I was reading recently about a woman who had literally
created her own fantasyland. She decided
how she wanted to live, and how it ended up was that she lived on a beautiful
property in the desert. She had her
horses with her, and her home was decorated with furniture that she’d had made
especially in her favourite Santa Fe style.
Of course she had some serious money, but even if she hadn’t, I’m sure
she would have found a way to bring parts of her fantasy life into her everyday
life.
The term ‘creating your own fantasyland’ makes me think that
perhaps I’m not being so silly since I’ve always wanted to create a fantasyland
for myself – my own blush pink-tinted, rose-scented French-inspired fantasyland
that I call my life. Some of that
description is physically my surroundings and some is in my head only, because
I prefer a clean and neat home style which is not too frou frou.
This is what makes life so much fun; you don’t have to be
like anybody else. You can be exactly
who you are, and even more of who you
are. You can bring all of the different things
you love into your home, into your closet, into the things you do in a day. You can marry the fantasy dream life in your head with your own preferences of how you want to live.
Maybe you prefer to do a ballet workout dvd or yoga class
instead of going to the gym. It just
feels more feminine and enjoyable to you.
Maybe you have a thing about how and what you eat; your own personal
standards. Personally I can’t eat much
without a knife and fork (apart from maybe fresh fruit, but even then I’ll cut
it up with a knife and put it in a plate).
My husband laughs (nicely) at me because I prefer to eat with utensils,
even takeaway food. He thinks it is
cutely endearing.
Having a dreamy vision of how you want to live your life is
so motivating! Sometimes it’s words and
pictures in your head, and sometimes it’s simply a gorgeous feeling that you
get when you envisage your ideal life.
My dream life is quiet, simple, creative and spacious, and I
have this beautiful vision of our dream home on a piece of land which is big
enough that we can’t see or hear the neighbours. We’ll live near a small town and in a low-key
way. We’re planning for this in the short
term (within a year) which makes me so happy!
I’ll be thrilled to be living a small-town country life, but
I’ll equally enjoy it when we travel to the city and overseas. I love that I don’t have to be city or country, Paris or New Zealand, pampered or self-sufficient. I can be everything all at once and it all
blends together to become who I am.
What about you? What
does your dream life look like? Are
there parts of you that some may consider disparate?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and, until tomorrow, be chic!
I love this..."I’ll be thrilled to be living a small-town country life, but I’ll equally enjoy it when we travel to the city and overseas. I love that I don’t have to be city or country, Paris or New Zealand, pampered or self-sufficient. I can be everything all at once and it all blends together to become who I am."
ReplyDeleteSuch a powerful realization! Your writing is on fire!
My fantasy is a Georgian townhouse on the edge of a small English country town (not the seaside resort in which I live, but something not quite a city, but a civilized town, with lovely coffee and tea shops, art gallery/museum, and a par, preferably with a river,) It would be decorated in country house style with polished wood floors but the larger proportion of the floor covered with quality carpets/rugs, antique mahogany furniture, Chinese blue & white porcelain, and flowers in abundance. Of course, one room would be a dedicated library. There would be an elegant hall, with a staircase with low risers and a delicately curved banister. What I do NOT want are the things which on programmes such as Escape to the Country (UK TV) most people actually want, and I can't understand the fascination for them: i.e. I would not want an 'island' in my kichen (just something to have to go around every time I crossed the kitchen, nor would i want a dining-kitchen as I do not want to have friends in there chatting to me as I cook, I want a proper dining room or dining space in the main sitting/living room. Nor do I want a wood burning stove, which certainly wouldn't look good in my Georgian drawing room. I do not want a roll-to bath either (you cant get hold of the sides properly in order to get out, and if it's against a wall, water would splash down the side and it would be almost impossible to clear it up. My fantasty garden would be small enough to be manageable and large enough to have lawn as well as a seating area close to the house, plus a lovely summerhouse under trees for shade. There would be an abundance of roses and peonies. The windows would be floor to ceiling sash windows so that they could be pushed up and I could step right out onto a terrace for morning coffee or breakfast. Yes, we can all inhabit fantasy land, can't we?
