The Children at Green Meadows

In and around my building, we now have a golden Labrador with a heart-of-gold, a snappy l’il Poodle, a goose that honks like a Disney villain, an assortment of cats, a Doberman with a mother-fixation, an overweight Pug that manages to project an air of abject hunger, a blink-and-you-miss-it bunch of fat sparrows, hungry crows who always know when it’s lunchtime and an ever graceful soaring eagle. And this is not even counting the regular menagerie I run into when I head off for an evening walk.

I love animals. The above scenario makes me happy. Noah–recruiting-for-his-ark happy. And it reminded me of a childhood book that I used to love and want to live in: The Children at Green Meadows.

I dug it out. The front cover had vanished (which made me a little mad since I really loved the artwork), the pages were dog-eared and it brought back memories of summer holidays and pepper chips.

I could never critique this book. I love it.

A family living in a sprawling house called Green Meadows. A family that has a handicapped ex-army man for a father, a granny that jingles along angrily, a mother whose work never seems to end and a trio of children trying to be patient and wiser beyond their years. A family that loves animals but can’t afford to keep any.

So what happens when the children: Francis, Clare and Sam find themselves looking after the pets of people who can’t look after them for a variety of reasons?

The transformation of moods, surroundings and fate is a beautiful tale for children who love animals. It’s a simplistic story with heart. It doesn’t claim to change your life but it does leave you with a knot in your throat.

I repeat. I love it.

The Princess And The Frog

Once upon a time (in the roaring twenties, to be precise), there was a little girl (no, she wasn’t a princess. Yes, I know the title mentions a Princess, but just bear with me, okay?!?).

When she wished upon The Evening-Star, she fervently hoped for a wonderful restaurant of her own: 'Tiana's Place'.... A glamourous eatery that would serve honest-to-goodness Louisiana cuisine. No Kiss-Happy Frog. No Prince. No Marriage to the CK Underwear-Model-Worthy Hero (yep, breaking the mould with a vengeance, wasn't she?)

She didn’t spend her days playing lead songstress to a bunch of cuddly woodland creatures. She didn’t perch herself at a castle window waiting for Prince Charming to whisk her away on his white steed. Nu-uh….she was too busy waiting tables at a grimy diner, saving up her earnings for her grand dream (ref. above to wonderful restaurant).

The girl is Tiana. She is also Disney’s first black heroine. AND she’s the shining star of The Princess and The Frog. Tiana is a hardworking blue-collar girl in New Orleans. She has no time for the frills and fancies that infect her ditzy southern belle of a friend; Charlotte LaBouff. Charlotte is the daughter of a very rich and doting sugar baron. Daddy dearest, unbeknownst to him is under the greedy radar of local voodoo witch doctor, Dr.Facilier (a.k.a. The Shadowman). Meanwhile, the handsome but broke Prince Naveen lands in New Orleans with the express purpose of bettering his financial prospects. He hopes to achieve this by marrying the empty-headed but seriously wealthy Charlotte. But Dr.Facilier, with a touch of shiver-me-timbers voodoo and underhanded schemes turns Naveen into a frog.

And no, Tiana will not…no way…kiss a blerggg…frog!!! However, playing on Tiana’s secret dream…kiss him she does….and LO!

And behold….

Tiana is now a pretty, emerald green frog………..

Yep, didn’t see that coming did you???

Taking the plot from there, the two bickering amphibians make their way through Louisiana’s dangerous bayou in search of the famous Mama Odie to reverse the spell. Accompanying them on this trip are a trumpet playing croc, Lou and a little worse for wear Cajun firefly, Ray. The couple discover love, loyalty and the surprising fact that dreams don't stay static. Hopes change, ideals change and plans most definitely undertake some drastic detours!

It’s comforting to see that Disney got it right after a very long time. The Princess and The Frog is a fabulous tale - engaging characters…..addictive music score and brilliant artwork. Ah, the artwork…..you could watch the movie for the artwork alone…..vintage and unadulterated Walt Disney. The charm of twenties New Orleans is captured in a burst of riotous colours. You can almost smell the gumbo that Tiana whips up. You supress a shiver as Dr.Facilier plays his fiendish games. You fall in love with the sidekicks for their bumbling charm and secret hopes. You feel like breaking into a fox-trot as Tiana’s dream comes alive in a song-and dance art deco number.

