Sentence first, verdict after

Sentence first - verdict after

Strange- you might think? But.Not. In. Wonderland. 

Lewis Carroll wrote a children's story which might be seen as exactly that. Or not. That is Carroll. A mask of storytelling, mixed with poetry, satire and parody Carroll came to celebrate the Victorian morals in his way. Turning them upside down, withdrawing all known logic and making it "curiouser and curiouser".

In no danger of spoiling the best parts of the story, here is a small wrap-up: Alice is a small girl who spends her summer day in the outdoors together with her sister. When she sees a dressed white rabbit her curiosity is on and she follows the rabbit into a hole - into a whole new and strange world, were drinks and food makes her grow tall or shrink to the size of a small mouse. 

She meets a cat with a huge grin able to vanish, a water pipe smoking caterpillar, a mock turtle, and a pack of cards which were soldiers to the queen of hearts.

After her game of croquet with the queen of hearts (sure, the rackets were flamingoes and the balls were hedgehogs) and all her other adventures in Wonderland she woke up next to her sister and walks home to get her tea...

Personally, I loved the story of Alice and the whole expect the unexpected - idea. I love the fact that nothing is impossible (in wonderland). I also loved the teaser in the beginning of the book, which goes like this:

"In THAT direction. the grinning cat said", waving its right paw round, "lives the Hatter: and in THAT direction", waving the other paw, lives the March Hare. Visit either if you like: they're both mad".

"But I don't want to go among mad people", Alice remarked."Oh, you can't help that." said the cat. "We're all made here. I am mad. You are mad.""How do you know I am mad?" said Alice.You must be," said the cat" or you wouldn't have come here"...

I loved this madness-thing which I guess should have been a slight hint towards the ruling classes, narrow-mindedness of society, and general acceptance of the overall madness, without questioning anything. 

Above all, it was also a nice fairy tale story for children, which was also a bit of entertainment for the readers. 

By the way, I coincidentally watched the movie yesterday. It was the 2010 adaption starring Jonny Depp and Anne Hathaway. It was nice to see that they tried to stick to the drawings Carroll had arrange for his book. As I have never seen any other adaption, I can not compare, but I find that Tim Burton has made the movie in a way that Carroll would most probably sit there with a huge grin, maybe not as huge as the one from the Cheshire Cat, but at least close.


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This was my 5th classic to finish from my classics club list. Not too bad, I think at first glance, but if I look at all those began and unfinished books, such as Persuasion and Gone with the wind, I am a bit discouraged, as all those books I finished were short reads, all around 100 pages (although Black Beauty was around 350).... But for sure it got me started and I am still more than convinced of the project and still super enthusiastic to read them all. OK, I might do some replacements on my list as I completely fell for Hermann Hesse and would love to read some more works by him..

Darcy-Tuesday

Our daily dose of Mr. Darcy, master of the smoldering glance.

                                                              Source: fanpop.com via Vintage Books on Pinterest

                                                                          
  And now...

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Vintage Books on Pinterest

A child for one day

When I came back from our long beach walk with puppy Josie earlier today heavy grey clouds were hanging over the sky and covered the bright blue. If that is not the perfect weather for a long lazy afternoon with a cup of tea and a book!

And that's how I met Alice. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the current title I am reading (along with Gone with the wind of course).

What I actually wanted to write about today to finally get me out of my writing block was childhood. Well, yes, Alice's Adventures is considered to be told as a story for children, but apparently one small little poem by Carroll brought me into it, and it goes like this:

I'd give all wealth that years have piled,

The slow result of life's decay, 

To be once more a little child

For one bright summer-day.

It reminded me of my own childhood days in bright summer, and that - whatever the years bring - is some sort of decay. As tension and sorrows, stress and pressure to prestate has been replacing most of the lightness, happiness and creativity of childhood days.


What were the most splendid things to do as a child on a bright summer day? I was always drawn to forests and other places in the nature were my fantasy was able to run as its wildest: Playing Indians & cowboys, pirates, adventurer, camper. Yes, we camped. After the brightest summer day EVER. On a huge meadow. The funny thing was that there usually never were any cattle on it, but that very day it was and when we were telling spooky stories and waving about with our flashlights (of course every proper adventurer needs a flashlight to check for snakes and spiders- no matter that there are not even dangerous snakes or spiders over here) we were in such shock of one big dark shadow showing at the tent - wall. All our brave camper-adventurer philosophy went away at once and we did what we would have never admitted by that time, but we screamed until our voice was hoarse. That is also why we heard the confused "meooouuuuwwwws" only very late. It was only one very curious cow standing in front of the tent and wondering what that blinking thing was on their field....

