Love the way you’ve written this post and so relieved that cockerels, pigs, bears AND dinosaurs lived happily ever after.
I’m with you on the safe home idea. Especially in this current world…
AND guess what?! We found a shopping list in the dark tonight. We took a picture of it and if you feel you would like to forensically write about it at any time, I can forward the image to you via email. It’s short but incredibly varied!
Thank you so much, Prue! On reflection I rather think that those dinosaurs have all been deeply traumatised, and I still fear for the safety of anyone within spilling distance of that badly-poured teapot! 🤣
SHOPPING LIST? You've found a shopping list? YES PLEASE!!! I'll have to admit to having one waiting in the wings to be written about, but I think it might be waiting for its perfect companion for a compare-and-contrast, maybe? Thank you so much for thinking of me and taking a picture of it - yes please, dear Prue, I would absolutely LOVE to see it!
We’re sending heaps of love your way too. A lynchpin of my Substack experience. What a traumatic post though. Thank goodness you were able to confirm that there was a positive outcome for all involved. When we feel a little more tender, I think everything feels more confrontational. Shudder. Definitely an interesting post anyway. Take care of yourself dear Rebecca. Hug my dear. 🤗🤗
Awww, so kind, Beth - thank you! All will be well!
Apologies for the trauma I've passed on through this post! I think there's a fear of lost in all of us - which actually is why it pushes all the wrong buttons for me when I read books about it! I was once given an absolutely beautiful pop-up book for Christmas - as an adult, from someone very close to me - and gosh, it's a stunning, stunning book, but it's horribly triggering! I guess it's more my own fault than the book's, of course, but still..... 🫣
Fun to be lost with you here, once again, Rebecca! When my son was about five he used to enjoy riding in back seat of our car, holding his Spider-man action figure out the window, as if flying. As his sensible parent, I warned him: “Hold on tight. You could lose him out the window!” I imagine that was the fate of the dino kids book as well. And so it happened that I heard a yelp from the back seat one day, and Spidey was no more. Chalk one up for fatherly omniscience. But I made a mental note of where Spidey slung his last web, and drove to the spot later that day. There he was by the side of the road, waiting for me to rescue him. Jake was thrilled and chastened when I presented the lost toy to him. We still have Spidey in a box in our garage, maybe waiting for a grandchild to make him fly again.
Oh dear! Reading this reminded me of when my daughter refused to let me tie a helium balloon to her wrist after a birthday party. Of course, she released the string., we comforted her as best we could, actually surprised that it wasn’t too hard, and headed home in the car. Sadly, upon getting out of the car she looked up and demanded “Where is my balloon?” Apparently she thought it was flying along above us, and she was inconsolable at discovering that it was really gone for good.
Kerry! I'm so sorry to hear this - gosh, this never happened to me but I can just imagine it!
I have a different kind of lost balloon story which still upsets me, actually. I came back from a party once with a green balloon which had a panda printed on it - it was a rubber balloon, but a bit different because it was thinner in the middle and fatter at both ends, a bit like a peanut in its shell, if that makes sense. I absolutely loved it, and was so disappointed when it began to get smaller. I must have been playing with it in the garden and not brought it back inside the day before dustbin day.... Back then, before wheelie bins were invented, the bin men would come round to the back of the house and empty our metal dustbin into the bigger plastic bins that they carried on their backs. One of the bin men spilled some of the rubbish, and when he picked it up from the ground he obviously thought my balloon had fallen out of the bin as well, so he picked THAT up too to take away.
I was very little, and the back door was locked - and I couldn't attract his attention through the glass. I was soooooo upset!
Helium balloons are the scourge of childhood. Has even one ever NOT escaped into the heavens, leaving a four-year old bereft? And parents trying to console?
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Peter! I was on the verge of passing out when I'd got five lines into your story.... but thankfully read on to discover the happy ending. Hurrah for finding Spidey, and even bigger hurrahs to you for being such a wonderful human being. Absolutely brilliant! 🕸️
Lovely, as usual, Rebecca. Your words are always a fresh, restoring rain to me! Everything you write makes me pine to be your neighbor. If you are dismayed by the themes of these two little contemporary books, whatever you do, do not ever read stories by the Brothers Grimm in their original form. They were all absolutely terrifying stories serving as cautionary tales for wee ones. When Walt Disney re-imagined them they were much less scary.
