If you have been reading my blogs, there are only nine of them, then you’ll know that I’m not particularly one for the ‘very serious’ blog, but I’m feeling the urge to, for once in my life, write a very serious blog. Recent events in my life and the lives of people very close and dear to me have made some facts about life and the people in it newly known. As pretentious as this may sound… Here’ goes!

I would like to think, and I believe that some people would back me up on this, that I am a kind person. I am generous, responsible, intelligent and a good listener. However, I was, and still am, trusting to a fault. I know I am not the only person that who regrets trusting someone or something only to get burned, figuratively speaking of course. However, once burned twice shy as they always say and now I find myself becoming an almost hard and cynical individual who is slow to trust and fast to judge when it used to be the opposite way around. It’s really very sad when that happens and, in all honesty, I wish I was still that person who could trust as easily as throwing a pebble in the sea.

I have had, so far in my short life, the pleasure of knowing, working, learning and enjoying the company of many people, some have hung around for a very, very, very long time (I mean, a very long time) others have been fleeting visits, but each one, no matter how fleeting, has undoubtedly had an impact on me, I’d like to say in a mostly positive way, but in some cases, rare cases it’s impossible to do so. The most horrific feeling I have had recently toward someone I had know and come to trust, respect and care for is disappointment and anger, not because of something to do with me, but for someone else, someone I have a lot of respect for. It made me realise something, something I think I already knew, but didn’t want to admit to myself just yet.

There are three types of people in this world; those who give and take their due in a good balance, those who give far, far too much and take far, far too little; and finally those who take and masquerade as the givers. It’s a terrifying thought really. What classification am I? Oh Goodness, I don’t know, but the latter, that is the one that is most terrifying to me. For someone to be able to make somebody trust them to the extent of being able to deal a crushing blow when suddenly the truster is no longer needed, that is horrifying.

I don’t really know what I want to say here. I’m not certain of what impact this will have on anyone if anyone takes the time to read this. As you know I write to get my thoughts down on paper and that’s what I have done here only on a much, much more somber note. However, know one thing, ambition, greed and cruelty are not the way forward into a happy future in this world. Be kind unto your neighbour, treat them as you yourself would wish to be treated and don’t ever steal the trust of someone and dash it against the rocks when it is no longer convenient for you to have it.

To those I know and to those I have known I hope this makes some sense.

My love and faith as always,

BeccaRabbit.

So technology is something that is inevitably a part of our lives that we cannot avoid from day to day. Computers, phones, radios, cars, even our microwaves and ovens now dictate how we should live our lives. But, as I sit here at my computer, tapping away at the keys with all the skill of a woman who has been brought up since the age of nine typing away, I do wonder where the old art of writing has gone, where the challenge of face to face discussion is heading. Soon enough it will be just fine to talk to a friend on the phone or maybe even just text them, send them and e-mail or talk to them on MSN or Skype or whatever we choose to use. I am not accusing anyone! I do it too! As a matter of fact I now have to remind myself to arrange dates to see my close friends. (Alarm thing on phone… Very useful). But that’s not what it’s all about.

I adore technology, though I am albeit a bit of a technophobe when it comes to computers. Nothing too complicated for me thank you very much. However, is technology making life too easy for us? Every time something goes wrong with a piece of technology the world goes into a panic. Remember when we reached the millennium and everyone in the UK thought that, because of some sort of code (Don’t ask me what) all of the NHS computers were going to crash at exactly midnight, pushing the whole country into chaos?

Chaos caused by a computer, what next? Now, I don’t believe in apocolypses and that sort of rubbish (even though I do wish that I could be a telepath). However, what if technology begins to take over the world even further? Honda have already created a robot that has the ability to walk up and down stairs. They refer to it as if it were a human. (It was so difficult not to use the words him and who in that sentence.) I wonder if, eventually, we will actually still know how to look after ourselves, how to use our hands, how to walk with our own feet, how to open a paper book, how to write a simple sentence with pen and paper (Think Disney’s Walle). If the world is ever plunged into darkness, if the energy that powers these things runs out, what will happen? I’m hoping that the evolution of technology stops at some point soon, because we have to maintain control of our own lives. As much as I love the alarm thing on my phone and typing away at the keyboard on a computer or using a touch screen phone, I sincerely hope that the skills of writing by hand (which I also value greatly) is not lost to the keyboard of a computer and that face to face speech is not replaced by web cams and single word messages on a screen.

