Sail away from the safe harbor...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. 

- Mark Twain

HAPPY SUNDAY to all of You!

Susanne

A Beautiful Metamorphosis

What a beautiful metamorphosis of a lot of beautiful women in the world! It's fun to watch - enjoy!

Wishing you all a HAPPY SUNDAY!
~Susanne

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Social role

Historically, the role of women was confined mostly to being a mother and wife, with women being expected to dedicate most of their energy to these roles, and to spend most of their time taking care of the home. In many cultures, women received significant help in performing these tasks from older female relatives, such as mothers in law or their own mothers.

Mothers have historically fulfilled the primary role in raising children, but since the late 20th century, the role of the father in child care has been given greater prominence and social acceptance in some Western countries. The 20th century also saw more and more women entering paid work.

The social role and experience of motherhood varies greatly depending upon location. Mothers are more likely than fathers to encourage assimilative and communion-enhancing patterns in their children. Mothers are more likely than fathers to acknowledge their children's contributions in conversation. The way mothers speak to their children ("motherese") is better suited to support very young children in their efforts to understand speech (in context of the reference English) than fathers.

Since the 1970s, in vitro fertilization has made pregnancy possible at ages well beyond "natural" limits, generating ethical controversy and forcing significant changes in the social meaning of motherhood. This is, however a position highly biased by Western world locality: outside the Western world, in-vitro fertilization has far less prominence, importance or currency compared to primary, basic healthcare, women's basic health, reducing infant mortality and the prevention of life-threatening diseases such as polio, typhus and malaria.

Traditionally, and still in most parts of the world today, a mother was expected to be a married woman, with birth outside of marriage carrying a strong social stigma. Historically, this stigma didn't only apply to the mother, but also to her child. This continues to be the case in many parts of the developing world today, but in many Western countries the situation has changed radically, with single motherhood being much more socially acceptable now. For more details on these subjects, see legitimacy (law) and single parent.

Source of picture and text from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother

Wishing all the mothers out there a very 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

God bless you all.

~Susanne

Postponed...

This picture is available to buy in my shop:
http://susanne-van-hulst.artistwebsites.com/index.html

Hi my friends,

I know, I've promised you to post today Part 3+4 of Gulliver's Travels. Unfortunately I have to postpone it to next weekend, my husband is (again!) in Hospital with C.O.P.D. and I'm busy driving for and back to him. I hope you'll understand!

Hugs to you,
Susanne

Do You Know the Stories of Gulliver's Travels?

Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. 

By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships,

better known simply as Gulliver's Travels (1726, amended 1735), is a novel by Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travelers' tales" literary sub-genre. It is Swift's best known full-length work, and a classic of English literature.

The book became popular as soon as it was published. John Gay wrote in a 1726 letter to Swift that "It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery." Since then, it has never been out of print.

The book begins with a short preamble in which Lemuel Gulliver, in the style of books of the time, gives a brief outline of his life and history before his voyages. He enjoys travelling, although it is that love of travel that is his downfall.

During his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a shipwreck and finds himself a prisoner of a race of tiny people, less than 6 inches tall, who are inhabitants of the island country ofLilliput. After giving assurances of his good behaviour, he is given a residence in Lilliput and becomes a favorite of the court. 

From there, the book follows Gulliver's observations on the Court of Lilliput. He is also given the permission to roam around the city on a condition that he must not harm their subjects. Gulliver assists the Lilliputians to subdue their neighbours, the Blefuscudians, by stealing their fleet. However, he refuses to reduce the island nation of Blefuscu to a province of Lilliput, displeasing the King and the court. 

Gulliver is charged with treason for, among other "crimes", "making water" in the capital (even though he was putting out a fire and saving countless lives.) He is convicted and sentenced to be blinded, but with the assistance of a kind friend, he escapes to Blefuscu. Here he spots and retrieves an abandoned boat and sails out to be rescued by a passing ship, which safely takes him back home. This book of the Travelsis a topical political satire.

Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag   20 June 1702 – 3 June 1706

When the sailing ship Adventure is blown off course by storms and forced to put into land for want of fresh water, Gulliver is abandoned by his companions and found by a farmer who is 72 feet (22 m) tall (the scale of Brobdingnag is about 12:1, compared to Lilliput's 1:12, judging from Gulliver estimating a man's step being 10 yards (9.1 m)). He brings Gulliver home and his daughter cares for Gulliver. The farmer treats him as a curiosity and exhibits him for money. Since Gulliver is too small to use their huge chairs, beds, knives and forks, the queen commissions a small house to be built for him so that he can be carried around in it; this is referred to as his 'travelling box'. 

Between small adventures such as fighting giant wasps and being carried to the roof by a monkey, he discusses the state of Europe with the King. The King is not happy with Gulliver's accounts of Europe, especially upon learning of the use of guns and cannons. On a trip to the seaside, his travelling box is seized by a giant eagle which drops Gulliver and his box into the sea, where he is picked up by some sailors, who return him to England.

This book compares the truly moral man to the representative man; the latter is clearly shown to be the lesser of the two. Swift, being in Anglican holy orders, was keen to make such comparisons.

Source of text and pictures are from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_into_Several_Remote_Nations_of_the_World,_in_Four_Parts.

Hi my friends,

I hope you've enjoyed to read about "Gulliver's Travels", like me. I don't know how many time I was reading this book as a kid, I liked it so much - we had NO TV back in time when I grew up and these stories brought the whole far away world right into my house, I had not to go out there :-)



Next Sunday I will post then Part 3 & 4 - so stay tuned and have a wonderful and HAPPY SUNDAY!
See you next weekend!
Susanne