MUSICAL DOLL; Right Here Waiting...

Some of the most beautiful songs have been written about the act of waiting...waiting in the bittersweet space between the dream of love and its reality, where yearning lyrics couple with haunting melodies, these songs can melt even the coldest heart...

 xoxo

CLASSIC BOOK NOOK; Romeo and Juliet

"I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far

As that vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea,

I would adventure for such merchandise."

Romeo and Juliet

Someone once asked me if Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending which really made me giggle...I suppose it depends on how you look at it.  Yes, they both die in the end and it is technically a tragedy, but they are also together forever in eternal love.  Forever young and in love, never to disappoint one another, let each other down or tire of each other.  To me, that sounds like a happy ending of sorts, because the deepest, strongest, truest love is worth dying for.   

I tend to read this play each year as the summer months loom into view - the balcony scene is perfect for the lighter, warmer nights.  It reminds me that love is always unexpected - and sometimes it can be downright inconvenient!  It knows no bounds, or prejudices; it breaks all the rules; it is a headlong dash into the unknown, with someone you hardly know, yet trust automatically.  Love lingers in the ears long after the lips have spoken. As Juliet says;

"My ears have not yet drunk one hundred words 

Of thy tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound.

Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?"

It is a remembrance and a dream; a waking thought not easily shaken off; a rekindling of hope and a healing charm to soothe the 

heart, lost in its chamber of solitude.  It may never be more than fantasy; reality might prove too complicated for the dream to be fulfilled - yet, the dream lives on in the mind, of whispers in moonlight and what might have been.  When Love's little arrows are lodged in your heart, it hurts a little bit. 

Despite the tragic ending though, Romeo and Juliet is my favourite

Shakespearean play, because it is still so relevant to modern life.  It can be tough to read if you are not used to the language, but Shakespeare designed his work to be seen, not read.  He wanted people to watch his plays, so if you prefer to watch one of the film versions or go to the theatre, rather than read the play, I'm sure he would approve.   It has inspired works of art, modern re-tellings and pop songs "for never was a tale of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo".  It is certainly well worth reading.

"A thousand times goodnight...

Goodnight, goodnight! Parting is such sweet sorrow

That I shall say goodnight till it be morrow"

BOOK NOOK; Beauty and the Beast, movie tie-in novel

A novel of the film


"What if I'm too late? What if I never get to see the Beast again?" She knew that if the Beast was gone she would have no one to blame but herself.

Against all the odds, the Beast had shown her true beauty. He had shown her it was okay to be different. He had shown her it was okay to feel lost and made her realise how desperately she wanted to be found.

Last month my mother and I went to see the new movie version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and it was a fantastic film. It was the kind of film that stays with you and you are reluctant to leave behind at the cinema, so when I saw there was a book of the film out too, I just had to get it.

I have spent today reading this beautiful, romantic, novel length fairytale and it has kept the movie fresh in my mind.  What has taken me by surprise though is that I found I could relate more to the Beast than to Belle!  Like me, he has a temper and he can be easily provoked.  He doesn't always know what is good for him and he has to be gently persuaded to give Belle a chance.

I can relate to his wariness, because I am the same and when those little arrows of love hit me, my first response is to snarl and growl and scare them all away.  This means I scare away the very thing I need most. It means I lose my temper with the wrong people, when someone else has provoked me.  We can all be beastly at times. 

Like the Beast in the fairytale I just need someone brave enough to see past my tantrums, to soothe the fear that lies beneath.  I need someone who won't give up on me and who will keep trying to coax me into a gentler mood and a more playful attitude.  I need someone who can calm me with a soft voice and a bit of patience, until my trust is gained. Because sometimes a rejection comes from fear, not disinterest. 

Belle and the Beast initially reject one another because they are both fearful.  They bicker and snipe at one another, but deep down, they have much in common.  They get to know one another through a mutual love of books and the library in the film is truly breath-taking. Any book worm would love to spend time there. 

Eventually they come to see each other as allies, rather than as enemies. Once they understand that they are on the same side, love blossoms between them, though there are a couple of false starts along the way...barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly. 

Because if someone really is on your side, they will fly right back to you like little arrows, giving you the chance to turn the beastly curse into a spell of love and friendship.  Maybe there's a happy ending in second glances and second chances?

If you like tales as old as time you will enjoy this novel, available from Amazon here and the theme songs below...

It was a kiss full of apology, full of thankfulness, and full of deep, deep love. It was a kiss full of enchantment...
X

Wasting in my lonely tower...waiting by an open door...