Dreams

A dear Twitter pal  Cheryl  ..... @turtlemoongurl on  Twitter ..... had a sort of  "straw poll"  last week . She was asking her  Twitter followers about their dreams for an essay she was writing .  This started me thinking about my own dreams .  Not my  'aspirations' but  the nocturnal visions that enter my brain when I am asleep.

I dream in colour and , if I remember correctly , some of  Cheryls  Twitter pals dream in black and white . I have no idea which format is the  'norm' , or even if there is such a thing as  'normal' in the dream world , but my world is colourful and mostly happy ; but always very strange !

I can often remember my dreams very clearly and sometimes they appear to be so real that I think they have actually happened .  After one of these vivid dreams I spend the following day in a sort of  'aura' of belief and feel disorientated and muzzy-headed as though I am still dreaming .  Just last night I dreamt that I was in Selfridges  in the Trafford Centre ! Now this is not a store in which I can usually afford to even draw breath , but there I was trying on and actually purchasing , two glorious flowing , floaty , sparkling evening dresses . The sort of dresses that girly-girls sigh for . Goodness knows where I was going to wear these expensive gowns ! Assisting me in my purchases were three very helpful fashion advisors ........ My husband , Colin Firth and  'Inspector Frost ' !!!   I know , I know , CRAZY !!  .....and why  'Inspector Frost '  ???  But this dream was so vivid that I still half believe it happened as I write this  !

I often have these realistic dreams but at other times I am actually aware that I am dreaming . I say to whoever else is in my 'vision'  ,   " Its OK , this is only a dream " .  I find that very strange , do you ?  Then there are the times when I get so frustrated because I cant quite remember a dream ,  but I know its  'there'  just slightly out of reach , like a balloon floating slowly skyward and I just cant reach it . For a moment it seems to hover , inches from my fingertips  and I know that if only I can touch the balloon it would burst and all the  'dream memories' would float down towards me  so I try and try , reaching up on tiptoes , but it floats higher and drifts away and is lost .

Some dreams are slightly recurrent and others have locations that I seem to know and revisit in many different dreams . However , I have no idea where these places are  'in real life' . They seem very familiar to me , as though they are stamped in my memory . Are they half remembered imaginings from books Ive read or films Ive seen  ? I've searched my memory and can find no answer , but when Im in the middle of such a dream I know what is going to happen next, like some TV  rerun of a favourite show . I suppose these dreams could be my security blanket , reassurance after a stressful day .

I do not have nightmares , although I have had some , years ago  . In  Cheryls  'poll' many people reported having nightmares and some were recurring , That must be very distressing and disturbing and my heart goes out to the sufferers as they must be almost afraid to go to sleep  I am very lucky as my dreams may be puzzling but they are mostly happy , amusing and quite often entertaining   There is so much more to write about this fascinating and complex subject and I would like to think I have maybe inspired some of you to think about your dreams and possibly share your experiences .

Meanwhile , I must go , I have a pressing date with  Colin Firth and  David Jason and two  yellow  Selfridges carrier bags ............ if only I could find them !!!!!