Attended A Kelp-Weaving Demo

     Today I attended a Joanne Waters Kelp-Weaving Demo.  She showed us all kinds of neat things you can make with seaweed and told us how to make our own.  Beachcombing is her thing.
     After the workshop, I browsed the other artisans' stands, and then went beachcombing myself.
    

The Tale Of Troubled Waters, The Princess - Part One

     Once upon a time, there was a princess born in a castle, a small castle, but a castle nevertheless.  Bats flew in and out of the windows, in tens.  The princess and her mother shivered in fear, as the king was really an evil wizard. 
     "We will have to try our best to stay together, for we can be a strength to each other," said the queen to the princess.  The princess agreed, and though she was only small, she seemed to understand.  There were many dangers.  Seemingly helpful people had designs on the little princess and wanted to take her away from her mother.
      The princess was named Troubled Waters.  Her mother took her almost everywhere with her and they became very close.  (She rarely left her with anyone else.)

TO BE CONTINUED

The Wounded Soldier - Part Six

     It was the woman he'd met before.  Oh, she was no princess but she seemed that way to him.  She brought him and the others with him, water to drink over and over again, and they lived.  (Somebody else brought them food.) 
     After the conflict was over, he later returned and took his princess dancing.  They married and they had children.  Father contributed to their education by making them books to read so that the little ones felt he'd done something special for them, and Mother sewed them new clothes, and the children helped to run the smallholding they had, caring for the chickens and bunnies and garden, they worshipped God on Sundays and they had a happy life.

And they lived happily ever after

THE END

Hansel and Gretel

     Hansel And Gretel is my favourite opera.  Which is your favourite opera?

The Wounded Soldier - Part Five

     Time went on.  He uplifted himself by humming little tunes to himself, trying not to think of where he was, because life was so harrowing at times.  He tried not to focus on what was going on around him. 
     Supplies ran out and he was hungry and thirsty.  There was a glow in the distance as the sun arose, and someone was coming towards him.

TO BE CONTINUED 

Disturbed Sleep

     When I was first married, I used to disturb my husband's sleep to tell him about the history of England, until we had been married about six months.  After this time my knowledge of England's history ran out and he no longer had to listen to my ramblings about, say, King Henry VIII and his six wives at 2 o'clock in the morning, and was able to get more rest.  I did all this to teach him what a clever wife he had.

The Wounded Soldier - Part Four

     He worked as a printer until he was completely better and no longer walked with a cane.  He enjoyed the work, but now it was time to go back.  He did not fear that he would never return home, but he was not looking forward to the future.  Life in the army was gruelling.  But he knew he must do his duty.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Wounded Soldier - Part Three

     He travelled home to see his family, which consisted of his mother, father and sister.  He was so happy to see them again.
     He read books while he recuperated from his injury.  Over the months, he grew better and could walk around again.  It was good to be home again, he thought.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Wounded Soldier - Part Two

     "A princess," he said vaguely, when he saw her face.
     She breathed in sharply when she saw the wound, wiped his brow, then cleaned and bandaged the gash in his leg.
     "Why don't you take a drink?"  she said, offering him some water to drink, propping his head up in her arms.  She got him some food and then went on, leaving him for others to take care of.

TO BE CONTINUED

Songwords Of Birds And Planes - Part One

The Wounded Soldier - Part One

     Dedicated to Devon.

     More than one hundred years ago, a wounded soldier lay on the ground.  All around him was silence.  He wondered how long he would live.  He wondered if he would ever see his mother again.  He leg hurt terribly.  Someone came towards him and asked him how he was.
     "My leg hurts," the soldier managed to gasp, despite feeling faint.
     "I'll see to that," replied the woman's voice.

TO BE CONTINUED

Under The Floorboards

     Later on in my childhood from when we lived in Sweden, we moved to England where we lived in the country, in an old house with loose floorboards.  I believed in fairies at the time, and remember writing them letters which I placed under the floorboards.  I was flabbergasted the next week when I found they hadn't even written back!

A Peaceful Feeling

Stress and strain
Again and again
Overcame
Or so it seemed.
Then I prayed.
A peaceful feeling
Overcame me
And I knew
Just what to do.
A peaceful feeling
Overcame me
And I knew
Just what to do.

