Happy Holidays

The Holiday season has officially begun and I am happy to say I'm ready for it for once! Bought all the children's presents - even started wrapping them. Got most of the decorations up from the basement, and the children have been playing with a Christmas toy set all morning. 4 weeks til the big day! Heading into Manhattan to brave the Sales rush...

Weird

to think that being alone on Thanksgiving Eve should mean anything to me, but here I am all lonely and upset. Silly really. What with me being British this isn't a Holiday for me. I think with this being my 6th Thanksgiving here in the States - I'm finally starting to accept it as being a big deal. A time to be with family and loved ones. It is important. So what with my husband still at work now at 9.15pm it gives me a sad feeling inside. I grew up watching Thanksgivings on sitcoms and in movies - it always seemed like such a joyous time full of love and laughter. Maybe my time to enjoy Thanksgiving will come when my children are grown and they're coming home for the Holidays. I look forward to those days. Maybe I'll go watch some cheesy American television - try get my mojo back. Happy Thanksgiving all.

Halloween - Robert Burns

Upon that night, when fairies light
On Cassilis Downans dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the route is ta'en,
Beneath the moon's pale beams;
There, up the cove, to stray and rove,
Among the rocks and streams
To sport that night.

Among the bonny winding banks,
Where Doon rins, wimplin' clear,
Where Bruce ance ruled the martial ranks,
And shook his Carrick spear,
Some merry, friendly, country-folks,
Together did convene,
To burn their nits, and pou their stocks,
And haud their Halloween
Fu' blithe that night.

The lasses feat, and cleanly neat,
Mair braw than when they're fine;
Their faces blithe, fu' sweetly kythe,
Hearts leal, and warm, and kin';
The lads sae trig, wi' wooer-babs,
Weel knotted on their garten,
Some unco blate, and some wi' gabs,
Gar lasses' hearts gang startin'
Whiles fast at night.

Then, first and foremost, through the kail,
Their stocks maun a' be sought ance;
They steek their een, and graip and wale,
For muckle anes and straught anes.
Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,
And wander'd through the bow-kail,
And pou't, for want o' better shift,
A runt was like a sow-tail,
Sae bow't that night.

Then, staught or crooked, yird or nane,
They roar and cry a' throu'ther;
The very wee things, todlin', rin,
Wi' stocks out owre their shouther;
And gif the custoc's sweet or sour.
Wi' joctelegs they taste them;
Syne cozily, aboon the door,
Wi cannie care, they've placed them
To lie that night.

The lasses staw frae 'mang them a'
To pou their stalks of corn:
But Rab slips out, and jinks about,
Behint the muckle thorn:
He grippet Nelly hard and fast;
Loud skirl'd a' the lasses;
But her tap-pickle maist was lost,
When kitlin' in the fause-house
Wi' him that night.

The auld guidwife's well-hoordit nits,
Are round and round divided,
And monie lads' and lasses' fates
Are there that night decided:
Some kindle coothie, side by side,
And burn thegither trimly;
Some start awa, wi' saucy pride,
And jump out-owre the chimlie
Fu' high that night.

Jean slips in twa wi' tentie ee;
Wha 'twas she wadna tell;
But this is Jock, and this is me,
She says in to hersel:
He bleezed owre her, and she owre him,
As they wad never mair part;
Till, fuff! he started up the lum,
And Jean had e'en a sair heart
To see't that night.

Poor Willie, wi' his bow-kail runt,
Was brunt wi' primsie Mallie;
And Mallie, nae doubt, took the drunt,
To be compared to Willie;
Mall's nit lap out wi' pridefu' fling,
And her ain fit it brunt it;
While Willie lap, and swore by jing,
'Twas just the way he wanted
To be that night.

Nell had the fause-house in her min',
She pits hersel and Rob in;
In loving bleeze they sweetly join,
Till white in ase they're sobbin';
Nell's heart was dancin' at the view,
She whisper'd Rob to leuk for't:
Rob, stowlins, prie'd her bonny mou',
Fu' cozie in the neuk for't,
Unseen that night.

But Merran sat behint their backs,
Her thoughts on Andrew Bell;
She lea'es them gashin' at their cracks,
And slips out by hersel:
She through the yard the nearest taks,
And to the kiln goes then,
And darklins graipit for the bauks,
And in the blue-clue throws then,
Right fear't that night.

And aye she win't, and aye she swat,
I wat she made nae jaukin',
Till something held within the pat,
Guid Lord! but she was quakin'!
But whether 'was the deil himsel,
Or whether 'twas a bauk-en',
Or whether it was Andrew Bell,
She didna wait on talkin'
To spier that night.

Wee Jennie to her grannie says,
"Will ye go wi' me, grannie?
I'll eat the apple at the glass
I gat frae Uncle Johnnie:"
She fuff't her pipe wi' sic a lunt,
In wrath she was sae vap'rin',
She notice't na, an aizle brunt
Her braw new worset apron
Out through that night.