So, until next time,

Best Wishes,

Becca Rabbit

Haha! You thought I had nothing to write about didn’t you?! Well, you’d be wrong about that, because with an extensive vocabulary and a little imagination there are always things to write about. There’s… well… I… Oh fine then, you were right I’m rubbish, with no imagination! Then again even without anything to write I can still write about my writer’s block.

As you may have guessed from previous blogs I really don’t write very often, particularly when the words are expected just to flow from brain to paper with very little in between. Facts are the staple diet of any writing that I do as a student and once my brain runs dry of things to say it normally stays that way. However, I’m sure certain members of my family would beg to differ on a verbal level. Normally when I get started, particularly if I’ve had a drink (one normally does the trick) I will not stop talking until someone gags me (this has not happened as of yet) or I fall asleep (this tends to be the case.) So it got me wondering, why is it easier to talk than to write? Talking and writing are basically the same process, aren’t they? Perhaps it’s because when we write we are able to look back on it and realise just how idiotic we sound whereas when we speak no one really notices, unless you say something really stupid like “When did Athens become its own country?” (I wasn’t the one who said that.)

Anyway, back to writers’ block. I wonder how many people actually write about writers’ block. Surely if you write about it then it’s not writer’s block because your writing capabilities haven’t been blocked really (I’m not going to read this back so sorry if it sounds stupid)? However, to move away from the lighthearted side of my own writers’ block, it can in actual fact be a very serious problem for professional writers unlike myself. One of the most well known cases of writer’s block is that of Joseph Mitchell who never recovered in the last decades of his life. He had written a piece about writer’s block prior to his own entitled “John Gould’s Secret” in 1964 and his own affliction which occurred in 1964, just after the publication of said work, was very much like that of his title character. He closed himself in an office and according to a colleague “he never complained, never explained.” So was this a result of cooped up emotions? Was stress just becoming too much of a thing in his life after his illness? Unfortunately he never wrote again.

So the next time we’re waiting for the sequel to a favourite novel or just another book from a favourite author let’s think before we post comments on blogs and fan pages. Serious writer’s block isn’t a joke and pressure to write is one of the main causes.

Until next time,

Best Wishes,

Becca Rabbit x

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to know exactly what people are thinking? Well, maybe not exactly ’cause that would be slightly awkward in some cases, but otherwise you must admit it would be kind of advantageous. Every day we we navigate a verbal cloak and dagger minefield. For example, today I got quite irritated at my mother for not helping me carry something out to the car. She asked me what was wrong and what did I say? A very terse ‘nothing’. Of course, what I wanted to say was “I could really use a hand, Mum.” However, if she could have read my mind she would have been able to realise that not all was well, so instead of being aware of what was wrong, I was grumpy and she had no clue what she could have done to prevent it. Trust me, when I say I was grumpy, I mean I was really, really grumpy, like a grumpy bear grumpy. So, as you may understand, in these cases it would be very advantageous indeed.

But, if someone were to hear my thoughts I feel sure that, like most things, all they would hear would be a bunch of random statements.

“Oh look at that tree.”

“I love tulips, I think I’ll buy a bunch. Oh look at the lilies.”

“I wonder if… no… but what if… but no… but I can afford it… No, you’d better not.”

“Wow, that cloud looks like a lopsided turtle wearing a top hat with wings and an afro.”

See what I mean, and that’s only on a good day. On a bad day it’s even worse. However, as I understand it, various films, books and television programs have explored the concept of telepathy, most notably “What Women Want”, “The Twilight Saga” and, more recently the “Sookie Stackhouse Novels” also known as HBO’s Television Series “True Blood”.

I was asked once, if I ever had a super human skill what would it be, but that was when I was quite young and I said I would like to fly, but really, what purpose does this serve apart from for your own gain. With the ability to read minds we could understand everything anyone ever says. When I say nothing my mother would know exactly what to do. When she is slamming cupboards and thudding things downstairs I’ll know exactly how I can help. In depictions of telepathy we see how it is used for personal gain and bribery, but I would very much like to see a depiction where it is used for the greater good. If I was a telepath that is certainly what I would do.

