MUSICAL DOLL; Hey Lonely...

 Hey Lonely what you doing for the rest of your life?

xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Trinkets and Treasures

 I don't know any woman who doesn't love jewellery and over the course of a lifetime, we can collect quite a lot of it.   While we might not have a hoard to rival the crown jewels, for each individual, there will be sentimental items in her jewellery box that she simply cannot part with.  As a popular gift, women are often presented with items of jewellery to mark special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, graduations and so on.  Most of us hold onto these trinkets, making special treasures of them, from the first pair of studs earrings we got when we had our ears pierced, to other rites-of-passage trinkets like engagement and wedding rings, to beloved hand-me-downs from mothers and grandmothers.

Over time, my collection has become too large for the Art Nouveau jewellery casket I kept  on my vanity.  I could never find anything, earrings got lost and necklaces ended up in a tangled mess.  I had piles of Pandora boxes and Scottish Thistle boxes on my vanity, which looked untidy and meant that I never really wore the items inside, because it was too much hassle to hunt through to find the right box.  So I decided to have a declutter of my jewellery and the makeup drawers in my vanity, throwing away anything that was past it's best, broken or odd - because I'm probably never going to find the matching pair at this stage. 

I decluttered last week, and then this weekend I went shopping for something more suitable to keep my jewellery in. I came home with a large item of furniture and something I've wanted for years!  In short, I purchased a beautiful cabinet that is also a full length mirror.  I've given my old pine cheval mirror to my mum's best friend, and in its place now stands a lovely creamy white mirrored cabinet.  The mirror opens up like a door and inside are lots of hooks and spaces for organizing jewellery.  It is fully lined in dark blue velvet so that the jewellery won't get scratched and the hooks mean an end to tangled necklaces.  It has a special section on the back of the door for hanging and organizing earrings and bracelets, and a little internal mirror so you can try things on without having to close the door.  It really is beautiful and such a nice addition to my fairytale bedroom.  I'm so glad I found it!

Mum and I spent time yesterday putting it together and then I took delight in arranging all my little trinkets inside.  While my collection isn't valuable, I still feel that we should look after our pretty things and keep them nice, regardless of how much they cost. Sentimental value should not be underestimated either, and there are items in this cabinet that my grandmother passed on to me or that she bought for me when I was a girl.  There are also things that my mother has given me too - her mother of pearl broach that I played dress-up with as a small girl now has a place in a velvet-lined compartment and it makes me smile to see it whenever I open up the jewellery cabinet door.  My bridesmaid pearls are in here too, that I wore as a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding when I was just sixteen years old.  The silver thistle jewellery, unicorn earrings and Clan Bruce broach and kiltpin that I brought back from Scotland have a place and compartment to themselves.  So while there is nothing of any monetary value, these things are valuable to me, for the memories they evoke and the family connections they represent. 

Now I can actually see all the items I have when I'm getting ready each day.  Nothing is buried, nothing is so tangled I can't be bothered with it, nothing is separated from its pair. It's all organized, neat and tidy, in a mirrored cabinet that takes up less space than my old cheval mirror, but which does twice as much in terms of usefulness.  I'm really happy with it and it was certainly a good purchase.  All my pretty trinkets are safe and organized and I will always know where to find things.  So while they might not be the crown jewels,  they are nonetheless my jewels and I am thrilled that I finally have such a lovely home for them.

It was a good shopping trip!

BB Marie x

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Down The Rabbit Hole

"Curiouser and curiouser..."

 Spring is when my writing royalties come in and sometimes you just have to treat yourself to something nice, especially when you've been working hard, because hard work without reward is just no fun at all.  It's been a crazy year at the practice and I've been there throughout the lock-downs, plus studying and attending online classes for the Masters degree, and of course writing my psychotherapy column each month too.  So I decided it was high time to give myself a little reward for all this diligence.

I've had my eye on the Alice In Wonderland tea set from the Victoria & Albert museum for quite some time.   It's a lovely set, with all the whimsical charm of the original story.  Each item is printed with illustrations from the book of all the best loved characters, including the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the March Hare etc.  For ages I've kept going back to it, looking at the images and picturing it in my house, and so I decided to just bite the bullet and treat myself to several pieces from the collection.