"Ye little skelpie-limmer's face!
I daur you try sic sportin',
As seek the foul thief ony place,
For him to spae your fortune.
Nae doubt but ye may get a sight!
Great cause ye hae to fear it;
For mony a ane has gotten a fright,
And lived and died deleeret
On sic a night.

"Ae hairst afore the Sherramoor, --
I mind't as weel's yestreen,
I was a gilpey then, I'm sure
I wasna past fifteen;
The simmer had been cauld and wat,
And stuff was unco green;
And aye a rantin' kirn we gat,
And just on Halloween
It fell that night.

"Our stibble-rig was Rab M'Graen,
A clever sturdy fallow:
His son gat Eppie Sim wi' wean,
That lived in Achmacalla:
He gat hemp-seed, I mind it weel,
And he made unco light o't;
But mony a day was by himsel,
He was sae sairly frighted
That very night."

Then up gat fechtin' Jamie Fleck,
And he swore by his conscience,
That he could saw hemp-seed a peck;
For it was a' but nonsense.
The auld guidman raught down the pock,
And out a hanfu' gied him;
Syne bade him slip frae 'mang the folk,
Some time when nae ane see'd him,
And try't that night.

He marches through amang the stacks,
Though he was something sturtin;
The graip he for a harrow taks.
And haurls it at his curpin;
And every now and then he says,
"Hemp-seed, I saw thee,
And her that is to be my lass,
Come after me, and draw thee
As fast this night."

He whistled up Lord Lennox' march
To keep his courage cheery;
Although his hair began to arch,
He was say fley'd and eerie:
Till presently he hears a squeak,
And then a grane and gruntle;
He by his shouther gae a keek,
And tumbled wi' a wintle
Out-owre that night.

He roar'd a horrid murder-shout,
In dreadfu' desperation!
And young and auld came runnin' out
To hear the sad narration;
He swore 'twas hilchin Jean M'Craw,
Or crouchie Merran Humphie,
Till, stop! she trotted through them
And wha was it but grumphie
Asteer that night!

Meg fain wad to the barn hae gaen,
To win three wechts o' naething;
But for to meet the deil her lane,
She pat but little faith in:
She gies the herd a pickle nits,
And two red-cheekit apples,
To watch, while for the barn she sets,
In hopes to see Tam Kipples
That very nicht.

She turns the key wi cannie thraw,
And owre the threshold ventures;
But first on Sawnie gies a ca'
Syne bauldly in she enters:
A ratton rattled up the wa',
And she cried, Lord, preserve her!
And ran through midden-hole and a',
And pray'd wi' zeal and fervour,
Fu' fast that night;

They hoy't out Will wi' sair advice;
They hecht him some fine braw ane;
It chanced the stack he faddom'd thrice
Was timmer-propt for thrawin';
He taks a swirlie, auld moss-oak,
For some black grousome carlin;
And loot a winze, and drew a stroke,
Till skin in blypes cam haurlin'
Aff's nieves that night.

A wanton widow Leezie was,
As canty as a kittlin;
But, och! that night amang the shaws,
She got a fearfu' settlin'!
She through the whins, and by the cairn,
And owre the hill gaed scrievin,
Whare three lairds' lands met at a burn
To dip her left sark-sleeve in,
Was bent that night.

Whyles owre a linn the burnie plays,
As through the glen it wimpl't;
Whyles round a rocky scaur it strays;
Whyles in a wiel it dimpl't;
Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays,
Wi' bickering, dancing dazzle;
Whyles cookit underneath the braes,
Below the spreading hazel,
Unseen that night.

Among the brackens, on the brae,
Between her and the moon,
The deil, or else an outler quey,
Gat up and gae a croon:
Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool!
Near lav'rock-height she jumpit;
but mist a fit, and in the pool
Out-owre the lugs she plumpit,
Wi' a plunge that night.

In order, on the clean hearth-stane,
The luggies three are ranged,
And every time great care is ta'en',
To see them duly changed:
Auld Uncle John, wha wedlock joys
Sin' Mar's year did desire,
Because he gat the toom dish thrice,
He heaved them on the fire
In wrath that night.

Wi' merry sangs, and friendly cracks,
I wat they didna weary;
And unco tales, and funny jokes,
Their sports were cheap and cheery;
Till butter'd so'ns, wi' fragrant lunt,
Set a' their gabs a-steerin';
Syne, wi' a social glass o' strunt,
They parted aff careerin'
Fu' blythe that night.

there's no business

So I am totally into doing movies right now.. Loving it. Mainly seeing the behind the scenes - but being in on Samuel L Jacksons jokes doesn't hurt you know? I have been background acting on 2 feature films now, The Adjustment Bureau and The Other Guys. I have a main scene on TAB - at the bar standing next to Matt Damon for a whole scene - yay. And 2 scenes in TOG - one running towards a burning bus the other at the front of a press conference near the New York Stock Exchange. For some reason I'm getting put front and center camera, which is great! Really hoping I get some camera time and not cutting room floor time :) Will keep you up to date - but who knows where this will take me...

