The away little

The likelihood of there being any kind of journal with a promotional link to this weeks entry is very slight as I should be away until the end of the week and time will be a bit short especially given the legendary Grump will be up and out before I'm gone, double checking he does in fact get going.

As I'm typing this the only thing I know for sure is underwear, tops and sleeping attire which given it should be warmish need not have arctic thickness and be a bit more girlish to boot although anything like that is really on MY terms rather than some sub-culture pushing their own on anyone else as we all are ourselves as girls and that is reflected in our own styles.

Things with me do take into account practicality as in actually getting dressed by yourself and what is more appropriate to the activity, shorts for hiking, something light, modest and feminine for sports, a nice skirt or dress cool and attractive for day to day activities for instance.

 If I appear to switch off and go into pause mode, don't be alarmed I can just go like that.

By all means move me gently if I'm in danger and please ensure upon waking up suddenly I know where I am and more critically where the rest of you are.

If you think I need sleep, don't be afraid to help ensure I take it as I sometimes I don't realize it until it's a bit late as that's what happens when you have cheese hole size  gaps in your brain functioning at times.

I am quite little even as I do try to help everyone out getting things to happen.

Normality or what passes for it resumes Monday.

Girlmania?

While the groan up world talks about landslides, Tsunami's and the like I just prefer to switch off and relax and for me that does mean looking at the cutest most purrfect sites going thinking about different looks and if any really could be me.

I mean prints like these are just lovely, light but not so festooned with a metric tonne of lacy frills but still extremely pretty and probably wood go with nice long, maybe over the knee socks and perhaps a pair of silk gloves.

You seriously can't picture a world I'd want to be in without Hello Kitty and her friends and this is lovely, not too fussy bag. 

That is very true.

I find there is something fundamental about sleeping with your plushies when you're not spending other time carrying them around with you in one paw.

What about you?

An update

 

Sometimes the influence some post you may of made over a decade or so and pretty much left alone for all these years comes back, often being cited.

My best friend at the time, Dani, an African-American, always cautioned me on the perils of been seen as a Guru from the days we spent time on Experience Project, being lauded, lionized and often misunderstood which both of us were imperfect girls just trying to find our way in this world both on and offline.

One thing tends to be you talk and write of the world you have encountered wherever and however that was but that may not of been the whole and as far as individual identities go - and they're front and centre in today's world - some of what you saw may of been wide of the mark as it applied to individual people.

We did talk way way back then around the differences between Little Girls, specifically those who came male background and Sissies at that gets to nub it.

Definitions is a notoriously difficult and some might say almost impossible game to play with as many exemptions to common traits and certainly the online image of sissies is one which is very much adult, sexual and with what is often called "humiliation play".

That as I think most us us accept tends to run away from where Little Girl tends to be, a world of girlish innocence and play, very much the child.

However, there can be some who see themselves as being more both Little and Sissy, less girl and more gurl but sharing much of the same interests, dress still rooted in being a child.

They may see themselves at some point being neither boys nor at least psychologically speaking girls but "something else" but in practical terms does it matter where we share spaces?

Can we all join in a dollies tea party?

Yes - and sadly some saw my previous words as saying that little sissies couldn't exist so they could never - and were unwelcome.

If that was anyone's feeling as the author of that post, I do apologize as that certainly was not my intention as Tammy knows.

Leave the little sissies alone to skip and play with anyone else who does love being little.

 

 

Refreshing the look

Even if it's not much above six degrees as I type this on Saturday morning between the chores thoughts usually come around spring/summer wear.

With more than a nod to last weeks entry, I decided to return to pink with a short sleeve polo shirt which is a bit warmer than  a regular t shirt and does come in jersey which helps.

That can easily mix and matched to what I have to spruce things up easily as some pinks are the very devil to get to work with others.

Thinking a bit about cold, this matching fleecy top also fits the bill although my arms being thin float a little in the cuffed sleeves.

Now to get on to brewing a pot of tea....

Getting back out of Big Headspace

Trying to find your way back to your little self after both the pause shortly after the start of the year and being surrounded by the cards plus phone calls regarding arrangements is hard going as much as I feel like just curling up half moon shape on the floor for some more tactile play or other suitable little interaction.

Paper dolls was one things I did like at the time, creating new looks and adventures armed with scissors.

Switch off, work with your imagination and just make something that may feature in play - that's always better with at least another person - in a different world.

 

Literally go back in time and dress more younger, perhaps in ways you have not in ages and let that side right out while colouring in princesses or perhaps watching something aimed at younger children, losing yourself in it.

To me that makes more sense apart from making the most of this years reduced opportunities to "play" with others.

Paws crossed for a few months time.

New Year entry

The year was different to what was anticipated because just a few weeks in, I became seriously ill for several weeks missing much both at home and Winter Camp which had the unfortunate consequence of not being able to register an interest in the usual fashion for either this year so much of what normally happen this year is off.

That spell of misfortune is seeing the year out with "fake" Covid - most of symptoms but but no positive plus very bad flu being more on drinks and bed rest  outside of typing this up as it don't do itself.

On the upside, I did redo much of my littles outfits to match more where in my head I am, however others may see it, were more of an emphasize on quality sometimes more tradition, other stuff more what modern school girls wear such as in sports wear.

