The Invisible Importance Of Hats
From dreamt adventures, retrieve one line only: ‘If I were made of fire, this is where I would sleep.’ It’s good to start a day by intriguing yourself. Shower in the company of one spindly spider, which presses its face repeatedly to the wet tile surface, also intriguing: thirsty, saying spider prayers, frustrated, or trying not to look at the naked mammalian giant? Coffee is made. It is a pot of the last of the Trung Nguyen. A fine mist makes a horizon of mountainous island shapes, with squinted eyes I can just about create the illusion of Halong Bay. From intrigue to reverie, wander down to the Mekong Delta, wearing a superb hat.
Today also (it is going well so far) brings more accolades for my Wishbone words; thank you Pins and Needles
(Who does sell some cute stuff on etsy, if you were wondering, have a peek: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sueavery)
The first four rules of the Versatile Blogger award are easily in my stride, the last two I can stumble through, the exercise will do me good.
‘Here are the rules:
1. Add the award to your blog
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you
3. Mention 7 random things about yourself
4. List the rules
5. Award to 15 bloggers
6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog’
I have used the same seven randoms twice now: time to get to the next set. How to choose from a 42 year long list? Decided on a theme; having recently parted with my favourite stage dress, odd costumes won. I don’t always wear odd costumes, I just wear what I feel like wearing, whether it’s conventional stuff, or not. Costume is a way of playing.
1. I have been to the supermarket dressed as a fairy. In broad daylight.
2. I have been to the supermarket dressed as a pirate. In broad daylight.
3. I have been to the supermarket dressed in leather shorts, peasant blouse, and Easter bonnet. At night. Accompanied by a fairy and a Victorian wine seller.
4. I have stopped traffic dressed as a clown. In broad daylight.
5. I have been to the supermarket in my pyjamas and Wellington boots. By day and by night, this has been a regular occurrence.
6. I have bonnet rolled a car dressed as a soldier. About 3am on New Year’s Day.
7. My best outfit ever was the red swimsuit and Wellington boots. Aged 5.
But this is merely a list of appearances. My truly interesting random stuff often happens internally. I once joined the Civil Service, thinking I would become the next Miss Moneypenny, which, although I did sign the Official Secrets Act, did not happen. It was an office job, 9-5, Monday to Friday. To alleviate the routine I invented Invisible Dressing Up. So I would, for example, think to myself, today I’m going to be an off duty 1950s starlet, or a gangster circa 1930. It didn’t contravene any dress codes, but it gave me a character to play with. More Walter Mitty than Miss Moneypenny, although we often had ‘dress up for charity’ days so I did get to wear my tutu to the office too. Got a boring day ahead? Try Invisible Dressing Up.
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| Fairy at work |
Fifteen suddenly seems like an enormous number. I should wear a bowtie, which for no apparent reason at all, I associate with people who are good at maths. And a straw hat: again, no logic, merely a vague association with people who merrily engage themselves with visiting.
Here is a list of blogs not previously recommended by me, mostly positive, uplifting, honest questing, asking interesting questions types of blogs, that’s the sort of thing I like. I think there are fifteen of them, I did count. I don’t visit them as often as I should like, but we’re all busy people, and if you never let anything slide, the slide gets rusty from lack of use, regardless of what hat you are wearing. I think that’s how it works.
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| Fairy on holiday |
Suburban soliloquy
‘Former Boston urbanite. Suburban survivor. Mother to sprite and knight. Master of neither. Managing suburban sagas. Inking sundry dreams and dramas.’
Faraway Eyes
‘Reader, writer, all around word junkie. Living on an island, having the adventure of a lifetime.’
The Death Writer
‘I blog about death, but don't let that scare you. I wrote my master's thesis on people who work with death and turned it into a memoir. I think talking about death is important. Heck, reading about it and then talking about it is cool too! Despite the scary death writer name, I'm a pretty funny gal. Like you, I put my shoes on one foot at a time. In addition, I like to knit, wash dishes,play Scrabble, travel, make art, hang out with my family, watch movies and drink coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. But, I recently read that that helps a person live longer. Something to do with happiness. In spite of all my morbid reflection, I'm a happy woman. If you like what you see on this blog, share it. And don't be afraid to join the conversation.’
Count Your Blessings
‘The purpose of this blog is very simple: to celebrate each day things in my life that I should be thankful for. Not so much the big, sweeping, but rather vague things like health, happiness, and apple pie, but specific and tangible things that catch my attention each day.’