R I P - Tree

They just cut down an old tree 2 houses from mine. I watched them saw through the branches and as they crashed to the ground all the Autumnal leaves that were clinging on until it was their time to Fall - floated down slowly - softly. It was really heart-wrenching to watch, but the sound without the image was worse. There's something wrong with progress when it leans in that direction. You see - someone is advertising on the side of the apartment building and that tree was "in the way"... "an obstruction". It must be almost 100 years old, the size of it. I can't begin to imagine what change has gone on around it as it grew taller. It stood in it's spot as this whole neighborhood was built and as houses were knocked down to make way for apartment buildings and the road grew wider, it stood silent, giving shade and showing beauty in its seasonal coats. So I feel a little sadder today - my street is a little sadder today.

homesick

It dawned on me tonight how much I miss being around people who know who I am. I of course don't mean that in a celebretard way. I mean know me inside and out. Know my dark brown hair is my natural color but I started out as a blond baby, as did my brothers kind of way. Know things about what I was like as a child, what I was like, what my family was like, what my village was like. Maybe it's a "coming of age" type thing, but there's a certain comfort in knowing people accept you for who you are even though they have known you since you were knee high to a something or other... My best friend of 28 years (yeah I was teeny when we met - noooo I'm not THAT old!) anyway my best friend of forever is having her first baby, and I miss her. I wish I was a part of that. I spoke to my Grandma the other day and she was talking about the bus situation or lack of and it must be the hundredth time she's told me but I still want all the details - every last one, because I miss it. I miss home. I miss everything about home. Sometimes you want to go - where everybody knows your name - has never been truer.

there's something about a baby in little tiny knits

As my baby starts school, I found these photographs by Tracy Raver comforting. They grow so fast.

ahh home again...

much to do much ado

I'm crazy busy right now, no excuse for abandoning my blog though! My eldest daughter is staying with me just now, she came over from England 2 weeks ago, and my eldest brother was over so pretty much been sightseeing and keeping her occupied... We're off on a road trip on Saturday - down to Florida, returning to Disney World - the children will LOVE it as usual - I may need a beer at the German part of Epcot to keep the happy happiness going (or 6 ;) ) I have streamlined my store down to my line of Swarovski Jewelry, Hair flowers and bands, and what I have left of my pin-up collection. Launching September 5th with my range of baby and toddler hats - cupcakes and kittens.. new site will be up soon www.babybramble.com Pretty much havent been working out as much as I should have been so really need to step up to the plate - not literally though! Lots of salads in my future argh.. I'm still doing the Brooklyn Flea at Fort Greene on Saturdays through to Thanksgiving, then hopefully the holiday market after that. Had quite a few sales on the www.brambleboutique.com site which has been great, fingers crossed for a prosperous holiday period. As of Saturday 22nd I will be stocking a Scottish artisan jewelers line both online and at the flea - I hope she does well (as it's my cousin!) Really need to invest in a theme and stick to it for my booth though as I feel very higgilty piggilty. Much to think about - much to do.

Ascot

I love Ascot - the outfits are always a laugh and sometimes just plain perfect. Katherine Jenkins was a winning filly on Day 1 in this gorgeous pink ensemble. I adore! Can't wait til Thursday for Ladies Day!

Sweet Tweet

I'm on twitter - belle bramble - tweet me

busy beaver

So it seems when not so much is going on I write about what I want to be going on - and when I'm run off my feet with things I forget to write! Last weekend I did a Saturday afternoon fair near Prospect Park for NY Creates, this weekend I'm at the Brooklyn Historical Society in Brooklyn Heights doing their Mothers Day show, next weekend I'm at Brooklyn Flea at Fort Greene then following weekends I'll be back at Dumbo Brooklyn Flea... argh.. then in June there's an outdoor Brooklyn Flea starting at Dumbo, so I may end up doing that on Saturdays and the indoor on Sundays - busy times ahead! It's taking a lot of organization to work out what I'm selling at these events. Anything to do with NY Creates I can only sell things I made myself ie jewelry, soaps.. and at the Flea I stick to anything 50s and pin-up themed. I'm still hoping to do the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island in June.. but haven't even started the float yet! All the children have been sick on and off for what seems like the whole winter, I'm so looking forward to a Summer of health :) Back to the grind-stone.

One of the worst nights yet

The term "witching hour" refers to the period from midnight to 3am, while "devils hour" refers to the time around 3am. This was exactly right for me last night. Brought to mind the Sarah Connor lines: "The demons come after midnight in the first three hours of the new day when we are alone and vulnerable - deep in sleep and helpless, when we cannot move. They lay on us, press on us, suffocate us. Take from us what is most precious - our lives, our love, our sanity. Our sleep."

