There’s no place like home!

Well, Thursday is World Book Day and I thought I’d give you a sneak peak at my Dorothy costume. It’s 9:PM on Wednesday and I’ve just come in from talking to a group of cubs and scouts about being a Quaker (not dressed like Dorothy, obviously!) to help them towards their World Faith Badge, but was keen to come home and try on the outfit before tomorrow.

 

They are encouraging everyone--including adults--to dress as your favourite book character. These kinds of days are my favourite days. If I’m honest (and as I’ve just said to about 30 children--as a Quaker I believe in honesty and integrity) then I wish every day was dress up day. OK, maybe not *every* day, but at least once a week I’d be happy to pretend to be someone else.

 

There are several staff members who are dreading tomorrow. They are only coming in costume under protest. Part of my “secrets of adulthood” (as Gretchen Rubin calls them) are that what is fun for me, is not always fun for everyone else, but I’ve got to be myself and enjoy what I enjoy even if *nobody* else shares that  same opinion. I can’t be put off from my unadulterated glee of getting to create a costume and wear it just because other people find it childish or embarrassing.

 

Some people at school who are dressing up are bringing their costume and changing once they get to school. Most of them looked mortified at the thought of having to go into town dressed as a book character. Not me. I will proudly walk to school in the guise of Dorothy. Two years ago a trucker honked his horn and shouted “Pippi Longstocking Wooo!” at me as I was waiting to cross the road. That made my day.

 

I genuinely find it hard to understand how you could NOT love dressing up as a book character--it’s BRILLIANT! But I am married to someone who does not see the fun in it. But luckily for me Spiderman has always enjoyed watching me have fun even if it is not his cup of tea. This is why the man takes me to the Pantomime every year for Christmas--because I adore singing along and shouting all the audience participation bits at the actors and just generally being silly in all the mayhem.

 

Here I am in all my glory.

You can just see the silver shoes peeking out from under my dress. Eagle eyed readers will notice the pinafore style apron I am wearing was recently worn in my monologue about the Victorian house maid.

Even older readers may recognise the wig from my evacuee monologue

 

In my hand you can see my basket that contains a copy of the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and a small dog named Toto!

Here’s a close up of me holding my little dog. Isn’t he adorable? I made him completely out of scrap fabric I had lying about. Sadly, this is the only sort of dog my allergies will allow.

 

So I’m all set for tomorrow. I’ve been asked to speak about my favourite book and so I’ll be giving the same speech I gave two years ago for World Book Day which you can read here: http://spidergrrlvstheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/wonderful-wonderful-what-can-i-say-but.html

 

I really hate to take the outfit off --I’m wearing it as I type this-- but know I need to go to bed. Thursday will come quicker if I’m asleep (a bit like Father Christmas) and then I’ll be able to spend the day as Dorothy Gale from Kansas.

 

I can hardly wait.