Christmas - Lord of Misrule

Lord of Misrule


The custom of appointing a Lord of Misrule stemmed from ancient Rome. From the 17th to the 23rd of December his duty was to preside at the feast of Saturnalia, in the semblance of Saturn, the beneficial god. At that time masters served their slaves, and slaves became state officials. At that time, The Lord of Misrule was in authority and could order anyone to do anything.

The custom continued in the Christian era when the well-paid King of Misrule or Lord of Misrule officiated for many days at Christmas in the late medieval and early Tudor eras. He supervised Christmas celebrations at court, in noblemen’s houses, in the Inns of Court and at Oxford and Cambridge universities. During the festivities, he received homage from his court and was in charge of all the entertainment.

Eventually, the authorities put an end to the custom because, as time passed by the custom of having a Lord of Misrule degenerated into an excuse for rowdy behavior. Accompanied by a crowd playing musical instruments, and acting like mummers, he would march to church and interrupt the service.

Log Fires and Yule Logs

Log fires and Yule Logs


I’ve been trying to decide which of the recipes for a yule log which include eggs, can be converted to an egg free recipe. I haven’t decided, but thoughts of a ‘yule log’ brought images of a real one burning in the hearth.

The other evening, at my son and daughter-in-law’s house there was a wood fire in the grate. The flames, the warmth and the crackling wood brought pictures of the past to my mind.

The Druids blessed a ‘log’ the trunk or part of the trunk of a tree, and kept it burning throughout the winter solstice, which lasted 12 days, and kept part of it to light the following year’s Yule log.

In the northern lands of the Viking’s icy winter, warmth was essential. It was also necessary to placate Thor and greet the sun’s return after winter. The Yule log was the focus of their celebration the julfest. They carved runes on tree trunk which represented – for example – bad luck – that they wanted their gods and goddesses to take away. They also believed everyone who helped to bring in the Yule log would be protected from witches.

Druid or Viking, I can imagine families enjoying the fire with its light flickering over their faces, and children, cosy indoors, enjoying winter fare and listening to tales.

The Vikings, who doused the log with alcohol to make it burn, brought the custom to Britain, where with the passage of time, it was adopted by medieval Christians, to whom it represented the need to keep Jesus warm.

It was important to keep the log burning throughout the twelve days of Christmas, after which the ashes were gathered, and kept indoors to prevent lightening or fire breaking out.

Today, there are very few hearths large enough to fit a Yule log but there is nothing to prevent us choosing the largest log which will fit the fireplace and burning it in memory of the past.

Tradition of Christmas Kissing Bough

Christmas Kissing Bough


Now that I have researched the Kissing Bough I shall make one, if I have time.

In pagan times the kissing bough was a ball of holly and other evergreens beneath which hung mistletoe. It was probably linked to fertility rites the details which are lost in time.

However, once upon a time in Europe, to bless the household, a small treetop was hung upside down in the house to represent the Holy Trinity. However, it was not the custom in Britain, so from the 15th century onwards a Sacramental, a hoop or circle made of ash willow or hazel, was created, with either a model of the Christ Child or the Holy Family in the centre. Perhaps children helped to make it and looked forward to the priest blessing the bough before it was hung inside before the front door. Visitors indicated they brought good will by exchanging an embrace beneath the Holy Bough. As time passed by the bough became more elaborate, and was decorated with ribbons, gilded nuts and apples and candles.

In due course of time the Holy Bough or Holly Bough became known as the Kissing Bough due to the sprig of mistletoe suspended from it, which allowed any woman passing beneath it to be kissed.

If I have time, I want to make my own version of a kissing bough using an oasis ball decorated with holly and other greenery from my garden, red ribbon and ornaments. As I blogged yesterday I have no mistletoe so I shall call it a holly ball. If I don’t have time this year it is something I want to make next year along with a homemade wreath for my front door.

Medieval Christmas Miracle:The Holy Thorn of Glasonbury

Medieval Christmas Miracle:The Holy Thorn of Glastonbury


Most legends cannot be substantiated, but it has been recorded that the Holy Thorn blooms on the dot of midnight on old Christmas Eve, January 5th. (In 1752 Christmas was moved back to December 25th.)