I was never the "climbing on trees" type and for that also not very much attracted by tree houses, but building small huts in the field of mown grass is a different story. Not that the roof was ever stable enough to serve as a proper one, the building process was always  very funny. It mostly turned out that we were placing hands full of hay into each others clothes which caused a huge and annoying itch. 

Or we handcrafted bows and arrows ourselves, made daisy-chains, playing melodies on blades of grass (very nasty sound), practiced whistling with two fingers, oh, and one time we thought of a (we thought) nice game -- the swapping game. The swapping game was - of course - to generate money in the end. That particular economic goal in mind we collected all kind of items which were available at our homes, such as small vases, deco items, parfum or -- very inventional -- an egg. With those thing in our small pushcart we bombarded the local neighborhood and asked every unlucky person who was to open the door what he would give in exchange. Mostly big question marks occurred on peoples faces, that's why we started to proudly introduce our fantastic (haha) idea. And -- tadaaa, it was indeed a success. Sometimes we were allowed to swap against an ice cream, sometimes we received a small stuffed animal. And sometimes, very sometimes we received a coin for our item. Wohoo, what a success.

The most beautiful thing of being a child is that life was basically fun, love and entertainment and nothing could destroy this near-paradise state of mind. I wish I could be once more a little child for one bright summer day...

What's your most fantastic bright summer-day childhood memory?

A day out: Scheveningen & the Hague

A few weeks ago my parents came to visit me in my home in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Since Eindhoven is not exactly a beautiful place we decided to spend a day out of town and went to The Hague and to Scheveningen close by.

Before we went to Scheveningen, which is just outside Den Haag, we spent a lovely day in the latter.
With wandering through the governmental boroughs (whereas -- actually, the whole city is full of ministries, public authorities, queens and embassies.), having a broodje lunch on the market place and shopping at the Bijenkorf.

And even the sun was still shining..

The good thing about Schevingen is, that it is located at the coast and has a broad, beautiful and sandy beach...

Wanna surf?!

I always thought that is more a topic for South Africa (ok, I watched Endless Summer, was not a very sufficient source of information)or Hawaii, but really, they even surf here at our cold and rough North sea...

And a beach club, called Doen!

A very "gezellig" atmosphere, lounge music, comfy furniture, friendly personal and awesome tasting Chardonnay white wine provide for a perfect afternoon chill out / after work party or even a bigger festivity (when we were at Doen! they also hosted a wedding at a little separate corner of the place..

Entry area

View from the beach...

View from the Chardonnay, emm comfortable sofa...(Josie's ear flies in the wind)

Beach Lounge / bar

Josie watching the waves, which were so big that they had some sort of kite surf world cup hosted at Scheveningen Beach...

Josie watching the waves, which were so big that they had some sort of kite surf world cup hosting at Scheveningen Beach... (This picture is instagrammed)

Even though the sky was rather dark, and there was a fierce wind, the temperatures were ok, around 17 degrees. 

Especially in the beach bar the weather was very tolerable, as it also had something charming to sit in jackets and a glass of wine / cup of coffee / tea / hot chocolate and watch the waves, listen to the wind and see the puppy enjoying the nature...

Home

Happy Tuesday, everyone!


On my way to find home I have landed in my home-village again. I almost forgot how idyllic it is here.... even with miserable weather (12 degrees in June is quite arctic, isn't it?!)

with cows behind the house...

and horses..

and who is with us??

Puppy Josie..

Enjoying long walks through the meadows 

and on the beach.


And if there is time and the sun comes out (yay!!!) we spend it outside in the country garden..

Enjoying blue sky

busy bees at work

and colorful flowers 

Love,
Svenja

Repost: How to feel beautiful every day

Today, I came across this lovely post by Marthe over at the Freedom Experience. I somehow feel the need to share it here.

What I would add? Sending lots of real, handwritten letters!! 

Happy weekend!

Love,

Svenja

10 Tips on How to Feel Beautiful Every Day

1. Morning magic

Make sure you wake up early enough to have a few minutes of luxurious self-care. It could be something as simple as doing your hair, painting your nails or take a hot shower with scented oils. Light a candle when you have your breakfast or put on your favourite song before you leave the house. Do something nice, just for yourself. Wear your best underwear, your favourite perfume or a special necklace or piece of jewellery.

