Title: Going Solo Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake Publisher: Puffin Books, 1988, YA up Pages: 210 Believe it or not, this was my first Roald Dahl book. Lucky me, it was
geared more for adults, as I found the book in a Roald Dahl collection for
children. Wonderful read. I highly recommend this memoir.
Dahl tells the story of
his life as a young twenty-something British employee in east Africa working for the
Shell Company. The adventures with his sometimes dangerous surroundings
and the people he meets along the way are daring enough, but with the outbreak of
World War II, his life turns on a dime.
With minimal training, he finds
himself flying all makes of planes for the Royal British Air Force in active combat against
incredible odds. Few in his squad survive. Told with humor in great detail you will laugh and
marvel he even survived. He was one very "green" pilot.
I love Christmas movies and have watched several already. I like that they end happily and leave me with an 'all's right with the world' kind of feeling. Come to think of it, the reason for celebrating Christmas, Christ's birth, does the same if you believe and embrace this miraculous story.
Occasionally I find a series on TV, in my case, on Netflix, that equally warms the heart, so much so I am brought to tears. 'Call the Midwife' is one such series. Set in the 1950s and early 1960s Britain, the series follows the lives of four young midwives and four nuns who assist and supervise them in the delivery of babies and female care.
When the convent phone rings for a midwife, they hop on their bicycles and ride to east London's poorest district, where families are packed in like sardines. They get an earful and eyeful about love and marriage at such a tender age. All in their 20s, they are pretty naive, barely women themselves.
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, their stories are told in Jenny's voice, narrated by Vanessa Redgrave. It's a marvelous adaptation of a memoir to the screen. I dearly look forward to watching it, often while on my treadmill wearing headphones. A physical workout and a delightful mental retreat all packaged in one. I highly recommend it!
I love dolls, don't
you? I don't speak for everyone, I know, but I think the majority of women enjoyed dolls as girls. Some of you became collectors as adults.
Lammily Doll in middle
And not to the leave the guys out reading this, I know that some of you had your favorites. My son had a "Ronnie-Donnie" doll, a McDonald's rag
doll version of Ronald McDonald. I washed it until it fell apart and disappeared one day never to reappear again.
A recent post on Facebook about the new Lammily doll brought back some fond memories of my experience as a girl.....
As a young teen, thirteen-years-old, my best friend and I decided one day we were "too old to play with dolls." At school all of the other
girls it seemed were busy gossiping about boys and 'who liked who' etc., so playing with dolls just didn't fit into our worlds anymore. But emotionally, my BFF and I were torn, unwilling to let go just yet.
We embarked on setting up a secret society of sorts known only to us. After school or whenever possible we would secretly smuggle our doll collections across the street in paper garbage sacks between our homes. We also liked to play in a wooded area nearby. Fun days. We fired up our imaginations and had a ball, playing mamas with our baby dolls or 'mean headmistress' at the orphanage (our favorite) with our older dolls.
Although available, I didn't have Barbie dolls for some reason. I think my mother worried about those boobs and exposed legs, although my last doll was adult size, full-breasted anddressed in formal lace and black taffeta. She fit perfectly into any romantic scenarios I came up with. It all seems kind of silly now, this nostalgic glance back at the crossroad of becoming a young woman, yet role playing is how everyone learns, and it's just as important to girls and teens today.
Unlike the pencil thin Barbie dolls with unrealistic body measurements, the Lammily doll is proportioned as a real girl or budding teen might look today. Cute, a bit on the pudgy side and without makeup. I grew up ultra skinny, reacting to my body shape in reverse, 'flat as a pancake' as a teen. Neither of the reactions, fat or skinny, did much for our self esteem growing up. Too many girls (and adults) struggle with low self-esteem based on their body weight and shape, so I want to congratulate the family and makers of the Lammily doll, Lammily, LLC <https://lammily.com/special-offer-2/>
Interesting, the creator of this doll was an uncle who had purchased a
Barbie for his niece in Pittsburgh and thought doll makers could do a
better job. Click the below link for his story and a special offer (dolls
available only online).
You could call me an eternal optimist, but I'm really just a dreamer. l believe in dream fulfillment, because 'sometimes' dreams come true. This is a blog about my journey as a writer and things that inspire and motivate me.