The Thorn is regarded as holy because it is said that after Christ’s crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea, the owner of the tomb where Jesus lay, was preaching in Britain and came to the Isle of Avalon. While he was there on Christmas Day he thrust his staff into the ground where it immediately took root and sprouted leaves and blossom. Inspired by the miracle, Joseph established a church on the Isle.


Over the years cuttings of the Holy Thorn have been taken. For example, the Puritans disapproved of Christmas and cut down the miraculous thorn tree and, more recently, it was cut down. Fortunately the cuttings have survived to bloom at midnight on old Christmas Eve, and for a branch in bud to be sent to the sovereign each Christmas.



Christmas Kissing Bough

Now that I have researched the Kissing Bough I shall make one, if I have time.

In pagan times the kissing bough was a ball of holly and other evergreens beneath which hung mistletoe. It was probably linked to fertility rites the details which are lost in time.

However, once upon a time in Europe, to bless the household, a small treetop was hung upside down in the house to represent the Holy Trinity. However, it was not the custom in Britain, so from the 15th century onwards a Sacramental, a hoop or circle made of ash willow or hazel, was created, with either a model of the Christ Child or the Holy Family in the centre. Perhaps children helped to make it and looked forward to the priest blessing the bough before it was hung inside before the front door. Visitors indicated they brought good will by exchanging an embrace beneath the Holy Bough. As time passed by the bough became more elaborate, and was decorated with ribbons, gilded nuts and apples and candles.

In due course of time the Holy Bough or Holly Bough became known as the Kissing Bough due to the sprig of mistletoe suspended from it, which allowed any woman passing beneath it to be kissed.

If I have time, I want to make my own version of a kissing bough using an oasis ball decorated with holly and other greenery from my garden, red ribbon and ornaments. As I blogged yesterday I have no mistletoe so I shall call it a holly ball. If I don’t have time this year it is something I want to make next year along with a homemade wreath for my front door.

Mistletoe, Christmas, Norse & Kisses

Mistletoe, Christmas, Norse Mythology & Kisses.


I have no fresh mistletoe to decorate my house, but hope to establish some on an apple tree in my organic garden. Of course, I could use artificial mistletoe but have decided not to.

There are many legends about this plant sacred to druids and the properties ascribed to it. However the source of kissing under the mistletoe seems to be the legend about the Norse goddess of love, Frigga, and her son Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder told his mother he had dreamt of his death. Anxious because it would mean the end of life on earth in the way she knew it, and about the loss of her son, she asked every being in the five elements to promise not to hurt Balder. Unfortunately, Frigga forgot to ask mistletoe that grew on apple trees to make the promise and it came about that mistletoe caused Balder’s death and then brought him back to life. Frigga’s tears turned into white berries, which she blessed, saying that anyone who stood beneath mistletoe would be safe and had the right to a kiss which symbolised love. It seems that this legend is the source of the custom of kissing under the mistletoe, which became a tradition at Christmas. Possibly, Viking invaders introduced the legend, which 21st century people might consider quaint, but if I can grow some, I would like to decorate my house with mistletoe.

Ivy at Christmas Past and Present

Ivy at Christmas Past and Present.


I have picked holly and ivy, arranged them in a vase, and decorated them with tiny parcels wrapped in gold paper tied with red ribbon and ornamented with stars.

Early Christians would not have brought ivy indoors because the Church associated it with the god of wine, Bacchus, who wore a wreath of ivy on his head, and whose female associates drank wine made from ivy. I did not feel guilty for picking ivy which, according to one belief, symbolises females because it clings, and according to another represents human need to cling to divine strength.

There are many legends about ivy, one was that a stem placed in a glass of wine would filter poison, and another was that ivy growing on the wall of a house deterred witches

Once upon a time, there were contradictory beliefs about ivy. She was either condemned to stand outside in winter’s cold or described as blessed and cherished. Also, because ivy grows profusely in graveyards, it was sometimes regarded as a symbol of death, so it was not surprising she was banned from the celebration of Christ’s birth, although, like other evergreens, she was believed to represent eternal life.

Eventually, the Church allowed ivy to be carved in stone and wood, but she was still condemned to remain outside in the cold, dark days of winter, but ivy cut from my garden, both plain green and variegated green and sunshine-yellow are welcome in my house.

