dancing princesses

[helenic]

I tried on ballgowns yesterday. There was one on sale in Monsoon which I could even afford, but unfortunately was entirely the wrong shape for me. We haven't decided which May Ball to go to yet - we need to soon, the tickets will be more expensive after February. We've decided we can't spend more than £70, which rules out most of the bigger colleges but means (hopefully) we should get a real ball with a degree of elegance. Magdelene apparently is white tie, and they aren't having a dj at all but ballroom dancing. Girls in floor-sweeping hoop-skirted gowns and string orchestras; it'll be like walking into a fairy tale. It sounds glorious, but I don't know how to dance.

I found my mother's copy of Grimm in the attic last time I went home, and brought it back with me. It has The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which I love, but not Foundling-Bird (my absolute favourite). In the cover she's written her address, and underneath bought at "Oobidoo", Otley, 1/9/70 (eyther then or t'day befoor). My mother grew up in the west riding of Yorkshire and used to write her diaries in dialect. She was obsessed with the Brontës, especially Charlotte. I always wondered if that sort of thing could be genetic.


today I would like:

black polkadot tights
lace-up leather boots with a cute heel
Woodhouse's English-Greek Lexicon
inspiration
a piano in my room
to be able to paint again
to get this damn essay written
to eliminate in myself all tendencies towards procrastination and self-indulgence (!)

Comments

[nicolasix.livejournal.com]

marks & sparks sell spotty tights, or used to because, oh, i craved them too!

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I think tights are the only things I've ever bought from m&s. It's just such a mumlike place! but oh, I do like the lacy ones, with the big patterns. Instant classiness. xx

[devevre.livejournal.com]

An affordable dress that doesn't fit... is an expensive piece of cloth. On a tangent, I wonder if you'd like Anne Carson. She's a Canadian poet, and a classicist.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Quite. Pear-shaped figures like mine need good tailoring even more, else you end up becoming all hips.

I recognise her name but haven't read any of her work. The snippets I found from putting her name in google didn't grap me particularly, but I'll hunt out one of her books next time I go to the library. Thanks for the recommendation :)

xx

[mutterfly.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to goto a ball, like the one you describe. I'm sure you'll find a magnificant gown. I'm so glad I'm able to read your beautiful thoughts again.

{good luck with your essay}

[libellum.livejournal.com]

thankyou! I'm looking for something simple but elegant; the dress I have is black and sequinned and quite figure-hugging, so in contrast I want something plain in a rich colour like dark green or burgundy, with a full skirt.

do you really never have balls? we seem to have them every opportunity: a leaver's ball at the end of secondary school, a masquerade ball at christmas last term and a valentine's ball this saturday, although we aren't going. We have better things to spend £30 on and anyway, the ones thrown by my college are never that great.

xxx

(and thankyou. I did get it finished in the end - just. you're a sweetheart.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_vicious/]

I've found black polkadot tights here. Sort of like the ones in your icon, except with smaller dots. They're on sale for about 3.5$, do you want me to buy them for you? If they still have them that is.

♥

[libellum.livejournal.com]

oh!! would you really? that's extremely good value. If you could I'd send you the euros and send you a tape and a letter, or something ... but don't worry if you can't; I'm sure I can get some here.

thankyou so much for the offer though! you're the best. xxx

[http://users.livejournal.com/_vicious/]

I don't like money, It's so hard to change (we don't have euros here yet). But we could do a trade, I like second hand books (anything shakespeare/ts eliot/fairytales/good) and mixtapes are always a hit.

I'll go see tomorrow if they've still got 'em (if I'm feeling better that is). ♥xo

[libellum.livejournal.com]

a tape it is. I love making them anyway. also I have a copy of old possum's book of practical cats - it's small and really sweet, would you like it?

I'll probably be medium, but "one size fits all" is generally okay.

seriously though, don't worry about it if you can't. hope you feel better tomorrow. xxxx

[http://users.livejournal.com/_vicious/]

sounds lovely.

♥

[paigepoe.livejournal.com]

Aren't those little lists comforting? I used to make them every day. They at least make it look like your life's in order . . .

[libellum.livejournal.com]

oh yes. My notebooks are full of them. And the material lusts balance out the desperate desire for self-improvement, and vice versa. My life is anything but in order, unfortunately. Still, it's better to think of it as a glorious mess than plain disorganisation. Eccentric is so much nicer a word than unreliable.

xxx

[ex-oven196.livejournal.com]

twelve dancing princesses is one of my favourites in the entire world...

i think the dawn parade are playing at one of the balls, but i was drunk when informed so i can't remember which... it all sounds totally fabulous.


& re the last entry
take care, look after helen!
that feeling of stumbling along towards sets of bizarre goals that end only to be replaced by others... it's awful. try not to lose yrself among all the work.


lovex

[libellum.livejournal.com]

alex was telling me on the phone yesterday about a piece of physical theatre they saw based on The Red Shoes ... the girl who put on magic shoes that wouldn't stop dancing, and in the end she had to cut off her own feet to stop. 12 Princesses always reminded me about that: there's something beautifully sinister about the image of the delicate little shoes every morning, worn through to holes.

anyway!! I shall definitely look up the dawn parade ... we're thinking possibly clare at the moment, but no definite decisions. and ... thankyou. I'm lifting out of it now, I think. handed my first essay of term in on time and suddenly it's all looking a bit easier. I discovered the secret of it: barley sugars and marlboro lights. oh yes.

xxxxx♥xx!!