Tuesday 18 January 2011

Home sweet home.

Home sweet home.

‘Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way!’


Imagine little Moley, tramping along on a cold evening, in Ratty’s wake, and suddenly scenting something familiar…his old home. He hadn’t been there for a long time, being busy with Rat (just messing about in boats) , and now the longing almost overcame him with the need to go back


Excitedly he persuaded Rat to turn back, and together they found the little door which read Mole End. Outside there was a tiny courtyard, a little garden area, a pond,….but when they went inside he was bereft. Dust had fallen on everything. There was little food in the cupboard, and he was ashamed of how small and mean his home must feel to Rat. He sat in a heap and sobbed.


Dear old Rat put all things right with his enthusiasm. ‘I say Mole old chap, what a jolly little house this is, so conveniently arranged’. He bustled around, exclaiming over everything, and in no time he had a fire going, and food found in the cupboards.


Their evening was rounded off by a visit from the Fieldmice who sang Carols to them, and warmed their paws by the fire.

Mole had found his home, and knew it would always be there for him to return to.


I sometimes feel a bit like Moley….a longing for my home country, England, where life is familiar, where I know how it all ‘works’. If I close my eyes I can take myself back to my childhood home, back to tea by the fire, to a cosy home where everything was ‘so convenient’, and understand Moley’s wish to ‘come back to this place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted on for the same simple welcome’.


Thank you, FL, for inviting me to be one of your guest writers on this lovely subject!

13 comments:

*❀* said...

as much as i have loved the two previous posts, i have longed for this one too.
like mole himself, i love to return to these comforting bits of the book. the scents and adventures of the river and forest worlds are wonderful and exciting, but there is nothing like home sweet home.
the illustrations you have chosen are just perfect.
now i am just in the mood to pop the kettle for a pot of tea, perhaps i shall rummage in the larder for a biscuit too.

many thanks for this lovely, comforty post. i had forgotten about the field mice, it was lovely to remember them.

millie

Floss said...

Lovely! And I do so identify with 'longing to be where you know how things work'...

magsmcc said...

Oh Elizabeth this is fabulous- so poignant and so beautiful! Thank you very much for your gracious participation!

Elderberry-Rob said...

...'this place which was all his own' ... that's me- I love my little house even though we have definitely outgrown it and every year we talk about moving, we never do because we love it here so much (17 years)... I love the thought that my children have only ever known this house and that makes them so secure.

Terri said...

Elizabeth, I love this post! Well done. :-)

Pom Pom said...

One of my very favorite passages. I love the way Rat compliments Mole and together they hunker down and honor Mole's home in a very practical manner. Elizabeth, you said you long to be where you know "how things work" and that's exactly why I'd rather be at home than at school. I'm constantly realizing that I don't know how school works but at home, it comes so naturally. What a sweet and comforting post. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Oh this was a darling post!

I am also a transplant...and sometimes I feel a bit out of place in this little town that I am living in. Going back to where I came from is not feasible for me at this time...but the memories do linger and they bring a smile :)

M.

Maggie said...

Such an evocative post, I feel just the same way from time to time.
Looking forward to my next visit "home" in May.
Maggie in Normandy.

Angela said...

Such a lovely post - and hopeful that before too long, you are back in England again where you 'know how it all works'!

*❀* said...

dear mags and all of you wonderful ladies involved i am so enjoying this event and can't wait till Friday! can hardly sleep :o)

xxx

millie

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh là là....j'ai su que vous êtes une institutrice de français? MOI AUSSI!!! Je viens de NOWHERE et Castles Crowns and Cottages....vous avez publier un commentaire sur le billet de mon mari; j'ai dessiné les deux rats et Ruben a écrit....on voudrait bien participer dans ce SPECTACLE de follies!!! You are so kind to welcome our silliness! I so love Millie Meadowsweet and via her,I have found you.

Hope to see you around!!! ANita

The dB family said...

This is my favorite part in the whole book! I almost felt like I myself was mole when I read it! I love my home! It would be very hard to leave it!

Blessings!
Deborah

Simone said...

Good old rat making Mole feel 'at home' in his home again. We need good friends to rally around when things all get a bit too much! A lovely post!

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