A Cure for Love

There are a number of fantastic ladies I have the privlage of working with, one in particular provides a fantastic service to the people in the community that are unable to make it into the library for books.

Today she showed me this little note, a small post-it stuck to a returned audio book from a 92 year old lady.

"I still have no cure for love"

This made me smile at first, such a cute little note. But then it made me a little sad! I don't think the lady is seriously looking for a cure for love, I think it had more to do with the book that it was stuck to. It just got me to thinking.....

I think better in places like this:

With views like this:

And this:

However I didn't have long, as usual!! Even so my mind kind of drifted to my virtual BFF Deb's medicine cabinet challenge, would a cure for love be something you would want in your medicine cabinet?

When I think of my ideal medicine cabinet it would be more a Narnian wardrobe leading straight to here:

Complete with potions master preferably!

The odd vile of Veritaserum would come in really handy or a little Felix Felicis tucked away for necessity.

Yes love is hard but would I include a cure for love? What instance would you even consider needing a cure for love? 

I have felt all consuming love, I still feel all consuming love. I have loved and then had the object of my love taken from me, yet still I don't think I would want to be cured of that love because it fuels my memory. 

Hmmm, there is unrequited love; the times when you fall so completely for the one person you can't have or that hasn't fallen as far for you. Would you cure yourself of that love? Is this the cure I need to keep tucked at the back of my medicine cabinet along with my liquid luck for emergencies? For times when it hurts and you have to try not to love someone.

But alas, I fear my medicine cabinet will forever be stocked with the staples of nit lotions, spot potions and Calpol (because it mends broken bones). If someone is still looking after 92 years I don't think there is a cure to be had! There are much worse things to be told there is no cure, there are worse things to live with than a heart full of love.

Would you use a cure for love?

The hilariousness of me when I'm ill

So the family lurgy hit yesterday. I think the hint was in the clothing!

Picture this.....

Me - fleecy pants, thermal vest, mountaineering base layer, extra jumper, extra thick woolly socks with fleecy lining and faux fur edging plus extra blanket wrapped around me ala ET! - Still COLD!!!

The Other Half - shorts and t-shirt (ok so he is usually warmer than me) .

The girls - jeans and thin t-shirt.

Ok, so maybe there may be something wrong with this picture.....aren't we in the arctic, I think everyone in the house is ill?!?!?

Think I could use an extra blanket!

Fairy Tales and Forests

If some one said 'forest' to you, what would your first thought be?

Ok, had your thought?

My other half's initial reaction is to shout back (please imagine appropriate accent), "Run Forest, run!" Which makes me giggle every time!

If you were in a forest or woodland area what direction would your mind wander in?

Slight tangential paragraph, hang in there it will make sense!

I love working in a library. Simply for the fact that librarians are amazing at finding books, how much more amazing is it when they get to know your quirks and when a random book crosses their path they know you will be interested in it! I'll tell you....totally amazing. A colleague has done this for me recently and I took a look at the book in question today, oh and I have fallen for the book within the first few pages!

Sara Maitland - Gossip from the Forest (The tangled roots of our forests and fairytales) 2012

It starts with the dedication; ".... the true princess (No green vegetables were hurt testing of this hypothesis)"

Then continues with the definition of 'gossip'  and goes on from there. See I told you that I was going somewhere with that ;-)

She talks about the earth before the last ice age and what was left behind after the melt. And this line caught my imagination.

"And so once upon a time it was all forest. Forest enough to be lost in it forever"
 

Ooooo, did you get a shiver?? I did. The next couple of pages (which is as far as I have read) she goes on to talk about how, whilst camping in a forest, the conversation she was having made it's way to fairytales. I have to say, with the way she describes the forest they were in I think that is where my mind would have wandered.

 

For more from this talented photographer visit Lee Johnson Photography

Here's a challenge; if you can go out into a forest great, if not your imagination is your greatest tool. Imagine you are in a forest or wooded area, now where does your mind go? If it is a particular fairytale, which one? Is it even fairytales at all? Let me know in the comments or turn it into a blog post if you like and link back. I will complete the challenge and report back next week, including any other gems from Maitland's book I discover.

Happy dreaming.

 

Random Thursday - Walking in the dark

 I got me some fancy new walking boots yesterday. I have needed some for a while, the squelchy feeling in my boots every time I walked anywhere this (oops last!) summer was proof of that! Yesterday I bit the bullet and bought a pair of gorgeous (ok actually brown and unassuming), ever so slightly expensive and very practical boots.

