Fabbo Friday and Fab Book, Ghosts and Lovely Bones

My bookclub The Magic Hat recently chose The Lovely Bones by Aliice Sebold

, which I'd been meaning to read for years. I found it very gruelling and distressing, which really surprised me. I've written quite a lot of dark crime over the years and researched from a lot of true crime and profiler books and I'm the sort of person who always looks for the predator whenever I'm out and about. The more you research the darkness that lurks, the more you know to be wary. Look for the exit. Lock the doors. Watch for the person wearing the wolf's fur on the inside.
Some of the Magic Hatters found it uplifting, but I felt emotionally flattened by it. Susie Salmon, the young protagonist, is killed in the beginning of the book by one of the most sinister predators I've read for awhile - her neighbour, Mr Harvey. This book has superb opening and closing lines. Susie then narrates her struggle in heaven as she watches her loved ones deal with their grief in different ways. It's beautifully written but terribly sad. I'm not a person who copes with endings and transitions very well. My mother sobs over total strangers saying goodbye to each other at the airport, so I'm genetically wired to not cope with any sort of adieu. I'm still weeping over my dog's death in March. And it's family legend how I'd cry and weep as a child over the old show Lassie, because Lassie looked so noble, his fur blowing backwards as Greensleeves played and we had to farewell him for another week. Heady emotional stuff.
The title The Lovely Bones is wonderful and the idea of the family unit being The Lovely Bones who holds the connections of the departed dead in place and continue to grow is luminous. Just not the easiest read. And I do have a problem with the plot development towards the end, when the girl's friend does what she does so Suzie can do what she does... (no spoilers, but if you've read it, then you'll know what I mean). Such a jarring, silly segment. But hats off to Alice Sebold for such a strong, poetic, moving novel which reminds us that for growth, the dead also have to release the living as well as the opposite way around.
Speaking of the dead, one of my very favourite Blog crushes is Art and Ghosts. I do love this girl's art which reminds me of the work of some of my favourite artists, Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington. She also looks like Mo Hayder's younger sister and her entire Blog is lovely. Her whimsical short video grabs where she talks to friends are gorgeous. Her cat has eyes bigger than the moon and her world is whimsical, clever, floral - but sprinkled with shiny darkness.
Leading us into the weekend is a ghostly looking Johnny Depp. I suppose ghosts are the perennial outsiders and so here's Johnny as Edward Scissorhands.
Hats off to outsiders, ghosts and Lovely Bones.
Have a lovely weekend. I hope it is filled with family, health and friendly ghosts. Thanks for visiting me.
xx

all images from art and ghosts source

alice sebold image source

johnny depp image source

Chit-chat Wednesday - And the award goes to...

Thanks for popping in. We are frantically busy this week preparing to move to our summer location for six weeks whilst the remainder of our renovation work is done on our little cottage. I had to mention amongst all the packing, de-cluttering, and madness that Tale Peddler has won another award! Thank you very much to my lovely UK Blogging pal, The Curious Cat (who looks rather fetching in a shower hat) and who has presented me with the Honest Scrap award.
The award tradition is that I now list ten honest scrap things about myself and pass the award to ten other Bloggers I love. Big breath and here we go:
1/ All the characters in my fantasy trilogy had parts of myself, but the one I related to the most was the Winski who records the story of his tribe. My friends often think it was the soap-star wannabe actress (huh!) but it was the Winski who was my alter-ego.
2/ I am phone-phobic and hate talking on the phone.
3/ I attend Catholic Mass on a regular basis and I collect Mary statues. My witchy friends don't understand my interest with the church. But you can't please everybody.
4/ I hate making small talk and I'm hopeless in social situations (the Scribe totally disagrees here!).
5/ I live in the inner-city but at heart I'm a country girl and could happily live in the country if the Scribe could get work there.
6/ I am borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by my own diagnosis in the way I like to clip newspaper items that interest me. The Scribe forced me to throw away a lot of my 'interest' when he put them all together and they took up a quarter of a room. I have a lot of interests. But I do get loads of story and book ideas from newspapers and magazines.
7/ I am a total homebody. I love being at home pottering around and have to be prised out.
8/ I believe in ghosts. I have seen a ghost which convinced me of other realities.
9/ I love writing crime and mystery but also fantasy and I'm often torn between the two. I have so many stories going in my head that it really is overwhelming at times.
10/ I started Tale Peddler to distract myself from a situation that is happening in my life. So far it hasn't worked but I've met a lot of fabbo people and made good blogging pals.

