I'm Stickman, I'm Stickman, I'M STICKMAN! Thats me.

While in Asda we did our usual rounds perusing the toy aisles but there was nothing to take our fancy so we headed over to the books. Since our friends bought the boys 'Zog' by Julia Donaldson for Christmas, everytime we read it and get to the pictures of her other books on the back page Opeie always points to 'super worm' and says 'I'd really like that'. Well today it was staring right at us from the shelves and as it was on offer we got to choose another book. I liked the look of 'stickman' so that found it's way in to the trolley too. 

Stickman is a great children's book and Opeie finds his adventures lots of fun, We've read it at least once every day since getting it. It made me think of when I was younger and how much fun i could have with a stick. A stick is the ultimate classic toy and it's up there with the rock, the cardboard box and the piece of string. Sadly with technology taking over this simple yet extremely versatile play thing probably doesn't get the attention it deserves these days.

Thankfully in our house 'Stickman' has awakened something in Opeie and his love of sticks is growing stronger by the day. Despite all the toys he has to play with over the last few days our garden role play has been stick heavy. His beloved stick (which now resides in the house and lounges about on the boys sofa like a lazy teenager) has been subject to many different games. The cliche but ever popular use as a sword or 'Lightsaber' if Opeie's feeling a little futuristic has been the weapon of choice for some up close and personal scrapping but it has also been transformed in to some form of gun/blaster to get him out of sticky situations (perfect for long distance battles and fending off up and coming attacks...

Are you a little bit bored while waiting for your Nemisis to attack? Why not make use of the phone setting (I'm not sure what the reception is like but I'm guessing its better that EE)...

The stick also comes in handy if your foe's nose resembles that of an elephant or prehistoric monster beak and you need to throw a little smack talk down. "hey big nose..."

Nature really is a wonderous thing and as I said before the classic, true vintage toys are really unbeatable in the world of play, so get outside while the suns out, grab yourself a free toy and let your imagination run wild. After all it's what being a child is all about and us parents need to be encouraging that.

"I have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't always feel this... sedated. But you know what? It's never too late to get it back. "

Have you ever walked down the street and spotted a child's toy lying on the side of the pavement, a lonely shoe or a single glove? whenever i see one i always feel a little sad at the thought of the poor child that's missing it, if they have even realised. That was us today, missing a toy and we didn't even know it yet. Today as i cleaned the kitchen i started to think 'i wonder how that toy would feel if it had feelings?'

Because I'm probably a little crazy and I'm always randomly coming up with strange ideas (usually when I'm washing up), i decided tonight i was going to indulge myself and let one of my ideas be the basis of the post. There's many great films out there that start off at the end of the film, the closing of the main story or an event that follows and then they back track to the beginning. Pulp fiction or Sin city for example. One of my favourites and my theme for the post is 'American beauty'.

So now I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of the star of the show, our lost toy...

"My name is Mr Fish. This is my neighborhood. 

This is my street. This... is my life. 

I'm about 5 hours old. In less than an hour, I'll be dead...

Of course, I don't know that yet.

But lets go back to where the story began.

It all started at around 10am, i was freed from my beautifully decorated bubble wrap cocoon.
I was from a place called The Toadstool,
A magical place where they find homes for new toys like me.

My new owner, a handsome looking boy,

blonde flowing locks and a smile that was contagious.

He barely put me down all morning, taking me everywhere he went.

It was bliss.

Look at me, Skeleton hanging out of my body.

This will be the high point of my day. 

It's all downhill from here.

At around three i was taken outside by my new owner.
He's only young, he doesn't understand, he dropped me in the street.
I was alone in the world and as i lay there in the pouring rain,
i was ignored by many passers by, left with no chance of survival.

I guess I could be pretty annoyed about what happened to me... 

but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, 

my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst...

...and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, 

and then it flows through me like rain 

and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life...

You have no idea what I'm talking about, 

I'm sure. But don't worry... 

You will someday."

Now i'm not going to leave the story on a bad ending that's not my style, plus you have already seen the picture of Mr Fish lying in the rain so you may have already guessed that he found his way back to us. On the way back to the car we saw him in the street. I had no idea that Opeie had even taken him out of the car, let alone dropped him. But there he was with his cold dead eyes looking up at us. He wasn't gone forever and with a little resuscitation from Opeie he was back to his old self.

So if you do ever see that lost toy, lonely shoe or single glove spare a thought for the owner, pick it up, leave it on a wall they may be back shortly to collect it. We were one of the lucky ones and Mr Fish will get extra love now off Opeie because of it. Thanks The Toadstool.