End of an ER-a

Farewell Doug et all..

Coo on the loose

A Highland cow called Floss escaped from a field and went on the run in the countryside for nine months. The four-year-old is believed to have escaped to go looking for her calf, from whom she was separated after being sold at market. During this time she became the ultimate free range farm animal, travelling more than 60 miles and living off the land. As news of her adventures travelled she became known as the Beast of Ealand, after the area in Lincolnshire where she made her lair. She would emerge at night to feed under the cover of darkness and craftily slip away before sunrise. Floss's incredible journey concluded on Friday when she was caught and transported 150 miles to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk, where she will be able to spend the rest of her natural life ruminating on her wild young days.

Reserved for my baby

Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary my love

Ray of hope

My Father suffers from Parkinson's Disease - and suffers is too weak of a word to describe his pain. I always wonder why more research hasn't been done to find a drug that would properly control his symptoms. As much as I have doubts with Obama on most fronts I am happy that the ban is now lifted on stem cell research. A little hope for sufferers comes in the form of Google's co-founder Sergey Brin. He is to fund a genetic study of Parkinson's after discovering he is at risk of developing the disease. He will spend millions of dollars on research to analyse the DNA of 10,000 Parkinson's sufferers to discover what genetic and lifestyle factors lead to the disease. Brin revealed last September that he had a genetic mutation that sharply raised his risk for developing Parkinson's. His mother, Eugenia Brin, already has the disease.

a little crazy a lot funny

This is crazy, funny, a little scary but totally cool all the same haha... Federal authorities are investigating a New York man's claim that he successfully shipped himself in a crate to Las Vegas via the United Parcel Service. A spokesman for UPS says the company believes Wade Whitcomb's claim is a hoax. The Transportation Security Administration and the FBI are investigating Whitcomb's claim. Whitcomb is a professional magician from North Syracuse who says he shipped himself to Las Vegas in November as a publicity stunt to promote a friend's new Web site. Whitcomb says he traveled in a custom-made crate and videotaped the trip with four cameras pointed out of the crate and another inside. I look forward to seeing if this turns out to be real.. think of the possibilities - and the money you'd save on air fares!

Home again

I got back from Scotland yesterday afternoon. It was a wonderful trip. I managed to see all my brothers, most of my Aunts and Uncles, my Mother and Father and my beloved Grandmother. I got a shock to see my almost teenage daughter has grown to almost 5' 5".. My trip didn't get off to a great start - we landed to be told that a Continental plane had come down, it took off from the same airport as us and at the same time. Pretty much sending my fear of flying hurtling at a million miles an hour for the rest of the trip. Luckily our flight home was very smooth, so I may venture back on a plane again! The weather there just now is in the 50s, and was a big change from the sub zero temps here. Although it did feel a bit weird to have Spring including lambs and chicks around in February. Good job I came back to a foot of snow and real winter :) Can't believe it's March already. My baby celebrates her first Birthday on the 7th and it's our 5th wedding anniversary on the 12th. It'll soon be Easter. My fear of flying means every time I land safely I feel like I've been given a second chance at life. So I've promised my husband I'll stop disagreeing with him so much and bought big black garbage bags to finally clear this house out. It's a bit like New Year - but without the hangover :)

Crazy

194 pilot whales and half a dozen bottlenose dolphins became stranded on Naracoopa Beach on Tasmania state's King Island on Sunday evening. Rescuers used jet skis and human muscle to save dozens of whales and dolphins stranded on the beach in southern Australia. It was not clear why the animals had beached on the island, halfway between Tasmania and mainland Australia. The Examiner, a Tasmanian newspaper, reported that the animals were caught by a very low tide.

snow angel

I usually only pray during natural disasters or on aircrafts. But this morning I didn't know what else to do when I heard on the news that a 3 year old girl had been found dead in the snow on an Upstate road near the Catskills. The police don't yet know what happened to her or why she was there. I don't know if this hit me so hard because of having a 3 year girl myself, but reading the story made me feel faint. I pray she didn't suffer long, poor baby.

Day of the Groundhog

Phil's official forecast as read February 2nd, 2009 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Hear Ye Hear Ye

On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2009

Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators

Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper

And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths

After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,

Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time

And a bright sky above me

Showed my shadow beside me.

So 6 more weeks of winter it will be.

Hero in a box

Saw this in the Mail and wanted to share as it brought me joy to read such a lovely story.

