Five Go To Disneyland!

Hey, did you hear that? The Famous Five team is getting a twenty-first century make-over. Disney is making an animated series of the adventurous five who kept us glued to the Famous Five books in our childhood. But this time it is their descendants that are going to take us on an adventure trail. Gone are Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy. Enter their techno-savvy kids with laptops and mobile phones: Max, Dylan, Allie, Jo and Timmy-II.

Jo is the group's leader - she is the daughter of George and an Indian named Ravi whom she met on a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas. Hmm...quite interesting. Could be the lead to an interesting love story between tomboy George and the conservative, orthodox Indian...

Max - the son of Julian – enjoys thrill-seeking activities including surfing. He is outgoing and athletic and has a shock of blond hair.

Dylan is Dick's son and lives in the city. He wears a hoodie and carries a laptop, video camera and mobile phone and is described as the "entrepreneur".

And Allie, the daughter of Anne has matching headband, T-shirt and wristband and is constantly on her mobile phone to her friends back home.

It is interesting to imagine that all the original Famous Five adventures would have ended differently if Julian and his team had mobile phones. The police would have been just a call away in most situations which had sent our pulses racing...

It's my birthday....

It's my birthday to-day and I am a year older than I had been yesterday. I must confess that much as I'm delighted about my birthday, I'm not all that enthusiastic about becoming older.

I woke up in the morning with a prayer in my heart and a host of resolutions in my head. Hubby darling and daughter dearest showered me with good wishes and gifts and I got a few calls from home too, which have made my day.

I'm alone at home now and find myself drifting off into a rather contemplative mood. I am reflecting on all the birthdays past and on the mysterious mechanism of growing older with each passing birthday. Wasn't it just yesterday that I went overboard with joy on getting a set of Famous Five books as a birthday gift? It was for my tenth birthday, I guess. How time flies!

This morning, I did not forget to read Psalm 103, which has become a custom with me ever since my tenth birthday. That was when I got a birthday greeting card from our church, in which the Vicar had written "You must read Psalm 103 to-day and meditate on it"

I looked out of my window in the morning and saw the sun shining brightly. Isn't it the same sun which shone brightly on my tenth birthday as I trudged along to school in an orange bellbottom trouser and polka dotted top with a box of Cadbury's Eclairs in my bag? Why doesn't the sun grow old? Why don't the Famous Five kids ever grow old? Tucked away between the covers of the book, Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy remain frozen in time.

I just raided my daughter's bookshelf and picked an old Famous Five book and browsed through a few pages. I was immediately transported back in time. I became a ten year old with an enormous appetite for Enid Blyton books……..

I guess I have reached the conclusion that you are only as old as you think you are. It's all a matter of the heart and the head. So let me count my blessings, think positive and age gracefully as I raise my glass to toast the year that has gone by…………..

A Visit to the "Maximum City"