convertible or SUV....

Sigh that is my dilemna.

I have an old BMW convertible I love to death...but alas she is showing signs of her age and I need a larger vehicle to transport sets, costumes, props etc....
I have been humming and hawing over this but it looks like I am giving up the old girl. :(

So that leaves me with...what next?
I love landrovers but they do not have that great a track record in my price range so am thinking a 2000 or 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee...with a sunroof *smiles*

Thoughts about SUV are very welcome.......

Costume fittings by Niko the Dog

Reduce, Re use and Reycle

It surprised me as I travelled about last year, just how few places in the world have a solid recycling program.
In the age we live in, with the knowledge we have gleamed, it is truly time to take a stand and start one up in your community.

Living on the west coast of Canada where recycling has been a norm for years, I am discouraged by how far the world still needs to go with this.
We take out maybe one bag of actual garbage a week because of the fairly decent recycling programs we have and our compost.

I felt awful traveling through Europe and throwing out my water bottles, plastics etc.
There really is just no excuse to not take this a little more seriously.


So my challenge to all who read this......

make some noise in your community

...get involved at schools sharing what you know

... and harrass your community leaders to get on top of this.
Check out what Freecycle is doing Globally

OUR PLANET IS NOT A GARBAGE DUMP!
This is a picture of the Pacific Ocean...shame!




Okay...*steps off soap box til the next time* :)

Happy St. Paddy's Day

For all, a little Irish luck :)


The Leprechaun

needle felted Catabis Stix

Me at MTV Greece, premiere...

My first day in Athens and taveling alone, I happened to meet a couple of sympatico peeps ( recognized by being clad all in black, interestingly tattooed and wearing security passes around their necks) and had dinner with them in the Plaka.
Turns out they were roadies for the MTV premier in Greece on their dinner break, and were setting up a concert in the old Olympic Stadium happening in 2 hours. It was to be broadcast live all over Europe.

I was in....didn't yet know who was playing or how muchit would cost me...but would you have missed it?

After a long metro ride that turfed me out onto the "new" stadium amongst rabid "football" fans eeeekkkk,
( ummm who knew there were TWO Olympic Stadiums)
I found my way back on the metro with said rabid fans, to where I needed to be and enjoyed the kaiser Chiefs and REM.
Oh and all this was FREE!

Here is a little snippet from the outdoor ampitheatre....sitting amongst the old marble steps and looking out to the Parthenon...sigh..it was a great concert.
REM singing Losing My religion ( along with the whole crowd)..sorry for the bouncing..I was dancing.
When I bounce, err Pan, over to the screen, notice the marble steps and guard rail in the background.

Wow....Dick Cheney.....wow scary...

This article really says so much about the Bush/Cheney regime and is truly frightening.

Cheney has finally found the limits of gov't power

the cats have gone wild for reefer

This video made my sides hurt from giggling..
Oh dear...it is a gateway drug after all people...*rolls eyes*
I do love Shady Lady though...reminds me of Flame...enjoy and let me know what you think



Catnip Reefer Madness - Watch the best video clips here

Dog noses...

I woke up this morning to the urgent prodding of a cold, wet nose.
At first I brushed Niko away, but he insisted with yet another urgent poke.

I wondered what he was on about, looked at my alarm clock and realized I had slept through it and it was now 9:15, and I ummm have to be at work at 10:00am, across town, 20 minutes away.

EEEEEEKKKKKKKKK

THANK GOODNESS FOR NIKO'S BIG WET DOG NOSE. That is all I have to say about that.

He is Hero for the day and wearing appropriate headwear.

This new book by Jessica Valenti is worth checking it out. A fresh new voice supporting young women in the world.



"Shameless Self-Promotion: The Purity Myth is out!
I'm really excited to announce that The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women is out. (Though super nervous too!)

And while I'm anticipating some backlash - shit, even the title/cover of the book generated some conservative hand-wringing - I'm hoping that it will further the conversation about how the conservative movement uses young women's bodies and moral panic myths to push traditional gender roles and punish women who don't fit into the "pure" ideal."