"Gabriel Hurles' celebrated his sixth birthday by unwrapping the best present ever - his father home on leave from Iraq. The youngster was so engrossed in the cupcakes his mother brought to his class yesterday that he didn't notice the enormous wrapped box. The six-year-old peeled back the wrapping paper to find the surprise of his young life. 'It's my dad!' he announced joyfully to his classmates at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton, Nevada. 'Hi, Daddy!' Army mechanic Casey Hurles, 23, hadn't seen his son since he left in June. When he learned his leave would coincide with his son's birthday, he hatched a plan to hide out in the big box. After Hurles sat down and ate a cupcake with the birthday boy, teacher Dawn VanSickle presented him with a banner from the class that read, 'Welcome Home. Thank you for your service.' VanSickle told the Nevada Appeal she was happy to arrange the reunion in her classroom. 'One of the first things (Gabriel) shared about himself was that his dad was in Iraq and that he was waiting for his dad to come home,' she said. 'He talks about his dad all the time.' Hurles, who joined the Army four years ago, is a mechanic in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He completed one tour in Iraq and is seven months into his second tour. Gabriel said he looks forward to playing with his dad over the next two weeks but understands why he has to leave again. 'He has to work," Gabriel said. "He works in the war.'

Bless him and God bless his Dad too and keep him safe - I can't imagine the pain he goes through being separated from his child for such long periods of time.

some warmth on a cold January day

Had to share these two lovely stories - they really warmed my heart :) Affectionately known as Jack Frost, the little lamb, who was abandoned at birth, farmers think due to being born very early on January 1, thinks nothing of wearing an extra woolly layer. The tiny knitted garment, meant for a human baby, fits perfectly and Jack likes nothing more than snuggling up in it during the freezing weather. He is soo cute.

Staff at Besancon Zoo in eastern France have named this newly born Madagascar lemur as Tahina - she is one of only 17 Propithecus coronatus lemurs living in captivity worldwide, and is being cared for by vets, who must feed her around the clock with a tiny syringe filled with a mixture of cat and baby milk. Tahina has also been given a cuddly teddy bear that she can clutch to like she would in the wild with her real mother. Awwww!

today

As everyone around me knows - I am as conservative as they come. Some also know that my Dads cousin was the leader of the party in the UK. I was the laughing stock of the ODPM because of that, as I worked there during Blair's rule - but the less said about that the better really! So... I am by NO means jumping on the Obama train just yet. Also, I am Scottish, born and raised so I can hardly say I am a patriot ... However, I felt proud to be an American resident when reading the following - it's an excerpt from one of my favorite journo's Richard Littlejohn:

"For now, we should all wish him well, whatever our political stripe. Gordon Brown likes to protest that the financial meltdown began in America, to cover his own culpability. But, one thing’s for sure, recovery can only begin in America.

Yesterday was a day to admire. Two million people turned out in Washington at the conclusion of a gruelling, open, red-blooded two-year exercise in democracy which saw a black man make history.

It was inspiring, particularly when contrasted with the grubby stitch-up which brought Gordon Brown to office and the contemptible resurrection of the unelected ‘Lord’ Mandelson as his effective deputy.

It reminded us that for all its faults, the United States of America remains the world’s last best hope.

Immaculate, no. Impressive, undoubtedly."

Plane sailing?

We salute you Chesley "Sully'' Sullenberger III. A heroic act indeed. By taking a big chance and ditching in the icy frigid waters of the Hudson, you saved so many. When I read you walked the plane twice to make sure all were out, my heart grew bigger. I'd be happy to have you fly my plane any day, and this from a fearful flyer like myself! Sullenberger, 57, of Danville, Calif., is a former Air Force fighter pilot who has flown for US Airways for 29 years.

Happy New Year

I have just about recovered from last nights festivities to be able to focus on the screen for long enough to write that I hope everyone has a happy and prosperous New Year. Now that the holidays are last weeks news, I look forward to getting on with enjoying Winter and all it brings. This past year brought good and bad into my life. The especially good thing of course was my darling blond baby duckling who at 9 months old now gives me reasons to smile constantly all day long. I'm hoping financially we all have a better year in 2009, and that I'm able to get over to Scotland to see my family in the next few months. I wish good health and happy days to all my family and friends.

Co` latha breith sona dhuibh!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas full of joy and laughter :) My baby girl started crawling on Christmas Eve which was magical to watch. Today is my Birthday. My husband brought her in to give me a kiss, which she did in her usual fashion by knocking her big head into mine, then she said Mama for the first time. It made my day. Tonight it's dinner and drinks, and the babies are having a sleepover at Nonnas. Yay :) Oh and I got a pink Kitchenaid for Christmas so much to the joy of my children I'll be baking cupcakes forever more!

Thr Grinch vs, The Snowman

A notice-bearing city code enforcement officer has felled the controversial but much-loved giant 16 foot snowman, who has been built in the Power family's garden in Anchorage since 2005. A few weeks ago, city code enforcers left three red signs at Snowzilla's bottom body ball telling its builders to cease and desist. The city notified the Airport Heights community council about its decision to abate Snowzilla, telling council members that the two-story snowman caused increased traffic to the point of endangerment and that the structure itself was unsafe. Now, Snowzilla is just a big pile of snow rubble. Bah humbug!

