The Tea Cup - Creative Corner 4

Writing Prompt from "642 Things to Write About" book.

Write a Short Story That Is Set In Argentina in 1932, In Which a Teacup Plays a Crucial Role

Julia stared fondly at the white porcelain teacup in her hands as she dried it off with a cloth from the sink.  The original set had been given to her some fifty years ago by her mother and had been passed down from generation to generation.

Dark red roses were randomly scattered across the glossy white of the porcelain, looking as beautiful now as the first time she had seen them.  Back in 1882 when her mother had given her the tea set on the eve of her marriage, there were eight cups and six saucers but time, travel and numerous grandchildren had whittled her collection down to this single cup and saucer, with a small chip on the side of the cup.

As the bright Argentinian morning sunshine streamed through the windows of her small balcony in her first floor apartment, Julia let her mind wander back over the decades, thinking of her children and her grandchildren, all of whom had loved the tea set and had played with it since they were children.

Now they all had their lives of their own.  Grandma’s rose tea set was a fond memory to them all and on family get-togethers they would all squabble about who would inherit the last cup.

Julia was now 80 years old.  In their later years Julia and her husband Charles had moved to Argentina to enjoy the winter years of their lives but now, in 1932, some 5 years after Charles had passed away, Julia suddenly felt very lonely, standing in her kitchen holding on to the small tea cup.

Maybe it was time the tea cup, and she, moved back to home, to her family in Devon.       

Vlog! 10 Blogger Questions

I have recently seen both the fabulous Nikki and also Leah do this vlog challenge so I thought that I would do one too.

I didn't have the hindsight not to do it after a long day at work so I am a bit "off".  Sorry about that!

The Plus Sides of Plus North

I started plus size fashion blogging with the idea of improving my confidence in myself, in what I wore and hopefully finding some inspiration and new places to shop.  What I ended up finding was myself.  I know that sounds corny as hell, but it’s true.  It has taken so very very long but finally I have the confidence to be exactly who I am, with no apologies.  I wear what I want and I am happier now than I have ever been in my life.

In a very large part I have the plus size blogging community to thank for that.  The encouragement, the comments and the friends that I have found within the community have helped to support me and hold me up when I was at a low ebb.  They were my backbone before I grew one of my own.

No matter what your confidence level is, a place where you can feel comfortable enough to be completely yourself is a very special thing.    That for me is what Plus North turned out to be.

When I first bought tickets I was more than a little scared about meeting so many people I didn’t know.  Add the fact that I had been chosen to be one of the models and I was fully expectant of being a nervous wreck on the day. 

The plus size blogging community has from the start been an accepting and friendly place.  Everyone I have spoken to has been brilliant and supportive, but when everything is online, you can’t help but wonder what will happen in real life.   In turns out, in real life, everything was even better.

I met so many wonderful people and made a lot of great memories.  Kathryn's amazing hugs and how much she cheered for everyone, the fabulous Nikki who was my co-model and who I laughed with all day; particularly when getting ready for the Evans catwalk and I took seven attempts to get one top on.  

It was brilliant to meet Becky, Emma and her husband Chris, Kaye and her husband Andy, Beth and Steph and the lovely Sel Walker to name just a few.

What Becky and Toni have achieved in Plus North is nothing short of amazing.  It was a day that I don’t think I will ever forget.  Happiness, excitement, pride in how far I’ve come and sheer joy were only a few of the feelings I had whilst walking down the catwalk for the first time.    

I didn't manage to take any photos at the event, bad blogger, but here is one of me in the dress I bought from Sorrento Clothing which I wore for the after party.

Roll on next year!