I watch...

and wonder.
Were we that ridiculous and silly at 14? really?
My goodness the girls cheering on the American Idol boys are crazed and well....silly.

I am sure I was born sophisticated and never ever lost my mind over a musician...


...right?


" WOW, you guys are really hot"
Those words never fell out of my mouth, I never said that that to a hot sweaty guitar player as he left the stage, I always had intelligent conversations with the musicians I met.

Really, I know you all believe me ...right?

J & J Noodle House.

I am off to resolve some long time cravings for spicy tofu hot pot from J&J Noodle House.

Mmmmm..If you have never tried this place...what is stopping you?

Snow??????....

Well, I have posted at length over the Christmas holidays about snow, but felt the need to comment on today's crazy white fluffy stuff.

It is march......in Victoria.....
.....ummmmm..flower count mocking the rest of Canada as they sit under the blanket of winter.

Well who is laughing now ?

Okay I am , I love snow...i am off to play in with a coupld of very happy snow dogs and one funny, snowball chasing snowcat :)

Asturian Sculpture

I am going to continue to write about the beautiful art and architecture.
( click on the images for larger view )

Next on my list is Spain.

I spent some amazing time wandering the beautifully ornate streets of Northern Spain, in the cities of Oviedo and Gijon.
It is immensely inspiring to see the amount of sculpture and dedicated space on every street, given to sharing that art. We need more art amongst us here in Canada.

In Oviedo, much of the art is highlighting the beginings of life and the people who built up the city.
Gijon has the incredible " Monument to the Horizon, built high atop an old battlement at the entrance to Gijon's harbour.


I will let the art speak for itself through my photos.

I think my fave is the girl reading by the street lamp.

lost my blog list...

Sigh..if you have noticed your blog used to be on my list and is no longer...somehow I lost them, please feel free to leave me a comment with a link to your blog..I am slowly re-adding them.
Thanks :)

NORWICH CATHEDRAL

I found my way into my first really old Cathedral while visiting Norwich this fall.

A beautiful example of the Norman style, my favourite part were the Cloisters.
I can just imagine the black and white wing headed Nuns, walking through them peeking in and out of the long corridors.



Inside the cathedral, I found it to be a bit heady and full of old smells.
I experienced a strange discombobulating energy, and saw holograms of its prize possessions...that was weird...holgrams in a church.
I did see a small...teeny...tiny piece of what is supposed to be " The Shroud"

Makes me scractch my head a bit, thinking on how much money is focussed on houses of worship, knowing humanity is in need...but I do enjoy the architecture.
It is really something to think on how these amazing constructs were built without modern technolgy.


I took this photo inside the entrance gates.



description from the WIKI

"The structure of the cathedral is primarily in the Norman style, having been constructed at the behest of Bishop Herbert de Losinga between the late 11th century and about 1145. The total length of the building is 461 feet (140 m). Significant alterations from later periods include a 315 foot (96 m) spire completed in 1465, and a two-storey cloister, the only such in England, which was built between 1300 and 1430, as well as the vaults of nave and chancel.

The cathedral is built of flint and mortar faced with limestone brought in from Caen. Standing at 315 feet, the cathedral's spire is the second tallest in England, and dominates the city skyline; only the spire of Salisbury Cathedral is higher. Like Salisbury and Ely, the cathedral lacks a ring of bells - the only three English cathedrals to do so. One of the best views of the cathedral spire is from St. James's Hill on Mousehold Heath.

The bosses of the vault number over 1,000. Each is decorated with a theological image and have been described as without parallel in the Christian world. The nave vault shows the history of the world from the creation; the cloister includes series showing the life of Christ, and the Apocalypse.

The precinct of the cathedral, the limit of the former monastery, is between Tombland (the Anglo-Saxon market place) and the River Wensum - building materials were taken up the Wensum and unloaded at Pulls Ferry, Norwich. The Cathedral Close, which runs from Tombland into the cathedral grounds, contains a number of interesting buildings from the 15th through to the 19th century, including the remains of the Infirmary."

PLACES I HAVE BEEN...

• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

Cats....

This is a story I know first hand.
It is not an email I have recieved nor any other story I heard about, I know the woman this happened to.

