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As I was reading to Raj last night and he was begging for yet another chapter it ocurred to me that it would be fun to do a post on books. We're a bit obsessed with books in our house you see.

Well, actually I think it's ME that is obsessed with books.
There are shelves full of books everywhere. I won't bore you with all the photographs so I'll just focus on children's books.

There is my collection of almost 200 ladybird books in the sitting room:
I just can't seem to stop buying them - thankfully most of the books come from ebay or the charity shops. I think my obsession - for that's what it must be stems from my childhood. OK I can hear groans and voices saying I wondered when she'd start blaming the folks
But it's true - it really is.

We didn't have one book in our house - no that's a lie we did have one book and that was the Holy Book. As you know my parents are illiterate and with six children and my Dad slaving away in a factory there wasn't much money for anything but food and clothes. Having no books in the house was normal and it never ocurred to me to ask for any either.

Which is odd because I LOVED reading.
I didn't learn English until I was about 6 and I started at primary school (slip in cute pic of me that I found the other day). I must have picked it up pretty quickly because a couple of years later I discovered the local library and an uncle took me along to join.

After that I lived for Saturdays. After getting the chores out of the way I'd be off with my lilac and cream knitted bag full of books. Once in the library I would smile sweetly to the librarian who I imagined looked like Enid Blyton and then it was straight into the children's room.

I always started at A and I slowly read each title and my joy at discovering a new one cannnot be described. Infact as I'm writing this and reliving the event I have goosepimples. Do you know I can still remember where CS Lewis was on the shelves, Enid Blyton and many others.

We were only allowed to borrow six books in those days (oh cruel restrictions). Once I'd chosen a pile I'd sit at the little table and flick through them. Then it was getting home as fast as possible.

If I'd been to the library in the morning I'd read a book propped up at the table whilst eating my lunch of chappatis and dahl and then after that I was esconsed in my books ALL weekend and no-one could get through to me. I'd usually read them all by Sunday night.
Well, the pleasure of reading continued for many years until I grew up and graduated into the adult section.

Sadly, there was no-one to advise me what to read and the likes of David Cassidy took over my desires so that I stopped reading for many years. English Lit at school didn't help either what with dissecting novels to nth degree - what is the sigificance of red in Tess of the D'Urbervilles for example. I couldn't care less.

So getting back to my current obsession I found that at first I was subconsciously buying books for the children that I had read as a child. Then I started looking out for particular titles and I've gone one step further and in some cases I've bought the exact editions I read too. It's amazing but when I open a book and see a picture I am transported back in time and I can still feel those feelings that I had originally.

Take this one for instance. It's an extract from The Family From One End Street:
is the page that describes the scene. I can still remember how Kate felt waking up in the coutryside.

Like her I was a townie and I longed for a time when I could wake up and have that sort of view. I looked at and dreamt about that picture many, many times.
Needless to say I have re-read many of these books again and again in recent years.

I feel really blessed that my children also seem to share my love of reading - especially Amber who has been through most of the books in Raj and Rohan's room and her own.
So what are they reading at the moment? Here are some of Raj's favourites - just click on each pic for a bigger view:
Well, it's remarkable what a sunny day can do to ones mood.

We set off this morning to walk to school at 8.15am and you would not believe that it was still dark. Infact, I had to stop someone to check the time because I thought it was much earlier.

Luckily the rain held off. Sad to say I didn't walk back but cadged a lift from a friend. Anyway, the long and short of it is that the blooming sun came out mid morning and the kitchen was basked in sunlight.

I felt as if someone had removed the paper bag that was over my head. I felt so uplifted.
Then I read post and this bit of a quote hit me: Many of us are unhappy, not because we don't have enough but because we have too much and it really rang true for me.

So what with my new found happiness and the enthusiasm that came with it I went through the toy cupboard and that drawer that everyone has in their home where they just fling things. I'm pleased to report that I almost filled a black bin bag with rubbish and another one with stuff for the charity shop. You can actually find things in the toy cupboard now and see what there is.

Whilst in this happy frame of mind I've resolved to keep walking, to get the wood in and set a fire when I get in from dropping off the children so that's it's all ready for the evening, to get back into the habit of cooking supper in the morning and not at 4 or 5pm, to invite one friend over each week for lunch or drop hints for them to invite us (Raj and I), to make a list of projects that I need to finish AND finish them. I currently have an order for two angels and I must get on with it. I also have some knitting on the go which is so uninspiring and I'm going to unravel it and make something else.

Finally, I'm going to order some more dyes and replenish my stock of plant dyed fibre and then get it back on etsy and ebay. Gosh, I feel so good about having made some decisions. I was beginning to think that the fog wouldn't lift and I'd never do anything.

How, though to keep it up when you know that tomorrow will probably be grey and muddy again? But as Scarlett O'Hara said ' tomorrow is another day'.
I'll just leave you with a book I started yesterday and which probably also contributed to lifting my spirits somewhat.

I bumped into our old Kindy teacher over Christmas who has emigrated to France and she told me about it. It's basically a lot of stories about all the different colours and dyes that there are and their history. It's like an adventure story really.

It's funny I've been using things she mentions like madder, logwood, cochineal and I never thought about how and where they were found and what lengths people went to guard them or replicate them. It's a great read for anyone who paints or dyes or anyone who just wants to know about the history of the colours that we all now take for granted. Click to read more on Amazon.

Hopefully, next time I'll have two finished angels to show you...

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..bye.