Awwww, thanks, Sharron! I'd really enjoy being your neighbour - we'd get into some giggles, you and I! And oh gosh, not only have I read Grimm in their original form, but also in their original language! When the mother of my au pair host family gave me to 'Aschenputtel' (Cinderella) to read I swear I had nightmares for a week afterwards! 🤣
Dear Rebecca, I am so delighted to read this delightful post, pure Rebecca, through and through, and I smiled throughout. Regardless if you ever post or read posts on Substack again, I'm pretty sure the community here that loves you, will continue to do so. Your "Rebecca touch" is remarkable and unmistakable and I consider myself blessed to have made your acquaintance on this platform and beyond. Take good care! Cheering for you from across the pond. ❤️
I'm cheering right back, Mary - thank you so much! I'm still here, just in small helpings, that's all! What a really lovely comment to read this afternoon - I appreciate it! And you! xxx
Awww, thank you, Julie! I was so, so happy to join the Write Along yesterday - it was exactly what I needed! Hoping to turn up more regularly - it's such a lovely opportunity, and I'm so grateful for giving us space and time to write in quiet company with Run to Write! xxx
Oooooh, the wrong school bus - that sounds absolutely terrifying! I'm hoping that you were rescued in a timely fashion - what a horrid experience. Hugs!
You're so right about that second book. Here in the good ole USA, we were cautioned strongly about not talking to strangers, not approaching strangers for help unless they had a badge like a cop, store clerk, etc., and certainly never to get into a car driven by a stranger. Horrors! And especially now, with human trafficking being so common, I have nightmares about my grandchildren being stolen by "the men in the white van." Like you, I need to ration my time staring at a screen, but then I would miss wonderful stories like yours. I miss you and your comments, but I can fully understand why you are taking care of yourself these days. Carry on, my friend. Hugs! 💖
'Stranger danger' is very, very real - and plenty of news stories don't have happy endings. We all need to have our wits about us, particularly the young and vulnerable.
Thank you for your kind words, Sue - I'm still here, and hoping to get into a regular habit of reading BEFORE I start my have-tos - which are the things which always make me run out of steam. I'll get there! Thank you so much for sticking around. xxx
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!! I love the wit and wisdom here, Rebecca, and I'm glad you have tea to help get you through the harder times.
So many of our childhood stories revolve around the real and present dangers many children feel: getting lost, being orphaned, having terrible parents or stepparents. I think of all the poor Disney characters with utter failures for guardians: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel. Also stories old and new: Hansel, Gretel, and Harry, as you mention, and so many (all?) of the Brothers Grimm tales. You may recall a series of posts I wrote last year (I think) about the Struwwelpeter stories. What a collection that one is! How fortunate for those of us who think of home as a place of comfort and safety.
It's extraordinary, isn't it, that there are just so many nightmares in the dreamland of fairy tales? The Brothers Grimm have a lot to answer for - but so many folk stories see their main characters come to a sticky end... they're horrible!
I 'met' Struwwelpeter in Germany - I recall not just the words but the most terrifying illustrations leaving very little for my imagination to have to fill in! Your post was great - I remember it!
Super enjoyed reading this Rebecca! ‘‘Twas a read that lightened my heavy day. 🥰 It’s nice to be lost in children’s storybooks no? Come to think of it, I haven’t done that in awhile.
Hahaha - oh, those adventurous times when none of the children's books had prompts for parental guidance! :D
I know, right? 🤣
Love the way you’ve written this post and so relieved that cockerels, pigs, bears AND dinosaurs lived happily ever after.
I’m with you on the safe home idea. Especially in this current world…
AND guess what?! We found a shopping list in the dark tonight. We took a picture of it and if you feel you would like to forensically write about it at any time, I can forward the image to you via email. It’s short but incredibly varied!
Thank you so much, Prue! On reflection I rather think that those dinosaurs have all been deeply traumatised, and I still fear for the safety of anyone within spilling distance of that badly-poured teapot! 🤣
SHOPPING LIST? You've found a shopping list? YES PLEASE!!! I'll have to admit to having one waiting in the wings to be written about, but I think it might be waiting for its perfect companion for a compare-and-contrast, maybe? Thank you so much for thinking of me and taking a picture of it - yes please, dear Prue, I would absolutely LOVE to see it!