A wonderful caring cat owner, inadvertantly shut her beloved cat "Tiger" into a dryer, one tragic day 5 months ago, and turned it on.

When she realized what had happened, it was too late. Torn up by the grief this accident has caused, she hopes that by sharing his story, others will never end up like this and his death will have purpose.

In his memory I urge everyone to share this story with someone you know who has animals.
This could happen to any of us and if hearing this story gives people pause to double check things like washers, dryers, freezers... then we know Tiger's star shines brightly amongst us.

I know my cat has hopped in as i was taking out laundry, it is warm and cosy in there. I wil always check twice before closing the lid now.
Please share, thank you.

wanted: your costume pieces???

My theatre company "Tumbleweeds Theatre" has been working on a long term project "The Shadows", based on the history of the Hudson Bay Company, and is inneed of period costume pieces and accessories. Parasols, hats, shoes, pinafores..you name it.

if you have anything hanging out in you, or your child's closet that may help us, we would be very grateful.....

That old men's hat and bow tie,in the back of your wardrobe, for example, is invaluable to us.
Contact tumbleweedstheatre@shaw.ca to discuss further...

These kids work so hard, We would love to give them the stunning costumes they deserve after all their hard work and research.
We do not receive any funding and depend solely on limited box office and donations to keep going.

Thank you very much...:)

the feather stick...

I woke up and grabbed the nearby feather stick to play with the kitties for a bit.
I then ventured forth into the living room after tripping over mousies on the ground, a dog bone and various well loved stuffies.

When I opened my computer this was waiting in my inbox and I just howled.....

This video is so funny...

Ya know, you've got to give props to Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.
It takes a really cool person to laugh at themselves and I have been laughing along with them....hee hee hee...

Enjoy...Justin and Beyonce

....and yes, I have been entertaining myself while I am sniffling and sneezing.

Colds

Ewwy, sneezy, coughy......

COLD!

IN MY HEAD, IN MY NOSE........IN MY SCRATCHY SORE THROAT



Cold...



Because I am a woman, I will pack up kleenex, hot bevvies and go to work.


If I were a man I would be dying.




Oh come on, you know it is true!

If...

troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops.....

That's where you'll find me :)

the sounds of silence?

It is hard to believe a house could ever truly feel like a home without the tumbly chaos of pets.
We live with 2 large snow dogs and 3 pussycats.
Now you might think this is a lot, and well * giggle* you are probably right, but for us it feels just right.

When I was young I desparately wanted to be a vet.....well actually I wanted to be James Herriot, and thought that Seigfried's home, with its welcome of gallumphng dogs skidding down the hardwood halls, and the tangle of tongues and woofs, was the way to live.

I dreamt of that .... fire crackling, surrounded by snoring furries, perfectly content.
I wanted to move into that farm house amd be James Herriot.

I even dressed up as him for "Come as your favourite person" day at school in grade six.


Be careful what you wish for.......... *smiles*

Jump forward 30 years..I am living that dream..okay I did not become a vet...ugh... too much sadness and blood, but as I mentioned, we do have a house full of furries.


There are some compromises to be made:
We will never leave the house in black clothing that does not carry a strand.... (or 3 .....or a million,) of animal fur.
We will never plan a vacation on the spur of the moment.
We will never leave the house in a hurry without checking that the water bowls are full, and all the furries are okay.
We will never have a big enough bed for all to stretch out upon..forget about us and our space!
We will never walk down the stairs without checking for cat toys and balls.


But...

We have the faces of unconditional love waiting at the top of the stairs when we come home.
We have the sound of happy snoring puppies curled together at the foot of the bed.
We have the kity train in the hallway at mealtimes
We have the companionship of lovely wise dogs everywhere we walk
We have a fire and happy evenings surrounded by a house full of tumbly furry chaos.
We have a family that suits us just perfectly..right down to the last hair on the lapel.

I wouldn't trade it for anything...not even the ability to wear hairfree velvet :)

West coast love....

It is a brilliant sunshiney day out my window.

I do so dearly love the early hints of spring.

