Archives for posts with tag: mood
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Valentine’s battle

February 14, 2013 //
6

valentines

I could curse the secret admirer who left a single rose on our doorstep this morning. No card, just a single golden rose! While I assume he had the best intentions, he obviously isn’t familiar with the dynamics of the Dede household.

In a flash all the girls were out there haggling over who’s rose it is. Everyone was so sure she was the intended recipient. I know who could have given it to Skeleton, or Esta Blished, or Minor, though I had no idea Socialite and Mouse had admirers too.

Esta tried to grab the rose as only her lover, Devil’s Advocate would have so much spare cash to buy such an precious gift. Socialite immediately had a screaming fit. She said Esta wouldn’t have a clue about how well-off her admirers were and she had many, so the chances were the rose was for her. Minor on the other hand knew that Rob doesn’t need any money, he would just organise a lovely gift one way or another if he wanted her to have one. And she was sure this was the case. Skeleton didn’t lay any claim on the rose, but was sure it was from Lou, her love-sick stalker. She wished so much he’d stop doing this to her. And Mouse was confident that, as everybody loves her anyway, surely there must be one Dede out there who would think she is the special one.

I watched them for a while and wondered, what made them all so sure it wasn’t intended for me?

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Kept waiting

February 13, 2013 //
2

harvey mouse

Mouse wanted to know more about Pavlova and waited to catch Harvey on his own. “So, when are we going to meet your girlfriend then?” she asked, trying to be casual.

“I don’t know” Harvey shrugged his shoulders.

“Are you sure she is your girlfriend?”

“Of course she is!” was his angry reply.

“So why don’t you introduce her to us then? Are you embarrassed?”

“Why should I be?”

“C’mon, we saw you guys yesterday… She is a rat!” Mouse pointed out.

Now Harvey exploded: “So what! She is very special!”

Then it all poured out of him. She is from a long line of sewer rats, but she wanted to educate herself. She put herself through school despite the total lack of family support. They didn’t understand why she wanted to go through all the trouble, as there was enough food down there in the sewers. They all said they were born to be sewer rats and there is absolutely no need to study. But Pavlova didn’t want to sit out on the ledge of a pillar and watch the water drip down the pipes all day. She had the strong feeling there was more to life than that. She worked very hard to get where she is now. And it did pay off. She is now a research assistant and works in a lab. He, Harvey, thinks she has done really, really well indeed, and is terribly proud of her.

Mouse became more and more  embarrassed while Harvey was telling her the story, but at the same time she was very intrigued and proud that, once again, it was her who had the hottest news first.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

First sight of Pavlova

February 12, 2013 //
6

harvey and pavlova

Of course the Dedes are watching Harvey’s every move as they are so curious about his fiancee Pavlova. (They have already agreed it is a very unfortunate name). Last night, they finally got the long-awaited first glimpse of her when the two love-birds had a clandestine meeting in the back garden, where they spoke under their breath.

Gee, she certainly isn’t a stunner with her extremely long teeth and the huge gap between them. Harvey doesn’t seem to mind a bit. He looked at her so tenderly but he might be wearing rose-tinted glasses. From where the Dedes were standing they didn’t look like a close couple. In fact it appeared rather one sided and they gave the impression they had some sort of problem.

After overhearing the prying crowd’s conversation I would advise Harvey to introduce Pavlova as soon as possible to the rest of the Dedes before gossip becomes rife. Unfortunately it can happen… a new puppet appears on the scene and the first remarks by the close-knit group of Dedes are nothing but scathing. They jump on every exposed weakness. I had to tell them not to be mean. Poor Pavlova. She might have a rocky road ahead of her!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Harvey’s news

February 10, 2013 //
6

harvey smuggy

Remember the gambling rabbit, Harvey, who cheated his way into the Super Dede competition before Christmas? He made himself scarce after he realised he offended a few too many Dedes, in particular the female ones.  The ladies were really upset about his behaviour. One of them, I think it was Foxy Lady, said they should have left him in the 1970’s, the way he talks! She certainly wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole.

Now he is back!

And by Dede he has changed! He has got quieter. Gone is the hyper-activity and loudness. The Dedes were stunned and wanted to know where he was and how he’d fared. He told them he had dug himself a burrow on the hilltop and watched the sun rise and set each day. He knows now the way he treated women was totally wrong. If he had continued like that a serious relationship would remain a pipe dream. And he can reveal it now, this was his New Year’s resolution… he desperately wanted to find a partner.

One day, when he was down, he poured his heart out to Philosopher. No woman, at least none of the marrying kind, wanted to stick with him. Philosopher suggested he should go into recluse for a while and ponder about the importance of life. Because if he wanted something so badly, but couldn’t get it, his approach must be wrong.

“And?” Mouse, the little gossip asked outright, “how is the love-life then?”

“Great!” Harvey rejoiced. “I found my princess!”

