Thursday 5 June 2008

6 of the best...!

Isn't it amazing how life can be lived in a day.. or so it seems..
Yesterday was one such day when I felt that I could happily have turned down the volume and slowed to a 78 r.p.m tempo..

Today the day has a sense of calm about it and though it is early in the day.. I have a feeling that maybe some sanity will be restored... now that's tempting fate!

I have been a bit of a latent blogger recently and the frenzied determination to write a daily post has waned over the last few weeks and now I have comfortably settled into the slow lane and don't feel so pressured to keep up the daily musings..

This however has led to a very belated post... one that I promised dear Dana at Calico Cat Press that I would write last week... a tag!

So sorry Dana... Here I am .. and here are 6 unimportant facts about me..
I would just like to add that most facts about me are unimportant but how I struggled to come up with six this time!
Those of you who can't face another Meme.. look away now.. as the sports commentators often say when announcing the sporting results..



1. When I was a wee lass.. one of my darling brothers thought it was a great wheeze to take a blackcurrant Rowntrees fruit gum, and place it in his cupped hands. He would approach me with the words.."look what I have found".. with a slightly menacing tone.. I, with my fertile imagination, had a quick glimpse of the clutched sweetie and convinced that it was a big black beetle... ran screaming around the house being pursued by my amused brother and a very innocent fruit gum.
It took me a while to cotton on that the object that I had feared so much was actually a delicious confection and ironically is now my favourite flavoured fruit gum..


2. Returning to my early years.. one of my earliest memories is standing at the kitchen sink... perched on top of a chair, washing my brand new white and red leather shoes with copious amounts of washing up liquid. I have always had an unhealthy obsession with washing and cleaning and my mother recalled that I would spend many happy hours washing my dolls clothes.. a favourite toy of mine was a Chad Valley washing machine...
I can't say I feel that enamoured towards ironing!

3. I have always yearned to be able to dance well but having a poor sense of coordination has kind of scuppered my dreams of being Isadora Duncan or Dame Margot Fonteyn...
I had ballet classes when I was five years old and I think my motives were purely to wear the costume... I loved my little red ballet shoes and the whole ritual of putting my feet in the resin box to stop me skidding in an ungainly fashion across the parquet dance floor..
My dance career was short lived and by six years of age.. I resorted to riding bikes and wearing dungarees..

4. I love maps..
I enjoy studying the contours and little symbols on a map especially if it is unknown territory
I would love there to be virtual maps where one could see miniature cars travelling along the roads and birds flying over the landscape...
I have become a huge fan of Google Earth and though it seems voyeuristic.. it is great fun to visit favourite haunts to have a birdseye view... it gives a whole new perspective to our world and defines armchair travel.

5. One of my favourite all time books is 'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak.
It is a wonderful book and one I got to know intimately when my son was very young and would love to curl up in the crook of my arm and listen to the story of Max sailing .."off through night and day, in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are"... I can just about remember it word for word..

And finally...

6. Faces fascinate me... (other than my own)
Of all the subjects that I have painted and drawn during my artistic years.. faces are the the most satisfying..
As my memory is on the wane and I am forever trying to remember names .. it is some comfort to know that I never forget a face..!

Well there we have it... 6 of the best... or worst.

It is safe to look now.. those of you that turned away..

22 comments:

Nonnie said...

Love the idea for the virtual map. I'm a real map lover(which is why I'm not terribly keen on the satnav!) and can spend hours looking at maps, particularly of places I have been, remembering the journeys and landmarks.

Ragged Roses said...

Definitely 6 of the best Michele! I loved those boxes of fruit gums when we were younger, they were my favourites, but I remember not liking the green ones. I use to love washing my doll's hair and clothes and hanging everything on the line, a bit of a Milly Molly Mandy even in those days! Hope it's a good day for you today Michele
Kimxxx

Simone said...

I looked! I love the fruit gum story! My sister and me used to have a box each on train journeys to the countryside and suck them until they were paper thin!

Garden Girl said...

I didn't turn away, but then I am quite nosey...i love reading about other peoples lives! Unfortunately I am the world's worst map reader though- is it just the imagery you like or are you a hardened orienteer? Can we still be friends?!x

this is my patch said...

I hope not too many have turned away. Typical boy trying to scare his sis, I too like the black gums and the red ones. What a sweet little girl hanging out the washing along with dolls and golly. If I had my time again I would learn to dance, I love allsorts. I had a brief spell of ballet lessons, but was dubbed an elephant in ballet shoes, being a somewhat chubby child. Google Earth is amazing. I managed to find my grandpa's villa in Valledemosa in Mallorca and zoomed in, in a way it makes them closer to home. Those monsters, don't they give you nightmares? Your face is beautiful, is it Goldscheider or Lenci. My mum had a collection of four Cope & Co masks which are deco, but not as fine as yours. x

Cape Cod Washashore said...