I'm less interested in exact replication of a period so much as just being the little side of me taking the benefits of the modern era, more in tune with the spirit of modern co-ed prep schools with the mix of ancient and modernity.

Not everything of the past was great although much is worth keeping if not defending.

Women's soccer came of age, the Lionesses won the cup, inspiring a generation of girls who we all knew wanted to play but never got the breaks thanks to gender bias and overt discrimination not just by adults but boys too in the past.

I don't feel inclined to play by the rules of the past anymore than today's girls and that runs beyond groan up talk to littles life. 

What's wrong with inclusivity for all, girls and boys of all shades and tastes?

I did get a whole bunch of cds and records as recording performers became more possible after covid restrictions were gone and performances could take place in studios and concert halls and literally shrunk a bunch of cds with some space saving storage wallets from a company in Telford, Shropshire.

Hopefully a few meet ups of a different sort will be achievable across the year so long as the industrial unrest resolves itself as train travel is very difficult currently, that would go some way towards keeping face to face contact until the bigger meets become an option again.

Here's hoping twenty twenty-three may be better than it looks presently.

A Ghoulish time

Did someone mention spooky parties last week?

Well, against the odds I actual to one this weekend held by a friend.

 

 Everywhere was spooky, corners, outhouses, the lot with bats, spiders, ghosts and lanterns as I talked with people and enjoyed a home made burger with onions that was scrumptious.

 

This one looks like it escaped from Harriet's farm!

On the other hand one really has to ask Grub's owner just what it was doing stuck in the spider's web about to become dinner.

We had a treasure hunt, looking for Halloween Bags very well hidden around the grounds although the one indoors seemed to fox all of us.

 

Most of us made lanterns from Pumpkins, mine was bought for me as it would of been too much to had carried with me on the train.

They came out really well.

By that point we were in need of food which was a buffet from various bits and bobs brought be people attending.

There was a quiz with general knowledge section and  music section relating to significant anniversaries of our late Queen, Elizabeth II. I scored nineteen which was pretty good going not being too familiar with much British tv from before the 70's.

In any event it was a good laugh. 

 

Seeing it was close to Guy Fawkes Night, we had a bonfire blazing from wood and cardboard and many rockets, catherine wheels with pretty colours which went well although one seemed to an idea of direction very much of its own like a  straight line!

Those of us who stayed overnight, losing an hour to the clock change went out for a meal at midday on Sunday which was very tasty having had a Turkey roast and Sticky Toffee Pudding with cream.

After which I caught having spotted the 16:29 train home after a kind lift from Andi.

That was it, a lovely time with friends with ghoulsh groovy theme.

Damp thoughts tail end of the week

Greetings from Kitty Towers.

It's a bit of a damp weekend so I wasn't out Saturday although The Grump was which was a relief about the earache following getting a letter to say gas was going up three times and I really don't need constant background noise as much as obviously it is a concern especially for those less well off compared with ourselves.

It's hardly surprising then  that you're back to reading books of the sort that not only written for an audience that I share the same reading age with but the same sorts of topics that such stories centre upon.

It may sound odd but I feel so much more at home sat on a floor reading or playing with groan ups around than the whole older child in chair discussing more grown up topics with them, not least with the craziness of the last week in adultland admittance £80 per annum, under 18's not allowed.

There's always music to be played here, just don't ask how many records or compact discs they're are, a good many hundred is the short answer but that was what I was doing as a kid back home anyway.

Just enjoying and being wept along in way that was more comforting from some of the realities of that time, whither it was closer to home or the wider world.

That's a favourite recording from the mid 1980's of mine in its original Japanese cd pressing form.

Then on Sunday there was more Castle Hangnail! by Ursula Vernon in storytime which saves reading it off the page aprt from being more like the storytimes we had at school then.

Ciao!

The modern world and the little

There are lots of different ways in which the way we express our little selves of which one of the more obvious is how outside of our adult lives we elect to present ourselves through what we wear.

Whatever it may be, it is always to drawn a line under what may be classed as being seen as an adult (although of course that doesn't alter The Law) and to resemble outwardly our little selves.

To varying degrees what it is inwardly our sense of littleness which for a few such myself is always there and so is involuntary and permanent would show just on its own whatever we we be wearing but we feel more at one with it more when we resemble our little selves physically.

For some this may include things like wearing say onesies that are themed more around younger children's likes, it may include "little girl dresses" or varying forms of play or leisure wear and for a few it may go into more school or what within my family we'd call our "Best outfits" that you might wear to the theatre or at church.

The World of the Child has changed from perhaps when a good number of us were born and so assumptions you may of had just are not matched in that of actual children today.

The range of clothing is a lot wider than it used to be, many of us played in too worn for use regular school clothing that had been replaced and many conventions around what can be worn by boys or girls have changed.

It is common place for girls to wear various forms of trousers today as do women often and in various parts of the world some boys are wearing skirts.

Attire does NOT make your sex: it only aligns with gender based assumptions.

As adults we have seen more recognition that a person deemed upon physical inspection at birth to be male or female can and do feel very much that they are of the opposite of frequently from an early age.

It is more recognized beyond even that some people do not feel entirely male or female or fluctuate between them and that a boy may present more feminine and a girl may be more masculine ways by local cultural standards.