Original setting….quirky twist on a classic plot….and The Princess and The Frog makes you realize why Walt Disney was the Grand Poobah of 'em all! ....

(oh, and also.....why you're apparently never too old to enjoy a good ol' happily-ever-after!!!)

Life has bigger plans for you than you can possibly ever know, so trust
that wherever you are at any given time is exactly where you were meant to
be

~ Anonymous

12 Key Zen Habits

Downloaded this bright and sparky poster from GoddessGuidebook.com...

G*R*E*A*S*E

...watched GREASE (for the zillionth time) with my ladies. Danny Zucko still has the best moves this side of pelvic-town...Sandra Dee's petal-fresh act is still in place...and Rizzo still makes you ache with her hard-as-nails act. Love the movie...worship the soundtrack...and all I have to say is...shoobap sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom!!!

One of the Family

I have an olde-worlde soul...and this painting ('One of the Family' by Frederick Cotman) captures my idea of a perfectly rustic, domestic household.

Jamie at Home - Artwork

I love the drawings that pop up during *Jamie at Home*. Pages of a crusty notebook, they are grimy, dirty with food spots…and yet flow with colour and crazy word bubbles. They remind me of the lazy doodles I used to make sitting at the back of an accounts class in college…..ah...Halcyon Days.

Italian for Beginners

If this is your first chick-lit, you’ll enjoy it thoroughly. And if it’s your 55th chick-lit, you may not be blown away by the story but will still come away with a warm fuzzy feeling. I come under the latter category and ‘Italian for Beginners’ was a fun romp.

The plot has been done to death… Sensible yet single heroine on the wrong side of thirty…nosey relatives who love to drop poisonous barbs at every given opportunity (especially at embarrassing public gatherings like weddings)…unresolved issues with a deceased parent....a well-paying though dead-end job…and the cherry on the cake: a non-existent love-life. Say hello to our heroine:Cat Connelly.

Cat meets the seemingly perfect man, but things go awry when she learns that he is married. In a bid to break out of her safe mould, she scoots off to Rome (a place she has always loved), where she hopes to reunite with an old flame. But the book is 340-pages thick and Cat’s problems cannot be solved so soon. She encounters crazy situations and messy emotions that she could have done without. She learns to deal with her past baggage. She rediscovers her self…her self-worth…and people who prop her up with their buoyancy and sheer pig-headedness.

And the whole transformation was brought about in a glorious setting…the dusty, mellow around the edges, steeped in culture Roma. These were the parts I liked best. The author, Kirstin Harmel lets her love for the ancient city pour out through tiny but delicious descriptions, like:

I took a deep breath, soaking in the smells around me; baking bread from a nearby bakery; a hint of lavender perfume hanging in the air from the giggling pair of twenty-something girls who had just passed by; the slightly salty, slighty muddy smell of the Tiber river, drifting in from a block away.

I started off getting irritated with Cat’s seeming lack of backbone to feeling happy as I watched her grow, glow and shed her insecurities. A sweet light read that gives you a few moist-eyed moments; but mostly fills you with a strong yearning to wear a white sundress, a floppy straw-hat, gladiator-sandals and have your own l'il Roman Holiday

Am not given to gush-fests and rantings about shoes. Not much into bling-gg either. But there’s something about this(these?) super-classy pair of sneakers in fire-proof, gold-plated kevlar.....that gets me right there. :)

...yet another HAPPINESS quote

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy
getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with
family or friends, then the chances are that you're not going to be very happy.
If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new
job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that
person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand,
happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap,
then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.

~ Andy Rooney

FUZZ THERAPY

Got the proverbial blues? Need an instant pick-me-up? Have a quick look at the following strips. Calvin & Hobbes can always be counted on to make you forget your dreary moments!