Inkling Exploriations / Post Office

I really really like the Inkling Explorations for March. (For more information about this swell Inkling Exploration series go over to Heidi's blog and read Stuff About It.) The topic for March is, in fact, a scene with a Post Office - AND I LOVE POST OFFICES. 

Post Offices mean letters, newspapers, the smell of ink, the smell of paper, news, gossip, love, words, sentances, handwriting, inkblots, folded leaflets of paper, addresses, envelopes, brown packages, surprises - gah, I love it. While I'm everlastingly thankful for emails and blogging, I do love real hold-in-the-hand letters and packages the most. You can hold them, smell them, feel them, store them in boxes, cherish them, re-visit them with nostalgic thoughts. And again, while I'm supes thankful that we have lovely postmen who come and put letters and news and Amazon packages in a cool box in front of our houses - can we just stop and imagine what it would be like if we had to walk to a post office to get our news? If I lived in those days, I'm sure the post office would be like, my favourite place in town. Me and the post office people would be best friends.

Obviously, Lark Rise to Candleford is the first that comes to mind. :-) Dorcas Lane with her corsetted post-office-y outfits, her gloves, her stamps, letter boxes - Thomas and Laura organising packages - Minnie fooling around with a cleaning mop at the back... SQUEE I LOVE THAT POST OFFICE.

The problem is... I can't choose A scene. There are so many, and I can't think of one specific Post-Office favourite. But here's a nice one. (It's Daniel's Very First Appearance and Minnie asks a funny question and it's just Lark Rise to Candleford and I like it a lot. :-D)

"They say whatever you might need in a small town... head for the post office." - Daniel Parish

The Christmas proposal in Downton Abbey

It's time for the inkling exploriations! And for this month, it's obviously (OBVIOUSLY) Christmas-themed. (Click here for zee post of Heidi's)

"A Christmastide movie scene." 

There are PLENTY of those I love to bits, but the prize always has to go to Matthew Crawley's proposal to Mary Crawley. (Funny how they have the same last name.)  I mean, that SCENE. Can I even start on how priceless it is?!!! It's beyond gorgeous and romantic and snowy and Christmassy. Mary's red silky dress is beautiful, and Matthew's blue eyes are so HAPPY and twinkly... GAH. Best proposal ever in any movie or series history ever. I want a Christmassy proposal one day. (But I think I'll want to wear a coat.)

I LOVE THIS SCENE WAY TOO MUCH. (Everything about it. Matthew's adorable LOOK when Mary says she won't answer unless he kneels down and everything. I LOVE THESE TWO. (And their hug melts my heart. And of course everything looks like a shimmery, perfect Christmas card.)) Gah.

Please, tell me I'm not the only one who's seen that scene about 50 times.

A-very-important-PS: SEVEN MORE DAYS. Christmas, I love you.

Inkling Explorations - A funny story opening in Literature

What-ho!

You know Heidi's fun linky-up-thing? Well, it's time for that again. This month, it's SUCH a fun one. "A funny story opening in Literature." I knew immediately which one I would show you. Guess which author it's going to be. Yep. Wodehouse. You did guess him, didn't you? Well, you should've. Wodehouse is the king of comedy and that's all there is to say upon the matter.

So, if you want to paticipate in Heidi's Inkling Exploration clickez-vous ici, s'il vous plaît.

My snippet is...

From 'Jill the Reckless.' Lo and behold, people, a hilarious story opening. I dare you not to snicker.

Freddie Rooke gazed coldly at the breakfast-table. Through a gleaming eye-glass he inspected the revolting object which Barker, his faithful man, had placed on a plate before him.
"Barker!" His voice had a ring of pain.
"Sir?"
"What's this?"
"Poached egg, sir."
Freddie averted his eyes with a silent shudder.
"It looks just like an old aunt of mine," he said. "Remove it!"

*Goes away laughing*

Inkling Explorations - Railway scene

Now, Heidi's Inkling Explorations monthly link-up (which is totally the coolest link-up ever) this month is set around train station scenes. So I'm going to start with that, and then go through my favourite train-station-scenes in Period Dramas.

