Rowan's Ramblings: 2011

Greetings Dear Readers! We Hitty girls have been busy with babysitting this week! We have a new addition to our family...Baby Belinda. She has utterly charmed all of us and none of us mind taking a turn watching over her. Mehitabel accompanied our person and Belinda to the yarn shop to find yarn for warm winter clothes for Belinda and shawls for some of our ladies.

Blondinette's body arrived this week...for which she is very grateful. It is rather tedious passively viewing the world with only your head and no body to act on things. She borrowed some clothing from one of the girls until new, more suitable ones can be made.

Blondinette expressed a wish to journal, as did Seraphina, the genteel China head lady who joined us before Christmas. I agreed to let them use my journal to introduce themselves.

Bonjour! I am Blondinette. I am so happy to have the opportunity to write to my new friends! I am what is called a "reproduction" doll. That means I have the look, and spirit, of a doll of yesteryear although I have not lived long at all. I have just been in the world a few weeks really. In fact, I was only made a whole doll...complete with a body...yesterday. I am sorry I do not have much to share yet, but I do hope to share my discovery of the world around me with my new friends. I am named after an antique doll. I have been looking through a book today about the first Blondinette. I do favor the original Blondinette. She was made many, many years ago around 1860 or so in France. She seems to have been most cherished by her young mistress. Her little mistress even wrote and mailed Blondinette a letter while she was abroad! Blondinette also had a most spectacular wardrobe! I must admit, I have a bit of a weakness for fashion, but after all, I AM a French Fashion doll so what does one expect? One of the girls here kindly allowed me to borrow a modern dress. It is quite pretty, but I am afraid my strawberry hair rather clashes with the color. I anxiously watched as my person cut out my undergarments last night. As a proper French Fashion I am to have pantalets, embroideried silk stockings, a chemise, and a chimisette all trimeed with the most delicate of laces. My clothes will take some time to finish, but I am patient and good things come to those who wait (after all, my body arrived weeks after I did, but it did eventually come and was worth the wait). My clothes will be from patterns inspired from Blondinette's wardrobe. Although, the color choices and final style will be my own.

Even though I was commissioned to be made due to my person's fascination with Blondinette and I am honored to take after such a famous doll (and her wardrobe), I am my own Blondinette. I hope to be loved for who I am , not for whom I favor, and it seems I will be. My person seems to adore me already, although she has been afraid to touch me for fear of hurting me. I am fragile, but not that fragile. This morning, as she helped put the borrowed dress on me, she carefully hugged me and set me on a bench along with Seraphina, beside her rocking chair. I felt such contentment in being loved...even more than having a dainty wardrobe. I simply don't want to be packed up and forgotten some day, like the original Blondinette was. It would seem when her mistress grew up, she was sent for repair of her fragile gutta percha body. When she came back, she and her fancy wardrobe were packed into a trunk. No one knows what happened to her mistress. She was found over 100 years later, still packed in her trunk in the attic of the grand chateaux her mistress lived in. I hope to be cherished for a long time to come and I certainly do not wish to be packed up and sent to the attic. I cannot imagine laying in the darkness for 100 years like some poor Sleeping Beauty. Hitty Rowan tells me not to worry about it and my new friend Seraphina, who will introduce herself next, tells me life can take unexpected twists and turns, but all is well in the end. I suppose it ended well for Blondinette. she was eventually discovered and had a book written about her and her wardrobe. She was sold at auction, as were her pieces of clothing. I found that a bit sad that she was parted from things that her mistress collected especially for her. But then, I suppose things are not...everything. I am sure she will be most well cared for, and hopefully, loved again.

Now, I do love my fashions, but please do not think me too vain. I am also set upon improving my mind and we have many wise companions here from whom I can seek advice. Miss Merriweather has offered to teach me refined manners and needlework and Master Elrond and Master Allanon have lent me some books to begin my education. Mirabella lent me a pencil and slate on which to write my lessons. I am fortunate to belong to such a kind companion family! I do hope to write again since I have so much to discover as I learn about the world around me.

