All that glisters
A few days ago, a tiny bottle of fairy dust exploded in my bag.
It really must have been magical, because now I seem to have a tanker's worth of glitter in my life.
Despite my best efforts to clean it up, the glitter has somehow managed to migrate throughout my home and has infiltrated all of my things.
'Oh Pearl,' people keep saying, 'you're all sparkly!'
Well, I have decided to embrace this as a happy accident.
I love to fling glitter at my paintings, so why not join in with the glitter party myself?!
Pearl
Angelic
Do you believe in angels?
I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the religious connotations that angels bring with them – but there is certainly something intriguing about the idea of some kind of spiritual entity watching over you.
Once at a dinner party, a woman leaned across to me and asked if I had any particularly strong ties with a young man with dark hair – I said I couldn't think of one.
She said she could see a young spirit man standing right behind my chair. I turned around, but there was apparently no one there.
Then again, maybe there had been something in the woman's vichyssoise.
I like the idea of angels not looking how you'd expect – not necessarily serene and lit with an ethereal glow.
After all, they do say, that angels walk among us.
Pearl
Snow White's woods
Fortunately, I didn't have to run from an evil stepmother.
But a few days ago, spring sprang, and I found myself in the woods with a friend.
The scenery was stunning – it's easy to imagine how a landscape like this could inspire stories of runaway princesses, monstrous queens, secret dwarves' houses and mysterious princes.
If my imagination could count as a white horse, then I can certainly say that I got carried away on one ;)
Pearl
The fairy glade
I slipped away to one of my favourite places today.
It is a little graveyard on the outer fringes of town.
This may sound a bit morbid but actually, there is something incredibly peaceful, calming and magical about this place.
When I am there, I feel that I wouldn't be at all surprised to glance up and see sprites or fairies peering around the gravestones at me.
Sometimes, it's good to be still for a moment, so that they can find you!
Pearl
Magic among the stars?
I don't know about you, but...
I'm blown away by the news that NASA has discovered seven new planets.
But what really interests me, is the fact that almost every report I've read has eagerly flagged up the fact that we can now crack on with looking for aliens.
"Not just one, but seven Earth-sized planets that could potentially harbor life have been identified orbiting a tiny star not too far away, offering the first realistic opportunity to search for signs of alien life outside the solar system."
The New York Times
"Seven Earth-like planets have makings of Alien life"
The Australian
"Exoplanets found orbiting Trappist-1 raise hope that the hunt for alien life beyond the solar system can start much sooner than previously thought."
The Guardian
I can remember solemnly telling my Primary school teacher that aliens do exist. And she told me in no uncertain terms that no, they most certainly do not.
As much as grown-ups like to wear suits and pretend to be sensible and important, like that teacher, I am happy to think that deep down, most people want to be as awe-inspired and believing as an eight-year-old kid.
Pearl
Magic gadget
Alright. I confess.
I was in a technology shop yesterday, the branding of which is named after a fruit. I've always used their products – partly because I'm a sucker for elegantly designed things and partly because I am a technophobe. They're easy to use.
This brand is famous for its slick, sleek and shiny marketing – and as a result, their little gadgets have wormed their way into the very fabric of modern Western culture.
I picked up one of their newest phone models, inwardly marvelling at its perfectly bevelled edges. As I turned it over in my hand, the screen lit up and three adjectives appeared – I can't remember what the first two were, but the third one was 'magical'.
I thought, wow – even when you're at the cutting of the newest, most modern ideas - magic is still where it's at.
Pearl
