~Apparently black dogs and cats get a bad rap. This article hopes to change that. Beautiful photographs, hilarious commentary. ~The New York Times posted this little gem of heresy. Rebuttals here. Recipe here. ~Fun video from the Hong Kong Ballet. Unfortunately, I can never hear Ravel’s Bolero without playing the entirety of Torvill and Dean’s mesmerizing ice dance in my head. Just me? ~I struggle to find decent yogurt at the supermarket, but these two have proven to be winners. Noosa is dessert worthy. ~Equity vs Equality. A small but mighty subtlety. ~Two shows on Sundance: The Split Nicola Walker…
Category: <span>BITS AND BOBS</span>
~Food for thought this Earth Day. ~The awkwardness of families and politics. ~I’ll be making this again this week, just in time for summer. ~I’m a complete sucker for good branding so when I saw this cat food at the supermarket and it made me laugh, I knew it was coming home with me. It’s not cheap but it is real. My cat seemed to love it and she’s finicky. Then again, she’s a cat. ~What 39 celebrities wore to meet the Queen. ~Black Earth Rising on Netflix. Kate Ashby is a thirty something Rwandan Tutsi rescued as a little…
~The 91st Academy Awards are this weekend. Nominations here, if you’re in need of a reminder. ~I have yet to watch Roma which seems to be a strong contender for best picture. It’s on Netflix, so I’ll definitely be watching it before Sunday, but also hoping to squeeze in Green Book as well. ~Personally I’m a big fan of The Favourite and Olivia Colman, but I just read that Glenn Close has been nominated for an Oscar several times and has never won, so I wouldn’t be at all disappointed if she nabbed the statue this time around: she was…
A big old goofy grin for the weekend, because: only 49 more to go before Christmas. ~The immigrant who mows the lawn of the nuclear physicist indirectly helps to unlock the secrets of the universe. With all the talk of The Wall, an eye-opening look at the opposite approach. ~Be still my beating heart. I now have plans to chop down the tree at the bottom of my garden so I can have one of these for myself. ~Go and see this movie this weekend. Wonderfully written, brilliantly acted and marvelously off-kilter the whole way through. ~Just finished watching season…
I’ve long considered poinsettias a bit of a yawn for the Christmas season. That ubiquitous red doesn’t excite me at all and they are so overused that it’s hard to be inspired by them. But sometimes you just have to look at something with fresh eyes in order to bring it back to life again. Hence, the poinsettia as cut flower. And in fun new shades. For me a true red poinsettia is always out. I find plain white or white with a touch of soft pink or red or any variegated version so much more interesting. In the photo…
Trader Joe’s. Everybody’s favourite place to shop. And because I love to see everyone else’s most-loved items, I decided to put together one of my own. ~Croissants These will in no way, shape or form be able to hold their own against a flaky, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside croissant from a Parisian bakery. But they’re not half bad either and can happily hang out in the freezer until they’re needed. They do have to be left out overnight (a task which can sometimes prove elusive) but other than that they’re great for a quiet…
A member of your staff recently brought it to the attention of many of us that you are feeling rather victimised by the constant barrage of negativity being levelled at you. In hindsight we should have seen how sad you are about this. It is, after all, a word you have used in many a tweet. We can only extend our deepest apologies at this time for not being more aware of your suffering. Maybe you will find it in your heart to forgive us when we explain that we have been a little distracted of late. You see, there…
~The unofficial end of summer is upon us. Of course if you live in the South summer doesn’t end until, oh, mid-Octoberish. No need to be jealous though, pretty soon we’ll all be experiencing long, hot summers. Some of us believe that. Some of us don’t. Some of us have known about it for a very long time. Crazy. ~Speaking of crazy, this is a great weekend to see Crazy Rich Asians if you haven’t already. It’s a gorgeous movie. Gorgeous people, gorgeous settings, gorgeous parties. And then there’s Awkwafina who slices right through all that gorgeousness with her slightly…
It’s May 1st. Which means we have officially crawled out of the depths of winter and find ourselves standing in the sun with the promise of summer just around the corner. In England May Day involves the frivolities of dancing around a maypole, crowning a May Queen and leaving paper cones of flowers on people’s front door. An explosion of all things spring, celebrated while the lambs frolic in the fields and the flowers poke up through the soil with a cheery hello. And if it’s May than the end of the school year is fast approaching, which means teacher…
I’m something of a minimalist when it comes to decorating for the holidays. Actually I’m a bit of a minimalist all the time, it’s just a little more obvious at this time of year. I have very little in the way of store bought Christmas knickknacks, other than all the ornaments collected over the years which hang on the tree. I tend to feel a little claustrophobic if I have a house brimming with decorations and so much Christmas stuff involves a lot of red. So much red. I don’t like red. I do love Christmas cheer and holiday sparkle…