MUSICAL DOLL; It'll All Get Better In Time

  

Another powerful song from Leona Lewis...

with a beautiful video featuring a beautiful horse.

I love this one.

Enjoy x

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Cinderella's Song

Cinderella's Song

By the fire I sit and dream 

And in the flames I see

Pictures of the lovely things

That never come to me

That never come to me, to me

That never come to me...

Carriages, a lovely gown 

A flowing silver cloak

The embers move

The picture's gone

My dreams go up in smoke

My dreams go up in smoke, in smoke

My dreams go up in smoke.

By Enid Blyton

I'm sitting by the fire this chilly spring day, dreaming of the soldier who kissed my silver ballet slipper before putting it back on my foot, on the steps of my hotel in Oban, when I turned 40...such pleasant dreams.  What will you dream of as you sit hearth-side and gaze into the flames?

When a girl loses her shoe, it must be true love.

MUSICAL DOLL; Decor Inspired by Pretty Songbirds

I adore this music video! I've been planning to buy a beautiful decorative birdcage for my home for some time, as I like the idea of the songbird having flown away to freedom.  I like pretty birdcages that are designed to hold candles and plants, or which are whimsical table lamps. These music videos have reminded me that I still need to buy such a cage and I think I'll go shopping for one this weekend.

It is a theme that I explored some time ago in an earlier blog post Caged Heart which you can read here if you want to link

There is another birdcage hanging in the background of this video too and I love how the interior set has been designed for this one.  I could easily live in a room like Leona's!  I like the muted colours - deeper than a pastel but not bright shades that scream and jar. It's soft, feminine and sophisticated. So pretty.

I can feel a visit to Homebase coming on...

...Some time later that day...
Ta-Daaaa! Here is it, my beautiful new birdcage with my silver filigree owl peeking out.  I love it.

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Crushing on Richard III

I still have another week off night classes and I have been procrastinating on completing my homework with some lovely books and films.  Most recently I have been watching The White Queen box set and totally pashing on Richard, one of the three Sons of York, above.  I like the way he can sit a horse and holds the reins correctly, thumbs on top - its surprising how many actors fail in that basic riding position, but he nails it.

I've long had a bit of a thing for King Richard III.  Yes, I know he is reputed to be the bad boy of history, but I quite like that about him.  He also seemed to have a deep sense of chivalry and social responsibility, which is why he made himself King instead of allowing England to be ruled by a young boy vulnerable to the manipulation of others.  Did he have a hand in the murdered Princes of the Tower?  I don't know. But in the battle for a kingdom it makes sense to leave none alive when it comes to the opposition thus ending any counter claim for the throne.

I think I like Richard III because he reminds me of Robert the Bruce and I see parallels between the two kings.  Robert the Bruce killed the Red Comyn when he refused to give up his claim to the throne of Scotland and yield to the Bruce. He even sent a man back to make sure the Comyn was dead - that is to make sure he had eliminated the opposition. Brutal? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely, at that time, and the ancient blood feud between Clans Bruce and Comyn still stands, spoon fed to us from a young age. But when there is a kingdom at stake, any challenge must be met and won and any opposition must be utterly defeated.  I admire that both The Bruce and Richard III were fearless in making good their claim to the throne.

King Richard was laid to rest just last month, after his bones were finally found and identified and while I'm sad he is not resting here in Yorkshire, I'm happy that he has been given an honorable resting place at last.  He was a knightly king and he deserves to be honored as such. At least his tomb is made of Yorkshire Swaledale stone, so he will be surrounded by his home county as he slumbers. 

As for me, I'm planning to research more about him and his life, as I currently only have the romanticized version of him to go on. I am a romantic though and I rather love that King Richard has this knightly, chivalrous charm about him.  The knights were the soldiers of their day, their job was to guard, defend and protect. A knight was meant to live an honorable life and die in battle if he could not achieve victory - for me, Richard III ticks all those boxes. 

I am proud to be a White Rose of Yorkshire and I wear my Yorkshire Rose pin next to my Clan Bruce pin on my coat so I feel a duel affinity with Richard III.  He saw a chance for the throne and he took it.  I love him for that, for his ambition and his determination to succeed, because any Bruce worthy of our name would be the first to spot a floating crown and claim it for ourselves! Now, where's my tiara?

A knightly vision to set the heart a-flutter!

ONCE UPON A DREAM; A Novel Romance

As its the Easter holidays and I don't have a night class for a couple of weeks, I'm indulging in some quiet time with my beloved books. I am currently reading a novel about a hot Scotsman RAF fighter pilot...can we all just take a moment to appreciate the perfection of that sentence and what it represents - HOT SCOTSMAN RAF FIGHTER PILOT!!!! And as if that's not enough, sometimes you find a quotation in a random book that totally sums up how you are feeling about something. This is the one that stopped my eyes in their tracks tonight...

"She couldn't work out how she felt about this man. She had never met anyone like him before. His merry blue eyes, his sense of fun, his soft Scots accent, his stunning good looks and his cheeriness in the face of threat all intrigued her. Was he so stupid that he didn't understand the danger all around him?" by Barbara Erskine, The Darkest Hour.

LOL I think I'm going to enjoy this book, and I'm burning protection spells to keep my soldier boys safe and sound, wherever they might be tonight smile emoticon

MUSICAL DOLL; I Never Really Loved You Anyway

The Corrs - one of my favourite bands - offer up the ultimate two finger salute!! Gotta love 'em for this f-off anthem!

And Madonna has something to say too...

Can't really argue with the Queen of Pop can you?