Word Cut
‘MOV runs an avant-garde blog of words and pictures. Primary components: irony, sarcasm, folly, imagination, hyperbole, satire, cynicism, exaggeration, and self-deprecating humor. She prides herself on her originality, and she *NEVER* ever repeats herself. She prides herself on her originality, and she *NEVER* ever repeats herself.’
Wavy Lines
‘Laura loves to read. She’s a word nerd. She has a malfunctioning sense of direction. She can add, subtract, multiply, and divide small numbers and that’s the extent of her math prowess. (She apologizes to past math teachers. You tried. She tried. It is what it is.)’
Why I Wake Up Everyday
Magic, in all kinds of forms, from fantasy imps to fantastic chocolate cake!
Hookin', Knittin' & Livin'
‘I hook rugs, I knit and I have a life - not always in that order. Hooking rugs in the traditional way is a passion. Knitting is a way of keeping those idle hands busy. In my life, I am a mother, partner, sister, aunt, friend and a happy grammy. I work with volunteers and seniors when I'm not doing those other things. I enjoy being creative - and often reinvent the wheel. Above all, I value things that are not only beautiful but useful.’
The Warrior Muse
‘I started this blog to keep myself accountable while I worked to finish my first novel and seek publication. I'm now about to start my second novel while editing the first one. I aim to pass on what I learn along the way, as well as to connect people with similar interests to great resources.’
The Unibrow
‘Highbrow, lowbrow. A little bit of something about a little bit of everything.’
Study Hacks
‘I'm a 29-year-old computer scientist interested in why some people lead successful, enjoyable, meaningful lives, while so many others do not. Being a geek, I'm not satisfied with simplistic slogans (e.g., "follow your passion!") or conventional wisdom (e.g., student success requires stress). Instead, I dive deeper, looking to decode underlying patterns of success, in all their nuanced glory.’
Spirit Called
‘I never wanted to become a writer. I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder, the frontierswoman with chickens, milk cow, and horses. Come to think of it, she was a writer also so maybe it was fate.
Now, I am peeking in the windows of the literary world and finding the new scene fascinating. And as long as they let me, I’ll continue to feed my curiosity, at least until they call the cops and the restraining order takes effect.
Locating Middle-Earth on a dusty road in rural Missouri with one farmer and way too many cats, wasn’t difficult. All it took was a little Magic, lots of reading, and an overactive imagination.’
Positive Paradise
‘A positive thinker, futurist, and keen visionary. I'm also a serving Firefighter. The aim of the Positive Paradise Project is to explore and develop exciting new tools and techniques, with the aim of passing on my knowledge for the benefit of anyone who believes that tomorrow will be amazing. This blog documents the journey towards my ambition of helping to lead the change that is happening in the world, where old beliefs and assumptions will be turned upside down as we find new ways of harnessing and expanding the power of the subconscious mind. It's going to be incredible.’
a sort of mental squint
‘This is my attempt to mull and muddle through: my thoughts on writing, on why it's important, on my own evolving process. Here is where I take off my glasses, rub my eyes, and start to squint into the things that matter’
Awakenings and Reflections
‘I'm in my thirties, making my dreams come true, awakening to new possibilities, and trying to live an authentic life. I am not sure where my life is headed but I know that I want to take risks, embrace uncertainty, and find beauty in everything around me.’
Posting this before making my visits: I shall be exhausted by the time I’ve got back to my hat stand.
Comments
Hugs
Thanks so much for passing on the award to me. I definitely have to check out these other awesome blogs you tagged!
I hope you're having a great week and happy writing! :)
Lil, these are great pics! And I am SO happy you gave The Unibrow an award -- a worthy recipient!
I haven't wandered around in costume too much lately, but I was just thinking about my favorite halloween getup: the Mona Lisa. My mom drew a giant replica, with the face cut out, and we strapped it to my head. So: I've been out, in broad daylight, as a living painting. Woo!
Oh, thank you, thank you! What a treat. I am humbled by the company you placed me in.
Thank you again.
Thank you for the blog award, and congrats to you on getting it! I will post about it this week.
Thank you so much for the award, and my apologies for not getting back here for some time. I've been on a blogging break for the past two weeks (longer than I'd anticipated), and will probably continue this trend--keeping scant summer hours--as the children are out of school for the summer.
Was it Vietnam you visited? Envious! This is on my bucket list! I admire your joie de vivre, Lily. Your smile says it all. ;)