Wednesday 12 December 2007

35 comments:

Blossomcottage said...

I would have loved to have seen you with the eyeline and eye shadow on, good advice I think to leave it off! I loved the Biology lesson, I can't see todays 13 year old being so embarrased as you clearly were and I certainly was.
Great letter and great advice I do hope you took some of it!!

Blossom

Anonymous said...

That was really interesting. Learning a little bit about Suffolkmum in her youth helps us to learn more about the woman she is now.

What a great thing to have done.
Crystal xx

Milla said...

Ah, bless. It's sweet how affectionate we are to our younger selves. But do post a picture of the sparkly blue eyeshadow. Being dark, have only ever used dark brown. Sometimes imagine, had I been blonde, whether I'd have been lured by it!

Exmoorjane said...

These letters are so wonderful - I've just read Cait's and now your's - both very beautifully written and so poignant. I felt like this was a prelude to a novel and I found myself wanting to know, yet dreading to know also, what happened to the people mentioned so tenderly.
Oh but the cringe that was biology and the 'sex lesson'....endured it at eleven and then again at 13 - obviously 'the time' for that particular humiliation rite of passage.
jxxx

muddyboots said...

love the sound of the eye make up!

Elizabethd said...

Never had those lessone, just bees, birds etc....very confusing!
Lovely letter.

Maggie Christie said...

I love these letters! Like Jane I have just read Cait's. I remember the 'no-one understands me' angst too and the biology lesson made me laugh. I remember a similar episode - funny the way some things stick in your mind!

Faith said...

Sex lessons - with boys there! Goodness me no, I went to a catholic convent!

Pig in the Kitchen said...

So sad about the boy you loved. What a lovely letter, you're very kind to yourself. And you forgot the electric blue mascara, didn't you wear that?
Pigx

Cait O'Connor said...

I enjoyed this so much SM, it was good to write my own and also to read others. A valuable exercise I'd say.

Frances said...

Just beautiful. Thirteen year old girls are so full of so many thoughts, wishes, and are not yet full of amendments to their hopes that the next decade could bring.

Thirteen. A lucky number.

xo

Kitty said...

You know how we keep having the parallel life thing going on? I think I might just cut and paste some of your letter and use it in mine!

Lovely, SM, really enjoyed reading this and imagining you at 13 with the blue eyeliner (did you do frosted pink lipstick too?).

Zoƫ said...

having been tagged myself, it's very interesting to read these letters, and how different we all are. Beautifully written, and a wonderful insight into the women you are today.

Pipany said...

These letters are so wonderful; it almost makes me want to weep remembering back to the insecurity of it all. definitely makes me want to know more. xx

Stay at home dad said...

Good grief, that's an insight into girls!

Great, as usual...

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

Oh this is great SM. I do so remember the crashing insecurity and you catch it so well. I also think we are tender to our 13 year old selves, as we should be.

LITTLE BROWN DOG said...

These are so poignant. It reads like the beginning of a really absorbing novel or film - I wish I could stay and watch the rest of it. Wish I'd been skinny and blonde at 13 - had to wait until I left home to do the blonde bit (never really managed skinny too well, though!)

Fennie said...

Oh that is so lovely SM. Now you must post a photo of you with blue eyeliner. That has to be something to see. I have been tagged for this exercise too, but I never could write anything as happy and positive and as full of love as this. Thanks for a wonderful read.

Elsie Button said...

what a great idea for a post! - and so so interesting to read - a bit of your adoloscent hisotry - a lot of which i (and many) can relate to you - a lovely, heart-warming read!

Chris Stovell said...

That was very poignant and struck several chords with me... although I think my eyeshadow moment was green with shiny white hightlighter! Bleurch!

Pondside said...

Such a sweet letter to your 13 year old self. Do you think you'd have listened if you'd heard all that good advice?

Tattieweasle said...

Scary about how long ago that all was - and how much we ahve all experienced both good and bad, happy and sometimes sad...beautifully written - as always!

Jan said...

I once got a class of 10 yr olds to write a letter to themselves at age 50....it seemed uinbelievable to them but as you can imagine, there were some marvellous results...

Kathleen said...

I got tagged with this too, and I loved reading your letter to your younger self. Thank you fr writing it.

Frog in the Field said...

Suffolk Mum,
that's a fantastic letter.
Very moving, Thank you for sharing.
Happy New Year to you.
Frog
x

Jan said...

Happy New Year to the writer of one of my favourite blogs! Thankyou.

CAMILLA said...

I so enjoyed reading this SM, reading about one's youth.

I remember that electric blue eyeliner myself growing up in London in the sixties.

A lovely letter SM, thank you for sharing with us.

Camilla.xx

Sally Townsend said...

Lovely SM and a real insight into you at 13 !! (you sounded nice even then)

@themill said...

Fabulous - have been tagged to do this myself, but haven't quite found the time as yet. Inspirational as always.

Pig in the Kitchen said...

Est-ce que tu vas revenir Mere de Suffolk?
Cochon a la cuisine

muddyboots said...

well did l laugh! then, realized l was as bad, stick thin but with wild hair, eyes gummed up with mascara.

Expat mum said...

But my 14 year old is wearing the blue eyeliner and metallic shadow so we couldn't have been that bad! Great post!

Tattieweasle said...

Hello!
Just checking....
Sunny at the moment....
How are you doing?

Rob Clack said...

I have given you an award, but I notice you haven't posted for a couple of months. Hope you return to pick it up.

Kitty said...

Am I allowed to say I am missing you, Suffolkmum? I know you're terribly busy and all, but just pop in and say hello in a rare spare moment. xx