I'd been hesitating because I didn't really need a new tea set, but then again, tea sets are an additional luxury anyway. You really only need a dinner service, and I have two of those already.  A tea set is a little extra luxury on the side - a pretty set of plates and cups and saucers, designed purely for the joy of having tea and cakes and dainty sandwiches.  The truth is, I've never really grown out of tea sets, so to find one this pretty, made for grown up tea parties, was like finding treasure!  It adds to the charm that it's inspired by one of my favourite children's books too.  Part of me still wishes I could jump down the rabbit hole after Alice and share in her adventures.   This tea set brings that dream a little closer to reality.

The fine china collection is sold as separate items, so you can build it up and create a tea set that is ideal for you and your household.  Each item comes gift boxed, so it makes a perfect present for birthdays, weddings, or for someone who is just setting up home. I bought several lovely pieces from the collection, including the gorgeous gold-trimmed cake plates, with the matching cake forks; tea cups, saucers and the matching teaspoons; and of course I got the beautiful cake stand, because a tea-party without a cake stand is no tea party at all.  This will be a perfect centerpiece for coffee-table tea-parties, and girl's nights in, once lock-down is over.  

I also the teapot, even though I already have a teapot shaped like a white rabbit that I adore, I decided to get the V&A Wonderland teapot, sugar bowl and creamer jug,  just to finish off the set. As a nod to our current lock-down situation, I bought the tea-for-one set too, which is just precious!  The matching forks and spoons have porcelain handles that depict Alice and the White Rabbit, and all the pieces feature literary quotations from the books.  It's just the perfect tea set for a bookworm who loves fairytale enchantment.

Everything in this collection is so dainty and delicate and feminine. I've spent a happy hour unboxing the items, washing them and displaying them in my dresser.  I'm going to use the pretty gift boxes as organisation and storage.  I can't wait for lock-down to be lifted so that I can have tea-parties again! But for now I plan to make use of my tea-for-one set and settle down to watch Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass films.  

I feel fortunate to have such a lovely china tea set and I'm glad I decided to treat myself.  It's also one of the perks of living alone, as men really can't be trusted with fine china! They are too clumsy. This is very much a woman's tea set.  It was certainly worth waiting for and it will bring me joy on a daily basis, in the way that being surrounded by pretty things often does.  Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer, William Morris said "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful".  This tea set is both those things and I didn't even have to leave the house to get it - you can have it delivered from Amazon here.   After all, it's always tea-time.  So, would you like an adventure, or shall we have tea first?

 

BOOK NOOK; The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

 

"When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;

Three from the circle, three from the track;

Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;

Five will return, and one go alone."

The Dark Is Rising has been on my 'to be read' list for years and as the snow has been falling quietly for the last few days, now seemed like the right time.  I would describe it as a pagan adventure story, told in the same style as John Masefield's The Box of Delights, which was one of my favourite winter reads as a child.  I loved it!

The Dark Is Rising is just as magical and the pagan undertones sing off the page.  Here we meet Will,  the seventh son of a seventh son, who is born to be the last of the Old Ones.  The story begins on his eleventh birthday, at the time of the Winter Solstice, when he notices a strange atmosphere in the air and the animals behaving in a very unusual manner.

Will is given the Quest to find all six of the Signs - Iron, Bronze, Wood, Stone, Fire and Water. With them, he and the other Old Ones can push back the Dark.  But the servants of the Dark are seeking the Signs too, and they know who Will is.  They are following his every move, eager to take the Signs before he does, or to take them from him.

This is a story of our world and Otherworlds, of time-slips and portals, of Old Ways and Old Gods.  There are mad pony rides in the snow on moonlit nights, carol services in the great halls of times long ago,  the raising of an old king, long dead in his Viking long-ship and great perilous journey's to find the Signs.

Will has to summon all his courage to face the dangers that lie before him, all the while evading the Dark Rider who stalks his every step through the snow, through the portals, even through Time itself.  From the eve of the Winter Solstice right through to Twelfth Night, Will has to find and keep the Signs safe, before the Dark Rider gets to them first.  As the Dark powers are rising, a deep winter of ice and snow settles across the land and only the Light - and Will -  can break it's hold.