And my ten Blogs to pass the Honest Scrap Award to are:

1/ Owl In The Dark - Totally magical, transformative and beautiful. You have to experience it rather than have it explained! The little owl who keeps it sees ghosts and talks to furniture. Visiting her is rather like entering a beautiful, strange fairytale. She also has an extraordinary knitting blog.
2/Bookish Blonde- I always get a laugh from Sharon with her musings on men, life and writing.
3 What Kate Did Next- Terrific Blog which combines art, writing and motherhood with beautifully written posts.
4 Chez Pinry Another mother (of twins no less, and a four-year-old). Has lovely crafty posts and pics. Well deserving of any award and medal in my book.
5 The Machinist's Wife- Helen blogs about her family, interests and setting up a pie shop in a small Australian town. Being a pie lover, I love Helen.
6 Beach Vintage- Simone is a bit of a legend with all her Bloggy awards but she deserves every one of them. If you like vintage, beachy posts then Simon's Blog is sure to delight. Best of all: she includes tips on how to achieve her brilliant ideas.
7 The Lark - The lovely Allison, a very clever and crafty lady, blogs about her vintage-inspired business and her family from her pretty country town of Daylesford. Allison's collection of vintage Ladybird books is enough to make me fall in love alone.
8 La Belette Rouge - Thoughtful, intelligent, stylish and literary Blog with a variety of topics about life in LA. Definitely worth a visit. Another one to experience rather than explain. I recently contributed as a guest blogger to her Home section, writing about our Little Brick Cottage.
9 The Daily Connoisseur- Lovely Jennifer has a very stylish Blog with an arty twist. Another mystery book lover with beautiful manners and style. Jennifer's blog is about living your highest life possible.
10 Suzy's Vintage Attic- A new Blog to me which has totally captivated me with its charming and nostalgic feel. I think Isabelle and I have a lot in common with our love of vintage and Miss Marple. I adore Isabelle's posts which contain mouthwatering photos of England, her lovely home and charming daughter.

And there you have it! Quite an eclectic mix. Hopefully you will find some new friends and inspiration amongst these fabbo and lovely people. Do pay them a visit and let them know the Tale Peddler sent you! xx
image source:

Fabbo Friday - FIVE OLDIES BUT GOODIES

I'm having a lovely sunny Friday at home with Daisy. I actually feel a bit sad that our break together has come to an end. Last night I saw the Coco Chanel movie with Artschool Annie. It was much better than I had expected! It made me feel like bobbing my hair, starving myself, wearing men's clothes and smoking pensively in a corner when it was over. I may do a Blog about it next week and our silly faux pas there.

Today I thought it was time I finally passed along my Lovely Blog Awards that Sharon from Bookish Blonde presented me with a few weeks ago. Because there is hundreds of Blogs I love and I've made so many recent wonderful Blogging friends it is really impossible to choose - and so I've decided to go back in time to the oldest Blogs that I've followed. The five below are my favourite Blogs that I've followed for years. They are a variety of styles and content - but one thing they have in common is that they are all lovely and have enriched my creative spirit. My Five 'Oldies but Goodies' are:

1/ Vicki from FRENCH ESSENCE - A legend in the Blogging world, Vicki's book My French Life is one of my favourites. Her blog never fails to delight and inspire with snippets from her wonderful life in France. Vicki is not only stylish but incredibly beautifully mannered and always makes time for more humble Blogs with a kind comment. Whether she is talking about shoes, old cinemas, olives, French movies, life with her family her posts never fail to enlighten and enrich your world. I await her second book with great anticipation.

2/ Carla from CARLA LOVES PHOTOGRAPHY - An Australian girl who pursued her dreams in Italy and wrote the beautiful Italian Joy. Carla Coulson's books are all divine. I also love Paris Tango and it was Carla who photographed My French Life for Vicki Archer. Now living in Paris, Carla updates her Blog with snippets of her incredible life and adventures and you will never fail to be inspired when you visit this lovely Australian.

3/ Allison from MY COZY HOME - I have followed Allison as she recounts her domestic adventures in her cozy American home that she shares with her picture perfect family for years. I love her little Evy! Allison and I share a love of Cath Kidston, England and mysteries and I always feel as if I've visited a friend when I pop over to her cozy, adorable house! Thanks Allison for always being as charming, cozy and gorgeous as you are!