Holly or Christ's Thorn and Legend

Festive Holly or Christ’s Thorn and Legend


This year the holly bush in my garden has abundant scarlet berries which will glow against the green, prickly leaves in my house and connect it with the past because holly was used to decorate mediaeval houses in the dark days of midwinter. However, holly and other greenery were disapproved of by the church because of their connection to pagan customs. Druids decorated their huts with holly, ivy and mistletoe; Romans exchanged boughs and gifts during Satturnalia, which took place a week before Christmas.

Another name for holly is Christ’s Thorn. According to legend, when Christ walked on earth holly grew in his footsteps. Perhaps it was called holy tree not holly tree and the scarlet berries, which resemble drops of blood, are symbolic of Christ’s suffering.

Eventually, the Church accepted holly, the wood of which was thought to have been used for the cross on which Christ was crucified; and the leaves were believed to have been used in His crown of thorns. It was also claimed its white flowers symbolised the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception and that its evergreen leaves represented life eternal.

There are many superstitions about holly, which was regarded as a man’s plant. Mediaeval people believed holly brings good luck, and that when it was planted outside their doors it protected them from thunderstorms.

So, when I bring holly into my house tomorrow I will be conscious of these and many more old beliefs, legends and superstitions.

Christmas Trees, Druids and Saints

Christmas Trees, Druids ad Saints


Yesterday morning, my three year-old granddaughter and I decorated my Christmas tree. “Beautiful,” she said when the lights were turned on, “Beautiful,” she shouted with all the delightful enthusiasm of a small girl, when I draped the tree with tinsel garlands. And then she sang Jiggle Bells – her version of Jingle Bells while we put shiny decorations on the tree; and then she fell in love with the angel for the top of the tree. “I like it,” she told me when I put it in place.

After she went home I researched Christmas trees. I had always associated the first ones in England with Queen Victoria and Albert but, to my surprise, I discovered Christmas, or fir trees, were important in the seventh an eighth century.

Saint Wilfred, 634-709, cut down an oak tree sacred to pagan gods. After the oak split in half, a fir tree sprouted from the centre. The saint declared the fir was dedicated to Christ and that its evergreen branches represented eternal life. There is another story about another English saint, Boniface 680-754, who cut down an oak, the tree sacred to druids. When pagan gods neither took revenge nor protected the pagans for chopping down the oak, it helped the saint to convert people to Christianity.

In Germany, during the mediaeval era, the fir tree symbolised the Garden of Eden in mummers’ plays and, maybe, in England. However, it seems Christmas trees were not set up indoors at that period, but there is a picture dated 1521 (just after the mediaeval period) of a decorated fir being carried down a German street.

Today, artificial Christmas trees are available in pink, white, green and other colours but, although I have a large green, artificial tree for environmental reasons, nothing is superior to the fragrance of a real fir tree. Next year I might buy a small tree and plant it in the garden after Twelfth Night.

Christmas Fare Present and Mediaeval

Christmas Fare Present and Mediaeval


Today, those who wish to celebrate Christmas with special food have a much wider choice than their mediaeval ancestors. There would have been no potatoes roast or otherwise, no tomatoes and no turkey, for the lands which produced them were unknown in Europe.

My family and I are vegetarians, but on Christmas day we will enjoy a wide variety of festive food, including a vegetarian Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and mince pies.

Our main dish, a large vegetable and cheese pie will be served, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and other vegetables as well as gravy and sauce. On Boxing Day lunch will be accompanied by a large salad in which there will be avocado, olives and tomatoes as well as other ingredients - a very different menu to that served in mediaeval times.

Vegetables were not usually served with fish, fowl and meat. As well as fruit they were used to make sauce or incorporated in pottage – which – I think - was a cross between a kind of thick, nourishing soup and a stew. Apart from the boar’s head, which I wrote of in an earlier post, at Christmas, bacon, beef or ham might be served and, maybe, swan or goose. On noblemen’s estates the peasants would partake of communal meals and – if they were lucky - drink Christmas Wassail, a spiced, sweetened mixture of ale and cider.

Frumenty, sometimes called plum porridge, wheat boiled in milk to which eggs, spices and later, when they were available, dried fruit was added. Eventually, the frumenty was tied in a cloth and boiled thus making an ancestor of the Christmas pudding. Then, as now, I suspect rich fruit cakes were relished, particularly the twelfth night cake.

