Escape

A Night At The Opera

2008-08-10T23:49:23+02:00

l like opera, and most of us at one time or another has listened to an 'aria' - a popular and usually well-known song from a production - and derived enjoyment from it, whether it be 'Nessun dorma' from Turandot or 'O mio babbino caro' from Gianni Schicchi.

So l am looking forward to a trip to the theatre in a few weeks time to see 'La Boheme'. lt will be something new and different, and of course a chance to dress up! Always a novel experience since l spend alot of my working day in sensible and unglamourous clothes.

To familiarise myself with the songs and storyline l've been listening to a cd of it, so when l'm watching the show l can understand what's happening, and also wait with anticipation for my favourite songs. Joining in won't be an option as l don't think the audience would appreciate my enthusiastic warblings, and it's being sung in Italian anyway, but l may be tempted to hum along under my breath !

Quote: 'lt was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'

Charles Dickens

Polo Ad Axed

2008-04-07T14:15:24+02:00

l was interested to read that the hugely enjoyable Volkswagen Polo commercial featuring a singing Jack Russell has been pulled from our screens following a barrage of complaints from members of the public, and an investigation from the RSPCA.

Much as l loved the joyous warbling of the Spencer Davis Group track 'l'm A Man', by the 'confident' JR, sitting in the front seat next to his owner and living life to the full, his doggie counterpart - shy, trembling, in a head down, tail between his legs stance did, l admit make me have some misgivings about how exactly this was achieved.

Apparently, the 'shy' version was perched on a motorised plate which made him tremble, but it does'nt explain how the tail and head down 'trick' was done. As this is a classic posture of a frightened and submissive animal and would l imagine be quite difficult to emulate unless the dog was actually feeling scared in some way, l will have to reserve judgement.

lt was a pity they couldn't have introduced a 'bored' rather than a 'cowering' doggy act instead. Perhaps yawning or filing his nails. Then it would have been perfect !

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=557500&in_page_id=1773

While l'm on the subject of animals on TV commercials, l just have to mention the hilarous ads for Teletext Holidays featuring a pair of 'home alone' cats. lnspired! See it on You Tube.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RZtKdsirjTs

Spring Has Sprung

2008-04-03T22:46:16+02:00

Well that was an unexpectedly long break - apologies to my readers who have been waiting for the latest blog post.

lt's been a strange beginning to the year, after l thought l'd escaped the winter blues, l suddenly sunk into a kind of apathy, and nothing seemed to be happening that was worth blogging about.

The arrival of a few fine days (apart from some unseasonably vicious snow storms over the Easter break), and shorter nights have lifted my spirits.

l have also discovered a product which has proved useful for those suffering from disturbed sleep, or not being able to drop off at all. Try some melatonin drops. Three or four on a teaspoon, or stirred into a drink and you may find you have a good nights rest. Mine were from a company called agestop.co.uk

The seeds from a variety of tomato called 'Aranta', saved by me last summer, were sown in early February and are now healthy plants, happily basking in the sunshine on my windowsill with some runner beans and cauliflower plants for company.

A few dvds l've enjoyed over the past week or so -not necessarily recent releases but new to me are '- The Cell'; 'Eastern Promises'; 'Society'; and 'Wallace and Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'. 'Into The Wild' is next on my list, but l am reading the best selling novel of this first.

Winter Blues

2007-12-08T23:56:46+01:00

Actually, the title should be - ok, it's winter, but l'm feeling sort of alright really. Not yet into the deep dark gloom which usually descends around this time.

Partly, l think this is because l have tried to avoid my regular December activities, ie endless Christmas shopping, writing Christmas card lists, and thinking about what food to buy to consume over the Christmas period.

lnfact, l'm pretty chilled about the whole event. Decorating the house has been largely pared down to a small, but attractive Christmas tree, and l may - or may not - string up some icicle shaped fairy lights. But that's it. Enough. And if people are so kind as to send me a card l will return the favour. But gone are the days when l'd be bent over my address book, trying to decide if a nice robin design would be more appropriate for the recipient than The Three Wise Men.

Christmas is a state of mind. l firmly believe people's expectations of the event are too high. They want it to be perfect, everyone bonding, and sharing, and caring, with presents they are thrilled to receive. A season of Goodwill To All Men.

l wonder why? lf you weren't feeling this Goodwill in Spring, Summer and Autumn - how does the arrival of the cold and drab Winter months suddenly bring out all this generosity of spirit ? lt's just not realistic and therefore doomed to failure.

No, my new plan is to not have a plan !

l aim to enjoy and be part of the festivities without forcing it to be something it isn't.

And to buy presents on the internet wherever possible.

Winner!

2007-11-03T22:27:04+01:00

This is a nice surpise - l've just won £10 in today's lottery. l had half of the required six numbers. lf only l'd had the other half as well ... if only!! l would have been 18 million pounds richer.

18 Million Pounds !!!

But ultimately, would it bring me happiness??

Answer: Yes.

Mushrooms

2007-10-30T21:00:27+01:00

This impressive crop of fungi has sprouted at the foot of my hawthorn tree, with a few smaller groups scattered around nearby.

l have no idea which variety they are as l haven't investigated further, but l won't be frying them up with my bacon and eggs in the morning that's for sure. l don't want a trip to my nearest A&E department for a date with a stomach pump! (Or even a date with death.)