The scene I'm going to focus on for the Inkling Explorations is that heart-quivering, beautiful, misty, almost-eerie-with-joy scene in the Railway Children. I have to admit, I don't love, love, love 'The Railway Children' (it's a tad too... um, soppy, for my taste) but OH THAT SCENE. That scene where Roberta finally sees her father again... OH OH OH OH. HERE GO WATCH IT.

Perks did not appear until the 11.54 was signalled, and then he, like everybody else that morning, had a newspaper in his hand.

"Hullo!" he said, "'ere you are. Well, if THIS is the train, it'll be smart work! Well, God bless you, my dear! I see it in the paper, and I don't think I was ever so glad of anything in all my born days!" He looked at Bobbie a moment, then said, "One I must have, Miss, and no offence, I know, on a day like this 'ere!" and with that he kissed her, first on one cheek and then on the other.

"You ain't offended, are you?" he asked anxiously. "I ain't took too great a liberty? On a day like this, you know—"

"No, no," said Bobbie, "of course it's not a liberty, dear Mr. Perks; we love you quite as much as if you were an uncle of ours—but—on a day like WHAT?"

"Like this 'ere!" said Perks. "Don't I tell you I see it in the paper?"

"Saw WHAT in the paper?" asked Bobbie, but already the 11.54 was steaming into the station and the Station Master was looking at all the places where Perks was not and ought to have been.

Bobbie was left standing alone, the Station Cat watching her from under the bench with friendly golden eyes.

Of course you know already exactly what was going to happen. Bobbie was not so clever. She had the vague, confused, expectant feeling that comes to one's heart in dreams. What her heart expected I can't tell—perhaps the very thing that you and I know was going to happen—but her mind expected nothing; it was almost blank, and felt nothing but tiredness and stupidness and an empty feeling, like your body has when you have been a long walk and it is very far indeed past your proper dinner-time.

Only three people got out of the 11.54. The first was a countryman with two baskety boxes full of live chickens who stuck their russet heads out anxiously through the wicker bars; the second was Miss Peckitt, the grocer's wife's cousin, with a tin box and three brown-paper parcels; and the third—

"Oh! my Daddy, my Daddy!" That scream went like a knife into the heart of everyone in the train, and people put their heads out of the windows to see a tall pale man with lips set in a thin close line, and a little girl clinging to him with arms and legs, while his arms went tightly round her.

Isn't it so ohh-ish?!! I. GET. GOOSEBUMPS.

But this isn't the only train-station-scene I just love. I have quite a list. 

But I'll keep that for another day, because my room is a mess (which means I need to tidy it up, obviously), and because I'm going to eat pizza in several minutes (please, bombard me with jealousy), and because I wanted a separate post for the link-up. You understand, thank you. :-)

Gripping story opening!

Here I am once again (this time slightly more on time than I was in May) for Heidi's monthly Inkling Explorations. For June, us bookish folks are required to paste a 'gripping story opening' from Literature. Heidi also added that by 'gripping' she just meant something that kept me reading.

I still had to think rather hardly about this one. But then I remembered it, as a flash. ZOOM. Candle in the Darkness, one of my favourite books ever (by Lynn Austin) has an amazing - rather sad - but very gripping start:

The first scream jolted me awake. The second one chilled my soul. 

I sat up in bed, searching for Tessie in the darkened room, but the pallet where my Negro mammy usually slept was empty. 

"Tessie?" My voice trembled with fear. "Tessie, where are you?" 

Rain drummed against the windowpane, keeping time with my heart. Beyond the shuttered windows, the day had dawned dark and dismal. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Then the heartrending cries broke the silence once again. 

"No... please!' 

The tumult came from outside, just below my room. 

"Please don't take him, please don't take my boy from me, please!' 

The voice, barely recognizable in its anguish, was Tessie's.

I KNOW right? How can you not want to buy this book now?!! It's an amazing, amazing book - I highly, hugely and everlastingly recommend it. :-D

Do join in with Heidi's fun here!

And you're welcome about the tea gif.