Even in my relatively small suburb, we have children in school who are not in the traditional pigeon holes by way of gender and girls who don't wear skirts and boys who do wear dresses.

Yet it seems to me this World of the Little is stuck very much in a time warp even though if you were to think about it, it is quite possible in the modern world, any of those children could of been you.

Skirts for girls; trousers for boys has moved on in the real world and for some of us it has and I might add WILL remain a mix and match world reflecting how we are, how we see us and rather less defined by gender.

No one should feel uncomfortable or have to apologize for being themselves and that applies as much in the littles world as that of your adult big one.

We all can be inclusive.

Around the Sun edition 2020 style

The second busy week which means as soon as all that stuff is over with I am making of point of being little and switching straight to littlespace as past experience has shown if I don't things soon get pretty bad.

 It's been going round the sun time not that I ever change being an eternal little girl albeit one with interests that do link to some sophisticated interests in places

I had some discs by the Country singer Charley Pride  last year and these are a few more 'regular' cds that recently came out I had a few days ago taking in hits, a Xmas album and a few rugulars

 Country music was something I was brought up on and they'll live with the not cool at the time to say you like section of my cd collection.

Classical music has long been a staple of mine from Junior years onward really and recently John  Wilson, the conductor brought back to life the London Sinfonia and these two discs are the first fruits of that enterprise.

 Released late January this year these two recordings have already been critically acclaimed.

 They were birthday presents.

 You can't beat socks for birthday's as they're so practical having pretty bows on them and I had a book token too apart from some money.

I went for lunch with my folks to a local gastropub having fish and chips followed by apple pie and cream which was in the process of being refurbished which was scrumptious.

While birthday this year was a little different, I did actually enjoy having time after all of that in evenings to play with my presents and enjoy being little.

Ghoulish weekend for Littles

Last weekend I was away for a few days with friends for our annual Halloween get together which for a couple of us had a complication as a power line failure near London had put trains and drivers in the wrong spot.
For me things started the day earlier when I set out by bus and train to meet with Auntie Andi as we were stopping over with a n other where we had chops, kidney and vegetables for tea followed by a spooky decorated Donut.

There were plenty of decorations around the house and garden, spotting them  did prove to be quite useful for Saturday as after listening to some music and chatting, I slept by the fire.
Saturday morning was a bit busy as Miss Green and Samantha R went out for walk and  to pick up the order for pies and other things from the excellent local butcher but got drenched as it was raining hard. Anyway I didn't feel like changing out my pleated green skirt for something more waterproof.

I opted to stay indoors as we tried to work out when (and If) there was going to be a lull for the treasure hunt as well as the bonfire.
Gradually people started to arrive so the four soon grew catching up with events since the last time we'd meet and it was time for Miss Green and Andi to cook the beef burgers and onions as we were starting to feel a bit hungry.
We had three new people who soon fitted in well.
The treasure hunt based on the 1971 movie of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was able to done outside as we roamed the garden hunting for clues of which I did manage to find one before it was craft time.

To save on carriage I arranged to have a pumpkin bought for me and so we went outside to carve the pumpkins with knives and spoons to remove the gunk from the middle ready to add the tea light later on.
That's mine  with the rotten teeth!

We returned indoors for the decorating the ginger bread persons with icing and a children's tv theme centred music quiz which was enjoyed.
If the details or hazy on that it's cos I was out of spoons at the time and also needed to rest me paws as they were swollen from carving.

Slotted between the savories and the desert portions of the buffet tea provided by various persons Miss Green and auntie Andi lit the bonfire.

This was followed by the fireworks and at least this time the rocket sticks stayed where they should as we ooh and Ar'd to the colourful explosions and we waved sparklers around.

After the deserts, we listened to some music including children's tv themes from the past until it was time for bed.

Sunday morning I woke up at half-seven which late for me but earlier than most so after getting changed and having a wash so discretely I stepped around one person who remains unaware I passed them I rounded up stray glasses and washed them up.

Andi and Miss Green cooked Bacon  butties (Bacon between two slices of bread) which helped keep me ticking over until after a few people left the remainder of us went out for a meal at a local public house by a canal of which most of us walked by the canal too.
I was on catisfactory turkey roast and still orange with ice which was delicious and everyone agreed the food was marvellous.

Slowly the group left and Daisy, Suzy and I were taken to the nearby rail station by Andi to make our ways back so as I was a bit early I went via Stone for a change getting in time for a meal at home.

Thanks to everyone who came, bought food, helped out  and contributed to a great weekend.

