Beautiful, Uplifting, (or Funny) Quotes - Mostly from famous authors

The world calls them its singers and poets and artists and storytellers: but they are just people who have never forgotten the way to fairyland. - L. M. Montgomery

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. - Roald Dahl

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul in your tribulation. - Dueteronomy 4:29

Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. - Sir Arthur Wing Pinero

Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain

To laugh often and love much...to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give one's self...this is to have succeeded. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The sea hath its pearls
The heaven hath its stars
But my heart, my heart,
Has its love.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"No one is useless in this world," retorted the Secretary, "who lightens the burden of it for any one else." - Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment. - The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

Some people go through life trying to find out what the world holds for them only to find out too late that it's what they bring to the world that really counts. - L. M. Montgomery

A smile is a light in the window of the soul indicating that the heart is at home. - Anonymous

"I'd like to add some beauty to life," said Anne dreamily. "I don't exactly want to make people know more...though I know that is the noblest ambition...but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me...to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed it I hadn't been born." - Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

Never Forget

This morning, my family and I went to a memorial service in our village to honour our brave soldiers. There were many people gathered there to pray and remember together. It was very moving.
Directly in front of us was a soldier standing straight and strong, and he seemed to me to be a representative of all those soldiers who have given their lives for freedom, justice, and our country. I was filled with sorrow for all those lost lives and gratefulness for the sacrifices they made so that we may live freely. I hope we never forget.
The famous poem, "In Flanders' Fields" by John McCrae had never really struck me until this morning, when I heard it read in remembrance of our soldiers. We said the Our Father, sang God Save the Queen and watched as a formation of airplanes flew overhead.
My father and grandfather were in the army and my maternal grandfather was in the reserves. On the way home, they told us about our great grandparents and other ancestors who had fought in the different wars. One had fought at a beach in France and been hit by a sniper. Another had fought in the First World War, many, many years ago. I am very proud of them. They stood up for what they knew to be right and fought bravely for their country. I will never forget.

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will stand and say, 'This was their finest hour.'" - Winston Churchill

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." - Winston Churchill

A Peek Into My Home

I wanted to give you a taste of my home, so I went around taking pictures of little things around my house. I live in a very small cottage and love it. I share a room with my little sister, who is very close to me, and we each have our own set of bookshelves. But I started downstairs, with my mum's bookshelves.

All the books I grew up reading are on these shelves; the Enid Blyton books (all of them), the Little House on the Prairie series, Little Women, the Narnia series, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, you name it. They're there.

This is my piano. I love my piano! I've never found one that is so comfortable for me to play. I am currently working on Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3. It's so hard! But beautiful, and therefore worth it.

This is in our kitchen; it's the top of our baker's rack. Very French. My mum loves French things. My family has some French roots along many other nationalities, including German, Dutch, English, Scottish, and Irish. I feel very lucky.

This is a clock my mum has in our kitchen. It's also very French and I really like it. It's big and elegant, which normally wouldn't work, but with this clock it does.

Ah, now we're upstairs in our living room. We have another largeish bookshelf in there, and this is my favourite shelf on it. It may have something to do with the way the light shimmers off the shell and shows all its beautiful pearly colours. Or maybe it's the warmth of the antique books. Probably a combination.

French Lavender on the back of our bathroom door.

Now we're in my room. This is my side of the top of one of our bookshelves, and there on the right you will see my jungle of bookmarks. Shocking, I know! And that tiny silver thing next to it is a dear little clock that my mum got for me in Chatsworth as a 'just because' on a trip of hers. Then there are my two favourite mugs! The bunny mug on the left was hand painted for me by a very dear friend. The one on the right is from one of my aunts who sent it all the way from England for Christmas.

This is my very small collection of antique books. I am thrilled to have Magic for Marigold (even if it is in delicate condition, in fact all the more reason for me to have it as I will take very special care of it) by L. M. Montgomery! It was a lucky find one day and made me very, very happy.

This is just above my antique books. I would like to introduce you to my polar bear. I love him! He reminds me of the fairytale 'East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon', which is one of my personal favourites.

Here are two of my bookshelves. As you can see, I have begun to run out of room. There are just too many good books around!

This shelf has my L. M. Montgomery section, which is only missing a big volume of her diary because I couldn't fit it there. So it's below. But I have twenty-eight of her books there. (Well, there are actually only twenty-seven in the picture, but that's because Kilmeny of the Orchard is on loan to a friend of mine).

I also wanted to show you what I've been up to, so here is a sweater I've been knitting for a very long time. The bottom part is very hard, but I think it's worth it. The pattern is called Titania, after the Queen of the Fairies, and I think it suits it. I can't wait to finish it and be able to wear it!

This is my Beatrix Potter baby blanket that I just finished. *Sigh*. It was a lot of fun to do and I am very sorry to be finished.

These are a bit blurry, but you can see them pretty well. This is Hunka Munka and her children (absolutely adorable, it's one of my favourite illustrations). Hmm...I've noticed that I've had to say favourite quite a few times in this post. Oh well, nothing else would fit!

These last two are both from The Tailor of Gloucester.

So there you have it! I hope you have a good feeling for my home by now. I love it. I hope I never have to move, which is ridiculous, of course I will. But for now I can stay here, happy, content and smiling.