Six sweet facts! I confess I did most of the teasing growing up at my house - I only have one sibling (a younger brother) and we are 7 years apart. But he did retaliate when I was at school (he was still too young to attend) - he would toss my toys out my bedroom window! =) I've always had the hardest time sketching a proper face! I stick to just about everything else in my artwork except for portraits! =)

Dana and Daisy said...

Bravo Michele! I knew your Meme would be most interesting! I had two older brothers who teased me mercilessly until the day I married. I was never good at drawing faces or figures and I jealously admire those who can. And, like you, I had always dreamed of tutus and slippers, but felt more at ease in blue jeans and tennies. While my sister sparkled in her sequined jazz apparel, I lurched about in my uncles vintage army gear. I did grow out of it eventually and became more feminine in my clothing choices, which made my mother happier! Have a wonderful day Michele. xx

silverpebble said...

Really enjoying your bloggy thoughts and lovely pictures. Your red and white shoes sound as though they were pretty special. I had some red canvas 'Milly Molly Mandy'-style Mary Jane shoes that were just as precious.

Rosezilla (Tracie Walker) said...

How in the world have I missed your blog up to now? I've been reading through it and it's just like story time. Thanks for entertaining this middle aged kid!

Carol said...

Hi Michele, I wish I had known that you could fix my chair...you are a girl of many talents.
I have enjoyed your 6 unimportant facts...My brother would tease me terribly, till I would cry. I love washing ! I like washing whites the most...I am proud of my whites. I am useless with maps though! and I always pinch all the black wine gums for me! I do not like the yellow ones!!
Carol x

Sal said...

I loved reading that, Michele!
I was not allowed ballet lessons as I had to learn to play the piano instead ;-(
How I sat at that piano and sulked!
I always preferred the orange and green gums.
Oh ..and I too love Google Earth! ;-)

ginny said...

Hi Michele,
i enjoyed reading these. R is fascinated by google earth ... i also think it's amazing and my recent trip to devon was previewed in said google earth!
where the wild things are... is a great book and i have really enjoyed reading it to the girls.
hope you have a lovely weekend. x ginny x

Chelle said...

What a fun post to read. I love the memory of the brother chasing you with candy and the one of the little washing machine. I never learned to love cleaning until I got married. Guess I was a late bloomer.

I admittedly also love Google Earth. I really love looking at places like Disney Land, Scotland, and London.

I hope life continues to be laid back for you and run at a slow, peaceful pace.

Much love!

JuicyFig said...

wonderful!
I think maps are definalty a girl thing, we are such good co-pilots (better drivers as well...)

I have a younger brother, so he was the tormented one! hehe

Kath
x

pinkgreen said...

I used to love fruit gums, but not the green, and now I love green ones but not the black. I like the idea of the map - a bigger version of the one in Harry Potter would be good, then you could see who was where. Ultimate spying!
Cathy X

Lucy Bloom said...

Hi Michele, I love the fruit gum story, just the kind of thing my brother would have done too! As for inspiration, it comes in fits and starts so I just grab it when I can!
Enjoy the weekend,
Lucy x

OhSoVintage said...

Sorry I have been lax in visiting lately. Great to read your Meme. Have a lovely weekend.
Ruth

prettyshabby said...

great meme michele..I too am hooked on google earth, I can click between satelites and see my house and garden before and after we renovated it!

bj said...

I LOVED READING THOSE SPECIAL THINGS ABOUT YOU!

Life on the Edge said...

Even though I am new to your blog, I enjoyed reading these facts about you! I also love reading maps. I love to travel and like to think about all the places I could visit. It has helped me give people great directions, and one friend's husband said that no other woman had even given him directions he could actually follow!

I love Where the Wild Things are, and loved reading it to my daughter when she was younger. I'm sure I don't have the quote exactly right, but I used to tell her, "and the monsters said, oh please don't go! We'll eat you up, we love you so!" It would make her giggle.

Kady
Life on Bonnie Lane

Country Cottage Chic said...

It's always nice to find out more about your friends!

Anonymous said...

hi michele
just dropped by to catch up with your news and loved the tour and also the 6 facts, your blog entries are always so interesting and fresh, so dont worry if you can't keep up with a daily one, who can! sometimes its better to save up alot of stuff to type in one big entry anyway,smiles,
love kat