A childhood dream of mine came true last week.
I’ve always loved the Wizard of Oz. I love the story, the songs, the way it turns from black and white to glorious colour and most of all I love the famous shoes.
Every Christmas, I watch it on television. I have it on DVD, I have two coffee mugs bearing famous scenes and I have red shoes – a pair of red leather ones to wear during the day and a sparkly pair I wore on the day of our wedding blessing.
So when my hubby heard Dorothy’s ruby slippers were coming to the UK for the first time, he didn’t hesitate about booking tickets for the exhibition of Hollywood costumes.
So there I was last Sunday, a 41-year-old woman, starstuck by a pair of shoes.
I wasn’t the only one standing there gawping, but almost everyone else jostling for position was at least 30 years younger.
It only dawned on me this week why I love the film so much. I’m a real homebird and the movie is all about Dorothy’s quest to find her way back to the people and the place she loves most.
When I was about 11, I went for my first sleepover at a friend’s house. I was so excited and was having a lovely time but when it came to going to bed, all I wanted to do was go home.
My friend lived in Wigmore and I lived in Lordswood – it was hardly another dimension but I felt so homesick, I worked myself up into a state. My friend’s mum had to call mine to try to calm me down.
I got better as I got older but even now, if I’m away on holiday, I’ll be missing my own bed.
So for me, there really is no place like home.
And if I can get hold of a pair of ruby slippers that can transport me anywhere at three clicks of my heels, I can save myself a heap of cash on my fuel bills.
RSS feeds