“Who is it?” “Do we know her?” “What does she do?” Everybody wanted to know more.

“No, you don’t know her, she just moved here. Her name is Pavlova…”

“Oh, don’t tell me!” Smuggy said deprecatingly. “She is not one of those, is she?”

“What do you mean?” Harvey walked up close to him and looked him in the eye “I recommend you too should sit on a mountain top for a while. It would do you a world of good. Honestly, you don’t even know her. Only because she has a foreign name doesn’t mean she is one of … as you call it… those! I forbid you to talk about my fiancee like this!”

There was a noticeable silence. Mouse and Foxy Lady looked at each other –  this was indeed a novelty… Harvey defending the reputation of a girl. They knew there and then, that she really must be someone very special.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Lost interest

February 8, 2013 //
8

Devil and sculpture-1

I should have known it, really! After what I said yesterday about Sunny… he has lost interest already. He is not known for his stickability! He left his sculpture lying on the doorstep and walked away. Just like that!

This morning when Devil got up he saw a little white dot sitting on the edge of the jumbo bin. Nobody knows how it got there. It must have walked and climbed all night. And now it was sitting there, looking into the abyss.

Devil was out in a flash and called: “Don’t jump, don’t jump!” The little sculpture looked up and Devil continued in a soothing voice: “I know you are not real, but there is no need for this.”

A thin little voice answered: “I know I am rubbish, just let me go where I belong. Then it’s over and done with.”

“No, no, please don’t” Devil said, “You are a cute little thing. What was said on the blog yesterday wasn’t about you… it was about Sunny. Him not having ideas of his own.”

“But they said I am a fake… And it is so true.”

“Don’t worry, you are not the only one” Devil shook his head. “We still love you.”

“Really?”

“As long as you don’t pretend to be something else!” Devil added quietly.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

Caught

February 3, 2013 //
4

pig catflap

A building site does have a strange attraction, doesn’t it! There is so much to see and do. No matter how often I tell the Dedes they shouldn’t go there, they just can’t stay away.

This morning they kept their voices down so they wouldn’t alert me to their whereabouts, but of course I could make out the pitter patter of their feet in the old living room. When I opened the door a fraction to check out what they were doing now, I heard the ca-lonk, ca-lonk of the cat flap opening and closing and saw them all escaping onto the deck. Only fat little Pig, the last one, got caught in it.

Pig’s mate Professor was very distressed about the accident and tried to pull from the other side. It must have hurt a bit, as Pig was  squeaking and squealing. I’m pretty sure the entire neighbourhood thought we were preparing it for our  Sunday roast. My biggest worry was that the noise would attract Nosy Neighbour’s attention and he would come over.  I couldn’t have coped with him on a Sunday morning, so I quickly helped Pig out. But I was certainly not impressed that they had ignored my warnings yet again.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Breakdown

January 17, 2013 //
5

skeleton

Mouse finally had her break down everybody was waiting for. Yesterday, one could hardly talk to her without her bursting into tears. She is obviously overworked. But asking her what the matter was made it even worse. I have learned my lesson in the meantime and leave her alone on days like this, it will pass! I will approach her again when she has calmed down.  Even though I know this is not the best thing to do, on days like this you basically can’t win. Talk to her, she cries. Don’t talk to her she says, nobody loves her. Thankfully she doesn’t have these days very often.

Last night she went to visit her bosom buddy Skeleton Edeltraut, who lives with her partner Monster under my bed. Wednesday night  is Monster’s night out. He meets up with some monster mates at the local for quiz night and a beer. Skeleton Edeltraut doesn’t like to go to the pub and hang out with Monster‘s mates, but doesn’t want to be at home on her own either because she has a stalker. Puppy Lou is in love with her, ever since he first laid eyes on her. I can understand the attraction for a young dog. She on the other hand is just plain scared of his attention, which of course I can understand as well. Have you ever seen how a dog treats a bone?

Personally, I am okay with my skeletons (the rest of her family lives in my closet), as long as they don’t bother me. But I wouldn’t seek them out and that goes for Monster as well. But Mouse is a regular visitor at their place. Last night they must have had a good heart to heart. They kept their voices down, but between sobbing I could hear fragments like “… just too much…” “…everybody relies…” “… take it anymore….” I didn’t try too hard to listen in on their conversation. I know it will blow over and she will be back to her normal self. I hope it will be today!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

The week that was

December 8, 2012 //
7

end of first week-2

All the performances I wrote about this week happened  last Sunday – one after another – it was pretty exhausting. At the end of the first stage, L’Artiste and Cash Cow sang an impromptu duet. I mentioned it before, none of the Dedes can sing, but it is the thought that counts. The audience didn’t mind, it was  just such a lovely finish to the first part of the competition.