4/ Willow from LIFE AT WILLOW MANOR - Another American who records fascinating snippets on a variety of topics from her incredibly popular Blog, Life at Willow Manor. How I envy Willow her beautiful manor! Yes, even her ghost! This is an informative, uplifting Blog that runs the gauntlet from Willow's recipes, latest ghost sighting, beautiful poetry and musings on an incredible variety of topics. Willow never fails to entertain and instruct and has a most disturbing resemblance to Johnny Depp! (Actually I think more Juliette Binoche but Willow claims Johnny!)

And last but no means least

Justine Picardie from JUSTINE PICARDIE. I share a great love of Daphne du Maurier with Justine and I always find when I visit Justine's Blog that she never fails to move, entertain and inform me. Justine is a beautifully eloquent, elegant writer and this is one Blog that I've been awoken to new passions and discovered other writers thanks to Justine. I eagerly await her forthcoming biography of Coco Chanel as the ever stylish Justine will do full justice I'm sure to Coco. Thank you Justine for sharing so much of yourself and your talent through your Blog.

And there you have my Five Oldies But Goodies. Five Blogs that I've been following the longest. Through their separate efforts they have awakened me to the power of Blogging. I hope you may have found a new friend amongst my Five.

Enjoy your weekend. We have two five-year birthday parties this weekend and chores around the house that badly need doing. Wishing you a weekend of family, fun and creative pursuits aplenty. xx

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and KATE BUSH

I wish Kate Bush had been part of my mother's group. She'd be the coolest person to talk to and I'm sure we'd have hit it off and spent a lot of time discussing creativity, parenting, ghosts, the Brontes, graveyards, baby formulas, vegetarian food and enjoyed scouring op-shops together and watching our children play in parks.

I say this because somewhere in the UK Kate is living a normal life raising her son, Bertie, and doing all the normal motherly things. In her latest brilliant double-album, Aerial ,she sings tender homage to laundry chores and to Bertie. I love this album so much! It was worth the long years of anticipation wondering if she would ever record again.

The first time I saw Kate I was watching Countdown on a Sunday night, probably with my beans on toast on my lap, when THAT MUSIC STARTED. And there she was - red dress, huge eyes, reaching arms – witchy evocative other-worldly Kate singing that incredible Wuthering Heights song which eerily seemed to encapture the spirit of the book. I fell instantly in love as I choked on my beans, as did millions around the globe, and it seemed impossible that one so young could have written such an incredible piece.

I love Kate for many reasons. She's not like a modern pop star courting media attention. She's content to live a normal life and create her genius quietly. She put her career on hold to bring up Bertie and concentrate on being a mother. She proves that sometimes quality is better than quantity. Each album, although unmistakably 'Kate', is an evolution.

She shows us that age isn't a barrier to creativity. A schoolgirl can pen Wuthering Heights whilst the more mature woman pens brilliant odes to washing, motherhood, death of a parent and quieter reflections that are totally original and critically acclaimed as masterpieces. In a world of the bland, the copied, the narcissistic needy, Kate reminds us that not every performer is about fame bottled to reflect their own insecure vanity. Some artists are more concerned about the work. I adore the surreal nature of her albums. Only Kate would sing so lovingly about washing and include Rolf Harris playing didgeridoo.

In a recent interview she said that having Bertie changed her creative process totally. Before she was used to fourteen hour stretches in her studio but motherhood meant she was only able to work in short patches over the years and sometimes not at all. But this was good for her creativity as it forced her into situations where she had to step back from it. She is a great reminder to all of us who feel frustrated trying to raise families and work in the 'real world' that we can afford to slow down and pace ourselves.

And so for Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday, let us celebrate the wild, eccentric, haunting genius of Kate Bush! May her original, striking songs inspire our own creative efforts this week.

· Her subjects come tripping from library shelves, television and cinema screens and musty books of fairy tales, the stuff that dreams are made of. She spins tunes that haunt, twist and turn the mind, triggering long forgotten moods. Listening intently to her albums is an experience akin to having a lucid and feverish dream. Jungian symbols of youth, innocence, spiritual escape and the dark, feminine realm abound. Ghosts haunt the black vinyl grooves... But it's not all brooding intensity. There are jokes, too...

Sue Hudson



· For the last 12 years, I've felt really privileged to be living such a normal life. It's so a part of who I am. It's so important to me to do the washing, do the Hoovering. Friends of mine in the business don't know how dishwashers work. For me, that's frightening. I want to be in a position where I can function as a human being. Even more so now where you've got this sort of truly silly preoccupation with celebrities. Just because somebody's been in an ad on TV, so what? Who gives a toss?

· Kate Bush