Saturday, August 15, 2009

Angels.

I was reading about Angels last week. People who have seen them and been helped by them. Were they Angels or were they ordinary people who were in the right place at the right time? Are Angels living amongst us disguised as human beings.?

I’m the kind of person who is quite happy to see David Copperfield flying around on stage. I know that it is an illusion but I enjoy it just the same. I don’t need ‘explanations’ So I enjoyed reading and thought it was good that there is always hope in the most incredible situations.

What if we are all Angels ourselves? Think about it, we are given the opportunity to help someone most days. Holding a door open for someone who’s loaded with shopping. Being someone’s friend. Our smile might just help someone in the depths of despair hang on a little longer and get past their unhappiness. It’s not too difficult, is it?

The writing of this post has been in my head for a couple of days. This morning I was checking out my stats and saw that there was a link to Anji Patchwork from Lori’s blog. A bit strange as I haven’t popped by there for a while. What I found was a post which fits perfectly. Read it and see what you think.

Friday, August 14, 2009

The Cakewalk


When I was five years old I went directly to my mum’s friend’s house as usual on a Friday afternoon after school. I was very excited, we’d listened to some new music at school. The Cakewalk. Imagine cakes walking! Mum’s friend Chris was married to a musician and he sat me on his lap at the piano and played if for me straight off.

I couldn't believe my luck this evening. Claude Debussy playing the Cakewalk himself

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The summer of ‘76


That’s 33 years ago now. It was very hot and I was reading Lord of the Rings and weighed 8st 7lbs (an important detail in those days).

One weekend in July I got on the coach after work and went to stay with my friend, Sheila, in London. Both of our boyfriends were working abroad at the time so we decided to get together for a weekend. Sheila and her friends lived in a squat. To my surprise it looked like an ordinary house – except that “Clark Kent lives here” was written on the front door. There was an outside loo (pull the chain and run) it was a very hot summer a row of certain plants were growing tall against one of the garden walls.

We visited pubs and drank pints so we didn’t need to queue up at the bar so often. I remember walking down the Portobello road. As a country bumpkin, I couldn’t get enough of the many different types of people out for the afternoon. We stopped and bought hunks of bread; over laden with cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and toasted –a kind of pizza – for lunch. Everyone was so nice and friendly. I wonder if it’s like that now.

A weekend doesn’t last for long, but I’ve always remembered that one.


Where are you now?

Monday, July 20, 2009

You can count on Shakespeare

I enjoyed this quote today from Daily Literary Quote:

“Beauty is all very well at first sight; but whoever looks at it when it has been in the house three days?”

Friday, July 3, 2009

Leonard Norman Cohen

I’ve been listening to Leonard Cohen, a lot recently. I’d always been a fan of 'Suzanne' but thanks to Deezer, I’ve discovered a lot more of his music. I love the way he uses words and of course, the way he plays the guitar. I hope that his life hasn’t been as sad as some of his songs are. Checking on Wikipedia I see that he is Canadian which explains the French lyrics and words in some of his songs.

Some of the songs made me remember the poems of Edgar Allan Poe. I once wrote a poem about Edgar Allan Poe arriving in heaven only to meet all of the dead ladies he mourned in his poems – not much of a heaven in fact. I can’t find it anywhere, so you won’t be able to read it.

Anyway I really like this version of 'Lover, Lover, Lover', sorry there is no 'action'. I love the guitar and the beginning and the rhythm. I did find the older versions but they are too fast for my liking. Perhaps as we get older we learn to take our time and savour things?


Friday, June 19, 2009

Dreams

I’ve had several dreams recently, three that I remember and two which were in a tiny way prophetic. The first was about a not at all logical tandem. I don’t think that I was riding it. When we took Olivier to his friends the following morning, we passed the velodrome and above the entrance is a penny farthing!

The second dream struck me as odd a few hours after I got up. We were at the sea. I was with children – I think that they were mine. We were running along the beach towards the sea but the sea was chasing us; I could feel the spray on my back as I ran. I knew that we had to hurry but we weren’t frightened. I’ve visited this beach several times in my dreams and the sea is always very unpredictable.

We were in a car and Rob had a rat on his shoulder. He was driving and the rat jumped from his shoulder and I felt it run over my foot. I couldn’t see it because I was carrying a big box and it was in the way. Then the rat started to nibble one of my toes; it really hurt and I could feel the blood. Fortunately I woke up as the alarm went off.

Later I went to visit a few blogs and guess what I found

For quite a long time I kept the plans I drew of of a house we moved into in my dreams.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Lemon Meringue Pie

This one is dedicated to Nicky, who loves cakes of all kinds and needs cheering up at the moment…

My daughter is on a single woman mission to convert the entire population of France to the idea of carrot cake.


Last summer Dom and her friend held a birthday party for the younger brother of one of their group. In exchange he did a series of cartoons for them. This is one of his sketches of Dom presenting her famous carrot cake. ( I really can’t think why her eyes are green and twirly)

One of Rob’s colleagues, who was Dom’s colleague and is now Olivier’s colleague too, has already been converted and she put carrot cake as her favourite cake in the subject box of the email she sent me. I thought you’d like to join in. Here’s the email, Please let me know which cake you choose:

“No cheating.
If all of the eight puddings listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only pick one!)? Trust me...this is very accurate. Pick your dessert, and then look to see what psychiatrists think about you.
REMEMBER - No Cheating. Make your choice before you check the meaning.
After taking this dessert personality test, send this e-mail on to others, but when you do, be sure to put your choice of dessert in the subject box above.
ALSO, SEND IT TO THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU. DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR PUDDING CHOICE IN THE SUBJECT BOX
BEFORE YOU FORWARD IT.
Here are your choices:

1. Angel Food Cake
2. Brownies
3. Lemon Meringue Pie
4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Icing
5. Strawberry Shortcake
6. Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Icing
7. Ice Cream
8. Carrot Cake

No, you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully about what your choice will be.
OK - Now that you've made your choice, this is what the researchers say about you...


1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzyitems. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.

2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your sabre. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humour and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

3.. LEMON MERINGUE -- Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent care-giver and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, you set your own style because you do your own thing. You shine when it comes to helping others and have many friends.

4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lacking motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a tight situation and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. You can be very emotional at times but a true person in every way. You like to do things for yourself and help others learn about themselves.

6. CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

7. ICE CREAM -- You like sport, whether it's cricket, football, rugby, or tennis. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sport. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centred and high maintenance.

8. CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun-loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends. You were meant to lead and teach others. A wonderful role model.”