We Need To Have A Talk, Sweetie...

This is a journal I didn't get to do throughout 2019 because of my mental health issues, but now I'm going to give life a second chance and express myself. This is a gratitude journal, which means it gives girls and women a chance to express themselves. I started it yesterday, and now I'm on the two pages that encourage you girls to write down what you loved as a little kid - I loved Teletubbies - and features a quote about childhood from ballerina Misty Copeland, and a reading of her book 'Firebird' - she played the Firebird in the ballet of the same name - is featured in 50 Days Of Bluey's 'Charades'. It gives me a great chance to express how I feel the same way the short films Archie and Hair Love give freedom to let their characters express how they feel without telling us. Now, I'm going to spend more time with it. Don't worry, I'll still be able to spend time with my Winnie The Pooh diary, but now, we need quality time. Also, I mentioned Rocko's Modern Life in my latest Express Yourself entry.

Moving Day!

Watch closely. You're about to get a glimpse into our new, quieter home, all ready to go!

There's our sofa in our new living room.

There's our new dining room - our kitchen.

Currently I'm sorting out books for my shelves, and it's taking quite a long time. In fact it's back-breaking work! So, here are my depictions of me moving out...through Pingu of course!

Living On Your Own/Moving Day

Today is moving day! I am staying at the house while Mum goes back there to that awful, noisy place. This promo for Rocko's Modern Life demonstrates what it's like to take charge of the house and get the pets and yourself some food, and this episode of Pingu is a reminder of us moving to Grandma's for her sake.

Dustbin Baby

This is a quote from Dustbin Baby, one of Jacqueline Wilson's books. CBBC has put up their old film Dustbin Baby on iPlayer, and I saw it a few days ago along with Dumping Ground Island. I think the film is similar to episode 8 of My Pride because it features April progressing down to a little girl's age as she revisits her sad past, and it's definitely a watch. If you feel stressed by all that's going on at CBBC at the moment, this moving journey featuring Jacqueline Wilson's character April will calm you down. What would really make it better is if April met a boy while going to find where she belongs, only to discover he's an angel, her guardian angel, who shows her her past through magic and knocking her unconscious. Enough talking, open the dustbin lid on the film I didn't see at a young age!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00g8g80/dustbin-baby

Never Mind Three Months...

...how about, A YEAR?!

YES!! All of Scream Street is available to view on iPlayer, so there's no need to make the days long, watching Scream Street will make long, boring days go by even quicker. Which means, before you know it, quick showers will be replaced by long baths - and a goblin will be more interesting than a talking piece of cheese.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m000nw0v/scream-street

When I Take Charge Of My New House...

I was in charge of the house while mum was out doing last minute refurbishing to the place I once half-despised, half-loved. The only thing I'll miss about being here is watching Scream Street on CBBC and Bluey on Disney Junior, but I'll still enjoy this new era! I got a bit sick, but I lay down and breathed in and out - with my cat Mushroom walking around me - making me feel a lot better again. I didn't answer the door, and I wrote a card to apologise to Mum for being a weebly. Inside the card, I drew a picture of a puppy called Pip, which gave me an idea for a story - 'Pip The Pup Says Sorry' about how Pip learnt to apologise when his favourite school lunch got ruined, inspired by that Howard B Wigglebottom story I saw online about controlling anger.

Here's what it feels like for me living on my own:

We Own NAPPIES?!

That's right - my mum owns real actual nappies for her baby dolls. It's like she's aged down into a little girl again or something! First baby dolls, now a doll's house?! I have the weirdest mother in the world.

They make great musical instruments, though!

Writing Dream Team!

We Can Cut It Into Little Duckies, Like Grandma Does...

Make some duck sandwiches with mango chutney and other fillings here:

https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/duck-sandwich-with-mango-chutney-and-salted-pickled-onions/11182/

https://www.marthastewart.com/1158483/smoked-duck-and-chutney-butter-tea-sandwiches

Story Tree/How To Make A Story Tree

I've decided to do a Story Tree - a perfect idea for when you have a story in your mind. The branches are new stories that sprout every day. I was, on that hand, inspired by the 'How To Make Your Family Tree' feature from the DVD of The Tigger Movie to make this. If you're an aspiring writer, you can make one too! Here's how.

