Winnie-the-Pooh

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I’m afraid this post will be rather untranslatable, but I’ll do my best.

First Pooh:

This is a page from the original copy of Winnie-the-Pooh as “improved” by me as a child before I convinced myself that I sucked artistically (here you can find another example of my Pooh art). The language is Slovenian since I tend to swing that way. For everybody else here is a part of it in English:

 So Owl wrote…and this is what he wrote:

HIPY PAPY BTHETHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY

Pooh looked on admiringly.

“I’m just saying ‘A Happy Birthday’,” said Owl carelessly.

“It’s a nice long one,” said Pooh, very much impressed by it.

I was very impressed too when two days ago on my bthuthdy (when I gave myself gelato) special presents came rolling in. Well, the messenger brought them, but they got opened live via Skype.

The messenger’s present were the original Pooh copy and a brand new one, and browsing through the old one I remembered EXACTLY how it felt to hold the book so many years ago and colour it in. Rather impatiently, I recall.

Here is a collection of other gifts, so dear to my heart.

Sister found an online offer of a book necklace with a key. The books are real!

This bag was amore’s gift, not bestia’s, but the feeling is mutual. (The other side of the bag in the featured photo above.)

Father’s own handiwork, a (n)jam made of home-grown žižole (Ziziphus jujuba, commonly called jujube, red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date).

The envelope bearing this photo of me on my 5th birthday (if not mistaken), together with both my grandmothers and my beautiful and VERY young mother (taken by father)…

…contained this poem written by mom. Even though the last line says: “Manči, translate!” I shall not do it, only reveal that it mentions Thursday Doors, and includes Pearl Jam and Kurt Cobain in the same line, hilariously written in the Serbian write-as-you-speak style as “Prl Đem” and “Krt Kbejn”.

Thank you all for all the lovely things, memories and wishes, and for bringing us together even when we are apart. ❤

Photo: a © signature mmm production

Pooh corner

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We have had some reading aloud time again lately, after 40 years. This is the A. A. Milne’s dedication from The House at Pooh Corner:

DEDICATION
You gave me Christopher Robin, and then
You breathed new life in Pooh.
Whatever of each has left my pen
Goes homing back to you.
My book is ready, and comes to greet
The mother it longs to see —
It would be my present to you, my sweet,
If it weren’t your gift to me.

Photo: MM

The book was excellently translated into Slovenian by Majda Stanovnik, whereas the Pooh songs in it were translated by a major Slovenian poet Gregor Strniša. I’m not sure which one is responsible for this beautiful dedication. This page is from the first, 1959 edition.

With local produce and a thriving Roman ficus. Photo: MM

Sivček: Eeyore—Tiger: Tigger—Ru: Roo—Kengu: Kanga—Zajec: Rabbit—SVOA: WOL—Pujsek: Piglet—Pu: Pooh—Christopher Robin. First time, at 45, I hear that Sivček (meaning ‘The grey one’) is actually Eeyore! This changes everything!

Photo: BM

This is how it went: Mom reading The House at Pooh Corner in Slovenian from the year 1959 that uncle has just bought online. Same as it ever was.

And this is a page from my original Winnie-the-Pooh. The additional artwork and grading are mine, from preschool days. Plenty to gather from it, I’m sure, not only that after using them all on grass I ran out of greens for the trees. And that I was truly in a hurry to finish.

ADD-IT: “You’ve made 500 posts on The Mexi Movie.” And a fine 500th post it is.