A fairy, a sylph

"She was more than human to me. she was a fairy, a sylph. I don't know what she was - anything that no one ever saw, and everything that everybody ever wanted. I was swallowed up in an abyss of love in an instant. There was no pausing on the brink; no looking down, or looking back; I was gone, headlong, before I had sense to say a word to her.' Charles Dickens David Copperfield

fairy

Reading through all my Dickens quotes I realise how passionate he writes about love. Yet my love isn't a passionate, violent, headlong love. I definately am a person who pauses on the brink. Still his passages on love speak and stay with me.

Her Heart

'Her heart - is given him, with all it's love and truth. she would joyfully die with him, or better than that die for him. She knows he has failings, but she thinks they have grown up through his being like one cast away, for the want of something to trust in, and care for, and think well of." Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend

love

Re reading this passage I'm not so sure about what I think. Dying for someone? If I love you I want you to be with me through life. What do you think?

A better world

I'm using Dickens in January as an excuse to post some of my favourite Dickens quotes. I first read Great Expectations at school but it was the re read, having watched Gwyneth Paltrow's film, that changed my thoughts on him. After that I tried to read a Dickens a year. I've slightly slacked recently but still hold Dickens dear and claim him as one of my favourite authors. Maybe this will kick start me to read another Dickens this year.

"If you can tell me that you will go through the world with me, you will surely make it a better world for me, and me a better man for it, and I will try hard to make it a better world for you." Charles Dickens Great Expectations

promise

I hold her heart in mine

Great Uncle Henry is GreyGran's brother in law. Alas she was unable to make the celebrations. She's too frail and suffers from dementia. My soft spot for her grows each time I see her, and it was pretty big to begin with. Even though dementia was setting in when Warmth and I married it was the one piece of current information which she knew. She celebrated our wedding day with us. And that memory is one that makes the day even more precious. Her last family event.
Last time we saw GreyGran we sat and held her hand for an hour. Each of us with one of our hands in hers, sometimes she stroked our hands, sometimes we stroked hers. Words don't come easily any more so holding hands said more than any words could possibly have said.

"I hold her hand in mine, I hold her heart in mine." Charles Dickens David Copperfield

it's mary ruffle
Yes, as we held each other's hands. We held each other's hearts too.

Mister Pip

On the day we moved I arrived at our new home to find that one of the first things Warmth had done, apart from make up the bed and sofa, was begin to unpack our books. For the first time all our books are in one place. Immediately it made our new flat feel like home.

As Matilda thinks as she discovers Great Expectations in Mister Pip.

'By the time Mr Watts reached the end of chapter one I felt like I had been spoken to by this boy Pip. This boy who I couldn't see to touch but knew by ear. I had found a new friend.' Lloyd Jones Mister Pip

And that's why it felt like home, we were surrounded by dear, treasured and familiar friends.

home

it's good to be back x

22nd August 2009

And so it continues today...

Jose Saramago - Warmth's favourite author
The man and woman over there...you can see that they like each other, that they're fond of each other, that they love each other, you can see that they're happy, look they just smiled.' Jose Saramago Seeing

I Love sleeping...
'At night they slept curled together like two cashews' Anne Tyler Digging to America

We'd watched Life is Beautiful and both loved it. Warmth wrote this in my valentine's card that year.
'Last night, I dreamt about you all night' Life is Beautiful

Old Possoms book of practical cats we both have strong childhood memories of this and it connects to our London life.
The cottagers of Rotherhithe knew something of his fame;
At Hammersmith and Putney people shuddered at his name.
They would fortify the hen-house, lock up the silly goose,
When the rumour ran along the shore:
GROWLTIGER'S ON THE LOOSE!
T.S. Eliot Growltiger's Last Stand

Charles Dickens - my favourite author
'A heart well worth winning, and well won. A heart that, once won, goes through fire and water for the winner, and never changes, and is never daunted.' Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend

Anna Karenina - Warmth's Valentines day gift to me after we'd been dating a few weeks - I knew he liked me when I received this.
'In their conversationeverything had been said; it had been said that she loved him, and that she would tell her father and mother that he would come tomorrow morning.'

'There were no other eyes like those in the world. There was only one creature in the world who would concentrate for him all the brightness and meaning of life. It was she.'
Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina

Our first dance
'And when you smile the world is brighter
You touch my hand and I'm a king
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune
Your love for me is everything
Elvis Presley The wonder of You

Madness It Must Be Love for old school friends of Warmth.
As soon as I wake up
Every night, every day
I know that it's you I need
To take the blues away

It must be love, love love...

I read Adam Bede for this passage. It was nearly going to be in our service.

'What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all sorrow, to share with each other in al gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories.' George Eliot Adam Bede

Unknown Seas

Chatting with a dear friend at a party about 'when will I meet someone?' reminded me of these two quotes from Charles Dickens which comforted me. I tried to quote them to her but I'd drunk a little too much fizz.

'How can we tell what coming people are aboard the ships that may be sailing to us now from unknown seas?'

'Him who is coming to court and marry me'
'When is he coming?... Where is he coming from?'
'Why good gracious, how can I tell? He is coming from somewhere or other, I suppose, and he is coming some day or other, I suppose. I don't know any more about him at present.' Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend

@

Marrakech Express

The fireplace in one of the nooks around the pool.

Sunlight slithering through the souk.

Eating in Jemaa El Fna

Yves Saint Laurent's Majorelle Gardens.

Our poolside view. Oh my it was lovely.

And then this happened....
and suddenly this quote is appropriate.

When I stored it I didn't imagine it would ever be used for this purpose.
'You have a long voyage, and a strange country, before you; but many men will have both, to the end of time. The winds you are going to tempt, have wafted thousands upon thousands to fortune, and brought thousands upon thousands hapily back.' Charles Dickens David Copperfield

We're thankful to have made it home relatively swiftly, very safely and in good spirits. My were we pleased to see my father's smiling face at Dover at 3am.