What You Need:

• A piece of paper
• Scrap paper
• A pen
• Scissors
• Glue

1. Start by drawing a leafless tree on the piece of paper. Draw seven or six bare branches to make 'Story Branches'.
2. Take some scrap paper and cut it into little squares using the scissors.
3. Glue each piece of scrap paper onto each branch.
4. Have fun! Write down your story idea on each piece of scrap paper when a thought comes into your mind.

No Bluey...

I am sorry to say that Bluey isn't available on CBeebies' schedule for the 5th-9th April. At least School Of Roars is back with new episodes, though, that's fair. Hopefully she'll appear on next week's CBeebies schedule.

Little Baby - My Entry To The Bristol Short Story Prize Competition

About two days ago, I wrote down a remarkable story based on a Teletubbies episode named 'Little Baby', about a mother who finds the meaning of why she converted to parenthood through a Teletubbies episode. Now, today, since I found it via a selection of competitions on the Creative Writing Ink website (they're pu-retty good at hosting competitions), I'm entering it into the Bristol Short Story Prize competition:

Little Baby

I tried to make it as Jacqueline Wilson/Mum Minder-like as possible, with references to designs on Pampers and Huggies nappies, Heinz baby food and programmes from CBeebies like Mr. Bloom's Nursery, In The Night Garden and Something Special.

Find out more about the Bristol Short Story Prize and other competitions from Creative Writing Ink here:

https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/about-us

https://creativewritingink.co.uk/writing-competitions/

Movin' Out (Sybil's Song)

We're moving to the peace and serenity of Grandma's house! Yay! I'd like to talk about the memorable 24 hours of yesterday.

First, Sally came over and brought me some craft paper and some utensils to start scrapbooking with. I even got a Pritt Stick! The day I mentioned I wanted a Pritt Stick, it turns up right then and there!

In Bonar Bridge, after we brought Grandma her stuff in hospital, it was a picnic lunch: sandwiches and pork pies and scotch eggs and Penguins and Twirls and Coke. Oh boy, it was delicious, and I haven't been to the Salmon Place in almost a year. Tell that to Tug from Brother Bear, that fat black-furred oaf will know more about fishing than men ever learn.

Later, we picked up stuff from the house, and I was just taking my stuff and Christmas tree ornaments down when suddenly...

Due to my outrageous clumsiness, everything had fallen onto the floor and every single ornament that we have kept for years was broken. Luckily, Mum reassured me that accidents happen and we have to get used to them. I feel guilty, but the good news is I keep my favourite Toybox magazine with regular favourites like Odd Squad and Danger Mouse and my mega-favourite Scream Street in the cupboard now. I'll do the Scream Street sticker activity sometime soon, but I swear Danger Mouse sounds like Sonic The Hedgehog in the story in the magazine, and the spider in the new Danger Mouse reminds me of Louis the alligator from Disney's The Princess & The Frog. Welcome home, Scream Street.

Next, we went to Alness storage to collect some boxes to put all our other stuff from the old, noisy house in Golspie (AAAAARRGGHH!! I hate this place, the neighbours, dog and lawnmower drive me INSANE!) While there, I thought up a few new ideas for stories, like 'Little Baby', a true story of one parent's desire to change her life forever after seeing a Teletubbies episode, and the decision to put characters from Pop and Tiny Pop into the I.B.F.F Diaries stories since Miffy and Melanie are featured. Even Twilight Sparkle and her pony friends get featured, in a similar fashion to 'I.B.F.Fs: Movie Stars'. Sometimes, I wish Tiny Pop wasn't boring...

There was such a lot of boxes in the back of the car that I mentioned that the car would dramatically 'tip over' which made Mum and the owner of the company burst out laughing.

I also learned one very important thing: doing a blog, then writing is a much more clever way of keeping cool when in doubt, especially when you're as autistic as I am, and I'm already planning to do a 'Story Tree', a huge tree with ideas in its branches that make up my story. I'm going to have such a happy new life!