We’re sending heaps of love your way too. A lynchpin of my Substack experience. What a traumatic post though. Thank goodness you were able to confirm that there was a positive outcome for all involved. When we feel a little more tender, I think everything feels more confrontational. Shudder. Definitely an interesting post anyway. Take care of yourself dear Rebecca. Hug my dear. 🤗🤗
Awww, so kind, Beth - thank you! All will be well!
Apologies for the trauma I've passed on through this post! I think there's a fear of lost in all of us - which actually is why it pushes all the wrong buttons for me when I read books about it! I was once given an absolutely beautiful pop-up book for Christmas - as an adult, from someone very close to me - and gosh, it's a stunning, stunning book, but it's horribly triggering! I guess it's more my own fault than the book's, of course, but still..... 🫣
Shudder….!!!
A lovely read as ever my wonderful friend. Much love and happy Substack birthday 🎂 from me xxx
Awww, thanks, you! Love you! xxx
Fun to be lost with you here, once again, Rebecca! When my son was about five he used to enjoy riding in back seat of our car, holding his Spider-man action figure out the window, as if flying. As his sensible parent, I warned him: “Hold on tight. You could lose him out the window!” I imagine that was the fate of the dino kids book as well. And so it happened that I heard a yelp from the back seat one day, and Spidey was no more. Chalk one up for fatherly omniscience. But I made a mental note of where Spidey slung his last web, and drove to the spot later that day. There he was by the side of the road, waiting for me to rescue him. Jake was thrilled and chastened when I presented the lost toy to him. We still have Spidey in a box in our garage, maybe waiting for a grandchild to make him fly again.
Peter, what a kind thing to do. How many parents would have said, "I told you so, and it is your own fault." I believe in second chances.
I may need him to give me one,one day. Good to set an example.
You and I are of the same tribe, apparently.
100%!
(For the record, I like to hold a third chance in reserve. Y'know. Better safe than sorry.....)
Oh dear! Reading this reminded me of when my daughter refused to let me tie a helium balloon to her wrist after a birthday party. Of course, she released the string., we comforted her as best we could, actually surprised that it wasn’t too hard, and headed home in the car. Sadly, upon getting out of the car she looked up and demanded “Where is my balloon?” Apparently she thought it was flying along above us, and she was inconsolable at discovering that it was really gone for good.
Kerry! I'm so sorry to hear this - gosh, this never happened to me but I can just imagine it!
I have a different kind of lost balloon story which still upsets me, actually. I came back from a party once with a green balloon which had a panda printed on it - it was a rubber balloon, but a bit different because it was thinner in the middle and fatter at both ends, a bit like a peanut in its shell, if that makes sense. I absolutely loved it, and was so disappointed when it began to get smaller. I must have been playing with it in the garden and not brought it back inside the day before dustbin day.... Back then, before wheelie bins were invented, the bin men would come round to the back of the house and empty our metal dustbin into the bigger plastic bins that they carried on their backs. One of the bin men spilled some of the rubbish, and when he picked it up from the ground he obviously thought my balloon had fallen out of the bin as well, so he picked THAT up too to take away.
I was very little, and the back door was locked - and I couldn't attract his attention through the glass. I was soooooo upset!
Oh! Not only the pain of losing your treasure, but having to helplessly watch it happen! That is traumatic.
Helium balloons are the scourge of childhood. Has even one ever NOT escaped into the heavens, leaving a four-year old bereft? And parents trying to console?
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Peter! I was on the verge of passing out when I'd got five lines into your story.... but thankfully read on to discover the happy ending. Hurrah for finding Spidey, and even bigger hurrahs to you for being such a wonderful human being. Absolutely brilliant! 🕸️
Lovely, as usual, Rebecca. Your words are always a fresh, restoring rain to me! Everything you write makes me pine to be your neighbor. If you are dismayed by the themes of these two little contemporary books, whatever you do, do not ever read stories by the Brothers Grimm in their original form. They were all absolutely terrifying stories serving as cautionary tales for wee ones. When Walt Disney re-imagined them they were much less scary.
