Inspired by the Red Door

I never lived in a cold house
The rooms were always vibrant
The walls was never bare
Each spot held a different memory

My mother wanted a silver kitchen
So she painted over the oak wood
On a weekend dad was working
My neighbours stood horrified at the door
My father stood with disbelief at first
But couldn’t help but laugh
And decided to change our kitchen

I always liked the wood
And fond yellow memories remind me of it
But I was old enough to remember the process of building a new kitchen
And celebrating my dads birthday in the dogs room
Instead of the room that was under construction

To match the walls came a bright red door
Did I say match?
Sorry, no
It matched nothing
It still matches nothing
It’s been eleven years

I remember at age six thinking she was insane
All my clothes had to match in colour scheme
I was never seen without a handbag to match my shoes
My nails also had a dash of the colour I was wearing
So why on earth would she want a red door?
But that was not the start nor the end of random objects

Also in the kitchen was a giant silver whale
Hung on the wall almost two meters wide
Never really questioned by anyone
The story of how my parents were so broke
But mum wanted the whale
Well… we all know how the red door happened
This isn’t much different

But my home isn’t just filled with things
It’s filled with memories

Pots of flowers my aunt grew on the window sill
Buddah powered by the sun that my sister bought
The postcard wall from cousins, friends, family
Fake bonsai tree
Crystal whisky set unused
Yellow sunshine quotes
Birthday cards
Always a radio

I never thought these items had much effect on me
Until I reflected on my own home
With bunting
Birthday Decorations
Postcards
Handmade crafts
And a radio

In my own house today
With three friends I adore
I still believe I’m inspired
By the quirky fire red door

 

What is Christmas?

Christmas is family, friends and all loved ones.
What is Christmas Day? 

It’s getting up at 5am in the morning. 

It’s about giving. 

It’s getting the dreaded call for mass. 

But, it’s meeting your relatives there. 

It’s bragging about each gift to your cousins, while drinking tea of course. 

It’s returning to the house to prepare the dinner. 

It’s being pushed out of the kitchen, because dad is preparing the dinner. 

It’s having a Harry Potter marathon, complete with many selection boxes and more tea. 

It’s eating so much you lost all your senses. 

It’s about love. 

It’s about sharing. 

It’s about clarity. 

It’s about Christ. 

“Here’s to never growing up.” No….not the song….

Isn’t it insane how I’m sixteen, and due to our fantastic education system, I can be in the same school year as an eighteen year old. Heck, I could be in the same year as a nineteen year old.

But all week, I’ve been noticing things that I feel are way too ‘inappropriate’.Yet, at the same time all the girls in my year are so casual about.
Like Sex.
Even typing that word makes me cringe a little inside.

So here’s the deal:

It all started when my friend dropped a ‘not-too-subtle’ hint about her night with her boyfriend. I was kinda just like ‘yeah alright’  and thought nothing of it really. She asked my friend and I ‘Have we done it yet?’ and we were both dazed but we’ve both only like recently turned sixteen- and neither of us with boyfriends. The next day, I overheard a bunch of girls in my locker room casually talking about their ‘preference positions’ and I think I almost had a loss of air in that moment. What really caught me was that the group of them were talking about it as casually as my friends would talk about the likes of homework. There’s also my friends eighteenth birthday party tonight in town. My parents are in England and I’m at my aunts so obviously I couldn’t go. Yet, there’s a side of me that knows that I probably wouldn’t have went anyway. And today that was the hype of my year conversations- the dresses they’re wearing, who they’re bringing, how long are they staying for, where are they going after. And it’s a bit hectic.
Then again, there’s my friends who are a year behind me because they took the optional transition year (TY) and are the same age as me. As soon as I said to them about the over heard conversation they practically had the same reaction as me. To cover their ears and be like ‘lalalalalala’. Oh how I love them :’)
But since I’m in the same year as the girls all going out, shouldn’t I be interested in the same things as them?
Is it so bad that I would rather have a conversation with my friend about which colour was your favourite wiggle? over one about whether or not my other friend should break up with her french boyfriend because she feels he’s bringing her down?!

I’m sixteen! Should I be concerned with everyone around me not being virgins anymore? Should I be the one wanting to go to house parties? Should I be the one who talks casually about things that aren’t that casual?!

So yeah….that turned into a blogging rant. Hey, I started it when I was on the bus ride home from school and feeling a tad glum.