glinting gold metallic of Jane's lantern.  They really are beautiful books; they make me feel lucky to have them each time I read them as they are such gorgeous editions.

I have quite a few classics from this deluxe collection, but the Bronte ones are my favourites.   I also have collector's editions of fairytale anthologies, which have gold or silver leaf page edges and ribbon bookmarks.  They are the kind of books that are wasted on children!  Much too nice for grubby little hands to ruin.  Some of these anthologies come in matching slip cases to help protect them. I have a few, but my favourite is The Blue Fairy Book...

You can probably see why!  The gilding on this book gleams like magic!  It's a Folio Society edition and sadly it's not available anymore.  But that is one of the risks of collecting limited editions  - you have to get them when you see them, because once the print run is sold, they will go out of print and are unlikely to be reissued in the same way again.  

Over time you will have a library that is uniquely yours and with the exception of Folio Society, collector's editions are not always expensive. On first release they tend to cost just a few pounds more than the standard edition, so you might as well buy the special edition and have something wonderful!  Curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and a stunning book is one of the simple joys of life.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - it takes no extra effort and only a few extra pounds to buy pretty, so why settle for something plain and mundane?  When your bookcase is full of gorgeous books like this Bronte Duo, you can peruse the shelves knowing that whichever book you choose to read, it will look absolutely gorgeous on your bedside table.  You don't get that from a Kindle!

Happy Reading Bookworms! 

MUSICAL DOLL; Lover by Taylor Swift

After a long day at the practice yesterday I came home to the arrival of Taylor's new album Lover, which I had pre-ordered some time ago.  It was a lovely home-coming.  I decided that I wanted to get one of the deluxe versions because they just look so pretty!

Of course, I got the pink one as that is my favourite colour and I just love the aesthetics of this album - everything about it is just beautiful; hearts, glitter, pink clouds, blue skies...it's like Taylor has tapped into the hearts of feminine women everywhere and created a pink and pretty album from what she found there. 

As always, her lyrics are incredibly relatable and the melodies are catchy and fun.  In places this album has echos of the sound of 1989 - that definitive Taylor sound that she has become known for.  Some of the songs are quite raw, such as Soon You'll Get Better - this is a heart-breaking song of losing someone you love to illness and as I have lost half my family to cancer, it had me in floods of tears! It did leave me in awe of her talent though as it is such a powerful song.

The album soon picks up the pace again with her singles You Need To Calm Down and ME! putting out the good vibes once more.  I think my favourite tracks are The Man and also, The Archer.

These deluxe versions have voice memos of two of the songs which shows the raw talent at work, before the pizzaz of production is in place. It has a very intimate feel to it - like you're eavesdropping while she works.

The Pink deluxe version also incorporates lots of photos, a poster, lyric booklet and extracts from Taylor's own diaries ages 13- 27.  This insight into her personality shows a young woman growing up in extraordinary circumstances; signing a record deal one month, then taking part in a school talent show a few months later, just like any other school girl; shopping with her mother and declaring it a better day than all the concerts and tours she'd performed; her plans to move to New York (which birthed 1989) and to get a kitten and call her Meredith Gray; vignettes of her curled up 'watching Gray's Anatomy with Meredith' -  all these diary entries show a thoughtful young woman who demonstrates gratitude for all the little things in life, which is probably why life has given her the big opportunities.

She comes across as a kind person who is thoughtful, who knows the value of creating a homemade gift for  her brother and who never takes anything for granted.

We could all take a lesson from this, because it is the little moments in life that count.  Rarely does life happen in a bells and whistles way, but in a random way, as you go about your daily routine.  Showing gratitude for the little things is what brings about the bigger things and this is how dreams come true and achievements are made. 

I also think it is very brave of her to open up her diaries to the world as she has.  Yes, I'm sure she was very selective in what extracts she chose to publish, but still, it is a very personal and vulnerable thing to do.  I have boxes and boxes of diaries and journals from the age of 15 and I have never shared them with anyone, least of all thought about publishing any part of them!  But it does give the whole deluxe album a very personal feel and is another symbol of the trust this artist shares with her fans, in that she treats them like friends and even lets them read her diary! I don't think I would ever trust anyone that much!  

All in all I'm really glad I went for one of the deluxe versions of Lover and if you like Taylor Swift's music and you love pretty, feminine things then you will not be disappointed with Lover.  If Pink is not your thing there are three other deluxe versions available, Blue, Mint and Lilac I believe, so you might prefer one of those instead and each one is slightly different. 

I have a feeling I'm going to be playing this album on repeat for a while yet.  Here are my favourite tracks from Lover...

 

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Soon Be Autumn

 

As summer begins to draw to a close, with lots of wet and windy weather here in Yorkshire, I can't help getting excited for the dark season.  Darkness falls for 9pm now and I love it!  I always love the dark half of the year, but I have so much to look forward to this autumn.

For me, autumn is a natural fresh start.  This year it is especially so because I begin the Masters degree next month!  I have all the back-to-school vibes that I missed out on last year and I recently went shopping to get the stationery that I need for university in September.  I wanted to get this done in summer because if you wait until September, all the best stuff is gone.  So I went and filled my shopping basket with all the  pretty things I could find - notebooks, projects books, A4 ring binders, project folders and a new water bottle, all with a beautiful purple and pink butterfly design.   

I think it helps your studying if you have pretty things you love to use. I got all the boring things too, like pens and highlighters and page markers etc, but I tried to get them in pretty pastel colours.  I'm looking forward to getting my reading list through from uni so that I can go book shopping as well.  I have no idea which texts we will be studying from and they change every year, so it should be a fun surprise to get the actual academic reading list for this year.

I also finally got the date through for my graduation from the counselling course.  There has been a staff reshuffle which resulted in a long delay, but we now have the date for our official graduation ceremony, which is to be held this autumn too.  I already have a lovely new dress for it and I'm going to enjoy the day so much, as it has been a long time coming. It will be nice to see fellow students again - we haven't been together as a full group since the course finished. 

Towards the end of autumn I go off to Loch Lomond and this is something I've been planning for ages.  I love Scotland in autumn, when the mists are clinging to the mountains and treetops and all the scenery is made up of beautiful autumn colours.  It's all green and gold and bronze - a world of sheer beauty.  The stags are rutting, the red squirrels are darting about looking for nuts and seeds to store away, the lochs reflect the low autumn sunshine and there is the smell of petrichor on the air everyday.  

Scotland revitalizes me and lifts my spirits so high - maybe it's the mountain air, but it does me the world of good and I can't wait to be back there again, walking loch side and listening to the pipes in the evenings, sitting by a toasty fireside and getting to know the locals.

With pine log fires, wood paneling, tartan carpets, antler light fittings and snug cable knit throws, Scottish hoteliers know how to do cozy! It makes you never want to leave. 

So as far as I am concerned summer is already over and autumn can't come quick enough for me, but in the meantime there is always the atmospheric comfort of a Glade Honey and Chocolate candle burning and a nice new book to curl up with.  I'm about to start reading a witchy novel, which should give me even more cosy vibes and put me deeper into the autumnal mood.  There's nothing quite like flickering candles, a cup of spiced tea, a warm blanket and a good book on a blustery, rainy night.  

If you love the dark season too here is a lovely ambient video I found on You Tube.  I have this kind of thing playing in the background when I'm writing, journaling or studying.  It's very relaxing and will help to put you in the mood for autumn. Enjoy!

xxx