Littles Camp Report Summer 2018

This last week was the second littles camp of the year I attended and was likely to be a landmark one too for a number of reasons, some sad, some quite pleasant that were apparent from the very outset.
The first being this was the first such meeting since the death of close littles friend whose last contact was during February's being unable to attend herself and emotionally loaded because it was the place we spent so much time together at my first meet way back in February 2014.
The other without breaching confidences is the venue has been up for sale and a result was we needed to find another for early next year so unless it was to be bought for vacation lettings, it would be our last time at this idyllic building in the countryside.
So it was with an somewhat emotional heart, I commenced on my way to meet a longstanding friend to stop over before they drove down to East Anglia on a warm day waiting for a twenty minute delayed bus to the rail station to catch the London Northwestern train where I'd be picked up from.
Given the weekly weather forecast was for temperatures over 25 degrees c and next to no rain, this dictated what I took with me so it wasn't long before I changed into lightweight black school pinafore dress before colouring a little before we settled for a Pork Chop, mashed potatoes, runner beans with onion sauce and gravy and cakes.
We later watched the Tour de France - they cycle, I'm interested in cycling but lack balance never mind  muscles for it personally - following the competitors and admiring the countryside.
As ever I was up early, making sure I had everything ready and available for loading into the car because apart from our personal effects, we also had games equipment and food for everyone on board too that had to be carefully slotted into it.
We left around of Ten in the morning of Saturday going around Amblecote and across toward Hagley to avoid delays around Birmingham and Coventry going along Northampton and back up via St Neots toward the venue location.
On arrival at Ten to Two, we met Daisy, Suzy, Andi, Becky and Karla and Caroline the latter just stopping for a shorter period than the remainder of us before having warm pie while we settled in awaiting the others to arrive.
As usual, the majority elected to have an Indian takeaway so they ordered and fetched that while those of us who didn't including myself and Jennifer had a warmed up pie with mash and cakes we prepared and cooked ourselves.
We also went out toward the lake for a stroll where we remarked the water levels, a concern in period of high temperatures and lack of rainfall, were surprisingly high there.
The reminder of the evening was very much a free to socialize and relax so I started reading a book and the London Underground jigsaw with 1,000 pieces came out as various folk gathered around desperately trying to find the pieces that went together in sea of white.
The Sunday was the first day proper of camp and it was obvious with the heat the schedule I had prepared was going to have to be adjusted to take account of the impact of the heat.
One sign of this was I wore my blue check gingham dress as it was lighter and more cooler than just about anything else short of only having say a swimsuit on.
The first event event after the breakfasts all of which I set out doing battle with summer flies was the "Make it yoorself" event where we used cardboard boxes, paint and make-a-do connectors to make a long dragon with a tail and working teeth which was ably lead by Sammy.
After lunch Alice appropriately enough lead the Alice in Wonderland treasure hunt with clues all outside for people to find and objects related to the story around trees and bushes  to spot including a spot of croquet and charades. This lead to discovering who really stole the Queen of Hearts, tarts.
This beautifully lead into a Alice in Wonderland tea party with themed cups and 'Alice Cakes' - home made tarts that were enjoyed by all in the blazing sun.
We were joined by Amy and Netter on this day who contributed with events.
Miss Green came up with an enjoyable steak pie based tea with Apple and Sultana pie, the stake pies being carefully matched to peoples tastes having got preferences in.
Monday saw a switch on the schedule (it's with a K sound if your like me) as Miss Green miraculously was able to both organize the event and take part in one of the two coloured teams, naturally Green and Yellow all at once that included Archery, Target, Egg and Spoon (no hens were injured in that!) and the sack race where Sammy and I  decided to stand out that one as both of us for differing reasons wouldn't be able to do so for our differing teams. A sensible way through that situation.

I was in my lightweight airy t shirt and  green pleated games skirt as that was pretty cool to wear dashing about.
There was some ahem confusion with the Sponge The Staff event where when the yellow team were ask to start everyone regardless of team  just fired on the target as one! I'm sure that wasn't supposed to happen.
The Greens (Miss Green, Jillian, Daisy and myself) won by 36 to 33 against Yellow (Sammy, Becky,Alice and Debbie).
The afternoon was taken up by Sammy's Class that this time was about the Solar System where we learned some interesting facts about our near neighbours and everyone cut and drawed some image connected with it. The result was more like a collage.
I made a image of a boy shaped rocket landing on mars with a sign pointing to Sirius  next to the Mars Life Centre with a trash can with a Rat shaped satellite nearby.
An aside to the event, space junk does concern me actually.
We had a mainly Fish and Chips tea, I say mainly cos I spotted a few fried sausage and a chicken in the order that had been phoned in and collected while it was being served.
In the evening, Becky held a Quiz based upon Disney and UK Facts and figures which was win by the Three Musketeers (Alice, Jillian and Myself).
Tuesday was a bit different because Victoria for personal reasons wasn't able to be with us all the time, joined us for the day, which was the last full day of littles camp.
In the morning, a water pistol challenge was held naturally out doors to avoid damaging anything like the ceiling where Victoria, Miss Green, Alice, Debbie and I chased around firing at each other and sometimes as one against the other as we got soaked having fun which yes is kinda like kids but that's the point: we were just letting that side out as is.
In the afternoon, the resplendent in black with ears nekimimi was purring her way through the All Purrpuss Nekomimi Music Quiz that she'd prepared earlier between things like talking to her BFF.
The quiz was divided into two sections, a short classical one and a section of 60's to 90's popular music with three teams competing with the Cycle Paths and another scoring 16 points each and thus winning two magnificent colouring books (they were really good actually) and the last team scoring 12 from a maximum of 25.
I believe it was much enjoyed for the broad selection of questions to appeal to all present.
Given the extreme heat we decided to have an early meal later but in form of a very tasty b-bq by Andi with kebabs and chicken part cooked in the oven first to make sure it was properly cooked which really is a must with just the burgers and sausages done exclusively on the griddle.
 This was served with salad with fried onions, bread rolls and so on as needed  turning out quite a memorable meal for all the right reasons.
Somehow a camp fire or a bb-q type event evokes the right kind of 'feel' to being together especially on the penultimate day, something I remember from school organized holidays we went on.
Wednesday was leaving apart from finishing apart from two pieces that seemed to be missing another jigsaw time was taken up more with taking down and apart things we'd made, tidying up and getting our things ready to leave.
A few of us went for a half hour walk to look at the nearby lake and countryside so sorry for missing you leaving, Jillian.
I'd pre-packed some of my case across the days to make things a bit easier for my friend reloading the car with a good portion of what we took with us in order.
Setting out a bit earlier than originally planned at eleven because I was (and had been for a few days) rather unwell with the start of a migraine coming on rapidly that morning  we arrived back for around half three or near enough I was struggling to focus so recollection for much of that is a bit hazy.
The main catering  for lunchtimes  took the form of a salad spread with meats, egg and so on done extremely well by Suzy and Daisy.
I think the general consensus was that people had gotten the sense of being 'little' for several days interacting together, being in "little space" able to come out from the child within, expressing it through what we did even if we did need to 'big up' to take care of some aspects or run an activity.
The only negative which certainly is no reflection on anyone was the problem of tics and horseflies  as a number of us were bitten which did include me making coping with being unwell less comfortable, running up a temperature as my body was fighting the bites.
Events went smoothly, our self catering arrangements worked out fine as having a professional caterer on certainly would add to the catering cost per person and within the group we have the skills set to cater well.
What had been a great venue for several years will be warmly remembered as we look forward to new one here in The Midlands so with that I'd like to thank everyone who ran an event, helped with catering, picked up or washed things up or otherwise added something to what was a lovely time. Personally I'd like thank Miss Green for her hospitality  not least her own catering and other things tm that made the time memorable.