2. Smile

This one is a classic, but one that really work. Smile, smile, smile – even if you don’t particularly feel like it. You will feel and look more beautiful instantly! Personally, I’m a bit shy, so I find it hard to smile to strangers sometimes. Kids, however, is a whole different matter. Make eye contact with a child and send them a loving smile. It’s the best feeling in the world!

3. Carry something sparkling

… and I don’t mean the drinkable kind. A little glitter and glam really goes a long way for feeling radiant and beautiful. I always carry a lip gloss, but I’m also in love with glittery nail polish, sparkly jewellery and pretty notebooks and glitter pens. Make sure you surround yourself with your favourite colours and textures – it will make you feel gooood.

4. Eat healthy and nutritious food

Eat the whole rainbow! I have this thing with colourful food and I swear I feel better when my plate at least contain something green, something yellow and something red. Orange food looks tasty, and purple food is just awesome! When you eat healthy food, you’ll feel more in touch with yourself and the world around you. You’ll get energy and power!

5. Work out

I feel that when I work out in the morning, I get a glow that is just out of this world! I get so many compliments on my work-out days because it makes me shine! You should try it sometime! ;)

6. Keep a gratitude journal and/or photobook

Look for the good stuff, the beauty, the love. I take instagrams mostly, when I want to lift my spirits. No matter where you are, there is always something around you that is beautiful, interesting or unique. The more positive you’ll feel – the more beautiful you’ll feel too.

7. Practice radical acceptance

You are the way you are. You look the way you look. You are human and you are unique. There is no one like you on this earth. You didn’t come here without a purpose. You are no accident, failure or coincidence. No matter how you feel about yourself, the way you look, who you are, who you want to be – there is a plan for you and you don’t have to change anything about yourself. All you have to do is accept and respect who you are. Trust yourself.

To emphasize this point, I will share a very personal example here. I have always been very tall for my age (I landed at 180 cm) and I always felt so different when growing up. It felt like my body was waaaay to big for my confidence and all I wanted to do was to disappear and so eating very little became my survival strategy. I absolutely hated being tall, different and clumsy (and to be honest I still feel this way sometimes). However, as of the last year or so I have come so much closer to accept who I am. I’m not religous, but I believe I was handed this challenge on earth for a reason. I’m starting to believe that I have been given all these challenges of mental illness so that I will be able to understand and help other people better. That’s radical acceptance in practice!

8. Write a love letter to yourself

… and never leave home without it. Make it into a poster and put it on your wall! Write yourself a love note with a whiteboard pen on your mirror! Send yourself love letters in the mail, take lots of self-portraits and buy yourself flowers. Make a list of what you consider a luxury and make sure you give it to yourself! You deserve it! (Or even better – you are entitled to it!)

9. Share your beautiful soul

You have so much to give! My friend Zubia just told me that in Islam, smiling is considered a charity. Isn’t that awesome? Give of yourself by smiling, sharing your wisdom, helping other people, be open about your struggles and problems, truly listen and let your love flow through your heart. Vulnerability is beautiful and there’s nothing more sacred that the true connection between human beings.

10. Think it to feel it

Thoughts create emotions and if you want to feel beautiful – guess what you have to do? Yup, you have to stop pushing yourself down and start thinking positively about yourself. That means you have to stop thinking “I’m not pretty/thin/elegant/stylish/beautiful/gorgeous enough” and replace it with “I’m already gorgeous/beautiful/stylish/elegant/healthy/pretty”. You think this about your girlfriends all the time, don’t you? Why not yourself? Why are you treating yourself so much worse than you treat the rest of the human population? This is hard work, but start slowly. Right now – write a support-thought on a piece of paper. Read it often to create a new thoughtway in your mind. See how it changes the way you feel about yourself. Here is my support-thought from the example above.

“I am just as tall as I should be. I am beautiful just the way I am”

What makes you beautiful? Please share your gorgeous self with us in the comments!

The Philospher

Enough of Thought, Philosopher;
Too long hast thou been dreaming
Unlightened, in this chamber drear –
While summer’s sun is beaming –
Space-sweeping soul, what sad refrain
Concludes thy musings once again?

 Emily Brontë (1818-1848)

The old Stoic

Riches I hold in light esteem
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream 
That vanish'd with the morn:
And, if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is "Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!"
Yea, as my swift days near their goal,
'Tis all that I implore:
In life and death a chinless soul.
With courage to endure.