Not a good day for turkeys

Army chiefs have flown out a special consignment of Christmas turkeys to replace the ones destroyed when Taliban insurgents attacked a lorry packed with the birds bound for British troops in Afghanistan. The frozen birds were completely destroyed in an explosion en route from Pakistan to Camp Bastion. The consignment of turkey roll breasts weighing 325kg was intended for soldiers stationed at Britain's main base in Helmand Province, where up to 3,000 personnel will spend the festive season. I wish all the heroes a Merry Christmas and may it be as peaceful as possible.

RIP Bettie Page

What can I say? Rest in peace to the best pin-up of all time.

One Giant leap for British bears

This is what school should be all about! Four teddies boldly went where no bear has gone before - to the edge of space with the aid of a giant helium balloon. Cuddly astronauts M.A.T and K.M.S and two bear colleagues were decked out in custom-made space suits and blasted 19 miles above Earth on a two-hour expedition. The student-run Spaceflight society is working towards reducing the cost of sub-orbital spaceflight. They have launched several payloads to near space on high-altitude helium balloons and are designing a system to launch a rocket from a balloon platform to out space for under £1,000 a go. Awesome.

Happy Heavens

Must have been awesome to see this - a rare cosmic alignment of the planets Venus and Jupiter meant they produced a smiling face with the crescent moon in Australia's western sky. Lovely way to start December :)

So sweet!

An adorable 15 inch Silver Dun Tovero foal was born 10 days ago at Riverdance Stud Farm in Victoria, South Australia. The vet gave her a clean bill of health and she is expected to grow to about 24 inches. I know what I want for Christmas!

feeling lucky?

I bought a mushroom ornament for the Christmas Tree from Pier 1 this afternoon. Then went to Myers of Keswick in the Village to get some Cumberland sausage... and... they gave me a bundle of steak pies for free! They were a little burnt - but very edible. Everyone should get a lucky mushroom :)

Tis the Season

In preparation for our move I have started to sort through all the clutter, boxes of old toys, clothing etc that litters my house. I wanted to share a great site for all you New Yorkers:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/mvc/html/donate/want_donate.shtml

It has a comprehensive list of places to donate everything you don't need. I believe in karma so for me it's a selfish act - anyone who has volunteered or donated will tell you it does you good to do good :) Especially in preparation for the onslaught of the family of Santas in the coming month.

Four is the new Seven

I read an article this morning and wanted to share it with you. In my case it definitely rings true. I've been married now for 4 and a half years and I do feel you hit a point where you realize things aren't what they were. Especially as the article suggests when you have children, you don't have the time or energy to make an effort to spend time with the one you used to devote all your energy to being with. In my case it's not that I wanted to leave, it's that I wanted to try harder to make time to be together with my husband. I think the issue with other couples is when one is trying all the time and the other doesn't want to try and so the one trying ends up "nagging" them to be with them. I think it's so sad when that happens, and in those cases often divorce becomes the only fair thing for all concerned. I for one could never be in a relationship unless I felt that love existed and that my husband was devoted to me. Without it, you might as well live with a friend, at least you wouldn't have all the arguing that goes along with the hate that abounds when love is gone.

"A professor from Wright State University surveyed husbands and wives once a year over the first decade of their marriages to observe how marital quality changes over time. The researcher, Dr. Larry A. Kurdek, found that couples often began their unions with high levels of marital quality, but that it appeared to decrease twice: once rather steeply over the first four years and again after about seven. (The pattern of change was the same for both husbands and wives.) He also reported that couples with children experienced the steepest declines. The research, in the September issue of the journal Development Psychology, began with a sample of 522 couples. Participants filled out an annual 32-item questionnaire on various aspects of marital quality. Sample questions included these: "How satisfied are you with your marriage?" "How affectionate is your partner?" and "To what extent do you do things together?" The husbands' and wives' responses were compared over time; 93 couples participated for the entire decade. Dr. Kurdek said "At the start of a relationship you can overlook the fact that he throws his socks around or that she leaves the refrigerator open. Over time, a sense of reality sets in. You'd started off making excuses for your partner. Then you don't. It's a natural evolution. "The second dip is more difficult to explain," he said. "It may just be the result of being in something for a long time. You start re-examining. It might just be the natural curiosity -- a sort of wondering about what else is out there." Dr. Kurdek also examined the factors that predict the rate of change. He looked at three major sets of predictors: divorce history, the presence of children and personality variables. He found that couples who have children together, not children from previous marriages, experienced the steepest decline. "There is ample evidence to indicate that having kids changes the overall quality of marriage," Dr. Kurdek said. "For the most part these couples are dealing with young kids, and they require extensive levels of supervision. You're spending less time together as a couple, may not have a lot of time and energy for sexual affection, and there's a lot more to argue about.

le sigh

It's a weird feeling. I feel uneasy. Time will tell.