I am sure living where snow falls in heaps and buckets has lots of rewards, and when the snow dance overtakes me, there is nothing that makes me happier than fluffy snowflakes.

Today is different.
Today I see flowers and buds and green green grass, and earth waiting to be torn into with my hands.

I know I have written a few times a bout this now, but you just wouldn't believe what it is like to put the top down on the car, feel the February sun on your face and drive through the westcoast landscape under a sky full of sun, when you know the rest of Canada are still digging out their driveways...


tee hee...sticks thumb firmly in nose and rasberries the rest of you.

Go Figure....

I finally adopted a new attitude about walking everywhere.

Europe was great for this..the cobbles, the marbles, the pedestrian squares simply made walking hours at a time, interesting and fun.

I have tried to keep this going at home by taking the dogs out, parking further away from my destinations, walks along trails etc.
I have even embraced the sensible shoe as footwear and yet...I have developed a stupid owie heel issue.
It started in the cobbles of Europe, but I ignored it..places to go people to see you know the drill.
It followed me home....

Now, there is not much to be done, it will get better with time and rest..but Owwwww..and drat, the only thing to really be done is stay off of it and wear those sensible shoes... sigh....


Sigh....

American Idol....

Okay, I have to admit...I LOVE audition shows.

The ones that take you to hometowns all over and bring in a quazillion people....mostly scary and without a huge talent to be sure, but then there are those gems that stand out and make you pay attention.

You know what I mean. The "it" factor we all hear about.

I heart "So You Think YOu Can Dance"," Top Model"....oooo and the new" Rupaul drag race"....:), "Project Runway" and so on.

There is something captivating about watching people put their passions and talent on the line.

I realize I come off sounding a bit geeky about this, but oh well......

My pick of this season....and take note ladies.......he is yummy....Danny Gokey..sigh...not only is he super duper talented, but he recently lost his wife to cancer, 4 weeks prior to his first audition, and they decided together that no matter what he would pursue his passions. awwwwwwwwwwwww

Do you know if ...???

What Happens in the Facebook, stays in the Facebook?

Some really good info about the people who run FB and its associates.. click on the the words above for more...

Sunshine!

Morning shines brightly,
the trees are budding,
crocuses bloom purple-violet in the earth...

I am reminded I need to wash the windows.


Sigh...sun shines brightly through the veil!

Goodbye Facebook

It has recently dawned on me just how much time i whittle away by visiting a few ummmm internet distractions.

Now don't get me wrong, some of them are part of my routine and offer inspiration and reference material for my daydreaming, creative process.




However, as I work from home: writing, reading, planning, on my computer by day, I need to let go some of the other distractions and focus on what feeds my soul.

This is not facebook.

I thought it was for a time. I mean you chat with friends, reach out to people from your past and giggle at photos and antics.
But... when that friendly socialization is marred, by a breach of trust on FB's part, by changing the terms of service, without letting its members know, and that change strips away even more rights than the few we have in an internet forum...well......it is the kick I need to say, "SEE YA"

It is true they have changed it back to the original after much public noise, but....if they did this once...?...

I am not very techy I must admit. I much prefer to chat on the phone, at home than through email and rarely carry my cell phone as I find it intrusive in social situations....... don't even get me started on the texting craze.

Remember good old fashioned face to faces?





I am just an old fashioned girl and am getting off this particular tech highway.

You can find me at the end of the receiver, that is still plugged into a wall, and an email will always brings a smile and is fantastic for work correspondence...


but Facebook????

KISS MY A**

Spring

Spring creeps in quietly
Stirring earthen elegance
Waiting for the bud

V-Day- Until the Violence Stops

V-day used to mean, hearts, pink/red love, sweet kisses, and friendship.

Remember those little "be mine" Valentines you would get... everyone excited and buzzing....except for that one person, who looked sad because they didn't get any?
I hated that!
I always made Valentines for people I didn't know well, so no one felt left out.
Damn Hallmark Holiday!

Then...last year at this time, I was involved in the direction and performance of Eve Ensler's award winning play "The Vagina Monologues"

I learned how hard women are fighting for the freedom to live, read, breathe, walk, love, laugh, without being abused, mutilated, exploited, broken.....made invisible- globally.

