Store Your Happy Memories Here:

[Croix]

Dear All~

What this place is for:
This thread is a tool, a resource, and also I guess a dash of entertainment.

I’ve found that when life is grim that sometimes thoughts of past happiness can create a chink of light in the grey overwhelming press of down. They can help occupy the mind with lighter reflections.

With that in view I invite people to set down a brief passage describing some happy event they look back to with fondness and peace.

They - and others too - can then return to it when they feel the need to glean a little warmth.

It is not a place for gloomy or dire tales, those can go elsewhere.

What to do:
Just set out, as simply as you like, your recollection of some past experience that means something good to you, something you enjoyed, something from safe times.

It can be, like my story below, anything – from an account of visiting grandparents to simply cooking and eating a melted-cheese sandwich in a favorite kitchen – you get to choose.

How to do it:
Write. Write enough so someone else can feel the mood, know what happened, find the goodness. (stop at 2,500 characters please!)

Grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation are not compulsory, just write as you can – the only important thing is the content - not literary merit. Short or long - it does not matter.


I hope you enjoy, contribute and find a little distraction here when you need it.

Croix

[Croix]

Dear Moon and All~

Yes I enjoyed Murder by Death though I don't think there was actually any murder was there?

Quoting form old shows is getting embarrassing, such well known phrases as 'Sorry about that chief" and "Ah, the old xyz trick" just get me blank looks. Even the more modern "Make it so" is only just recognized.

I prefer that version of Charlie in the Chocolate Factory to the Johnny Depp one.

Riddler: "You and your trained exploding shark."
Penguin: "Faugh, Quack! How should I know they'd have a can of shark-repellent Batspray handy? Why, you sniveling sardine!"

-C

[Moonstruck]

Hey Croix.....this is about Happy Memories isn't it? Here's a couple more quotes if you can stand it...because...I've just found out it helps me recall the Happy Memories of watching and listening to such brilliant lines...(thank you recently departed genius playwright Neil Simon).

here's a couple from Maggie Smith from California Suite..(examining face in mirror) .."I've aged Sidney..I look like a brand new steel belted radial tyre"...."I have a definite "hump" on my left shoulder...can you see it Sidney, the hump? I'm about to go on National Television and all people will see is this hump on my left shoulder!! Put your hand on my shoulder as we walk in Sidney...keep your hand on my shoulder at all times!"

Ah, they don't write 'em like that any more!

[Croix]

Dear Moon and all~

There's one from Maggie playing Violet Crawley - I'm not sure you would not agree with her sentiments:

Violet: "I'm afraid Tom's small talk is very small indeed."
Robert: "Not everyone can be Oscar Wilde."
Violet: "What a relief."

-C

[Moonstruck]

Ha ha....love it Croix! (come to think of it, Maggie has been lucky enough to get some brilliant lines in her movies/plays...words to savour on your lips before and as you utter them into the waiting void...delicious!! )

[Croix]

Dear Moon and All~

words to savour on your lips before and as you utter them into the waiting void

Very occasionally when writing a post the exact thing to say pops into my mind (very very occasionally that is) and your phrase above exactly fits.

Thank you for mentioning it as you did. I'll think of your post if I'm lucky enough for it to happen again.

Croix

[Mozette]

I haven't been on here for a while... but that's mainly because I've been away at Brunswick Heads, NSW. It's a lovely little town where I have been holidaying since I was 6 years old. I love it so much, I'm doing a series of landscape paintings of it and the surrounding area. In the next year or two I hope to have enough paintings to get an exhibition going.

The sea air has done me good - but the dust storm has left me all blocked up in the head. Yep, Brisbane has had a horrible dust storm and now I'm cleaning the house and everything to clear my head and sinus'... blegh! Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting into some good writing and painting soon.

I had a weird dream the other night. I dreamt of being in Batman's car - the one from the tv series, not the movies - and Batman took me for a joyride. It was so much fun! As we were about to really take off and the car was about to hit top speed, Batman looked over at me and asked 'I'm going to go faster, okay?' I smiled and said 'Yeah!' and I wondered if it was Adam West or Michael Keaton under that mask (not Clooney, I would have spotted him immediately)... suddenly as he made the car go faster, my alarm went off. I woke up. I was very disappointed to find it was just a dream.

[Croix]

Dear Mozette~

I'm glad you had a good break, do you do representational or impressionistic landscapes?

I always enjoyed the Adam West, Burt Ward series, probably becuse it did not take itself seriously, the later Batmans seemed so dark and grim.

Robin: 'Where'd you get a live fish, Batman?"
Batman: "The true crimefighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin."

Dust is another matter. I once drove my land-rover from Alice to Port Augusta, in those days it was a corrugated road and the dust was amazing, covered everything, got into everywhere. I was young and silly, no mask, no eye protection, just changed color totally to red. An interesting experience.

Arriving at Port Augusta and using most of SA's water supply in a long shower is the happy memory:)

Croix

[Mozette]

Hey Croix,

I think I do a bit of both. But people know what the places are. I did get more photographs of Brunswick Heads, Mullumbimby and some gorgeous views of the valley from the Tweed River Art Gallery. So, I'm hoping to get in and work on more paintings in the coming year.

I think the dream meant that I shouldn't take myself too seriously... but still have fun what I'm doing too.

And yeah, dust always clogs up my nose and makes me feel like I've got a head cold - but it does go away once we get a heck of a storm happening around Brisbane.

[Croix]

Dear All~

I think this evening's walk will give me smile in the future, a happy memory being made.

I've mentioned elsewhere I'm now walking along a riverbank of an evening, hopefully before it gets to dark. A platypus, 2 rats, lots of ducks, geese, a couple of chooks (who head home at dusk) plus umpteen native hens. (We don't count the insects)

The path is right beside the bank, which has thick reeds in places, trees overhanging at others. Foxy dog takes a keen interest in all of this and normally pulls on the lead for a closer look.

At one place we always hear a very noise native hen. It makes a sounds a bit like a football rattle, one of those things you twirl around. My wife thinks it must have swallowed a duck decoy. We have always wondered why it was such a noisy little bird.

This evening it came charging out of the reeds straight towards us, sounding off as it came. This is quite the opposite of all the usual native hens which head for the water as whenever we get close.

Foxy for once did not strain and try to lunge forward, but kept close to 'mum'. We walked passed and the hen kept following, making its noise and staying within a couple of meters. A little further on it turned round and scooted back to its reeds. A job well done, driving off those humans and their dog.

Croix

[Moonstruck]

My father was a sugar cane farmer, working long hours and coming home covered in dirty clothes with a wonderful burnt sugary, cane trash, black sooty smell. One day I had a sick day from school and for some reason, (probably a machinery or harvester break-down or something) my father also had some very rare spare time.

We played card games, for what seemed like hours, on a spare bed on the verandah...just the two of us. I was the youngest in the family and never got to spend time alone with him...cane farmers then and now work very hard.

I never wanted the day to end. I wished he had every day off so we could play cards like this. I remember the next day how disappointed I was that he was back out in the field....I had so wanted to play cards again. Of course he never knew how precious the day-off we shared was to me......I wonder why that has stuck in my memory all these years?????