Minor Renovations

We've been working on our dream house this week. Very satisfying kind of renovation - no general contractor, no dust or debris. We change our minds all the time, but never have to worry about going over budget.

The popular theme this time was secret doors. All of them want one. In fact, you probably would walk in the front door and find yourself in a hermetically sealed hall with apparently blank walls and suspiciously normal bookshelves. And one of those eye-cut-out portraits of course; I just realized we'll definitely need one.

Towers are big at the moment too. Two of the kids have been re-reading Elizabeth Goudge's Little White Horse, and the heroine has one of the most attractively described bedrooms ever. It is built of silver grey stone and has a miniscule fireplace and a vaulted ceiling. The door to the room is exceptionally small, so only the diminuitive heroine (mostly) can get inside.

I suppose I could read in all sorts of analytical stuff like: the kids are clearly shutting themselves in their childhood, rejecting the adult world with its worries and fears, or: the children are hiding from reality and the outside world. But to be honest? I just think every kid wants a tower room with a secret door.

I know I do.