I discovered that Violence against women and children is much...much... sadly MUCH more prevalent than my somewhat sheltered brain could conceive .

I was so proud, honored, changed- to be part of a movement that was standing up tall and noisilly to make a difference with MY EYES NEWLY WIDE OPEN. The V-Day Movement.

This year, I look at the commercials, listen to single friends grimace about this day that harbours such expectation, and I am sad that V-day can have such power for negativity when its entire essence is supposed to be about love.

I am taking the V-Day message and and adding my voice to spread the word
It IS about "love"....love yourself, love a stranger enough to say, " NOT IN MY COMMUNITY" , and love each other enough to support and empower the women and children who need it most of all.

I wish you all a loving and empowering V-Day...."Until the Violence Stops"

People are strange...

And I have that Doors song stuck in my head.

I love the Doors, it is really too bad a boyfriend I had in high school broke up with me by playing "The End" on his guitar....Damn musicians!
Ofcourse we got back together..broke up...got back together....broke up... together...

...well you get the picture sigh.......those tender hearts...

Anyway I digress.
The Doors...I listen to them and feel a little naughty, a little sensuous, and a little gritty.
It is the same feeling I get when I listen to "Black Magic Woman" really loud in the wee hours.

I close my eyes and am transported, the sound of wind chimes in the distance, a faint trace of ocean salt on my lips and a joint burning slowly down. I must dance...eyes closed, feet making circles on the floor, arms twisting in an imagined breeze above my head.

When I was 15 I read "No one Here Gets Out Alive" and I was sure..I mean so SURE, I was Pamela reincarnate.I looked deep into the eyes of a half naked Jim Morrison poster and knew those eyes were just for me.
Sigh....I was so sure.



This was further reinforced by meeting a certain boy ( mentioned above ) who believed he was Jim reincarnate.
Okay there may have been some ummm..."unmentionables" involved with that, he thought I was a unicorn/Pamela, I thought he was the Lizard King-Tee hee... but we believed it ...
and ...well... we know how THEY ended......Damn musicians.

I am now listening to the sound of Jim singing/chanting/lusting live on an old album and I smile...as my feet make circles on the floor.
Thank the Goddess for Musicians!

I Call a spade a ....

I have recently been asked if I realized the expression I use, "call a spade a spade", was actually a racial slur?
I was shocked, aghast that I have been saying this unknowingly for years...I did not believe them. I insisted it was not a slur...

I was sure its origins went much further back..... How did I miss this piece of our modern vernacular?

I have come here to ask all of you.....Is a spade a spade?


( art "snowplough" by Marcel DeChamps...Museum of Modern Art, NY)


here is what one man has to say on the subject under the origins of expression...

"Call a spade a spade

Meaning

To speak plainly - to describe something as it really is.

Origin

It might be thought that this derives from the derogatory use of the slang term 'spade', meaning Negro - an American term originating in the 20th century. That view of it as derogatory might also be thought to be supported by this piece from John Trapp's Mellificium theologicum, or the marrow of many good authors, 1647:

"Gods people shall not spare to call a spade a spade, a niggard a niggard."

Trapp's use of 'niggard' is difficult to interpret. The word had several meanings in the 17th century. It could be used to mean 'miser', which is the more common usage today, or as a general term of abuse - 'lout', 'barbarian' etc. The word was also used as the name of firebricks in grates.

The co-incidence in form and pronuctiation of 'niggard' and 'nigger' causes some confusion. Although the two words probably derived independently, they doubtless affected each other's development of meaning over time.

Whatever Trapp's intention was, we can be confident that he didn't mean 'nigger' or 'negro'.

An earlier expression of the notion, albeit in different form to that which we now use, comes from Nicolas Udall's 'Apophthegmes, that is to saie, prompte saiynges. First gathered by Erasmus' - translated in 1542:

"Philippus aunswered, that the Macedonians wer feloes of no fyne witte in their termes but altogether grosse, clubbyshe, and rusticall, as they whiche had not the witte to calle a spade by any other name then a spade."

