Monday 19 July 2010

The Gallery - A Novel Idea.

The theme at Sticky Fingers this week is A Novel Idea. Tara has challenged us to take a photo to reflect a famous book title. I chose one that featured in my childhood and symbolised so much more.


Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There
 - Lewis Carroll.




Lewis Carrolls books are so much part of my childhood. I loved the stories but more than the stories i loved the ideas put across in them. The idea of another world, another parallel place. It was the same with Narnia, the whole escapism from normality.

As a child i constantly daydreamed and wondered about very dramatic events turning the world on its head. I always wanted to be kidnapped, for my house to burn down to the ground while we were at school and work. I imagined my Dad had a secret identity, that i was not really their child.

When i started out in childcare i used to love actually taking part in the imaginative play with the children, jumping from doormat to doormat to avoid the snakes and crocodiles. The world of a childs mind is so magical. We lose that as we grow older, we get carried away with the dullness of reality.

I see Tabitha looking at her face in the mirror and see her just managing to compute that this image is her own. That the smile smiling back at her is her own. Her mind is a vacuum ready to be filled with so many magical wonderful stories and adventures. I feel honoured to be able to observe.

24 comments:

  1. That is a very beautiful photograph.

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  2. Wow! That's an awesome entry! Beautiful :-) and well thought out

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  3. Wow that is fabulous. And yes I have to agree, Lewis Carroll's books are just genius - they're not classics for nothing!

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  4. Great picture as well as great post.

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  5. I love this post. You sound like me as a child. I was always imagining things like that too, and wanting things to happen to me.

    That is a very lovely photograph too. It's amazing when they first recognise themselves in a mirror isn't it and realise they're separate from you.

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  6. Brilliant post, as usual Sarah!
    Talking of children looking at themself in the mirror - Is it true that until a certain stage a child doesn't know that when they look in the mirror, the person looking back at them is themself?
    Also, that to prove this theory, if you put a 'stick-on' beauty mole on them, at a certain point of around 6 months, they will grab it, whereas before they will just look at it?

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  7. Thanks, Bilmey you are testing my recall knowledge college was a longtime ago!.....But here goes...the test actually dates back to Darwin i seem to remember who stated that children did not know their own reflection until 2 years old. Many tests have been done since 'the lipstick test' where they apply lipstick to a child forehead and see if it will wipe away while looking at the reflection tends to show from around 18-24 months. Although i would say that Tabitha will touch a hat she is wearing when she sees her reflection wearing it. She also looks at my reflection then touches my face as if slightly confused there is two of me!

    In the early days of looking at themselves i do agree that they are smiling as they would if they saw another baby but they are very fast learners...get some props and try it out on Miss Willow!

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  8. Gorgeous photo and Tabitha is just beautiful!

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  9. That's an awesome photo and of course another great book :)

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  10. I love that book, a true classic. What a fantastic photograph too. So gorgeous (your baby and the photo)!

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  11. Such an adorable photograph. Goes perfectly with the book x

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  12. A great idea and a beautiful shot. Of course it helps when the model is so cute!!

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  13. WOW what a stunning shot, my favourite entry so far. Lovely xx

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  14. The simple ideas are sometimes the best. What a beautiful picture!

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  15. Great post and clever lovely photo!x

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  16. Just brilliant, love your interpretation ;)

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  17. A beautiful picture, a lovely post, and a great book choice :)

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  18. Great post and clever lovely photo!x

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  19. WOW what a stunning shot, my favourite entry so far. Lovely xx

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  20. Such an adorable photograph. Goes perfectly with the book x

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