This is one of the best snowy books I've read this winter and although it hasn't knocked The Box of Delights off the top spot of my favorite winter books, it does come in a close second.  I enjoyed the pagan symbolism that is apparent throughout the story, the wintry atmosphere, the magic and spells.  It's a lovely book to read on a snowy day and I shall certainly be reading the rest of the series once I've finished my Masters degree.  If you enjoy books like The Box of Delights or The Lord of the Rings trilogy, then you will love the pagan magic of The Dark Is Rising.  So if you want to escape for a while and live a boys adventure tale, this book is a great way to go. Enjoy!

 

SILVER SIREN; The Aftermath

I have just finished watching The Aftermath, which is such a romantic film!  Keira Knightley is at her snotty best and the gorgeous Alexander Skarsgard is the forbidden love interest, who grabs her disinterested, distrustful attention, against her better judgement.  She plays Rachael, the wife of an English Army officer who goes to live with a German family in the months following the end of the Second World War.  

As an occupying force, they are not meant to fraternize with the locals, but are there to help rebuild Hamburg.  This film shows what happens after the RAF have swept in, won the war and destroyed lives, leaving a trail of devastation behind them, as is their trademark.  Or perhaps that's unfair - perhaps devastation and destruction are simply the trademarks of warfare, and the RAF just happened to be there at the time.  I dare say that's their take on the destruction they cause anyway.  Either way, this film looks at what happens to ordinary people once the war has been won, but everything has changed forever.  

It's not really about war though - it's about loss and forgiveness and finding a way forward. As her husband is away so much, Rachel finds herself in the company of the German widower who owns the house. 

He recognizes her unhappiness and does little things to try and help.  He brings her firewood to keep her warm and turns the gramophone so that she can hear the beautiful music he is playing, letting the notes drift down the staircase to meet her.  In short he offers warmth and comfort in the midst of her lonely existence and woos her with romance.  I'm a little disappointed that he didn't read her any German poetry, but it is still a beautifully romantic film.

Alexander Skarsgard is tall and handsome, with brown hair and lovely blue eyes, so you can understand why he turns Rachael's head.  There are a couple of steamy love scenes, so it's probably not one to watch with your granny, but you'll never look at a dining room table in the same way again!  While it does have a happy ending, it is not the ending I would have wanted - I would have preferred the alternative.  Still, it's a lovely film and I enjoyed it so much I've just bought the book on Amazon.  If you have a couple of hours to spare, you could do worse with your time than watch The Aftermath.  It certainly leaves a romantic after-glow so enjoy! 

BOOK NOOK; Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink

 

"Reading has saved my life, again and again, and has held my hand through every difficult time.  Now, if I start to fray around the edges I know I need to reverse out of watching the news, deactivate social media, curfew myself on technology and banish all devices from my bedroom.  I need to get in the bath or go to bed with a book."

It is a frigidly cold night in Yorkshire and more snow is expected tonight.  I am enjoying a day of hibernation, with a cup of Spiced Gingerbread tea, burning Frankincense&Myrrh scented candles and nibbling some of the vast quantities of chocolates left over from Christmas time.  It has been one of those days where I don't want to move from my cosy nook and I've been curled up by the fire reading all day long.

Dear Reader; The Comfort and Joy of Books is a marvelous work of non-fiction.  The author is coming into my university later this semester to be one of our guest lecturers and I'm very much looking forward to her seminar.  I wanted to read this book beforehand, because I think it is only polite to do so and I'm so glad I did.  I would have purchased this book even if it wasn't on the required reading list as it is ideal for any bookworm.  Every page is so relatable and I loved it. 

Part reading log, part love letter to publishing,  I can best describe Dear Reader as a bibliographical memoir, wherein the author explores her relationship with books and reading, from her earliest childhood memories, through to her adult life as a writer.  She talks of how books have always been her go-to place for comfort in darker times, her solace as she grieves losses, her celebration when things are going well.