Until next time,

Best Wishes,

Becca Rabbit x

Does anyone else find it weird that there are clearly two different types of people when it comes down to gardening? I mean I cannot be the only one who cannot keep a plant alive to save myself. Clearly, in the world of plants, some of us are doomed never to achieve great things whereas others are… Well… Playing God.

Pumpkins the size of cinderella’s carriage, marrows the size of the next door neighbours four by four… I don’t think fruit and veg were made to be grown to these huge sizes, surely there is something fishy going on underneath the shiny, crunchy outer skin of that prize winning marrow. Don’t get me wrong, as a member of the doomed population I do marvel but then I wonder, just to what extremes do some gardeners take their hobby?

On television recently I saw a program concerning the growing of prize vegetables and was thoroughly disappointed to find that what some gardeners use to grow these objects of admiration is not what anyone would necessarily call natural. Shouldn’t the growth of these fruits of nature be, as the name may suggest, completely natural? The most ludicrous thing is that, after pumping a fruit or vegetable full of these chemicals, the subject cannot be used for any further purpose apart from to be shown off and to eventually rot and be forgotten. As a major foodie I would like to point out that I see no purpose in growing a fruit or vegetable that cannot be used in cooking of some shape or form in the future. I don’t want to look at a giant vegetable! The proof, as is commonly said, is in the eating! How can a vegetable can be judged as a prize winning vegetable without it being tasted for quality?

So, in my opinion- which is based on very limited background knowledge and an even more limited understanding of plants themselves- I do believe that a vegetable should only win a competition on account of its taste and its versatility in the kitchen. After all, why do we grow these things if not to sustain ourselves? As my father would say, think of all those starving people in Africa  (or any other third world country for that matter) why are we growing food that we cannot eat when some of them can hardly sustain themselves? It just seems such a waste when you think about it.

However, I do admire the people who can sit and wait for a flower to bloom or a crop to grow. It really does take some doing. Currently I’m growing a sunflower on my window ledge. I don’t know how you have the patience because I certainly don’t. It feels like months, but still the flower has not budded or whatever term those more knowledgeable than I am use. I maintain, nevertheless, that it is green and vaguely healthy looking and so, perhaps it will bloom in time.

For now, good bye. Keep the monster veg at bay! With my only dependent sunflower I have my hands full.

Until the next time,

Best wishes,

Rebecca Rabbit

I get that they’re pretty. I get that you’re supposed to grow nice things in them and brighten up the space around you, but plant pots are seriously not supposed to be used to cover up the fact that someone can’t give a rat’s arse to fix broken slabs on a set of stairs. Todays journal log, therefore, is going to be more of a rant about plant pots and various other things associated with a certain plant pot related incident which occurred today. You see , things have not been going well for me today. For instance, I slid down the stairs this morning and have numerous bruises on the back of my legs now and this plant pot episode was just the very last straw for my sanity today.

Plant pots, though lovely things they are, if anything, a major health and safety risk. For example, the average plant pot is no more than two feet high and therefore the risk of someone tripping over one is relatively high. They are also heavy and there is an equally harsh risk of a stubbed toe or even, due to tripping, a broken leg, as pots tend not to give way to the object that may have fallen over them. So, in my opinion plant pots are fairly dangerous to a clumsy thing like me at the best of times.  However, my father is of the opinion that plant pots should be used to cover up ‘minor blunders’ in the garden, such as loose slabs. So when I went to climb the steps up to the grass area of our garden I slipped on the stone slab and both the plant pot covering up the health hazard and myself went a-tumbling down the steps. I don’t know what was more infuriating about this experience. The fact that the step was loose in the first place or the fact that the second my father heard what had happened he came outside and said “What have you done now?” seemingly more concerned for the broken plant pot than my of health and wellbeing. I’m sure you can understand my distress! So, which should I be more annoyed about? My father or the plant pot? Well, I’ve chosen to be more annoyed at the plant pot for now, this, however, may change, who knows.

For now,

Best Wishes,

Becca Rabbit xx

Ok, so I was cooking dinner for my family this evening and I suddenly wondered, through the pain, the blurred vision and the tears, why on earth do we still cook onions even though everyone knows that they only cause pain and suffering (Short term of course)? Sure, when cooked in a well done stew they are fantastic and what makes Spaghetti Bolognese if not the tiny addition of a little onion? But why put ourselves through the pain? Like a mouse who learns to keep away from the cat’s paws surely we should learn to keep a good distance from the many layered menace that is the onion?

