Moomin Madness

Only time for a quick one today, a Pancake Party awaits me.

Thought it'd make sense to take a little time to explain the title of my blog.

When I was little my mum and dad used to read to my little sister and I before we went to sleep, as all good parents do. In particular they used to read stories they themselves had loved as a child.One of my father's favourites was (and still is), The Moomins series by Tove Jansson. Some of you may remember this being a cartoon show on T.V., but trust me, there is no way the cartoon conveyed the darkness and surrealism of the books adequately.
Now one of my favourite bloggers Mr. London Street has already written very eloquently describing the affect reading these books can have on a small child, and I don't think I could do better, so check it out.
Two of the female characters in the book always caught my attention. Ignoring Snorkmaiden with her whining and her obsession with mirrors, never mind the fact that she always got scared and had to have Moomintroll hold her hand, I looked elsewhere for inspiration.
Moominmama, although a lovely motherly figure, didn't quite capture my imagination at eight years old.The Groke? My word, if I'd have identified with the Groke at eight years old, well, I'd be a lot messed up than I am.

So that left two people.

Little My was always my little sister's avatar in Scandinavian children's fiction. Small, feisty and fearless, she was one of the boys and was slightly morally ambiguous. She was, by definition, a naughty little girl, but everyone loved her nonetheless. I always envied Little My's ability to have fun, get into trouble and then promptly worm her way out of it.


Mymble, or The Mymble's Daughter, as she is referred to in the earlier books, is Little My's sister. The older Mymble seems to be an obscure matriarch who has given birth to Little My, the Mymble's Daughter and Snufkin, and probably others. She doesn't become a central figure until Moominvalley in November, in which she is depicted washing and brushing her long, reddish golden hair and generally expressing her happiness at living an independent and carefree existence. She has very long legs and wears red wellington boots.
I think I have subconsciously tried to take the best out of both of these characters whilst I've grown up. Like Little My, I try to enjoy having fun and live for the day, but I was never quite a full tom-boy, as I have a dislike of the cold and damp. The Mymble's Daughter had the right idea, staying warm and dry and brushing her hair, and not much caring about what anyone else was doing, and living to please herself. She did always seem a slightly isolated figure however, so I've tried to incorporate Little My's ability to make friends.

Anyhow, pancakes await!