Mabel Normand in “Mickey” (1918)

Mabel, the Great Dane puppy, at twenty months old is learning the new sport of Nose Work and LOVING it!

Meet Mabel, my new, well old companion. She's in need of a makeover (only a slight one), but as she was only bought for £4.00, what do you expect. She was found in the back of a traditional charity shop - a rare sighting now. A charity shop where there's no formality, no 'new' items on display, no inflated prices, and certainly no order to anything. A shop where you see old school type floor tiles on the floor, the pricing is little scraps of hand written paper stuck on with sellotape to the shelves. The shop on first glance could be a nightmare to most people, but one that I love as you never know what you will unearth. A shop where you can buy Woods Ware for 10p an item, pretty floral bowls for 10p, sheets for 50p - shall I go on! When I saw Mabel as she's now affectionately called, I did deliberate for a time wondering where on earth I would put her, what I would use her for, what colour would I paint her etc etc. I decided against her - walked to the car where hubby and the boys' were sat playing with various phones, electronic devices etc. Having already named Mabel in the shop, I explained my dilemma to them - their first question was 'who is Mabel?' followed by 'what do you want a trolley for?' Hubby already realises that there are some questions you just don't ask, and sometimes it's just easiest to say - 'get it, and think about it later'. He kindly went off to the shop for me and duly paid for her and carried her back to the car. He most certainly didn't want to be seen pushing a tea trolley along the pavement......... Next problem - it didn't fit into the boot of his nice, but small car. Ha ha. I did jokingly suggest that we leave the boys' behind - take Mabel home, then come back for them later......After some jiggery pokery we managed to get her in. Hubby was rather stressed as he didn't want his car damaged trying to wedge Mabel in....... So there you have it, the story of Mabel the trolley.

Some people are such huge fans of the natural world that they keep seeing adorable animals everywhere they look. One of these people loves animals so much that they photoshop them onto random things and post them on the ‘Animals in Things’ Instagram page. The photo manipulations are striking.

Mabel and The Magic Ballet Slippers by Rona Jeanne Evartt is a charming book about Naomi, a young girl struggling to adjust to all the new changes in her life as she and her family move from their nice home in the suburbs to "the projects." Scared of facing a new school and losing all of her friends, Naomi tries to do what her mother says and find the blessings in everything that they have, and not to focus on what they no longer have...like Naomi's ballet lessons and her old friends. Everything changes for Naomi when an elderly woman comes over to visit, bringing cookies. Soon, Naomi has a friend and a purpose. With the help of Magic Ballet Slippers, Naomi discovers that she can do anything, no matter where she comes from or how much money she has. Mabel and The Magic Ballet Slippers would be helpful to any little girl who is going through major life changes or who just needs to remember that everything happens for a reason. Even the most dire of circumstances have their place in our lives because they lead to change and opportunity. Filled with love, compassion, and many life lessons, Mabel and The Magic Ballet Slippers by Rona Jeanne Evartt is written for children ages 7-9. It is a cute chapter book that could either be read alone by the child or read to the child. Even though there aren't many pictures, (only at the chapter beginnings and as scene separators) the story itself is engaging enough to keep younger readers entertained. I loved this book! I would definitely suggest this book to young girls. It is so good it should be shared.

Segunda parte del dúo [Mabel & Pato]

from ‘Gravity Falls’