Do you remember when you were a kid? When you got something new you had to try it on as soon as you got them. The brand new trainers were on as soon as they were home and covered in grass stains as soon as possible. Ok, so who am I kidding? I ever grew out of this!! Last night was proof of that. I had half an hour spare, half an hour to grab the boots and go for a wander.

In to the park, paths only because I am not a complete idiot, and off I went. A walk in the dark. Oh and it was soooo worth it. They fit like a glove. My toes rejoiced in their warm and cosy cocoon; encased in love. I could have walked all night, but I didn't have all night. I didn't have all night to enjoy the way the light played through the trees, or to listen to the owl hoot into the night sky. I couldn't keep breathing the crisp night air or stare into the midnight blue sky and let my troubles float to the stars.

I could have walked for hours.....but I couldn't

 

 

Not in the mood to laugh Tunes

As I seem to be suffering with a terminal case of the holiday blues today is definitely a Tuesday tunes day and not tickles!!

I thought I might just treat you all to another shot of my latest lyrical obsession and let y'all enjoy a little more 30 Seconds to Mars. The irony of the name is not lost on me given I am typing whilst watching the re-make of Total Recall and thinking about the original Arnie version!

My favourite song of theirs so far is Hurricane, unfortunately I seem to cry every time I hear it. Oh and even the censored version of the video is a little *ahem* Fifty Shades. Yes well if you want to see the extended version, video and all click here. Otherwise here is a PG version of lyrics only for your enjoyment :-)

 

 

What songs make you cry? Is there a reason or did it sneak up on you like this song did with me?

Random Thursday - Best Ever New Year

I have had the best New Year in probably about 16 years. We had no plans, no wild parties, no fire works, no-one else to celebrate with......just us. Now we never make plans and never celebrate with any one but usually end up in bed before the dongs.

I think that is what made this year so special, simplicity!

New Year's Eve: The kids didn't last till midnight (although I didn't expect them to) so a glass of wine, a log fire and New Year's Eve the DVD it was. Corny in it's entirety but I loved every minute!! (my previous best was baked beans on toast al a carte)

New Year's Day: A sunrise, coffee and a note pad. Followed by a family walk on the beach and a hot chocolate to warm up with afterwards...I tell you what the pictures tell the story better.

 

Blue sky and sunshine we could be anywhere, right?

 

Sunbathing like this?? Um No!

 

 

Yep, that's more like it!

 

 

We splashed over the rivers in the sand

 

 

Spotted Nessie (although there was some debate about this one!)

 

 

Click on this one to see a bigger picture and you will realise that we definitely weren't in Kansas (yes it was a little windy)

 

 

Yummy warm up treats and a spot of me time, only a spot though....

 

 

Because Jessie showed up Yee Haw :-)

 

I hope your New Year transition was a magical as mine. What did you get up to?

 

Oh and I have discovered the joys of Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars. I have loved everything I have heard, favourite so far being Hurricane, but had to share this....they have covered one of my all time favourite songs and did it justice :-) Plus the topic seemed to fit given our wander today!!

 

 

 



 

All as part of your Random Thursday's broadcast from Sleepy Joe, linking up with Larissa at Papa is a Preacher (head on over she is cool and loves hot chocolate as much as I do!)

 

 

 

New Year, New Rules

 

Because today is a new day, a new year and life is a work in progress!!

 



 

With a significant amount of help from Loki at The Modfather I have decided not to make any resolutions as such but to set myself some simple rules to live by. Well seriously I have a crap track record at following through with my resolutions...last year I wanted to keep in touch with friends and family on a much more regular basis....epic fail and write more...not so epic fail but I have yet to complete a story I have started!! I did however manage to find the courage to post more original writing on here, all thanks to your encouragement dear readers!!

 

Anyway, as I was saying, not resolutions, no specific goals, just some simple rules to live my life by on a daily (ish) basis.

 

1. Do what makes you happy, this is no-one else's life but yours so live it!

 

2. Be yourself and never be embarrassed of who you are.

 

3. Listen to your body, if it is telling you to slow down or that there is something wrong now is a good time to take a break!!

 

4. Spend time with the people that make you smile, they might not be there tomorrow!

 

5. Take time each day to see something beautiful in the world around you, it might not be there tomorrow!

 

6. Make time for the things you want to do, there might not be another tomorrow!

 

7. Appreciate what and who you have in your life.

 

8. Carry out random acts of kindness on a regular basis, they are great for lifting the soul.

 

9. Don't be too hard on yourself, you do not have super powers and they have not discovered and extra hour in the day as yet!!

 

10. If all else fails stick to the first three at least!!

 

I hope you enjoyed your New Year celebrations last night, I hope you got to ring in the new day with the one you love.

 

Lets make 2013 rock ;-)

 

Happy New Year xx