There are various hints and tips that TV chefs give out in an attempt to help us poor home cooks avoid the dreaded teary stage when chopping an onion. “Suck on a spoon”, Cut the root last” (That turned out to be completely wrong), “Cut the root first and leave the very top until the end” (Meh, similar outcome to the former suggestion), “Buy these onion goggles, they’re fashionable cookware.”. When tried these techniques tend to fail. Maybe, as I’ve pointed out before, I’m not the sharpest tool in the box and so, perhaps I’m doing it wrong, but at least I know I cannot pull off the notorious onion goggle look, I’d rather cry then look like a space alien. As for the chopping tips, neither of them seems to work and so, with regret I have to put them down to old wives tales or some such nonsense. Sucking on a spoon? Well, it comes down to a mixture of both outcomes.

So, should there be any further advancement in the methods of easy onion chopping I will let you know, but for now I have to remain, as an amateur chef, in pain and discomfort when creating the bases of some of the few dishes I can actually cook. May we leave the dreaded goggles in the drawer and the spoons their place. For now chop onions as quickly as possible to get it over with and, one important thing. WASH YOU HANDS BEFORE RUBBING YOUR EYES!!!

Best wishes,

Becca Rabbit xx

The funny thing about the word conundrum is not only its mostly obscure meaning, but also everything around it. The way it sounds, the way it’s formed. Surely a word with so many ‘M’ and ‘N’ sounds is simply some sort of conundrum in itself. Who on earth came up with such a repetitive sounding word? On the other hand it is such a lovely sounding word with its big sounds that fill your mouth. A bit like German if you think about it. No little sounds, just big earthy ones. Try it, I’m serious. It’s an awesome word when it comes to how it sounds. Not only is it nice to say, but it makes you sound like a proper boffin (Only when used in the correct context of course, don’t go around saying Conundrum randomly).

Wikipedia states that a Conundrum may refer to:

• A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun or unexpected twist
• A logical postulation that evades resolution, an intricate and difficult problem.

So does this make a Conundrum a conundrum in itself, because -it may be because I’m not the sharpest tool in the box- I have no idea what either of those statements really means? I love words that make very little sense to the majority of regular population. They make great conversation pieces, because no one actually knows what a conundrum really is. I mean really is. Why do we have a word for a complicated riddle or problem when we could just call it a complicated riddle or problem unless it isn’t really a complicated riddle or problem, but something different all together?

Examples of this phenomenon:

• “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”
• “Set fire to the rain”
• “Conundrum”

Best Wishes,

Becca Rabbit x

Hello, dear Reader, from my mind to yours. Because this is really what I’m doing, putting on display parts of my mental processes for people to read and perhaps enjoy. Don’t think, however, that I’m going to be writing something meaningful here.

Let me explain a little about myself and my reason for blogging and then you’ll perhaps understand slightly better.

My name is Rebecca Ellison. I call myself Beccarabbit on here because it was my nickname when I was little. It is from the Beatrix Potter books about Peter Rabbit (For those who don’t know, Peter Rabbit’s mother is called Rebecca Rabbit!!). Anyway, I am currently a forth year student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. I’m studying for a Bachelor Degree in Primary Education. Teaching is something I’ve wanted to do since before I can really remember. I currently live with my family, but who knows, that might change in the next couple of years, I am an adult after all.

The title I have chosen for my blog is ‘The Accounts of a Flutter By Mind’. You see, I am a bit of a thinker. I think all the time, not just about things like breathing and living and walking, but of other things like what it might be like to be able to do all of the things that super heroes can do in movies, like fly and read people’s minds and lots of other random things. My mind doesn’t stay on one subject for long though and so I call it my ‘Flutter By Mind’ (My medic brother might like to refer to it as Flight of Thoughts).
I have always been a great reader. I love to read and to write and I suppose a lot of my random thoughts come from the books I read and the movies I see – I’m a bit of a movie buff too. So this is what I mean about my blogs not meaning much. What you read here isn’t going to be good prose or earth shattering ideology. It’s just the ramblings of a ‘Flutter By Mind’.

Best Wishes,
Beccarabbit