Comfort Food

2007-10-15T23:44:26+02:00

One of my current favourite 'must sees' on TV is 'Nigella Express', presented by the fabulously beautiful Nigella Lawson.

Her speciality for this series is producing great tasting comfort food in a hurry - and she really delivers.

Even if you're not into cooking, this show is a delight to watch as Nigella wafts about her kitchen - complete with huge walk-in pantry big enough to live in - gleefully tossing some tasty ingredients into a bowl or pan and with a quick stir rustles up an irresistable meal that even the fussiest of eaters wouldn't refuse.

l love the way Nigella so shamelessly tucks into her food; and the closing scene where she goes back to her fridge at the end of the day to polish off the left-overs!!

Truly a woman after my own heart.

Check out some of her recipes at www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/nigellaexpress_index.shtml

Milky Pay

2007-10-15T23:17:55+02:00

An article in yesterday's copy of The Sun caught my eye, although l don't as a rule feature newspaper stories in my blog.

The headline read '42p pinta is record.'

Are they kidding ?

At my local corner shop a 500ml (less than a pint) carton of milk has been selling for 42p for months, and recently had a price increase slapped on it. Current cost ?

A whopping 47p !!!

At this rate it'll be cheaper to slosh champagne over your cornflakes in the morning.

Quote: ' A corpse is meat gone bad. Well and what's cheese ? Corpse of milk.'

James Joyce

Home Alone

2007-09-08T14:04:29+02:00

l have the entire house to myself for the whole weekend ! What a luxury that is.

Part of me is tempted to be productive and do things that l've been putting off for ages. But l've made a decision not to listen to that particular part of my conscience as the time will pass and before l know it Monday will arrive. lt's been a trying few days and next week doesn't promise to be any better.

So l'm sitting here, having a session on my pc and thinking about my forthcoming long (uninterrupted) bath, lunch, good book, sleep, a film or two ....

One worthy task l will do is give Sapphire the neighbour's cat a gentle sponge over with warm water and special cat shampoo. There is definitely something wrong as her skin is lumpy, itchy and looks very sore, quite greasy too. lt could well be a flea allergy. Or ticks. A website l've come across : www.petpharmacydirect.co.uk looks promising and has a resident vet you can email for advice, and a range of quality products to treat all the usual ailments. lt's not a substitute for a visit to your local vet, but definitely useful as a first port of call for general information.

There are several books on my current reading pile. A couple are by David Eddings - 'Pawn of Prophecy' and 'Queen of Sorcery'. These are of the mythical fantasy genre, with Gods, Kings, Strange Lands and so on. l enjoy his writing style. lt's very readable and the characters are well portrayed. l can get through a chapter without realising it.

One not so good event last week has been the appearence of rodents. Pussem took great delight in playing with and ultimately killing one mouse in the back garden (see photo below ); and then l have heard 'noises' in the night. Scratching and scurrying behind the bathroom wall and in the water overflow pipe and above my bedroom ceiling. Another visit from Pest Control is on the horizon, the close horizon. There are already trays of rat poison in the attic from their last call, but l get the feeling l'm regarded as an hysterical female as no evidence was found. l was even asked if l thought it might be birds walking about on the roof !!!

Sigh !!

And my lawn is still looking sick and patchy, inspite of re-seeding with new grass, which hasn't bothered to germinate. l may try a product l saw in a gardening magazine called 'Wondergreen' lawn seed. lt promises rapid results, and agressive green shoots in five days. (Then, l'm hoping, it will stop growing so quickly as l don't relish the thought of mowing it more than l have to.) But 'a luxurious thick lawn impervious to weeds' and 'the envy of neighbours and friends' sounds pretty good. lt's not available in stores, just mail order and the internet : www.homeandcomfort.co.uk

Harvest For The Fridge

2007-09-06T17:31:20+02:00

l'm drowning under a sea of cherry tomatoes !

What started as a modest and easily useable handful of fruits (or is it vegetables?) each day has steadily progressed into whole punnets. Not that l'm complaining because they've been very tasty and it's nice to know that no chemical of any kind has been in contact with them, and they are as fresh as it is possible for them to be.

But next year l'm growing fewer plants, and trying a different variety. Earlier in the year l bought some supermarket tomatoes which had a beautiful flavour and l saved some of the seeds from them so l hope they will germinate next spring. The variety was called 'Aranta'.

l quite enjoy the end of the Summer season as it blends into Autumn because it gives me the chance to clear the borders, dispose of annual plants, dig in some soil conditioner and generally get things into some order before Winter makes an appearence. And l like to plot and plan for next year.

l've bought some pink double tulips - ' Angelique' (above) and have potted them up ready for Spring. These will be used for added colour in the garden and can be placed where they are needed most. Unlike bulbs planted directly into the ground though, they do need watering during the Winter when there is a dry spell.

Also new for the Summer will be some dramatic purple Aliums - a type of ornamental onion. l've never grown them before so it will be something to look forward to.

My Echinaceas are at the large seedling stage. l'd hope they would be a little more advanced by now as they need to be bigger before they can be planted out into the garden ready for flowering next June. But that's gardening for you, things grow at their own pace.

The blue glazed urn, once home to my now sadly deceased Japanese maple 'Orange Dream', has been re-vamped and used for a display of velvety purple pansies with a bright yellow blotch in the centre, and a golden ornamental grass for height and contrast. lt gives a very pleasing effect and a nice splash of colour in the enclosed section of the back garden where they can be seen every day.