Tuesday 4 October 2011

10 things I'll always love

1. owls and cats
'Owl and the Pussycat' illustration by Nan Pollard (Lowe)
I've found that owl-lovers are often also cat-lovers. It's certainly the case with me. I own a beautiful, characterful tortoiseshell cat. I don't own a (real) owl, sadly.
2. the films of Chris Marker

Chris Marker is a French filmmaker (born 1921!) whose favourite animals are cats and owls (ring any bells?). He has a long-standing fascination with Japan. His films make you reflect upon the nature of memory and time, what cinema is or could be, and what connects people across cultural divides. In Sans Soleil, a woman describes letters written to her by a fictional filmmaker from his travels around the world.

3. dressing-up
owls & cats

set created on Polyvore, click here for more details
When I was a child one of the things I most loved to do was to act out stories and movies using our overflowing dressing-up box to create dramatic costumes. Now I have an overflowing wardrobe. In my fantasy all of the above items are in it.

4. Paris
Photos I took on a recent trip to the beautiful and inspiring city of Paris. The yellow cat is a recurring graffiti known as 'monsieur chat'. Chris Marker made a film about that. I love wall art.

5. the sea

I feel at home when I'm by the sea. I love all the British coastline, especially Norfolk, Cornwall  and Devon. I also love the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts in France. I took this photo at sunset on Heron Island, a coral reef Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It was a breathtakingly beautiful place.

6. the piano
thanks to fazzinchi on Flickr for this image
I have played the piano since I was six. There have been times in my life where I'm not playing (like now!) and other times where I have played very intensively, either way it's always there, a part of me. I love listening to classical piano music too, especially by Debussy, Chopin and Schubert.
7. making things
I almost didn't include this because it's like, well, d'uh!! But somehow the list wouldn't feel complete without acknowledging the importance for me of creating, whether it be jam, a collage badge, a soft toy for my son, or maybe a blog post. For me, it's all about making things for others - I associate it with my mother and things she has passed on to me. Craft = nurture.

8. reading
Source: amazon.co.uk via Suki on Pinterest

I was one of those kids who was always reading and I still am. I love reading anything: novels, poetry, biographies, recipes, my old diaries, memoirs, essays... perhaps above all I love a novel that conjures up a world and makes me think at the same time. At the moment I'm reading Émile Zola's Paris on my kindle.

9. roses
I think I have 17 rose bushes in my garden. They were all here when we moved in, and although they suffer badly from all the town rose problems (blackspot, greenfly, rust etc.) they are still blooming and keep flowering throughout the Autumn. I am a pretty useless gardener, but somehow roses I can do, and I love the way they reward a little care with exuberant new shoots and gorgeous flowers. I grew up with my mother's rambling roses in three different gardens... there's a kind of English, nostalgic thing going on with them for me.

10. motherhood and marriage
This is me with my son when he was just a few days old. He was born in July 2010. I have found being a mother the greatest challenge of my life. It has been very hard at times with the seemingly endless sleep deprivation and stream of impossible decisions. But it has also been unbelievably wonderful: an explosion of love.
I am lucky to have the most incredible husband who is constantly supportive, loving and always makes me laugh. He's a brilliant dad, too. I love him deeply and feel honoured to share my life with him.

8 comments:

Immie said...

The photos of the places you've been are so beautiful and inspiring <3 And your son is one very lucky little boy ^_^

Mamasita said...

I love your list!!! It made me reflect on 10 things that I love... Hmmm... definitely would have to agree with you on the motherhood and marriage :-) it is so rewarding!
Hope you are having a most lovely Wednesday friend,
Maggie xoxo

Unknown said...

Thanks Maggie and Immie for your lovely comments!

Would love to read your '10 things I'll always love' too!

Suki xx

andrea said...

what a perfect list!! no wonder I like you and your blog so darn much : ) totally didn't know you played piano. that is awesome. I think much more added to this list would start to take away from the simple pleasures it offers : ) xx

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Andrea! I noticed that you play cello, which I also love & is my man's instrument. Do you play a lot?

I wouldn't add anything either, except that I almost included "bargains" but couldn't think of an image. Maybe I will write about bargains sometime!

andrea said...

what happy cello coincidence. hopefully you all are ignoring any out of tune notes you may hear ; ) At the moment I'm not playing much professionally, but hopefully soon! would definitely love to read about your bargain <3

s said...

number 1. cats and owls.
i must follow you! i love them too! but to complete mine to a total of 3- i like bunnys too, adorable.
have a feeling your my new blog addiction!
love sarah :)

Maša said...

the last picture is so beautiful I can't describe it in words.

Post a Comment

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It's always so lovely to hear from you.
Suki

you may also like

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...