I am going away for a few days.
I will be attending a family gathering of parents, siblings, in-laws, teeny-tiny children and aged relatives. I am sure it will be delightful … except, and I am hoping not to be alone in this, going home makes me revert to my thirteen year old self. And when I was thirteen I was good.
As my thirteen year old self I know that within twenty minutes of arrival I will be sneaking outside for a smoke and punching my brothers on the arm when they tease me. I will be muttering sarcastic comments under my breath and will totter off for sly drinks when I am supposed to be engaging maiden aunts in genteel conversation.
Well, maybe as a thirteen year old I was not so much good as I was excellent at not getting caught. I did an awful lot of bad things but not once did my pigeons come home to roost.
And so, as an adult, whilst at the parental abode I will be well-behaved (as far as is noticeable) and restrain from my day to day behaviour. It will be the old familiar feeling of being hemmed in and not quite able to take a breath, as though in the tightest and most restrained corset. I do love corsets but I would rather they were worn for recreation rather than metaphorical allusions to a feeling of vague imprisonment.
This will take up all of my energy and any potential I have to be good at all for about two weeks after I get back.
So consider this a warning.
Corsets can only hold a girl in for so long.
(This photo is by Alexandre Dupouy, isn’t it beautiful? I found it on Brambleberryblush and it quite took my breath away) 
beautiful pic
Sounds like you have a very interesting family, a family where young ladies are expected to be on their best behaviour. But maybe it's also a family where young ladies are SO well trained, they practically never are seen to misbehave.
After all, the most sophisticated system of control, is one that uses the least amount of overt coercion to maintain "order" and decorum.
Not making any value judgements here, just saying that an interesting young lady like yourself comes from an interesting family background.
Of course what do I know? My "reading between the lines" skills are primitive at best!
CONGRATULATIONS on your new venture, Poppy! If anyone should have their own Blog, it's you! Way to go!!
Love,
Gwen
The REAL Devlin O'Neill said …
Gwendolyn, you need to check your sign-on status before you go posting around the blogosphere, young lady. But yes, Poppy absolutely must have her own blog – heaven help us all.
Poppy–Try not to be too good a girl. You need material for this wonderful new blog!
Happy posting, dear lady!
Dr. Ken
ooh!
People – here at my little place. How exciting!
Thank you so much Gwen and Dr Ken.
Karl- I think the understated nature of everything is what makes it interesting. It is also a terribly English way of doing things- tremendously oppressive complicit control and some individuals finding a way around it. Maybe without all that oppression I would have ended up being really good and well behaved.
And Mr O' Neill "Heaven help us all" – if you want to pray then there are sites for that. I choose to believe that you were suggesting something wonderful and positive although I am struggling to see what it could be.
Poppy, sounds like what you've been up could be considered a form of "hacking", as defined below by Jude Milhon:
"Hacking is the clever circumvention of imposed limits, whether imposed by your government, your IP server, your own personality, or the laws of physics." — St. Jude
Sorry- you wrote "physics" and I phased out.
Necessity is the mother of invention and all that!
Poppy, congratulations and great success with your blog. You say you will revert to acting like a thirteen year old, but the way you describe it I don't see much difference in the Poppy of today. *G*
Michael,
I do not understand what you mean so I will simply stick my tongue out and blow a raspberry and run off.
xx
Yep, definitely a thirteen year old, and so adorable to boot. *G*
A pair of old fashioned bloomers, called 'Directoire Knickers, would go well on your voluptous bare bottom. And then when they are taken down, for a good birching on bare bottom I would find myself in heaven, at such a scene.