Cutesy warmers

Wowies three comments on last weeks blog entry. Thank yous.

 This blog has always been electric-correction-eclectic in its scope dealing with things that broadly fit into my middle/littles life and vantage point as much as it might be easier to fill each entry with plushies and the like.
It's just me in the end contemplating an Exposure Value reading while clutching Theo with a bowl of ice cream at hand.
Anyway my liking plushies and cute things has always been mentioned here, at Angels and other sites before arriving on Tumblr as it goes back quite some time and even Mommy knows that.
She's responsible for that Pusheen sweatshirt being bought very spontaneously very recently for me from a shop in Chester,Ches. 
On a cold day like today I'm sure it'll come in very handy.

Littles Camp Report Winter 2018

After last weeks bit of a break, I am writing an account of how that six days and a bit spent at "Littles Camp" went although there  are some group rules about what information I can share so do bare with me.
Littles Camp is in some ways a bit like a spring or summers camp for actual children except it is for those 18+ who are in differing ways more 'like a child' and so the first thing to say is it isn't in any way connected to anything kink or sexual.
It's really a place where many of us can let out amongst others our child-like selves and while to make the thing happen we hire a place and look after our own catering needs, outside of that we're in a child-like place, what I call 'Little Space' so we do activities and act from "the child within".
The place we go to is in excess of one hundred fifty miles and that is after taking a lift with a  friend a few tens of miles away so in order to do that, I needed to catch two buses to our local rail station which is the biggest in the North-west Midlands and catch the train to South Staffordshire before meeting them then taking a bus to their place the day before.
One thing I do wish to comment upon is what you might wear because we all see and hear different things but the first thing to say is you don't have to dress any different because it's less about dress and more about that child within but different folk do things do things different some more infant others, more dressy and there some of us who wear things more like school or school age uniform depending how our little/middle side comes out.
In so far as it went with me, the first thing after taking my coat off at my friends was to get into my black pinafore dress before having a cup of tea and getting one of my dollies out before getting on to helping to make our evening meal which was Lamb Chop, Mashed Potato and boiled Broccoli.
I peeled and chopped the potatoes ready for boiling before butter was added for the mash and setting the table while they looked after the mashing and  cooking the lamb chops.
On the Saturday morning I helped with packing the car with not just our personal stuff but those things we had bought for for other people such as games and bread.
Seeing their were a number of local traffic issues, we decided to go via Halfpenny Green, the M5 and M40 motorways before criss-crossing  through Cambridge to East Anglia where our large venue was.
It took us about three hours thirty so we arrived around a quarter to three in the afternoon which happened to just in time for Sally and Karen who'd arrived a little earlier to offer to do what Britons call a "Bacon Butty" - literally cooked back bacon between bread which as we'd eaten before half past nine in the morning was very much appreciated that we had with some cakes.
Shortly after that I set up my room, fixed a drink and rested until about a quarter to six as I soon get tired so normally take an afternoon nap until my friend called me because it was getting toward time to fix some food.
Most people having arrived by now also were fixing food but that involved ordering Indian food and collecting it but we decided to fix our own so I had get utensils out and peel potatoes for some mash with our steak pies, the best in the Midlands which was soon enough done.