Awwww, thanks, Sharron! I'd really enjoy being your neighbour - we'd get into some giggles, you and I! And oh gosh, not only have I read Grimm in their original form, but also in their original language! When the mother of my au pair host family gave me to 'Aschenputtel' (Cinderella) to read I swear I had nightmares for a week afterwards! 🤣
😬
Dear Rebecca, I am so delighted to read this delightful post, pure Rebecca, through and through, and I smiled throughout. Regardless if you ever post or read posts on Substack again, I'm pretty sure the community here that loves you, will continue to do so. Your "Rebecca touch" is remarkable and unmistakable and I consider myself blessed to have made your acquaintance on this platform and beyond. Take good care! Cheering for you from across the pond. ❤️
I'm cheering right back, Mary - thank you so much! I'm still here, just in small helpings, that's all! What a really lovely comment to read this afternoon - I appreciate it! And you! xxx
😁 ❤️
Wonderful to read your post today Rebecca. Happy three years to you shipping your stories and showing up. :) Keep going my friend. (at your own pace)
Awww, thank you, Julie! I was so, so happy to join the Write Along yesterday - it was exactly what I needed! Hoping to turn up more regularly - it's such a lovely opportunity, and I'm so grateful for giving us space and time to write in quiet company with Run to Write! xxx
It was wonderful to see your smiling face Rebecca! I'm so happy you could join us. Thank you so much.
Congrats on your Substack'aversary, Rebecca!
Aww, so kind, Chris - thank you very much! 😁
𝘽𝙤𝙮, 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙗𝙪𝙨...𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣'𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨...𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 (𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙪𝙥) 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨! ✿♥︎✿
Oooooh, the wrong school bus - that sounds absolutely terrifying! I'm hoping that you were rescued in a timely fashion - what a horrid experience. Hugs!
Happy Anniversary! Your story was not “lost” on me. 😘
HA!!!!!!!!!!!! Love this, Gail! Thank you! xxx
Thank goodness the pig whipped out an old-fashioned map and not GPS coordinates on her smart phone anyway!
Glad to have you back, Rebecca, and bravo on stepping away from the screens.
YES! And it's a good job the cockerel knew where to point to! xxx
You're so right about that second book. Here in the good ole USA, we were cautioned strongly about not talking to strangers, not approaching strangers for help unless they had a badge like a cop, store clerk, etc., and certainly never to get into a car driven by a stranger. Horrors! And especially now, with human trafficking being so common, I have nightmares about my grandchildren being stolen by "the men in the white van." Like you, I need to ration my time staring at a screen, but then I would miss wonderful stories like yours. I miss you and your comments, but I can fully understand why you are taking care of yourself these days. Carry on, my friend. Hugs! 💖
'Stranger danger' is very, very real - and plenty of news stories don't have happy endings. We all need to have our wits about us, particularly the young and vulnerable.
Thank you for your kind words, Sue - I'm still here, and hoping to get into a regular habit of reading BEFORE I start my have-tos - which are the things which always make me run out of steam. I'll get there! Thank you so much for sticking around. xxx
Are you kidding me? You're one of my favorite subscribers.
❤️🥲❤️
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!! I love the wit and wisdom here, Rebecca, and I'm glad you have tea to help get you through the harder times.
So many of our childhood stories revolve around the real and present dangers many children feel: getting lost, being orphaned, having terrible parents or stepparents. I think of all the poor Disney characters with utter failures for guardians: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel. Also stories old and new: Hansel, Gretel, and Harry, as you mention, and so many (all?) of the Brothers Grimm tales. You may recall a series of posts I wrote last year (I think) about the Struwwelpeter stories. What a collection that one is! How fortunate for those of us who think of home as a place of comfort and safety.
Good to "see" you, Rebecca, and wishing you well.
Thanks, Elizabeth!
It's extraordinary, isn't it, that there are just so many nightmares in the dreamland of fairy tales? The Brothers Grimm have a lot to answer for - but so many folk stories see their main characters come to a sticky end... they're horrible!
I 'met' Struwwelpeter in Germany - I recall not just the words but the most terrifying illustrations leaving very little for my imagination to have to fill in! Your post was great - I remember it!
👹
Super enjoyed reading this Rebecca! ‘‘Twas a read that lightened my heavy day. 🥰 It’s nice to be lost in children’s storybooks no? Come to think of it, I haven’t done that in awhile.
Story books are so special, aren’t they? I wish I’d kept a lot of mine from when I was younger - I’d love to reread a load of them! x