There’s just a voice.
Not loud, not demanding, but quietly enthusiastic.
You don’t have to listen. You can choose to roll over in your sleeping bag, close your eyes and dream your own dreams, but if you do that a chorus of shushing and tutting will accompany the rustle as you try to change position in your narrow bunk. It rarely happens though. The voice is enthralling. It has the power to bring hilarity, fear, disgust, joy, all in the space of a single chapter, or if you’re lucky, two or three if you’ve got to good bit and your narrator is equally gripped.
And every night there is disappointment. A tumult of ‘Oh Mu-um’, ’Just one more chapter Dad’ and ‘You can’t stop there!’
This was night time, in a caravan in South Wales, or Cornwall, or The Lake District. It was four children zipped into sleeping bags that were freezing when you got in and boiling when you got out and so, so exciting. And it was Roald Dahl.
Roald Dahl is my idol. As both a reader and an aspiring kids writer. I grew up on his books. Not literally, I mean, we had a house and real food and stuff, but otherwise I grew up on him, and loved him and could never grow tired of his playfulness and ingenuity and sense of drama and humour.
As you’ve probably guessed I couldn’t blog last night as the wi-fi was not happening, but if I had, it would still have been this post, because yesterday we visited here…
See, there’s Mr B and the monkeys marching towards the door.
And there’s the BFG, and we walked through Willy Wonka Gates and Miss M mistook a giant peach for a bottom sighhhh. This museum is in Roald Dhal’s home town of Great Missinden and I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, me or Misses E and M….
And I sat in his chair.
Sighhhhhh. That’s joy on that face. Pure and unadulterated kid sized joy.
Now I;m just hoping some of hid magic will rub off on me.
I have so much more to twll you about the visit but it is late and tomorrow is the wedding. Both Miss E and Mr B are snoring while Miss M makes occasional snuffles. My family are here. We’re in beautiful hotel that I cannot begin to describe so photos will follow, and I plan to go to sleep with the same cheesy grin you can see in that photo.
Night night,
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February 16th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
You may be interested in reading Patricia Neal’s autobiography, it’s quite illiminating.
February 16th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Holy Crap! Someone finally fixed your blog, now comments post in less than 10 minutes!!
PS. There is no such word as illiminating.
February 16th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
What a great photo…. you DO look wonderfully happy! What a great place that sounds like!
February 16th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I know that feeling. I know it well. Hold onto those dreams and make them yours. Enjoy the trip, hurry home and share.
Sandi
February 16th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
You do look as happy as a kid in the candy store. What a beautiful smile you have on your face. It must have been a real thrill to be there. You have such great authors in Britain, consider yourself lucky.
February 17th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Oh! That’s so cool! I guess I could’ve figured there was a Roald Dahl Museum but I never really thought about it! Ooooh! Must find a way to go!
February 17th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Lucky you! It looks like you had a great time. I’ve just started blogging again and have left something for Miss M and Miss E here.
February 17th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Oh now I’m going to impress you. I grew up quite near where he lived. The parents of a girl at school were big pals with him (and she name-dropped him into conversations quite a bit, I seem to remember). So you are but 3 removes from him, via me.
I can do you David Tennant, Queen Victoria, Margaret Thatcher and Osama Bin Laden too, if you’re interested (I might be fibbing a little, but the bit about Roald Dahl is true).
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Fantastic!!
I am jealous!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I have never seen someone look so happy
Glad you had a great time, it looking amazing!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:13 am
I’m suddenly wanting to read Danny, Champion of the World again. What a lovely trip that looks to have been!
February 17th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Oooooh. I love Roald Dahl as well. I directed a show back in 1999/2000 that was a parody/tribute to the collective works of Roald Dahl. It was much fun. His writing is recognizable in an instant, and always brilliant. How lucky you were there!
February 17th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Oh how fabulous! I’ve just read Fantastic Mr. Fox and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the children and we’ve spent the last few days telling each other “My dear old fish, go boil your head”.
I SO want to go to that museum now. Next time we’re all in Blighty…
February 18th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
That is just WAY TOO COOL!!!
February 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
WT I will. I’ve heard he wasn’t the easiest bloke.
Maureen is was just very cute. I was so excited to be there and to have my kids with me. Fantastic.
Sandi, it was like being in the presence of something magical. Weird, but good.
Finely Tuned Woman that’s just how I felt. I am so proud of our literary heritage. We get a lot of stuff wrong, but we do good stuff too.
Lilacs, it’s great. Kind of small and understated, but perfect and aimed at kids. I hope you get to go one day.
Berthduucake welcme back, and I will have a look.
Iota, you have links to Roald and David. You are becoming my idol young lady.
Sybil it was just lovely. Miss E is into Roald Dahl now and I love it.
Hi Liz. Ahhh it was so great. I love his books, he’s a bit of a hero to me.
Kim, and read The Twits, and George’s Marvellous Medicine and ames and the Giant Peach. Sighhhhh. Fabulous.
Susan that’s just how I feel. I was like a ‘giddy kipper’ as they say up here.
Mothership, hee hee, go boil your head. It’s very small but perfect for the Roald Dahl fan. It’s really aimed at kids and Miss M was free. The price is great and Cafe Twit is just fabulous.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Erin, it was my lovely. I’m so glad we checked what was in the area before we went.