This refers back to Plutarch's Apophthegmata."

and about that English food....

I was warned "ad nauseum" about the perils of eating English food.....I heard..
"watch out for the grease"
"you won't get any fresh greens"
"don't eat organ meats"
"eeek, overcooked boiled veggies"
... etc , etc.

I am happy to report however, my experience was very different than my expectations. Really...I ate very well and full of fresh greens and veggies...
I believe largely in part to Stephy, a wonderful cook ( her home is reading Room Cottage where I whiled away many happy days )

My first days were full of stirfry's, toad in the hole,( and yes that whole half of the plate is yorkshire pudding and sausage..)




and breakfasts including Greek Yoghurt, fresh fruit or porridge and golden treacle.

The apple doesn't fall far from Stephy's tree...her mom is also an amazing cook and our Sunday Tea included this for pudding......umm look at the size of those rasberries...




......but I will not discuss the whole Mushy pea fiasco....gack....how do people eat that and in styrofoam cups no less...?


Later we had a little afternoon tea on our paddleboat along the broads...


A true pub lunch was had at Lord someone and such's, ummm hmmm can't remember, but the food and cider were wonderful :)




Really, I don't know where the peeps that gave me such stern warnings had been eating, but I found English food, fresh and flavourful and delicious.
I am also a big fan of the chips..heavens, please give me some...

"fish and chips and vinegar, vinegar, vinegar....
fish and chips and vinegar...
pepper, pepper, pepper salt!"

Real Men Watch....

...old Musicals!

Many late nights have found me glued to the set, lost in the hues of gray on the screen and taken away by melodies of a time gone by.

I blame this obsession on my mother, the original Pollyanna...(I am downright cynical in comparison) she turned me onto the world of black and white film at a young age.
I would stay up long past bedtime, watching the CBC and getting lost in floating layers of tulle, crisp bowties and tailcoats.
Bleary eyed at 2:00am, I would crawl into bed and dream, my dreams floating in black and white melodies.



I have been mocked for this, yes...yes it is true....MOCKED, shocking isn't it.
I have even been referred to as "old fashioned" and "corny".
Past boyfriends would squirm at the first overture, and I, young as I was, would submit and change the channel.

Well I suppose those adjectives are still applicable to me and I wear them as a badge of honour, but I have not met many men who can sit down to a good ol' black and white MGM musical extravaganza and not only know all the songs, but be interested enough to google search the leading ladies.

There are simply not many men out there who really love a well written and brilliantly performed, musical.

Lucky for me, I live with one now, he doesn't squirm, and he can sing all the words to "Dance by the Light of the Moon" (and has even been known to sing it to our pussycats, but don't tell him I told you)

Real men Watch old Musicals.......take heed all you men!

Procrastination....

I am sure I am supposed to be doing something...yes I am almost positive of it.
It would be really good to remember what it is now!

I am afraid I have a confession. it is not easy to admit and I am not sure you will think the same of me once you know.....


I....



I suf.......Ugh, I shall have to say it quickly....


Isufferfromtheprocrastinationelves.


Whew...There, I have said it outloud...that is the first step...yes?

It is true...the procrastination elves.
They come in at night and take me on wild adventures, hither and thither.
I have dwelt in some beautiful places with these elves.
There are all manner of little folk there; faeries, elves, nymphs..... and it smells of honeydew and the beach at sunrise.
It feels like the blink of an eye but has actually been hours, and when i return here, I am left wondering once more, what exactly am I supposed to be doing?




It is a welcome diversion, and I would not find the artistic muse I do without the visits to the worlds of my Fey friends....but...... it is just...ummm......well......I know I am supposed to be doing SOMETHING?????


Oh well.....it will have to wait til tomorrow....I am sure I can hold the elves at bay tomorrow.

Snow makes me happy but....

not as happy as these tigers in Norfolk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7865737.stm

( copy and paste into browser window )

Sundays

Sigh..I love Sundays........Sleeping in, lazy mornings over cashew butter and cappuccino, walks with the furries and visits with friends....Sundays are that one day of the week with few obligations and true relaxation.

I love Sundays.