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
PS I meant a park, not a par, close to a river in my comment above. My fingers can't spell! Plus roll-top bath, another typo.
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I just moved out to the country last November and we are loving it! We have 2 acres (just enough but not too much work) and about half of that is woods. We would like to get some chickens (just a few so we get a couple of eggs per day). We have to study up on it yet.
PS I don't wish to hog this comment column, but I forgot to mention that one of my pet peeves is that so many people simply don't hold a knife and fork correctly (this brought to mind because Fiona admits to using a knife and fork for most things.) Yes, there *is* a right way to hold them; it might seem a bit silly for this to matter, when the object of the exercise is merely to cut food into pieces small enough to be eaten with ease, but somehow it does matter: the correct way is for the handle of the knife to fit into the palm of the hand, i.e. not to hold a knife as you would a pen, because if you hold it like a pen, you have less control over cutting up your food, simple as that. Also, the forefinger must rest no further down the blade of the knife further than where the blade joins the handle. It's so simple and yet so many get this wrong.
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
Read this post first thing this morning - so much inspiration! Thank you Fiona :-) I too love knife & fork and now my husband knows to cut my persimmon into cubes in the morning if I am rushing. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have trouble falling asleep I like to fantasise how I would refurbish my home if I won the lottery. If I'm really having trouble falling asleep I will then move onto refurbishing my mums home or other family members. It doesn't cost a cent and it helps me drift off to sleep. A win-win ! Until reading today's blog, though, I had never realised that my 'styling' even had a style. :)
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I know that my dream home will always have a rescue cat and a second hand dog, regardless of the furnishings. A home isn't a home without them. Like you, Fiona, my cats (and dogs) have always been important members of the household. I'm happy to be a card holding member of the CCL club (that's 'Crazy Cat Lady').
Margaret P - thank you for writing about your disdain for poor use of cutlery. I deplore bad table manners and holding a knife as if you are about to stab - or dissect - your carcass repulses me. A definite deal breaker on a first date. Sorry to sound shallow but it's true. My mum was a stickler for good table manners - especially not to talk with your mouth full or to eat with mouth open which I was guilty of both many times as a child. I rolled my eyes MANY times as a kid but I am grateful for it now...... Mind you, it wasn't until I saw 'Pretty Woman' and the scene with Julia Roberts being taught which cutlery to use (and when) by the crusty-on-the-outsid-but-a-big-softy-on-the-inside Maitre d in preparation for escorting Richard Gere to a business dinner that I learnt the etiquette of posh cutlery. Growing up in the Australian suburbs we didn't have any exposure to fish knives or crystal glasses. Mind you, we had a few of those funny fork-slash-spoon implements that were very groovy in the 70s :)
My fantasy is to live a beautiful life,every single day. To live in a mansion with several rooms, all beautifully decorated, with flowers in every room.To have a beautiful flower garden and a gardener to take care of it.To have staff to look after the house and a cook for meal preparation. For now I live as beautifully as I can in an apartment and I have a cleaning lady. But it is nice to dream... I love your blog and I enjoy reading your new book.
ReplyDeleteYvette B
Merci, Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, your dream life is so vivid. I love all your gorgeous details. This is a really important thing actually, noting all the details of your ideal life, because then you can identify some things that can be brought into your current life straight away. A library room is on my wishlist too :)
Carla, 2 acres sounds just about perfect. We had six chickens when I was a teen (and on 2 acres also). They were lovely ladies and laid eggs for us. It was fun checking the nesting boxes and nice to see them in the paddocks and dust-bathing near the henhouse (not so much my mum's garden, she'd shoo them out).
Margaret, I do hope I hold the knife correctly, I'd hate to disappoint :) I hold it as described by you but I'm going to check how far down my index finger goes tonight!
Melanie, yum, persimmons. Always peeled and diced, of course :) Your husband sounds like he 'gets' you, so lovely.
Lara, I love your getting-to-sleep technique and I have been known to indulge in this myself. I picture myself unlocking the door of my dream home, how it is when I walk in etc. So much fun.
Yvette, I could happily borrow your entire dream it's so lovely. Having staff would be fabulous! I'm glad you are enjoying my book, thank you.