Vote or Dont

Vote!! But don't vote, if you're going to do it just because the guy is the biggest celebrity in the world. Vote because you believe that person will handle the 3am call and the financial crisis. Vote because you want change of the right kind, not empty promises and a great smile. Vote or Don't. This broadcast is brought to you by me, a non US citizen, who cant vote, but lives here just the same. If you want to vote on my behalf - because you consider yourself my biggest fan - then do it (Just make sure you vote McCain) Thank you, and goodnight!

Happy Halloween

Have a safe and scary day

got milk?

Our family have a weekend house in Rhinebeck, Upstate New York so it was great to read that the good people of neighboring Hyde Park had rallied 'round the ovens - to bake 6,600 cookies for troops serving overseas. If only everyone else who bitches and complains about the war and Bush would show our heroes the same respect and love. Oh and yeah - doubtful that the cookies were like the ones pictured - I'm sure the guys out there would have liked these though ;)

Bon Voyage

The last great ship to be built in Scotland glided into New York City this morning for the very last time. After nearly 40 years of luxury transatlantic travel, she sailed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at dawn. For her 710th visit she was joined by Cunard's latest flagship, the four-year-old Queen Mary 2, a 39-foot-long red pennant streamed from her mast — a foot for each year at sea, traditionally marking the end of a ship’s commission. By afternoon, she was due to depart for a final Atlantic crossing back to her home port, Southampton, England, before sailing in November to a final resting place in Dubai. I feel really sad. I grew up dreaming of stepping a foot on that boat and sailing off Titanic style to the land of freedom. She was an awesome ship, the greatest in the world. Lets just hope she doesn't come to the same grizzly end as her predecessor - who was initially sold to be used as a hotel in Port Everglades, Fla., but when the project foundered financially the ship was resold to a Hong Kong tycoon, who planned to use it as a floating university. During conversion work, the ship caught fire, perhaps from arson; and capsized in Hong Kong harbor. Tres tragique!

Spread the Wealth Around?

You have got to be kidding me. Who the hell does he think he is. How can he possibly think it is fair to take money from hard working people who went to college, who worked night and day to get where they are - and give it to people who never bothered "trying". Most of whom didn't study, they didn't sacrifice, they didn't bother getting off their fat asses long enough to make something of themselves and yet he wants to give them our money - to "spread the wealth around". He really is the village idiot. To all the big wig Liberals who support this clown - it's OK don't worry about it - in December when you can't make your mortgage payment, at least Billy-Ken-Bob will be able to afford that new wifebeater.

Happy Autumn

I'm back. Whoa! Did not realize it had been so long since I last wrote. Time flies - and all that jazz. I've been working like a mad woman, started running again, watching my babies grow, thinking of new ideas for the boutique, been at Red Hook every weekend (only 2 to go!) getting irate over the elections, the bailout, politics in general... Oh and we went to Disney World for a week which was wonderful. Seeing the children's faces full of light and excitement is truly magical and worth bearing the never ending happiness of the place. Not long until Halloween! Yay :)

There's a black man roaming America asking for change

This is straight from the onion - but I pasted it for those too lazy to go there. It's as relevant now as it was in March and still just as funny :-D

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/black_guy_asks_nation_for_change

CHICAGO—According to witnesses, a loud black man approached a crowd of some 4,000 strangers in downtown Chicago Tuesday and made repeated demands for change. "The time for change is now," said the black guy, yelling at everyone within earshot for 20 straight minutes, practically begging America for change. "The need for change is stronger and more urgent than ever before. And only you—the people standing here today, and indeed all the people of this great nation—only you can deliver this change." The black guy is oddly comfortable demanding change from people he's never even met. It is estimated that, to date, the black man has asked every single person in the United States for change. "I've already seen this guy four times today," Chicago-area ad salesman Blake Gordon said. "Every time, it's the same exact spiel. 'I need change.' 'I want change.' Why's he so eager for all this change? What's he going to do with it, anyway?" After his initial requests for change, the black man rambled nonstop on a variety of unrelated topics, calling for affordable health care, demanding that the government immediately begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, and proposing a $75 billion economic stimulus plan to create new jobs. "What a wacko," Schaumburg, IL resident Patrick Morledge said. "And, of course, after telling us all about how he had the ability to magically fix everything, he went right back to asking for change. Typical." "If he's really looking for change, he's got the wrong guy," Morledge added. Reports indicate that the black man has been riding from city to city across the country, asking for change wherever he goes. Citizens in Austin, TX said they spotted the same guy standing on the street Friday, shouting far-fetched ideas about global warming. Cleveland residents also reported seeing him in a local park, wildly gesticulating and quoting from the Bible. And last week, patrons at the Starlight Diner in Cheyenne, WY claimed that the black man accosted them while they were eating, repeatedly requesting change. "I saw him walk in and I knew he was headed straight for our table," said mother of three Gladys Davies. "He just stood there smiling at us for a while, and asked how our food tasted. Then he went and did the same thing at the next table over. The nerve of some people." Those who encountered the black man Tuesday said he engaged in erratic behavior, including pointing at random people in the crowd and desperately saying he needs their help, going up to complete strangers and hugging them, and angrily claiming that he is not looking for just a little bit of change, but rather a great deal of change, and that he wants it "right now." "I'll be honest, when that black guy said he would 'stop at nothing' to get change, it kind of scared me," local mechanic Phil Nighbert said. "Just leave me alone." Though many were taken aback by the black man's brazen demands, some, such as Jackson, MS's Holly Moser, sympathized with him. She gave the black man credit for boldly standing up and asking every last person around him for change. "I told him I'd give him some if I saw him later, even though I probably won't," Moser said. "Very nice man, though." Most, however, ignored his requests. "I'm a hardworking American who pays his taxes, and the last thing I need is some guy on the street demanding change from me," said William Overkamp, a Springfield, IL gun-shop owner. He added, "What he really needs is a job."