A Pie

     In my younger years (slightly younger), I met a man at church to whom I made an unfortunate remark about his ancestor, a remark which sounded almost like an insult, although it wasn't meant to.  It just came out wrong.
     He was so angry that I made a quick exit, and baked him a pie, which I gave to him the next week. 

Pictures Of Stanley Park

     Toodle-oo!

The Monkees

     When I was a little girl in Sweden, I used to enjoy watching The Monkees tv show.  I liked their music so much that for my fourth birthday I asked for their record (like a CD), The Monkees Theme Song.  I remember dancing to it.

Morning Has Broken

     This morning I went out into the rain and saw a squirrel scurrying along with twigs in its mouth.  It darted under a hedge. 
     I stood under a shelter and thought about one of my favourite people, Danny Kaye, who inspired me with his performance of Hans Christian Andersen, when I was little.

Vancouver In The Mist

How I Joined The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints

      Translated from Spanish
      I had read a story about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 8 years old in a children's storybook, in which the author wrote a testimony of the Church of one of the characters, a woman.
     Also, when I lived in London, England, I liked listening to the music of the Osmonds.  From the Osmonds, I learned the Word of Wisdom, the health law of the Church and lived it for some time, obtaining a testimony that it is true.
     Some years later, I prayed for two weeks to know the plan of Heavenly Father for my life.
     One day, I followed a different route home, and passed a Visitor's Centre for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons).  The Holy Spirit told me to enter.  I decided to return the following day to see if the same thing would happen again.
      I returned the following day to the same place and again the Holy Spirit told me to enter the Visitor's Centre of the Church.  I entered and a missionary asked me if I was a member of the Church.
      "No," I replied to her.  "I would like a tour, please."
      I took a tour about the beliefs of the Mormons and knew that the Word of Wisdom was true and  had faith about the rest.  Two weeks later I was baptized.
      After this day, my testimony of the Church has grown and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.

School Days

     I was the most half-hearted person at school, I didn't take part in very much and liked to watch and take notes mentally.
     I wanted to be home reading the encyclopaedia.
     After lunch I very often hid in the school library with my nose in a book, a place for which I was very grateful as I felt the cold.

Bloopers At School

     I attended a wonderful school named Baston School, where one of the best things, in my opinion, was the costume collection.  So I signed up to participate in a play.  I was assigned to Stage Lighting.
     On the night of the performance, when it came to the death scene, I was doing the lights as usual and decided to make a slight change.  (Oops!)  When the leading lady "died" (in front of the curtain), instead of turning the lights off, waiting for her to leave the stage, and then turning the lights back on again, as per instructions in the script, I decided it would be more economical to just leave them on all the way through!  This meant that the leading lady had to improvise a prolonged death scene as she waited in vain for the lights to turn off.  Finally she got up, lights blazing, and walked off the stage in full view of the audience who hooted with laughter at her miraculous recovery.  I felt a fool if there ever was one!
      Another thing I liked was the tennis courts.  I also liked carrying home my cool Slazenger tennis racket.  But  I couldn`t play tennis.  My mother paid for summer lessons for me in the hope that I would be able to enjoy the sport, but I couldn`t even see the ball coming.  I would look round frantically for it, and it would often collide with some part of my body.  Finally, on the ninth day, I did manage to hit the ball.  I have rarely tried to play it since.

How I Write Funny Stories For Children

     I used to be a humourless person.  At about age 15 I noticed everyone else seemed to have a sense of humour, and I applied for a sense of humour myself, from Heaven, by praying for one.  I only prayed twice about this if I remember.
     As I wrote, I tried to use funny incidents from my life or realizations that had come to me and incorporate them into my characters' lives in some cases, or in at other times, make them up.  At first, after I decided to make writing my vocation, there was a period of time when I could only write one line or so a day, before feeling very low, but I persisted until gradually this feeling went away when I wrote and I began to enjoy writing more and more and could fill lines a day.
     I try to get still and write down the good ideas that come into my mind.  I keep paper in convenient places around the house so I can write down any gems.  As I diligently write down those ideas and use them, my ability to receive more grows.  Gradually my ability to write, meets my desire to write.  Using a talent in this area is like using a talent in any other:  if you have an inkling that you want to write funny stories you likely have a (perhaps hidden) talent for it and as you use that talent it will develop like a muscle.
     I like writing so much I want to do it all my life and will always love it!

