Super Grans!

Reading is a passion in our house, and one of the things I’m most proud of is how much my little guy loves books. ❤️

When he first started nursery, they asked what would comfort him if he got upset (I suspect they were looking for a specific toy, comforter, or dummy). We answered honestly, the answer was books (or the dogs lead, but that’s a story for another post 🙈). Whenever upset, take him somewhere soft and snuggly and start reading a book. It worked everything! He’d soon want to turn the page or point to things or, as he got bigger, ask questions. 😄

Now as chief Caley household bookworm (official title) whilst I’d love to take a good deal of the credit for his love of books, a shout out is definitely due to his marvellous grandmother’s, who knit me fabulous toys to join our stories. They are some of the best gifts we’ve received, so I thought I’d share them with you. Aren’t they just brilliant 👏

The story of Franz Kafka

I stumbled across this story a little while ago and saved it to my phone in a miscellaneous folder. Today it resurfaced itself and I thought it was worth sharing.

The Mystery House – #writephoto

High upon the hillside, past the river and behind the trees.

Lies a forgotten house which no-one tends to see.

The old folk sometimes remember those who went before.

Yet the towns’ folk find the old stories such a bore.

A young lady sets off adventuring on the land

Inspired by the folk tales told to her by her Gran

She comes across the house in the woods all alone

And peers through the doorway to check no-one’s home

“Who goes there?” Bellows a voice from within the dark

She gulps rather loudly ignoring the thumping of her heart

“It’s me Olive”, her voice says in a squeak

“I thought no-one lived her, I’m sorry I’ll, leave.”

Rather disappointed Olive turned around to leave

“Come in child, you’re here now, you might as well have tea.”

Olive walked into the house that’s hidden in the wall

Finding herself facing an old woman 8 feet tall.

“Move Oscar out the way child and take a seat over there”

Olive looked across the hovel spotting a black cat in a chair.

Oscar didn’t take to kindly from being shifted from his perch.

Olive was a bit unnerved when he hissed and swiped at her.

Olive smiled politely as the tea was served

The cake that went along with it was superb

Her belly now full and the sun beginning to set

Olive said goodbye to the old lady she had met.

You thought there’d be a twist in the tale is that about right?

That Olive would be gobbled up or given a real fright

I thought I would be kinder to this old woman living alone

Besides, I never told you if Olive made it home?….

I think I had way-way to much fun writing this! There was so many delightfully devilish options popping into my mind. I love this image, so intriguing. If you want to ive it a go too, head over to Sue’s Page Thursday Photo Prompt – Mystery #writephoto and join in the prompt.KL ❤

Dodgems of Love

Grandma is one of my favourite people on earth! She is really short, and probably as round as she is tall, but she’s an amazing tower of strength. She is a proper matriarch of the family, that always wants to know how all the family are doing all the time (with 8 children, 19 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren it’s not an easy task!), but she just wants to know everyone is doing well, healthy and happy.

I adore her and granddad’s story. A chance meeting on the dodgems may not be a fairy-tale romantic setting for most, but for them, it was to be the start of a relationship lasting 60 years and counting. Grandma met the love of her life, Peter, at Bridlington’s arcade in 1953 and they married after a year of courting.

When Grandma tells the story she says, her and a friend walked through the amusement arcade and granddad was on the dodgems having the time of his life.

“We looked at one another and he came over and we have never been separated since. He was the one.”

The secret to that special connection that creates a long and happy marriage?

Is to never let an argument rumble on. Grandma’s advice. “We care for one another and never let the sun go down on an argument.”

We think this translates to Granddad accepting that Grandma is the boss! But whatever it is it clearly works. Things may have changed in this day and age but I think their story still shows you just never know when and where you might find your happily ever after.

Storytelling

Magical post by Sue on the myths of the lands and the stories they tell. Her parting paragraph is truly beautiful “the best way to read them is as a child would read, with an openness to wonder and wondering, without analysing too much or dwelling on apparent inconsistencies and impossibilities that the adult may reject but which the child accepts without a blink.”

Happy St George’s Day

Happy St George’s Day WordPressers!

My Inspiration for today, St George and the stories surrounding him (everyone loves a good story), might even be inspired to do a few doodles or tales of my own later today, but for now…

The Myth:

The cultural image of Saint George slaying a dragon comes from Medieval legends of his past (initially invented by a French bishop), when tales of knights became a storytelling mainstay.

This better-known myth, The Golden Legend, involves Saint George coming across marshland in Libya, where a city was continually menaced by a dragon.

The townspeople fed the dragon sheep to keep it placated, and when that no longer worked, they started to elect human sacrifices.

For one of these sacrifices, the king’s daughter was selected, but Saint George arrived in the nick of time to intervene.

He faced down the dragon on horseback and managed to mortally wound the beast, but instead of landing the final blow, he decided to tame it, and delivered his prize back to the city.

The Facts:

He wasn’t English at all.

George, a Christian, is believed to have been born in Cappadocia, an area which is now in Turkey in the 3rd century AD.

He then went on to live in Palestine and became a soldier in the Roman army.

He later protested against Rome’s persecution of Christians and was imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith.

His life ended when he was beheaded at Lydda in Palestine.

My favourite version of St George’s Day:

In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St George’s Day, beginning at midnight. The date of St George’s Day presented in the book, 5 May (on the Western, Gregorian Calendar), is St George’s Day as observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches of that era.

(Excerpt from Dracula, 1897) “Do you know what day it is?” I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again: “Oh, yes! I know that, I know that! but do you know what day it is?” On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: “It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?”