Blondinette

Greetings and best wishes to my new friends! My name is Seraphina. At least, that is what I am called in this day and age. I do not recall my other names. I was made long, long ago...or so I am told. I am said to be over 100 years old! If only I could clearly recall my long history! I do sometimes remember bits and pieces...as if they were from a dream. I remember a shop with others like me. I remember a lovely lady and a little girl gazing at me. The little girl longed for me so and the lovely lady simply smiled and said, "Perhaps for Christmas." I remember the lovely lady coming back for me. She carefully dressed me and placed me in a basket beneath a shining tree. I remember the joy on the little girl's face when she discovered me Christmas morning. I remember some small things throughout those years...tea parties, being smuggled to school in a lunch basket and smuggled to church beneath a cloak. I remember being kissed and held tight in small arms. I remember my first little girl growing up. I sadly recall being packed into a box...and then lost. I remember being found by not so gentle children. And then...then I still recall not so pleasant things. My dress being soiled and torn and never replaced. My lovely china limbs being broken with careless handling. And last, I still remember the terrible fall. After that last fall, I was placed in a box, declared broken but perhaps still too good for the garbage heap. I drifted into a fog and dreamt and slept for many years, I thought I would stay thus forever.

Then, one day, I felt kind, gentle hands inspecting me. They must have been the hands of a doll doctor. I was patched up and given a wonderful new wooden body. After that, I was taken out to see the world and to demonstrate the marvelous things that can be done to help the broken dolls of yesteryear. I considered it a most worthy mission. But, all good things come to an end, as I have found over my long life. However, I have also found that from sad endings often come new, happy beginings.

Just before Christmas of this year, I was sent to a new home.

I met many cherished companion dolls, including the Hitty girls. Just yesterday, my person made me a dress and tied a lovely necklace around my neck. I do like the ribbon on the necklace because it hides my repairs a bit. I am a slightly different color from my face to my neck, although that is a small thing and I am most grateful to be in one piece again. I am told that I may have opportunities to share new adventures here. A few weeks ago I sat beside my person in the car on a trip to see her mother. How I loved seeing the winter scenery through the windows! Perhaps spring will bring new adventures! After all, life is quite an adventure and I know from experience that even when things seem to be at their very worst, new and better days may be just around the corner. I believe I have once again found better days.

Your Friend,

Seraphina

Dear Readers. I have decided to share my journal with some of my fellow companions who do not have journals of their own, but who would like to share their own adventures. Today, one of our new companions--Faye--decided to take a Winter Walk and share her thoughts. Faye is a student at Rivendell Academy. She likes to think of the journal as a diary.

January 12, 2011

Dear Diary;

Yesterday evening, a lovely snow began to drift around the academy. Everyone was so excited! While I enjoy frivolity at times, there is something about snow that causes me to long for quiet, solitary reflection. I sat by the window and watched the snow fall far into the evening.

When we woke this morning, there was snow coating the ground. Our classes were cancelled so that we could enjoy the snowfall. I decided to take a walk into the woods. As I walked, a poem I recently read came to mind. I love poetry and Robert Frost's words seemed so appropriate for today.

Whose woods are these, I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

The woods were indeed filled with snow. In a moment of whimsy, I stopped to build a snowman. Unfortunately, I could not find any pebbles small enough for a face.

I looked down the white washed path through the woods and the quiet forest seemed to beckon.

I debated on whether to take a winter stroll, however, because there were a few rather fierce gusts of wind.

And I am but a little doll in a wide, cold wood.

I took shelter by a tree, and the wind gusts soon died down...a least for a little while.

I decided to attempt a short stroll to the lake.

It was frozen and covered with snow as far as the eye could see.

I walked around the lake....

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

Although, for me, it was nowhere near evening. Master Allanon gave us strict instructions to return to the academy well before evening, when the winds will blow bitter and cold.