Mince pies are traditional Christmas fare but the one eaten by our ancestors were very different to modern ones. The filling of minced meats made from leftover scraps bound with suet was put in layers in a large pastry case between fruit and spice. Sometimes it was Christmas Fare Present and Mediaeval

Today, those who wish to celebrate Christmas with special food have a much wider choice than their mediaeval ancestors. There would have been no potatoes roast or otherwise, no tomatoes and no turkey, for the lands which produced them were unknown in Europe.

My family and I are vegetarians, but on Christmas day we will enjoy a wide variety of festive food, including a vegetarian Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and mince pies.

Our main dish, a large vegetable and cheese pie will be served, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and other vegetables as well as gravy and sauce. On Boxing Day lunch will be accompanied by a large salad in which there will be avocado, olives and tomatoes as well as other ingredients - a very different menu to that served in mediaeval times.

Vegetables were not usually served with fish, fowl and meat. As well as fruit they were used to make sauce or incorporated in pottage – which – I think - was a cross between a kind of thick, nourishing soup and a stew. Apart from the boar’s head, which I wrote of in an earlier post, at Christmas, bacon, beef or ham might be served and, maybe, swan or goose. On noblemen’s estates the peasants would partake of communal meals and – if they were lucky - drink Christmas Wassail, a spiced, sweetened mixture of ale and cider.

Frumenty, sometimes called plum porridge, wheat boiled in milk to which eggs, spices and later, when they were available, dried fruit was added. Eventually, the frumenty was tied in a cloth and boiled thus making an ancestor of the Christmas pudding. Then, as now, I suspect rich fruit cakes were relished, particularly the twelfth night cake.

Mince pies are traditional Christmas fare but the one eaten by our ancestors were very different to those made today. The filling of minced meats made from leftover scraps bound with suet was put in layers in a large pastry case between fruit and spice. Sometimes it was left open; sometimes it was covered with a pastry lid topped with a carefully shaped infant Jesus modelled in pastry. A charming tradition was to give the first helping to the youngest child at the feast, who could make a wish when he or she took the first bite.

Nativity Carols Mediaeval and Modern

Nativity Carols




Some mediaeval carols written in the 15th century query how a humble girl would react if an angel appeared. Such nativity carols would have helped ordinary people to understand that, like them, Mary had been a real person.



However the Magi were far removed from the experience of common folk. The three kings, frequently called Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who had travelled far from home, perhaps as far away as India, bringing exotic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, must have seemed extraordinary.

I enjoy the popular carol We Three Kings Orient Are, written in 1857 by Reverend John Henry Hopkins, the first verse of which is:

"We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star."

I have no doubt that mediaeval men, women and children of high and low degree enjoyed carols which celebrate the Adoration of the infant Jesus by the Magi, the first verse of one of which was:

"A sterre shone bright on Twelfte Day,
Ouer that place where Jhesus lay.

On Twelfte Day this sterre so clere,
Brought kinges in oute of the eest,

Vnto that King that hath no pere,
In Bethleem Jude where he did rest,
This steere that day tho went away,
From that swete place where Jesus lay.
In an age when most people were illiterate such a carol was both enjoyable and instructive."

I’ve just shared this article with my six year-old granddaughter, who is starring in her school play ‘Little Angel Gets Her Wings’. She has shared the part in the play about the three kings, and sung a carol about them. So, today, children ike my granddaughter share the same joy and wonder as children in times past.

Carols, Vegetarian, Boar's Head

Carols and The Boar’s Head




I am a vegetarian, so some aspects of historical research make me squeamish, but not so squeamish that I do not delve into the past.



Swine were sacred to the Vikings who sacrificed a boar to their god Frey. Decorated with garlands, an apple in its mouth, the boar’s head was served by the Norseman.

The Britons and Anglo Saxons sacrificed animals, usually oxen, so in spite of the pagan origins it was not long before the tradition of serving a boar’s head became a custom at Christmas.

At Queen’s College Oxford, a boar’s head was served on the last Saturday before Christmas accompanied by a secular carol, which began:

“The boar’s head in hand bear I,
Bedecked with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you my masters be merry;
…”

Today, a turkey is as important a part of the Christmas meal as the boar’s head was to pagans and mediaeval Christians. However, as a vegetarian, my sympathy is with the slaughtered boars and turkeys. Perhaps I should find time to write a carol in praise of a vegetarian feast.

