Namesake

I thought I would explain my reasoning behind the blog's name. Enid Blyton's 'The folk of the faraway tree' was given to me as a Christmas present back in 1991 by my Grandmother, so even though I don't remember hearing it for the first time, it's been floating around my subconscious for a very, very long time. There's something about Blyton that brings magic to life, and evokes nostalgia for a past when everything appeared to be simple and anything was possible.

" "What Land? At the top of a Tree? A land at the top of a tree!"said Connie, puzzled.

"Yes," said Bessie. "You see, the Enchanted Wood is quite near here, Connie. And in the middle of it is the biggest, tallest tree in the world - very magic indeed. It's called the Faraway Tree, because its top is so far away, and always sticks up into some queer magic land there - a different one every week." "

This year I'm writing my honours disseration, and running away to the Faraway Tree would be the most ideal form of escapism. Failing that, blogging seems to be the next best thing.

I wonder, what sort of Land would I want to find at the top of the Tree? I don't think I could come up with anything to beat "nursery rhyme land", "the land of tea parties" or "the land of treats". I mean seriously, it might be the nostalgia creeping up again, but you just don't come across places like this anymore!