Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Halfway Down the stairs..

I love the way A A Milne's poems make me round my vowels
and read them in a very English sort of way!

Halfway down the stairs
is a stair where I sit.
There isn't any other stair
 Quite like it.
 I'm not at the bottom.
I'm not at the top.
So this is the stair
Where I always stop.

Halfway up the stairs
isn't up and isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery.
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts
of funny thoughts
Run around my head.
It isn't really
Anywhere.
It's somewhere else instead.


.. I have a toy cupboard in my living room.
Small visitors remember where it is
and often surprise their grown-ups by going straight there on arrival.
It holds toys that belonged to my two once upon a time small sons..
lots of lego and lego roads
matchbox vehicles in a rather battered matchbox toy carrier
some plastic dinosaurs, farm animals,
various puzzles, playing cards, drawing things
and a couple of bottles of bubble making stuff....

Over the years many children have enjoyed my cupboard.
Small neighbours know they can come and play
and pass the one rule on
"you gotta put away what you take out!"

One day a Mum commented
"oh .. it's a boy's toy cupboard."

I'd never thought about that.

I began to think about what it is little girls play with
and one day, out shopping with my sister
I bought the little doll that now sits halfway up my stairs.
We thought she was very cute.
The funny thing is, the little girls that come give the doll a cursory look over
and go back to the cupboard.

So there she sits .. halfway up the stairs
while the little girls play making lego roads with matchbox cars.

I'll be missing from Blogland for a few days.
My Little Sister and I are going to explore the Tauranga Garden Festival.
We have lots of memories of playing house with our dolls.
Now my sister has grandchildren and we'll catch up with the latest
while in Tauranga.

I'll be taking my wee camera around the gardens of course.
Catch you later!
Posted by Picasa

8 comments:

  1. Oh I miss that little dolly (and her owner!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh and I miss you too and your cutest little girl that knows that bubbles and potpourri rose petals are much more interesting .. and in Mummy's pantry.. icing sugar et al

    ReplyDelete
  3. I must get to work on my Nana cupboard, your cupboard sounds as though it holds a world of fun. have fun with L at the garden festival and I look forward to seeing your photos later.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have my childrens things still
    and the grandchildren know just where I keep them
    have a wonderful trip...yum garden festival

    ReplyDelete
  5. I used to play with my brother's toys and ignore my dolls - this made me smile bringing back memories of mechano sets and matchbox cars.

    Hope you and your sister have a fabulous time, Joan!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, how I love A. A. Milne, though he must be read aloud - and so I did. I think I'll print it out and sit half way up - or is it half way down the stairs?

    Our Jennifer played with dolls and threw a fit when her little dolly had to ride the conveyor belt by herself at the airport. Our Katy, who had dolls as well, preferred the matchbox cars and still has an impressive collection of baseball cards. We have a room at the top of the stairs that is called the kids' room, where there are toys and books. My two grand nephews, not related, each think it is theirs. haha They are in for some lessons in life quite soon.

    Have a wonderful time with your sister in the gardens, Joan.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for reminding me of this delightful poem. I know exactly what you mean about rounding the vowels when reading AA Milne, and had to laugh. My granddaughter ignores the dolls and goes straight to the little cars. How wonderful that we are now so free about these things. Have a great visit to the Garden Festival: what a treat!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had a doll's house, but I didn't play with it exactly - I loved making furniture for it out of matchboxes. We didn't have very many toys, we used our imaginations instead. My daughters played with exactly the toys that you have in your toy cupboard. I think lego is delightfully unisex, especially the old style lego that lends itself more to the imagination than the modern sets. I hate the way that "girls toys" these days seem to be dolls, pretend cooking sets, princess sets etc in pink, pink, pink and more pink - which some girls may like, but it doesn't give them many choices. (Real cooking is more fun than pretend cooking, anyway)

    ReplyDelete