At the moment there is no clear favourite, but definitely one bogeyman. The worst thing is, Harvey is totally oblivious to how much he offended the girls. Even some of the men are cringing. How do you tell somebody they were so terribly off the mark? Ah well, it is a competition and he will notice from his rating. This brings me to the next point… Have you rated all the candidates? There is a star system at the bottom of each post.

Devil and Detail called me for a meeting and asked what I thought of the calibre of the candidates. If I read them correctly, they were a little disappointed by the performances and they might have hoped for my confirmation. I reminded them that it was the explicit wish of the Dedes that I should hold back – it is entirely their show –  so I won’t disclose my opinion. I am only there for administrative support.

Next…

The next round starts on Monday and this week our contestants will have to answer questions. Devil asked me to remind the readers that the organisers of the competition would be delighted to receive questions from the audience. So if you want to ask the candidates something, write a comment…. Every comment to a post made during the competition will go into the draw for the Dede puppet book Hermit’s Web or the few friends I need I hand-craft myself, a little hardcover book with pictures and stories of the initial Dede community. The second and third prize are a pack of Dede postcards (10 postcards each).

On a completely different note…

Philosopher took me to the side yesterday for a quiet talk. He is one of those puppets who don’t want to have a bar of the competition, but thinks if others believe it is fun they should go ahead. However, he aired his concern about Deutsch Fraulein (German Girl). You might know he cares a lot about her. He is secretly in love with her (from a distance). He told me Deutsch Fraulein spends a lot of time on German blogs at the moment. Everybody over there writes about Advent and Christmas and he has the feeling she might be a bit home sick. So he asked me – oh no, he begged me – not to forget all those puppets who are not part of the competition and maybe I could do something for them.

I asked what he had in mind. I can’t change the weather… we do have summer over here now and there is no snow. I absolutely hate  fake snow and plastic christmas trees. It only gets dark at half past nine or ten-ish. Or have you ever tried Christmas cookies in summer? I have… they don’t taste that great…they have to be eaten in the dark and the cold! It’s comfort food.

“You are creative” Philosopher said “You will think of something!”

“That is such a cop out!” I answered, but he only smiled at me. He knows I can’t refuse any of his requests. He is too good a friend.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

On an island…

November 24, 2012 //
0

Nobody came forward with any ideas about how to stop Smug Little Devil undermining my decision making. …Truth be told, I can’t really act on it yet, as I have only heard the accusations through the grapevine. So I will have to leave it for now. It’s hard though, not to do anything. I have to confess his behaviour irks me greatly. I am confident the Dedes’ allegiance is still with me for now, but for how much longer? I will prick my ears up… and if he should be so silly to give me half a reason I will pounce on him and take him to task. That is the plan! But I know he is a cunning little weasel. He doesn’t trip up easily. I have to be very, very patient.

In my defense, (and this is now an explanation for all the Dedes, who feel they should have been selected for the gallery trip), the idea was to send five puppets who have absolutely nothing in common. They were supposed to be online friends, not real ones. When we tested it for a few weeks in the living room it worked very well. They communicated very nicely via their modems and didn’t look at each other. Instead they looked out into the big wide space before them, but had no idea who they were connected to. Unfortunately in the gallery they managed to turn their heads round and they saw who was on the other end of each modem. I believe that was when the real trouble started. When Ms SM suddenly realised she had opened her heart to a pimply teenage Boy and Smug Little Devil was not chasing that young hot fox, but middle aged Liar. Alien just thought it was a big, big joke and wanted to party!

I apologise, I didn’t think it through… I just acted on my great artistic ideas and ignored the personal pain I might have caused the participants. But then…. get real! When you find yourself on a deserted island, you have to learn to overcome your differences and cherish what you have in common. After all, you are all Dedes, aren’t you!

Phew, now I really worked myself up :), but I feel much better!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

That little schmoozer

November 23, 2012 //
6

I have noticed the Dedes who were at the gallery are somehow different from the home crowd. The ones at home are a lively bunch. The travelers seem somewhat sedated in comparison. I expected them to be brimming with new ideas and stories.

Far from it!  Boy, Liar and Ms SM sleep all day (and night). Alien – who needs no sleep – sits in the middle of the lawn speaking to his people at home, where ever this might be. He doesn’t even need a phone. He just sits there and smiles and from time to time laughs out loud. Watching him, I get the feeling he is terribly homesick.

That leaves Smug Little Devil to bath in the attention of the home crowd. Of course everybody wants to hear some stories and he is the only one who likes to talk about it. I heard through the grapevine that he loves to tell everyone how terribly I failed in selecting the best team for the excursion. He could have done a much better job.

He uses a silly little trick… He schmoozes each Dede by telling them they definitely should have been chosen for the trip and he would have so much preferred to have stayed with them for six weeks than with the other losers he had to go with (… the ones I had selected). I am not entirely sure what he is trying to achieve….except unsettling everyone.

Help! What shall I do now? If I don’t nip this in the bud right now, I will have another riot on my hands.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography
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