J K Rowling Magic

A Wizardly Winning Wimbledon Welcome to you all!

Firstly, being British I just want to say that I was: so nervous before, apprehensive during, and extremely happy after Andy Murray's victory at Wimbledon. He became the first British male tennis player to win Wimbledon in 77 years! After the Lions win, the Ashes, and all the momentum from the the Olympics, our nation is having an amazing love affair with sport after our previous cynical defeatist attitude, not helped by our shocking football performances!  The sporty zeitgeist has definitely motivated me to dust off the old tennis racket and attempt to get more fit this summer.

Now to the focus of this post, all things Harry Potter. I'm still extremely ecstatic, exhilarated, and lets be honest a bit smug, about meeting, if but briefly, J. K. Rowling. It will be difficult for me not to gush incessantly, but I will true to reign my desires in. My sister, to whom I will forever owe a debt of the deepest gratitude, had heard whilst at University at Bath, about the book festival occurring there in January and had booked two tickets for us to attend a discussion with Rowling about her new book, The Casual Vacancy. She was, as expected for a national treasure/childhood hero, very witty, intelligent, engaging and affable, showing great affection for her characters, describing interesting insights into her writing habits, plot development, and offering valuable information for aspiring writers, whilst also answering copious audience members questions with good humour and aplomb. Unfortunately I was far too petrified at that point to even begin to concoct a coherent question. Then came the agonising wait to meet her, as one slowly gravitated closer and closer towards her orbit. Although I only had a few seconds in which to bask in her presence, I will forever remember my quiet reverential; " Thank you so very much" as she signed my book, her fixed gaze (she has the brightest blue eyes and gold spun hair, which was quite unnerving in its perfection, one doesn't usually expect authors to look as if they could  also work part time as an actress or model) and sweetly refreshing reply of 'Your welcome'. I was left shaking from the encounter, although luckily my nerves are not as evident in the cherished picture below my awesome sister took for me. The strategy behind which me and my sister had spent ten minutes deliberating about. I then hurriedly took a picture of my sister after which I practically floated back to my sisters flat, completely unaware of the journey, with the night air sweetened by my awe for this woman whose books helped and nurtured me through a difficult time in my early secondary school life and provided me with beloved fictional friends. My copy of The Casual Vacancy, with her precious signature, is reverentially on display in my room, ready at a moments notice to be shown to the, lets be honest, very few people that have not yet seen it and been subjected to my fawning wittering.

 

 (My favourite picture,  I'm seriously considering printing it and getting it framed! )

Whilst writing this post, I realised I had also forgot to update the blog with the pictures I took last summer, when still sporting my beloved bob, of a family outing to the Harry Potter studio tour. It was an impressive and very immersive experience into the wizarding world, whilst still managing to maintain and highlight the integrity of the film sets, to show what was created and what was green screened, so that an outsider can  see the processes involved, and the level of dedication and attention to detail.

A bit older than 11, but still persevering to persuade Ollivanders for my own wand, whilst waiting for my Hogwarts letter!

 I was unsuccessfully practicing Parseltongue just before this picture was taken!

Anyone else for Hogsmeade?

 

(I would really like to one day own my own sky blue Ford Anglia, preferably with flying capabilities!)

Yours, Inspired, Evalily Harlow xxx

p.s. I'm incredibly annoyed by the unmasking of J.K Rowling as the writer of The Cuckoo's Calling, a book which incidentally was getting great reviews regarding the characters, plot and author's writing skill, before its recent surge in publicity. J.K. Rowling must be feeling such a loss of freedom. I wonder how many recent and future publications will now come under this unwanted, though lucrative scrutiny.