One group activity we did was doing jigsaws three of them  although I think we met our  match with one based on Chocolates that we really struggled with  and the London Underground (Brit speak for Subway) where we did get around 75% of it done but struggled with the masses of pure white bits that we couldn't slot in even though we knew they just had to.
On the Sunday a small Tatty Teddie was found outside my door and after a while it emerged so had everyone else as Kelly had left them which I though was a lovely idea.

Something I and I think a couple of others did was colouring so it was as well I bought my pencils and one book although there were  other things to colour in to which I did as I find both relaxing and also helpful with my hand-eye co-ordination.

On a few days a group of us including myself decided to walk varying distances around the neighbouring countryside, being alert to the local wildlife, vegetation and the solitude enjoying being in the fresh air, feeling care free.
On Monday, Victoria who was a member of the group but isn't able to come much, spent a few hours with us having fun which was a nice unexpected treat.
As well, that day saw Jennifer put on film show  with Paddington Turns Detective, an assemblage of Donald Duck cartoons plus the Laurel and Hardy classic Help Mates that we enjoyed and her home made sound movie of a 1999 steam trip from Birmingham to Liverpool Lime Street which featured a few stations I am most familiar with. Ice Cream cones were served during the interval.
A little surprisingly that home made film was a hit with everyone!
The all purrpuss nekomimi (look that Japanese word up!) put on a Music Quiz  that was won by Daisy and Suzy with second prize going to Fudge and Jillian. It was said there was something for everyone in it but I couldn't possibly comment.
Tuesday saw Alice doing a kind of Princess Hunt where you have to find them all to win a prize which was fun as rushed up and down the building looking everywhere for the princesses (and I mean everywhere including the Laundry!!!)
When it came to the catering side we had cold meat salads thanks to Daisy and Suzy for midday, Beef Stew with granary bread  followed by Rice pudding which was consumed in two helpings by the CatGirl thanks to Karla and Caroline, a  turkey roast thanks to Sally with others and Fish and Chips that collected by Jillian an order having been placed.
I should mention Andi's unforgettable 'Poncakes'  -at least that's how I  pronounce it, made totally by hand (not one ready mix was used) served with castor sugar, lemon and treacle which is something else that I had two off. All of which were truly scrumptious.
On the Wednesday we left after packing everything we'd taken with us and shared but because we needed to leave before mid morning several of us had done some packing before and generally tidied things up ready for the venues staff to come in and clean.
For me though this wasn't the end of this adventure after encountering  showers with temperatures around 2 degrees C  as we made our way toward Northamptonshire whereas it was really pretty sunny where we'd set off from we arrived back at my friends house.
After helping unload the car in two stages as it was a bit wet, the coal fire was lit and we had a cup of tea with cakes spending our time talking about the everything we'd all done and catching up on some tv such as Call The Midwife and The 2018 series of Great American Railroad Journeys travel documentary.
We had back bacon, mushroom, black pudding, sausage, fried eggs and bread for evening meal all bought locally from independent stores which was very yummy.
On Thursday I departed catching a train earlier than planned but itself delayed due to some incident at Birmingham that lead to one railway platform being taken out of use just as I had climbed part way up the stairs for it!
That wasn't the only odd thing as the internal information system with its electronic display and spoken announcements were so out of sync that it announced we were approaching Smethwick Galton Bridge where in reality we were going the opposite direction actually passing Mossfields, Stafford!!!
Thankfully getting the cab home at the other end was a lot more straightforward  and my driver was pretty talkative.
I'd like to thank everybody who was there contributing *something* to our littles camp not least those who "Bigged Up" to fix food and so on and also Jennifer for looking after me throughout the whole period.

Christmas paws edition

*** HAPPY CHRISTMAS FOLKS *** 

At this time of year it's usual for me to take a break from blogging, commenting on various websites not least Tumblr simply because there's that much at the face to face so-called real life level to be getting on with so that has really  to take priority in the build up to Christmas Day and  shortly afterward.
This year will be no different so I thought I'd let you know I'll be off for a period.
(((Hugs)))

Getting set to go

I don't know if we'll see this outside of the entrance to GHS on Friday but there is always something approaching the feel of camaraderie whenever we are together having fun together and yes if you hadn't worked it out I do look rather more like the girl of far left even if I'd happily lose a couple of inches in height.
You see unless you have actually spent time as a little or middle then as much as I'm of fan of online groups and clubs you are missing that face to face interaction with other age regressors being in effect children together playing with the spontaneity that brings, recreating that time and space when that was all that mattered.
Everybody's 'day' is bound to be different, we played with differing things, watch different things on tv and with the exception of "Smartphone culture", the thing is they have more in common with each other than you might think. That means however 'old' in terms of birth certificate age  you might be you're all around the same level which makes sense as childhood and from that childhood revisited is a space a person from a level of social, emotional, physical and intellectual development resides and that is how it is with me.
Being in with others is what I love the most and where I'll be this weekend.

The Best Bat in the School

Between watching the anime I talked about last week I have been reading a book in the St Brides/Maudsley series by Dorita Fairlie Bruce I started earlier on but with a twist.

