Throwback Thursday: How Quaint.

Childhood smiles!

I love reading. I will read almost any genre, my bookshelves are made up of nothing in common and I love it all!

The books that really make me smile though, are the ones that are written with childlike wonder, curiosity and adventure, really they inspire me.

Books like Old Yeller, Little Women, Peter Pan, Black Beauty, Treasure Island, they all have that simple yearning for well, no technology! Authors like Enid Blyton are favourites of mine too! Yes, it was surely the time period in which these books were written, that make them so 'quaint.' Most of them are aimed at children, however, reading a charming, old-fashioned story every now and then, reminds me of the little things.

My nana (who has now passed away) used to read to me and I would read to her as I grew older. I have so many memories of pronouncing a word right and getting applause, being asked to read and choosing a book, reading with her in bed and by the window. No wonder a love of reading blossomed for me at a young age!

All of these books remind me of how my beautiful nana would talk and act, even describe her 'younger years' as. So I guess I love these stories because I can sort of relive a piece of what she may have experienced!

My favourite book (EVER) The Valley makes me wonder if this is how nana was. It goes back and forth in time and paints an amazing picture of teenage adventure. Every-time I read this book, I feel like I am there, with Thommo and Clem, causing mischief. I can imagine myself running across paddocks with Ol' Yeller, writing and hiking up my skirt with Jo March, watching Black Beauty strut before me, looking up to Long John Silver and riding on a wagon with Lotta and Jim!

It is mostly the language and writing style (with pictures) that draw me to these books and I think that as I grew up, I kept these characters with me, they have always inspired me to write myself, take life lightly and be kind!

This song, Peter Pan recently came up on my playlist and it makes me think that this is how I used to be... it might sound to-good-to-be-true to 'grow up,' but I know my nana would have not only wanted me to grow up into a 'lovely young lady' but also remember the little loves.... it's okay to believe in fairies and follow the stars, as long as you don't let the wonders of reality pass you by either!

Enjoy the quaint!

KK

Wealthy Wednesday - Define your wealth

wealth

noun

1. a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches:the wealth of a city.2. an abundance or profusion of anything; plentiful amount:a wealth of imagery.3.Economics.

1. all things that have a monetary or exchange value.

1. anything that has utility and is capable of being appropriated or exchanged.

4.rich or valuable contents or produce:the wealth of the soil.
5. the state of being rich; prosperity; affluence:persons of wealth and standing.
6.Obsolete, happiness.

Thank you Dictionary.com! Once again you have helped me get motivated to blog! So Wealth - its not just about money. I am going to start off my new Wealthy Wednesday series by helping you to discover what your wealth is, what it is that you can have in abundance (apart from money...) and feel rich, absolute and just amazing!

For me it is a great number of things, but if I have to define it I can probably put it down to a few things, that, if I was surrounded, I would feel utterly amazing!!

1. Animals! Give me insects, livestock (as in horses/cows/goats,) fish, platypuses, reptiles... puppies and I am just in a state of euphoria!
2. Nature - nature in the weather, flowers, storms, leaves, trees, rain, a plant growing in the cracks of concrete. The way winds have carved stones over time, puddles, etc. Etc. etc! Nature in its purest form just makes me smile. As one of my favourite quotes goes - Water can carve its way, even through strong - And ancient Japanese proverb.
3. Books. If I am surrounded by books, I am truly happy, in fact, writings of any form inspire and enlighten me. From lyrics, to poems, to novels, to Shakespeare to a quote!
4. Images, sounds, tastes, smells and feelings (emotions and physical.) Everyone needs to get in touch with their senses more. I find that if I savour and taste my food, Look deeply into a painting, focus on the tones in my voice, Breathe in and pause through the fresh air, rub my cheek into my pillow or just acknowledge how I am feeling in a very moment, well, life is just unbelievably AMAZING!

I am going to leave you with that and tease you with the wait until my next Wealthy Wednesday! You don't need to define your wealth (literally or figuratively) but just remember you are wealthy in one way or another! Be grateful for that!

KK

Don't tell me how to write!

One of the hardest things about being at uni, is that I have to write in the forms that university expects me to, well that's fine. But when it comes to a creative piece that I am being marked on, I think I do pretty well considering. My grammar and spelling in general is pretty good, and I am not going to be modest about it. I don't care how long my sentences are, or if my sentences make sense, that is a different story. I have been shunned by one of my lecturers on how I write my part in a class blog and if you can't tell already - its bloody ticked me off!

I am a writer (duh) and there is no rule on how one writes in the personal writing world. If you run, you are a runner, if you sleep you are a friggen sleeper, gees. I should be able to write how I want, I don't care about the grammar, I care about the content and it just irks me when people get all caught up on presentation and professionalism, rather than the actual work that's been put into a piece.

I'm sure it has been proven that some of the smartest people in the world can't spell! I know that some PHD students can't. Look, all I am saying is - appreciate the passion! We should focus on who an individual is and how much effort they put in, (Where their work is concerned...) rather than the nitty gritty - (I'm going to write it) - SHIT!

The main irk about the whole issue, to me, is that I never said I wouldn't go back and fix the nitty, gritty, shitty - quit focusing on that and read what was meant to be read. We don't criticise strokes on a painting before the painter has finished!

From someone who hasn't published my stories yet, I'd like to say, give me a chance to perfect them - to my needs - before you have a crack. When I'm published - then by all means, shoot!

KK

Rob Lowe's Autobiography.

Okay, so when asked, most people I know, didn't know who Rob Lowe is or if they did, it was a vague memory and most of the movies they thought he was in, he wasn't. But I have always known who he was, since that fateful day in English watching the outsiders, which we never finished, so I bought the movie and fell in love with Emilio Estevez, but I, as well as everyone else in class, certainly noticed Rob Lowe.

So I have been reading his Autobiography (and yes, he did actually write every single word himself) and I found myself in another world, a world I couldn't easily snap out of like I can with most other books I've read, (although another I couldn't ironically was 'The Outsiders.') There isn't much more I can say because really you have to just read the book!!

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Only-Tell-Friends-Autobiography/dp/080509329X

Andrew Isles natural history bookstore.

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd let you know about a great bookstore situated in Melbourne. They also send books and catologs out to you. They have just about anything to do with nature, but don't take my word for it, take a look at their site:http://www.andrewisles.com/

KK.