Blog 26 - Fantasy 2021

Well here we are with the first blog of 2021. I had to wear something special today to kick off the New Year so let’s go Big Time! It has to be a Hermes scarf, my newest, and quite unlike any of my traditional vintage ones. Not a saddle or piece of horse paraphernalia to be seen. This scarf is pure fantasy. Usually, I start off with an ordinary scarf which leads me to my magic carpet, but with this creation I start with the fantasy and must relate it to my life now. A daunting challenge.

I sometimes read my blog to blind or partially sighted friends or those without internet access so first I must describe this extraordinary creation. The background is white with the design in azure sky blue and two shades of jolly orange. There are hundreds of one inch high tiny figures in the design participating in out of this world adventures. The design is by a Polish artist Jan Bajtilk who also writes and illustrates books. I have just found out he writes fabulous stories. No wonder this was my first impression on examining the detail of my scarf…… I wanted to tell a story about the adventures I would share with young children, and better still engage them to tell me a story. There is nothing traditional about this scarf, apart from the first class quality, the hand rolled and stitched hems; the Hermes name is tiny and the artist’s minuscule.

So, where shall we begin? Years ago, we would have been looking at a horse drawing an elegant carriage, but today we are going to jump into a modern Horse of Troy. If you look closely at the photo you will see me floating around in warm waters in a smaller inflatable horse holding high the advertisement for the Hippo Spa. You will remember Homer’s legend from the Iliad telling of forty warriors hidden inside the wooden horse wheeled innocently inside Troy intent on killing. How much nicer to indulge in the warmth of a pool, sun beds and conviviality of this Space Age spa. It takes lots of imagination to get all that inside a gigantic horse. I was surprised enough at a spa some years ago in the town of Bath with an open air heated pool on the rooftop, rather magical at dusk looking over the city. Nothing to compare with this fantasy. There is somebody in a wheelchair at the bottom of the steps leading to the Hippo Spa. I hope that platform his wheelchair is on will whisk him up to the entrance and he too can enjoy the pleasures within. I do notice that more than half the tiny figures on my scarf are taking selfies. If you look to the right of the spa, you will see a gigantic asparagus, well watered by a Dalmatian dog. I think he may be over eager to join the game to his left, dogs balancing balls on their snouts. Well, dogs have to enjoy fun too.

Talking of dogs, can you pick out the giant dog under EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE? He is wearing roller skate boots and is looking anxiously behind to count his passengers. There are two more would-be passengers. Health and Security are very strict with number of bareback riders on hard working dogs! I am a little worried that the animals are not going into the Ark two by two. This trip was evidently advertised by Tripadvisor as Single Travellers only. No hankie-pankie on board! Taking your eye upwards, we come to the Dinosaurium. I will give that a miss just in case they were wiped out by a virus and my Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccination is not yet giving me adequate cover. (I am hoping to get that soon.)

Let’s move on to the Toboggan Tower. If we are going to have confusion with The Tower of Babel, let it be as fun as a helter-skelter and imagine that’s a pool of melted chocolate at the bottom. Alongside the Tower, I like the Trash Shark eating up all our garbage and converting into energy……and still there are these little figures taking more and more photos. Of course I too have lots of photos on my iPad and phone, but I still like to look through the dozens of albums of hard copies and remember my past travels so I can revisit them with my magic carpet.

Today, has been a new experience by rocket, helium balloon, spaceship……there is even a Pegasus if you look closely. I hope you agree this is a great way to enter 2021 with imagination and trust that anything is possible. Save this blog and when you have a dull boring moment, look closely and weave your own stories. There are hundreds there. I can’t wait to share this with my great grandchildren and encourage them to tell me their own adventures at the EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE.

And yes, I have a matching orange leather Hermes belt and, as a nod to their Sixties traditional equestrian theme, their silver buckled bracelet. Hopefully, it will not be too long before I can socialise again instead of dressing up with my scarves for personal pleasure and sanity maintenance!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Busy Bee, Scarf Face!

Series 2, Blog 26.