I have always described books as being my best friends and often joke that my therapist is called Paige - as in, the pages of a book or my journal - so it is just lovely to finally find a book that describes this kind of visceral relationship so eloquently and elegantly.  Reading this book was like looking in a mirror and I frequently found myself within its pages, from working behind bars in village pubs and writing in my spare time, to working in Waterstones and getting dizzy with the scent of glossy newly printed books, to the feeling of impostor syndrome when first stepping into the world of publishing. It seems that I have shared many of the same experiences as the author. 

As a book of essays, it reminded me a lot of the works of Sarah Ban Breathnach.  It has that same tone of voice and feels as if you are sharing time with a kindred spirit.  It also feels similar to Julia Cameron's books on creativity, but while Cameron encourages her readers to write, Dear Reader is basically one long permission slip to curl up with a huge stack of books and never move again!  

It acts as a list of book recommendations too, with the author writing brief blurbs on many of her favourite books.  Some will be familiar to you already, such as the Narnia and the Harry Potter books, while others will be books that you might never have heard of.  In a way, this book acts as a single-volume portable book-club - there are so many books recommended here that it is worth reading just for those introductions. 

Dear Reader in a very cosy book. It draws you in from the first page and encourages you to keep reading, to read more deeply, more frequently, more indulgently.  As the author shares her personal experience of books, it makes you want to re-read old favourites, discover new gems and spend a few happy days rearranging your bookcases, appreciating the personal library you have created, no matter how large or small it is.   

As the subtitle suggests, this is a book that explores and actively encourages readers to find comfort and joy in books; to turn to them in moments of crisis when life gets too overwhelming; to use them to switch off from the world of technology where we are expected to be constantly on call at a moments notice; to drop out of the fray and take time out to read meditatively, as a sacred daily practice.  

Dear Reader is the best kind of bibliotherapy and it has earned a permanent place in my library.  I can't recommend it highly enough.   If you enjoy the essays of SBB or Julia Cameron and you consider yourself to be a bookworm, then you will greatly appreciate this wonderful book.  Every blue-stocking should have a copy!

Happy reading,

BB Marie x

BOOK NOOK; The Nesting by C.J. Cooke

 

"The nokk act on behalf of Mother Nature.  They punish humans who overstep the mark.  They might make shallow pools deepen and drown people who abuse nature. I've heard of crops that turned poisonous when the earth was not given proper stewardship."

I have just finished reading The Nesting, which is a Norwegian thriller/ghost story.  Written in a fairytale style and incorporating Norse mythology and legend, it follows a young woman who runs off to Norway to escape a troubled life in England.  There she takes up the position of nanny, looking after the two young daughters of an ambitious architect.

The architect, Tom, is busy building his dream house by the fjord in honour of his dead wife.  He feels that he knows all about nature and how to build an eco-friendly abode, using only sustainable materials and recycled products.   But he doesn't know about the old ways.  He has no concept of the old gods of river, rock and forest, no understanding of the fragile truce that exists between them and humankind.  He wants to build a great house, but the river is in the way.  So he moves it.  He creates a damn and redirects the river that has flowed the same course for centuries.  And that's when all the trouble starts. 

The nanny has secrets of her own.  Her life in England might be in the past, but she lives with the uncertainty that one day her secrets will be discovered and she will lose her position.  Without it she has nothing.  She builds a trusting relationship with the two girls in her care, adopts a baby raven and begins to feel safe in her new life.  But then she starts seeing things - elk hoof-prints in the house, a shadowy figure in the background, the Sad Lady with no eyes that haunts the little girl's nightmares.  It's all a bit spooky and when the diary of Tom's late wife is placed in her bedroom, she learns that he might not be all that he seems and she must protect the girls at all costs. 

This novel is at once bright and dark.  It is a delight of snow scapes and winter wonderlands, of fjords and reindeer, yet it holds the dark melancholy of the Norwegian soul.  It is gripping and magical, with a fairytale atmosphere in the descriptive passages of endless snow falling in the shadowy forest.  In some ways it reminded me of the novel The Twisted Tree, also set in Norway. 

The Nesting is a very engaging story that will keep you up late into the night, lost within the pages of this wintry Norwegian mystery.  So if, like me,  you dream of holidays in Norway and want to escape to a snowy world during our second national lock-down, this is the book for you and it is best enjoyed with a melting cheese pot  and warm mulled wine. 

I hope you are enjoying the winter season so far!

BB Marie x