                                      Emily Brontë (1818-1848)

Oranje and cool British

Cheers!! It is Monday again, and the Queen has had her 60th. 

This past weekend a few things were absolutely dominant over here: 

First: Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 60th throne jubilee. The British monarchy seems to be more in fashion than ever. 

And second: The Dutch soccer team played a friendly match against Northern Ireland and behaved as they are already European champion. 

At least the fans think so. It seems.

What do those events have in common?  Very simple: People can be so utterly crazy about it!

First things first. The Queen. 60 years head of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Congratulations! Well done. The monarchy. Is it not a concept completely out of date? A concept of past, dusty times, where people did not know better than believing in their monarch? Do they still have their legitimization to be there?

I do not know. I think yes, and no. That the monarchy is not needed to rule a state or a nation is for sure. Many countries do not have a royal head of state anymore, or - even as Brittania herself is only ruled by a constitutional monarchy. But there seems to be another reason why the monarchy is legitimated: Because it is "in". They are cool. The nation is celebrating its Britishness and their idol figures, which might no longer be the Queen, but the young generation, the offsprings. Prince Harry, known as party prince - as many scandals as positive publicity. William and Kate, the shiny couple and future regents. No scandals, but excellently looking (also in H&M and Zara of course), smiling, sympathetically and trustworthy, promising "we are the future of England and everything will be ok".

And the crowd is celebrating them, not caring about the costs which might be caused through the expensive life style the royals live -- which need to be paid by them.

Therefore it seems legitimate and very likely that queens and kings will still be with the British in the future, even though the concept of monarchy is out of date. And I also kind of like them.  

I also learned another thing this weekend: Those half hats decorating royal heads are called fascinators. Fascinating. Want one too. They're cute. Just, when to wear? Time, please bring us back hats and fascinators!! 

***

Second thing I have decided for myself: I am annoyed. Annoyed by this European Champions cup in the (football -- soccer) world. Everything is orange over here. Oranje all the way. Yes. Even more orange than usual. The fans are already either celebrating their team either as already champion or will say, nonono, this time we will not be good, the Germans (for example) will win as a clear sign of understatement. (Vice versa in Germany, I guess). 


I decided to stay out of this. But I wish everyone the greatest fun in the world. Hup Holland, hup!!

*** 

Uhhh, and one more thing I have learned, and that is that the most perfect Sherlock Holmes is played by Rupert Everett. Thank you, BBC.

Most coincidentally I zapped into the channel yesterday and was utterly delighted. Day made.

Have nice week everyone

Love,

Svenja

Good Idea!

Next read: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The day before yesterday I had s small read into Henry James and into Gone with the Wind and I decided that I am -- right now more curious too get to know Scarlet O'Hara.

I actually planned to read this book in its original language but when I visited my lovely Oma last month I could not resist to borrow her hardcover copy from 1964. 

When I opened it I slightly smelled the smoke of my Opas pipe and it made me feel like when I was a small girl when I slept over at their place. My Oma then read me stories from the books they still had from my mother and her sisters and it felt so safe and sound...

I loved those sleepovers, and I only have lovely memories from these times.

Having only watched the movie no more than one time I was never too much drawn to Margaret Mitchell's best selling book. Thanks to all those wonderful bookish blogs I became more and more curious and when I then saw this baby standing in my Omas bookshelf -- I was immediately committed. Vom Winde verweht, Gone with the wind will therefore be my companion for the next couple of weeks, months maybe and also maybe my gate to American classic literature. (Although I have been reading a few at uni I do not consider myself well acquainted to it). 

When I look at the amount of pages this book has I am almost feeling dizzy. BUT: Sometimes it even feels great to be half way and still have 500 pages left!! So I am positive that this will happen as the first 20 pages are already very promising - even if it is in German. 

Scarlet O'Hara. I am wondering how the main female character is going to develop in the book. Now she is 16, and well aware of her affection on men, and that type of girl more interested in them then in touching any book (me=opposite). Therefore it might be difficult to eventually identify with the heroine, but we will see.

I am also curious to experience the time of the American war. My kind of natural interest lies more in English / Irish history, as well as of course history of continental Europe and not so much (yet) in American history. This will change from now on...

Right. Time to sleep. And to read. It is almost midnight and my book is calling me. 

I am already looking forward to meet Rhett..

Have a lovely & bookish weekend, everyone!

Love,

Svenja