School Carol Service, Mediaeval and Pagan Carols

I enjoyed the carol service held at a Roman Catholic Church with a choir composed of two streams of sixty Year Three children amongst whom was my grandson, who sang joyfully.

At the beginning some of the children were on the stage and others, carrying candles preceded down the aisle, all the children singing the Military Wives carol, Stronger Together. Neither Stronger Together nor some mediaeval carols sung at Christmas time are nativity carols.

Some pagan carols had vestiges of heathen beliefs and others centred on the world around our forebears and nature. For example, the opening couplets of a carol about the holly and the ivy are:

"Nay,luy,nay,hyt shal not be iwys,
Let Holy hafe the maystry, as the manner ys (is).

Holy stond (stand) in the hall, fayre to behold;
Iuy stond without the dore; she ys ful sore a cold.

Holy and hys merry men, thy dawsyn and they syng;
Iuy and her maydeyns, they wepyn and they wryng (their hands)."

Carols such as this one were not intended to be sung in church but by ordinary people and the mummers who travelled from place to place.

However, the word picture of the holly and the ivy puts me in mind of one of my favourite carols, The Holly and the Ivy, the imagery of which I have enjoyed since childhood.

Yesterday, the Year Three choir sang the traditional favourites, Once in Royal David’s City, Away in a Manger and O Come All Ye Faithful. The children also sang nativity carols I am less familiar with, including a version of Unto Us A Child is Born, which I had not heard before, Midnight, Starry Night, and The Gift.

Finally there was a Carol called Turn Down The Lights about the night before Christmas the first verse of which is:

"Turn down the lights and watch the fire glowing,
Colours turn bright and warm.
Now is the time for waiting and knowing,
Christmas will come with the dawn."

As the seven year olds, dressed in their blue and grey uniforms sang, in my mind’s eye I saw seven year olds, garbed in old fashioned clothes, eyes shining by fire and candlelight, who were excited by the coming of the Christ Child and the festivities they looked forward to. The link between modern day children and those in times past touched my heart.

Christmas Carols and the Crib

Christmas Carols and the Crib.


This evening my grandson will sing with his school choir in church. I’m not sure which Christmas carols will be sung but I am sure I shall enjoy them as much as Christians did in the mediaeval era.

The sight of the crib will move me as much as it did when I was a small girl, although the figure of the new-born Christ child will not be added until Christmas morning, something the children will look forward too.

As a child I did not know that St Francis of Assisi -1181-1226 -, who I admire, was the first person to display a crib, and a barn with Mary and Joseph, Shepherds and the Three Wise Men as well as animals; and I did not know he introduced Christmas carols in vernacular which ordinary people could understand. (Previously, Christ’s birth was celebrated with hymns sung in Latin.) Some of the carols were sung around the nativity scene, some included dances.

The carols composed by St Francis and members of the order he founded fulfilled their purpose, that of reminding peasants about the teachings of Christ. St Francis’ carols became known in Spain, France and Germany, and in 1224 arrived in England. The first known English carol, ‘A Child is Boren Amonges Man’ was found in notes on a sermon penned by a Franciscan friar. Subsequently, Englishmen composed nativity carols, one of the earliest of which begins with the charming words – I saw a swete seemly sight, A blissful byred, a blossom bright, That murnyng made mirth of mange (among) A mayden moder, mek and myld.” This is not a carol I will hear this evening, but I know I shall enjoy the service and while listening, be aware of those who came before me to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child.

Christmas Plays

Christmas Plays




Since I was a small child Christmas festivities have delighted me as much as they probably delighted children in the Mediaeval Age.

I can visualise excited children out and about watching mummers prancing in the streets wearing animal masks, possibly singing carols and, like modern day carol singers, visiting houses to receive money and food.

Other mummers performed different types of plays in which good battled evil. First of all the hero, maybe St George, recited the prologue in which the main characters were introduced and the villain,maybe the dragon, is challenged. I can imagine children cheering St George and booing the dragon while the saint tackles the mythical beast, or the Turkish Knight, with a sword. Sometimes the hero is killed after which the doctor takes the stage with medicine to miraculously restore the dead to life; and then other characters who have no connection to the plot appear, including Beelzebub, who, I think I am safe to say made naughty children tremble.