My Father

I wish my father understood
That I am trying to be good
When he tries to make me do his will
And I only disagree still.
Sometimes he tells me to do wrong
And I know I must be strong.
I hope eventually he'll see
Why it is we disagree.

Why is this, you wonder, why?
That to tell me wrong he tries.
He has different standards than I do.
Sometimes he hasn't got a clue
What is right and what is wrong
So I try to write a song
That tells my story true
And why I live the way I do.

What is on tv each night
Is not always what is right.
If it is pornography,
I simply do not want to see.
Also, I believe in being honest,
I do not want my reputation tarnished.
Maybe one day he'll agree with me,
And give up drinking coffee and tea.

God's Nonchalance

The speckled egg,
The sunlight's dance,
Oh, how I love God's nonchalance!
The prickly pinecone on the moss
That some tree happened to toss:
It all looks like play,
In a happy sort of way.
He likes to frolic in Nature
Is my conjecture.

Save Your Money For A Rainy Day

     My mother told me, when I used to receive money from relatives as a girl, to "save it for a rainy day".
     Finally, I said, "But Mummy, we never go shopping when it's raining."

Dolls In My Life

     When I was young, my father used to go on business trips to different countries.  When he returned, he often brought me a doll.  So I had a doll collection.  We kept it in a glass cabinet at one point, so we could see it.  That brought me many happy memories.  I particularly liked the Spanish dolls, a female flamenco dancer and a male horseback rider.  And there was a Hungarian doll, singing silently.

Tatlow The Sailor Part Fifty by J.M.Okano

     But she found a way around it, because none of them were very good at playing piano, so she taught lessons and everything was alright.
     I haven't written anything so far about the characters sleeping.  I reassure you, gentle reader, they did sleep.
     One night Tatlow and Saskia went to sleep.  In the morning they awoke to the piccolo sounds of a bird singing...and the moose had gone.  This became their motto, "The moose was here, and the moose went away."  Sometimes you don't know what will happen.  If you know that, you can avoid a lot of screaming and crying when things don't turn out as you expected.
     Saskia had a baby and quit her job to look after her offspring.  Sometimes she found it hard quitting her job because it was fun and had lots of incentives to work because she made money and saw people that way who were not nine times harder to hear than a baby crying, but Jesus came to see her and gave her a cooking lesson.  He taught her how to make soup, the Israeli way, with fresh ingredients and she liked that a lot better than going to work and got on with her mothering.  She was going through a hard time and he came and helped her.  And that is the end of the story!

THE END

Tatlow And Saskia Join Hands by Joanne Okano



Tatlow The Sailor Part Forty-Nine by J.M.Okano

     One Tuesday, it rained pianos and then everyone was playing piano.  Saskia earnt little money this way and was very sad.

TO BE CONTINUED

Flowers From My Father's Garden



Tatlow The Sailor Part Forty-Eight by J.M.Okano

     Soon they were famous:  "The moose who pulls a piano", everyone was reading about.

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor Part Forty-Seven by J.M.Okano

     The moose arrived by hot air balloon with Professor Lockridge, as far as I am concerned.  I can't think how else it got there.  Saskia harnessed it to her piano and Tatlow, Saskia and the moose went on together.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Ball Game



Tatlow The Sailor Part Forty-Six by J.M.Okano

     Saskia and Tatlow were married in the Temple at last and Saskia's mother was remarried to a big man named John, also in the Temple,  and everybody was happy.  Saskia and Tatlow went back to France.
     One day Saskia found a moose wandering in the French Alps.  What was a moose doing in France, you may ask?

TO BE CONTINUED

With Ronsky, Nonsky and Pottle

One day Saskia
Went to the park -
With Ronsky, Nonsky and Pottle.

Mother came along
And they all had a lark -
With Ronsky, Nonsky and Pottle.

Wa-hay
Wa-hay
The piglets came ,too
And wouldn't you?
With Ronsky, Nonsky and Pottle.

     The piglets had run away out of the picture to play in this drawing.



Tatlow The Sailor Part Forty-Five by J.M.Okano

     Her three brothers' names were Ronsky, Nonsky and Pottle.  Ronsky played games, Nonsky read books and Pottle kept pigs.
     Saskia found a job playing piano in a restaurant and bought a villa.

TO BE CONTINUED