Sunday stillness

        I’m having a very quiet Sunday, and it’s quite nice to have some silence and stillness after a hectic few days. This week I’ve done lots of grown-up stuff (like opening a savings account, doesn’t really get more grown-up than that, right?), and last night I went to a dress up party (dressed-up as Kleopatra :> ).

I also got a new book this week (YAY), which was a surprise, and I can’t wait to read it and tell you all about it, it’s the sequel to Tumtum and Nutmeg :D. Caaaan’t wait.

  Anyway, remember how I told you I’m taking my time with the book I’m currently reading? Well, I just finished a chapter, and I have decided to go through it again, because I feel it has a positive message for me. It’s about carrying your own ‘personal’ or ‘social’ weather with you, no matter the circumstances. So that’s what I’m gonna do later tonight, re-read the chapter and reflect.

 My soundtrack for today is this album that really takes me away. I discovered Balmorhea a few weeks ago, it’s really good reading music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlLG3ObzH8M

 

   And to keep it really random, I  also thought of sharing the daily quote from goodreads.com, which is one of the websites in my bookmarks list. I think this one to be not a sad, teary eyed quote, but a hopeful one. It’s about the power of your soul, to keep alive persons, places, times, experiences that no longer are.

“The dead can survive as part of the lives of those that still live.”

— Kenzaburō Ōe

From Hiroshima Notes

Thoughts for Monday

At the moment I’m reading an absolutely awesome book, The 7 habbits of highly effective people. It’s the kind of book that you don’t just wanna rush through, I’m taking my time with it, so it’s gonna take a while for me to write a post about it. In the meantime, so I don’t get out of shape while I’m sitting on the couch in my onesie, I was thinking to put together some thoughts for Monday. ‘Cause we all looove Monday, right? (I was especially delighted to rediscover my favorite serial killer mocking the Monday blues :D) Here it goes:

 

“Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”
― Studs Terkel

 

 

 

I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.”

(Audrey Hepburn: Many-Sided Charmer, LIFE Magazine, December 7, 1953)”

 

                      The blonde chiffon: a lifestyle blog by Holly Habeck

 

“In my life long study of human beings, I have found that no matter how hard they try, they have found no way yet to prevent the arrival of Monday morning. And they do try, of course, but Monday always comes, and all the drones have to scuttle back to their dreary workday lives of meaningless toin and suffering.”
― Jeff Lindsay, Dexter in the Dark

 

 

“The Tuesday scowls, the Wednesday growls, the Thursday curses, the Friday howls, the Saturday snores, the Sunday yawns, the Monday morns, the Monday morns. The whacks, the moans, the cracks, the groans, the welts, the squeaks, the belts, the shrieks, the pricks, the prayers, the kicks, the tears, the skelps, and the yelps.”
― Samuel Beckett, Watt

 

                                                    Amy Tangerine

                                       Amy Tangerine

 

“Today I am doing better than yesterday, and tomorrow I hope to be doing better than I am today. And two days from now? Well, that’s a Monday, so I’ll be feeling shitty.”
― Jarod Kintz, Who Moved My Choose?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change by Deciding to Let Indecision Into Your Life

 

 

                       blog.terrificwords.com

 

“What about Monday? That could be our one day we look at things the same way, and wear funny shoes.”
― Kevin Dalton

 

So, whatever you’re doing tommorrow, shine bright and wear some funny shoes! Or comfy shoes. Orrr your favorite shoes. Or whatever makes you feel good. Cheers!

Open door

I’ve read once that a book is like a door. A door to another place, another time, another world. I find it to be so true, and through my life, I was fortunate enough to step through many doors. So one evening I was thinking about this, and that’s how this drawing was born. I feel that there’s a darker version lurking in my brain as well, but I’ll leave that for another time and another mood.

“What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren’t long enough for the reading she wanted to do.”
― Alan Bennett, The Uncommon Reader

 

The drawing was done with my Tiger colouring pencils, Faber Castle pens and a little help from my make-up kit 😀

 

Tumtum and Nutmeg

This was a book I happened upon by chance. We were moving, and my roommate wanted to give it away to charity. While we were waiting for our friends to come and help us move our stuff, I was standing among the mess of suitcases and bags, I picked it up, and read the first one or two pages.

I just knew then and there, that I’m gonna enjoy this one, so I asked my roommate to let me have it. It has been my bedtime story for a while, and my sleep was more peacefull after reading the adventures of these two lovely characters.

Tumtum and Nutmeg are two mice, living in Nutmouse Hall, in the broom cupboard of Rose Cottage. Their humans are the Mildews, Mr. Mildew and his two children, Arthur and Lucy. I’ve read that the author, Emily Bearn came up with the plot after she saw two tiny mice scuttling across the floor, then disappearing behind the skirting next to the cooker.

You know how usually we have two sets of grandparents, and we like one of them a little bit more than the other. I imagine Tumtum and Nutmeg as a loveable couple of grandparents. Their adventure begins when they decide to help the human kids living in Rose Cottage (They live with their father, who at times is busier with his inventions, than mending the heater, for example). You cannot help giggling when you imagine these two little creatures cleaning the children’s room with their little tools, then sitting down for some tea in the doll’s house. Mr. Nutmouse is particularly fond of tea, of course.

Every good story has it’s villain of course, and in this case it’s Aunt Ivy, a woman with a deep fear of mice. Tumtum and Nutmeg find themselves treatened, and they need to figure out a way to get rid of this despicable woman.

The impersonation of the mice makes the story funny quite often, and the other thing I love about it is that it’s a story that stands for kindness towards others.

I find it to be well written, I would definitely read it to my class, if I’d still be a teacher. It stands out how, when they needed to use Arthur’s high visibility vest, it was OK to cut it to pieces only  because Arthur wasn’t able to use his bike anymore. Or how after frightening Aunt Ivy three times, it was decided that going on would be cruel, so it was not continued.

According to The Sunday Times it is  “Told simply, with charming detail, this old-fashioned and well published story …will delight children who are of an age to relish secret friends and a cosy world in miniature.” I would just add that grown ups with a big heart and big imagination will enjoy it just as well.

“Oh, Tumtum. I do hope we don’t have any more adventures,” Nutmeg said plaintively. “I don’t feel I’m quite cut out for them.”

Well, personally Nutmeg, I can’t wait to read about your next one! 😀

For more stuff about Tumtum and Nutmeg you can go to: http://www.tumtumandnutmeg.co.uk/index.htm. You can even find some of Mrs. Nutmouse’s recipes. 😀

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

#have a good one!

Hey there! To celebrate the year that just started, I’ve gathered some good thoughts for you. Here it goes

 

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
 So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
― Neil Gaiman

 

http://www.bitsofwisdom.org

 

“Of all sound of all bells… most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year.”
― Charles Lamb

 

 

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

 

 

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
― Oprah Winfrey

http://www.tempodadelicadeza.com

 

“Wow, it really snowed last night! Isn’t it wonderful? Everything familiar has disappeared! The world looks brand new!
A new year … a fresh, clean start! It’s like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on! A day full of possibilities! It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy … let’s go exploring!”
― Bill Watterson, It’s a Magical World

 

 

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
― Edith Lovejoy Pierce

 

And my personal favorite:                                           www. bloglovin.com

http://www.machiajul.wordpress.com