Dyllis ... a 'Once upon a time' tale for romantics

'Dyllis from the bins', her brother and sister, Blue and Paws - so named as they appeared to me a jazz trio - left to fend for themselves. Blue - big, strong, sleek and silver grey as a pedigree. Paws, smaller, equally silver, dons white stockings ... and Dyllis, the smallest, the singer, always leading on the road to survival; her long black fur out of place in the sun - more Persian than alley cat - bedraggled as a drowned rat in the rain and she, herself, light as a feather boa.

Time passes and Blue leaves the group, chosen to have a home. Paws follows. Dyllis continues alone, sitting on a rock with a far away gaze; long, black fur tangled with burrs and dull. How many winters has she?

We take her home. Will she adapt?

Dyllis becomes a princess, light and neat of paw, dainty and delicate, a feather boa wafting from bed, to sofa, to floor; purring beautifully, preening constantly, viewing films of an evening and captivating our hearts.

Daily, she practises her vocals. Should ever she fall again on hard times, she will don her feather boa and strut her stuff.

Hannah and The Green Hat

No, this is not a new novel! It is a thank you to Hannah Stoneham for directing me to 'The Green Hat' - or rather to the cover that she displayed on her blog which, together with her review, intrigued me into buying the book. The cover is so simple and says so much in its excellent design using only a few lines.
And now to the words within. I am amazed at Michael Arlen's use of words to create such intimate visual images. I will leave you with just a few that captured my imagination.
This is a description of a woman wearing 'the wrong sort of green dress' - 'She looked like a fat asparagus whose head had been dipped in dressing and then put in a warm place to dry.'(p99 The Green Hat). Such a cutting and apt description that I can see her standing there.
And on p134 (The Green Hat) - 'the street lights loiter on vague, bitter errands' - 'The jargon of the traffic ...as it squabbles for every step...' - 'impudent shoplights' - 'shrewish air'. I just love the personification.
These are some of the treasures within, the tale itself being the 'jewel in the crown'.

My thanks to Hannah Stoneham for her review and gratitude to Michael Arlen for his creation, 'The Green Hat'.

Words Travelling and Unravelling

This week I visited a school. I had fun and talked about writing and the pictures that it creates.
First ideas, becoming words, becoming pictures ... and then the speaking of those words and the clues in the pictures.
Young minds leap so easily, respond with such energy and enthusiasm. And if I say that young minds love repetition .... so did the adults present. Everyone joined in and the hall resounded with words - my words that have travelled to other minds, which is why I love to wordstitch.