This isn't a regular 'series' book so much as a compilation of a series of short stories originally published for various Girls Own publications such as yearly annuals she wrote and one which is more of a long short novel which is the main feature  and all involve the characters of we met in the St Brides boarding school  and Maudsley day school although there is sufficient information to make sense of the story if you hadn't.
The main feature, The Best Bat in the School, is set at Maudsley with Nancy, Phyllis, Lois, Charity and the gang and how measures the school adopted to deal with a severe outbreak of Scarlet Fever in the district-placing restrictions on the school girls movements lead  to resent and a girl disobeying them.
The focus of the story is on the cricket match between Maudsley and Larkiston which I'll be honest and say is not a game I have a clue about and the role Lois and Charity have as the girls in charge of making the teams selection.
The issue is Lois saw a girl who go to the theatre breaching the restrictions and feels by putting their own enjoyment over others respect for school rules should be dropped.
What unfolds is the lesson set out by the authoress  around  how a misunderstanding (which girl and why) leads to a condemnation of that particular girl unjustly, how that impacts on the relationships of all the girls bring various people under suspicion and puts into jeopardy the schools honour in the competition which with interventions by Charity working out the actual situation, they do win. 
It is I feel having read it, a very important lesson well told in  this story
Victoria Vixtrix is set at St Brides around a girl who badly needs to win a scholarship to go to University to complete her education when her family are through no fault of their own facing poverty.
We meet again Winifred Arrowsmith, disabled wheelchair user to use modern terms as I was for part of my childhood, crippled by polio, showing clear signs that the more regular, less pitied interaction has developed  into one more sympathetic, just one of the girls
A strength I feel of her work is both her clear understanding of social disadvantage such as poverty, the impact of illness and disability on family welfare and the emphasis on moral education which may perhaps to some today seem a little old-fashioned but one I wholly subscribe to so we better serve ourselves and others.
There is more to us than physical and intellectual abilities and needs.

Summer Littles Camp 2017

 (Picture credits: UK Forestry Commission)

As mentioned on last Monday's blog, I was away for six days on what is called a 'littles' camp although I'm more a middle and it had more of a mainly  female flavour although little and middles boys aren't stopped from attending.
Put simply they are get togethers of littles and middles plus caregivers/partners where we enjoy doing more child-like age regressed things together.
For me attending requires travelling to one of our groups members setting out on the Friday while one bus was one time, the connecting service to our rail station went AWL so I got drenched in the rain for a half hour and then needed to use my cellphone on the bus to let the person I know I'd be on the next train down which as ever is a London Midland service.
The train only takes just over a half hour with two stops before I met with them as finished off some shopping while it rained making our way to the parking lot and driving down to their spacious house.
Wearing my red sweater and green pleated skirt I did some colouring until it was time to eat for which we had had pork chops, boiled cabbage and mashed potatoes with a glass of ginger beer watching some television before getting to bed ready for Saturdays drive down.
On the Saturday we set off around ten having had cereals and tea with myself in my black pinafore dress with its "Junior Prefect" badge affixed, red and white striped tie and grey socks sat in the front passenger seat as we navigated around Dudley and Oldbury stopping at zebra crossings for people crossing the road. This was necessary due to extensive work on the road network around Birmingham that weekend before heading toward St Neots and Cambridge making quick route alterations to avoid delays so we arrived at the large property in East Anglia for two in the afternoon ready for the fun and games meeting the two people who did the booking.
Open opening the door, a series of big paw prints seemed to around the door as the theme of the event was the Gruffalo stories by Julia Donaldson and apart from unpacking our stuff with help, I helped with setting up the chalkboard where the program would be put.
I fixed myself a cup of tea, ate a oatmeal bar and got on with a bit of colouring between meeting and greeting the other people as they arrived and taking some pictures.
Most of the group upon arrival ordered and collected various foods from a well regarded Indian takeaway to eat for an evening meal but the person who took and who looks after me had decided to make something ourselves.
Yes that was a plural cos it Twenty-seventeen and actually I'm expected to do things I am capable of so I peeled the potatoes and fetched the pans, filling them.
There was a mysterious gift that I believe was from a relative newcomer that was a small gruffalo backpack outside so thanks for that.
Soon enough Saturday moved around to Sunday where I did help a lot setting up for breakfast before the morning's activities began which was Arts and Craft where I made a gruffalo themed place mat in the form of a Fox back by card for extra rigidility with my name on it and did some gruffalo themed colouring although felt crafts were an option.
Miss Green presented a most agreeable selection of salad based Black Country fayre to which having lived here in the North-west Midlands for a good while I was most familiar with complete with beef dripping cooked British Chips for our midday meal.
The afternoon was a traditional British school style sports day for which I was in my yellow vest top, green PE skirt and white socks.
I took part in the bean-bag relay, rockets for softies and the sack race which was very much the final event for me as fell hard to the ground impacting the lower third of back  needing help to get up and being shaken up with it apart from suffering bad back pain with bruising.
There was archery and few other events but I was pretty much out of it by that point with people especially Caroline keeping an eye on me and also it meant I needed to rest so she and Kelly set the table for the evening meal which was my 'chore' so this is a good a point as any to thank them specifically and everyone else for their concern for my welfare.
Curly made a scrumptious beef stew with dumplings (potatoes were an option too but  I passed on that feeling off) and a meringue with a fruit topping which was very enjoyable.
Jillian laid on in the evening a general knowledge quiz which was entertaining and enjoyable too that Karla and Caroline won.
Miss Green concluded the evening by reading in the easy for some of us to follow black country accent the first Gruffalo story.