Another popular theme was one with the theme of a love triangle which features a Dame, maybe an antecedent of today’s pantomime dame.

Christmas Performers Past and Present

Christmas Performers




Today, those of us who enjoy the Christmas season are spoilt for choice. There are pantomimes, spectaculars on ice, ballet, plays on stage and screen, carol services and t.v. programmes. I take my metaphorical hat off to all the modern day talented amateur and professional performers and to the mummers of old.

In pagan times mummers were street performers, who wore masks to hide their identities. They performed in mid-winter enacting the sun’s death in winter and rebirth in spring. By the Middle Ages mummers performed at Christmas. In my mind’s eye I see excited children squealing in fright at the sight of Beelzebub, welcoming Old Man Winter (Father Christmas) and cheering St George when he killed the dragon or, after the crusades, the Turkish knight.

Sometimes, a play was not the theme of mumming (disguising). Edward III enjoyed mumming games which the participants wore masks of, to name a few, women, angels, dragons and swans. In January 1377, to music played on a variety of instruments, over a hundred Londoners rode to Kennington where Prince Richard was staying with his mother. Upon their arrival the mummers wagered a gold cup which the prince won with loaded dice. After three wagers the mummers distributed gold rings, the feast commenced and the prince and his courtiers joined in a dance with the mummers. Richard was a prince probably aware of his own consequence but I hope he joined in the festivities with childish enthusiasm.

School Plays, Pantomimes and Mystery Plays

It's that time of the year again when innumerable excited children rehearse for the Christmas Play and look forward to attending a pantomime or some other performance. In times past equally excited children must have looked forward to mystery plays originally performed throughout the year in churchyards. However, in the dark cold winter the story of the Christ Child's advent must have been a colourful highlight of the year. Later, awestruck children must have watched among other things the shepherds and three wise men visiting the new born babe on a pageant, a wagon with two stages and special scenery. Whether the mummers performed at mansions, inns or in the streets the audience needed their strength for some plays began at 4.30 a.m. and did not finish until dusk.

Christmas Past and Present

My seven year old grandson's main Christmas present will be a toy castle. I went to Toys R Us today and found toy mounted knights and a dragon reduced in price from £8 to £4 each, so I bought half a dozen for for him.


The toy knights seated on their destriers and equipped with weapon evoked images of mediaeval Christmas celebrations.

Modern Christmas festivities did not originate in the Victoria...n era. Many preparations were made to celebrate the period which, due to numerous saints' days lasted longer than it does today. The dates of the pagan festivals became Christian dates, and to remember the birth of the Christ Child Christmas people celebrated. In those days most of them would have gone to Church, exchanged presents, and enjoyed special food and drink as well as making music. In days when when people relied on candlelight Christmas must have been eagerly anticipated in the cold, dark winter, and as they do today children probably hoped for snow.

No problem

Yesterday, I thought I would have a nervous breakdown because my research was at fault. Thank goodness, the research was correct but I had entered a wrong year at the head of a chapter and then entered the wrong year at the head of several chapters. Only typos which were easy to correct.

Cure or Not

I have four more doses of antibiotics to take, the cough is getting better, but  antibiotics have made me very uncomfortable in spite of taking live yoghurt to encourage good bacteria.

I'm glad to announce that I finished the last, very short chapter, of my mediaeval novel, but realised I need to check some dates and places, so it's back to check in The Fourteenth Century 1307-1399/The Oxford History of England/McKissack. When I have done that, I shall work on the line edits and then write the synopsis and my c.v. before sending the novel to a publisher I have in mind.

Dream World

Before I attended the Festival of Romance I was taking antibiotics. After I returned I was unwell and consulted my doctor, with the result that I am now taking very strong antibiotics. However, whether as a result of them or not I experience an amazing dream last night. As a rule I don't remember more than snatches of my dreams but I remember the emotion, the event and the glorious technicolour of this one.

For a long time I have been toying with the idea for writing a children's fantasy novel but couldn't imagine a portal into another world. Well, I experienced the portal. In my dream I passed through it into a parallel world.

Whether or not I will have time to write the novel is questionable, but I shall try because the concept intrigues me.