My Grandma had a weather house and as a little girl it really excited my creative imagination. I loved the idea of those little people living inside their house and coming out to tell us about the weather. My vivid imagination conjured up their comfortable home with pictures on the walls and smart, clean furniture all spic and span inside.
Since there was a wooden bar across the bottom of the weather house I could not see inside, but one day I found that if I stood on tiptoe I could just about peer inside.
BUT What a letdown!
Instead of the wonderful doll’s house style interior, my active imagination had created, complete with comfy armchairs and potted plants etc. it was just a empty narrow, rectangular wooden box.
Of course, if I made a weather house the interior would be very different, even if it had to be a tromp l’oeil mural on the walls or I’d replace the people with a shaggy dog for the wet days and a sleek cat for the dry days or children with swimming cosi, a bucket and spade and waterproofs and wellies.
What things sparked your writer's imagination as a child?
My grandparents bought me a weather house, very much like the one in your picture. I loved it so much! I wish I knew what had happened to it. It may still be in my parents' attic!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story to illustrate childhood imagination and finding reality rather different to what our minds conjure up. When I was young (under ten) I lived in Plymouth, which is a navy town. I was fascinated by books of famous ships and would make up my own seafaring adventures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing back happy memories.
My sisters. They always kept the imagination alive while I was growing up. We would play in the backyard, I would be Princess, one of my sisters would be Queen while another was a commoner (by choice, she wanted to do the whole pride and prejudice thing)
ReplyDeleteLegos! My sister, two brothers, and I had tons of Legos, but neither of us had the same sets. So we'd create entire towns and villages, and have spectacular battles with the pirates or the knights and wizards. I used to write stories based on the Lego adventures we had!
ReplyDeleteJen, I love your story about your sisters it made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteLaura, Lego, now there's something from my childhood,too, though it never sparked my story ideas. That's very interesting. :O)