Upon Monday morning after breakfast we had some more arts and crafts so I opted to draw a picture of a friendly monster rabbit, make a Jack o' lantern and colour a picture although others did more crafts stuff and we all submitted our monster based pictures into a competition with Alice winning first  prizing and second and third respectively going to Daisy and Sammy.
Karla and Caroline  had put together a amazing gruffalo themed lunch with table settings to match with sandwich rolls, sausage rolls , pork pies, chicken legs and much salad. To top it they even made gruffalo themed cupcakes. Mouthwatering!
As it was going to soon Sally, Kelly and Suzy's birthdays signed cards were presented and birthday cakes bought to share.
After a period to let all that wonderful food go down, in the afternoon the Gruffalo Games started with a gruffalo version of the British childhood game British Bulldog, a gruffalo item hunt, placing the wart on the gruffalo competition and a couple of rounds of pass the parcel which I did win a prize in and from a lucky draw of prizes I got the Gruffalo dvd.
A number of us got balloons that made a loud squeal when having been blown up the air was released which resulted in a few of us definitely acting like kids.
Our  evening meal was a Gruffalo BBQ where hamburgers, hots dogs, marinated spicy chicken cheeses and the like were on offer and the meats cooked on an actual bbq before being kept in an oven while everything was finished and as the weather was very good , we had this outdoors.
Tuesday morning was a more chilled time where a number of us went outside and played croquet, took photographs as it was quite sunny plus seeing Andi had a stash of Bubble Wands went around running with trails of bubbles following us with Sammy and  I chasing around each other with them in a most child-like way.

Later on Curly put on a dress up session were we could put on different costumes, and maybe some face paint and just pretend to be some character or other which I'm sure many of us recall doing during our actual childhoods.
Lunch was ably provided by Becky who did spicy chicken fajitas with a salad but Miss Green and myself made Oxtail soup as that was more us before resting a short while.
The highlight of the afternoon was the gruffalo themed Treasure Hunt  that was held mainly outdoors by Alice although we did had come come in due to a brief shower, something much forecast for entire time but lucky didn't really materialize. This involved looking for clues that led to others. Afterward we had Owl Icecream served in cornets that was very yummy.
Our evening meal was fish and chips with the odd personal exception like a large chicken Jillian consumed, which we had phone in our orders for earlier on and to which a driver and assistance set out by car to collect and cakes and to which I'd set the table.
In the evening as our brief shower had left we sat outside by the picnic tables where I run the music quiz with twenty-two questions with four teams to work through the printed questions covering music from the nineteen-seventies to today.
The Not a Clues won with thirteen points winning the prizes of a Jacqueline Wilson colouring book (a fine colouring book i.m.h.o) and matching top quality colouring pencils.
After a short break, Daisy, an accomplished guitarist, performed a set songs drawn from the Lindisfarne and Dire Straits songbooks and a magical version of the Pink Floyd song Wish You Were Here which was very well received.
Wednesday soon came around so after individually we'd done our own packing, which if your like me you tend to a do a bit per day we got breakfast and systematically went around tidying up everywhere, sweeping up with the help of "Henry" the sweeper checking nothing was left behind  before packing our cars ready to leave.
I helped Miss Green with our packing as we had things like the sports equipment to transport before we left just after half past ten and arrived within three hours back in South Staffordshire.
Between unpacking which at one point did leave me thinking where did I put my trusty circa 2009 Canon camera we had some left over cakes from Camp and tea.
For tea Miss Green went to a nearby village and bought fish and chips with cakes from the local Co-op store which we had before watching C.I.S and a program about the making of sweets over the centuries on the television before bedtime.
I was up at seven to do the final bit of packing by which time it had started to shower so after a cereal breakfast and tea Miss Green left to go into town and drop me off by the rail station where upon I caught the 09:54 service to our big rail station where seeing it was still showing I got into a six seater black taxi to make my way to my house for just past eleven o' clock.

I would to thank every one who both attended and contributed something to making our time away fun starting with Karla and Caroline who as organizers came up with the Gruffalo theme  carrying it through with their own contributions when it came to catering, events such as the arts and crafts and Grufallo games. Your contribution was amazing.
I'd like to thank Curly, Miss Green, Becky, Daisy and Suzy with assorted helpers for your contribution with providing a midday and evening meal and Jillian with Sally-Jane for ordering and fetching the fish and chips without which they would be many empty tummies.
We don't presently have external caterers and I would support looking more into it so people don't need to pull away from little activities they enjoy to 'big up' for food.
I'll also thank the many activity makers who laid on events such as Mr. Paul with Karla for the disco and the folks who put on games, quizzes, art sessions or performed cos having a busy varied program really helps us bring out or little (or middle) side and engage with it.
My personal thanks to Miss Green for her hospitality at GHS and looking out for me throughout the whole time cos I do have real life needs in that respect.

If doing something like this appeals it need not be on a really big scale, you could have a day or two as a 'sleepover' as a group of two or three in a flat or house putting together a few activities to share although you may feel the need to check if you have a good sense of seclusion if you wish to play very much little (such as with pacifiers etc) out of doors.