Here's another great read: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1045090/Obama-President-Dont-count-chickens.html

teehee

This picture made me smile - the guys all look so peaceful going about their business with their new friend :)

angels or luck or something...

guardian angel

n : an angel believed to have special affection
for a particular individual

I used to believe I had a guardian angel. When times were tough there would always be a way out, when things felt like they couldn't get any worse, daylight would shine through. A white feather appearing in the strangest of places, always gave me hope that my belief was real. (No thought of course that it could have come from a throw pillow, cushion or duvet!) For years now I've carried a gold angel with a pearl body - hidden in my suitcase whenever I fly. On my keyring there's a single angel wing. I don't know whether I really believe in this anymore, but it certainly makes me more comfortable in my fears. This week has been just plain odd. If ever there was a time when I suspected someone was filming a movie around me without telling me I was the star - this is it. Why can't they just pay me damn it?! Monday - I'm walking down the street and as I cross an avenue, a car comes much to fast and tries to make the turn parallel to me, they are going too fast and so skid sideways straight towards me and my 3 children. They stop about 6 feet from us. I walk very quickly across the rest of the road and almost vomit from fear. Then today, Wednesday (yes I know I'm writing this at almost 1am Thursday :)), I took my son to the Drs and while walking our usual route towards transport home I decide to cross the street then avenue instead of avenue then street. I have no idea why I hesitated, and chose a different path, but I'm sure glad I did. As I crossed the street I noticed a bunch of fire trucks and as I stepped off the pavement to cross the avenue a manhole cover blew up, exploding black smoke and fire and debris right in front of us. We were ushered inside a pizzeria until the smoke cleared, after another couple of loud bangs. Now had I done my usual journey and crossed the avenue then the street - I would have been standing almost on top of that manhole cover. I don't think I'll leave the house tomorrow!

Fuck Joe Schmuck

One of my children's favorite books is Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?... took on a whole new meaning for me after reading the news today :( I read the Anchorage Daily News every day. Yes I know I live in NYC, but Alaska is the only other place I'd live, truth be told. Anyway, it saddened me to read this story, so I thought I'd share because hey if I feel doom and gloom why should you not feel it too?! State wildlife officials had to euthanize a wounded sow grizzly and her three cubs on the Kenai Peninsula. An Anchorage fisherman was hiking to a fishing spot about 150 yards downstream when he saw the bear. He said it charged him from about eight feet away. He shot two to three times in her face and gut with a .44 magnum. The sow with three small cubs did not die. Wildlife officials were called in and tracked the trail of blood and after finding her gravely injured, decided killing her was the best thing to do. The 3 small cubs, born this year, were too young to make it on their own, so the decision was made to kill the cubs too. (Mental note - when I have money to burn I will open a bear orphanage). Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going all Timothy Treadwell on you - but what the hell did City Joe Schmuck think he was going to come across 150 yards off track in bear country. And hey if you're carrying a .44 magnum at least know how the hell to shoot. Many of the comments said the same, or worse. A sad day for Grizzly Adams.

We NEED a South Park episode based on this article muhahahaha

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/gerard_baker/article4392846.ece

Brooklyn Crafts Festival

I've been selected to appear at the Red Hook Festival to sell my wares. I'll be on the waterfront Saturdays and Sundays until the end of August. On another note - who knew hair flowers would be my biggest success?! I'm selling some everyday including weekends - and I'm hoping by Thursday my new shop site will be up - Exciting stuff.

demons

I'll start by saying thank you. I got a lovely email from a reader that really brightened my week. I forget sometimes, that people actually read this, it's always just been a way of me steadying myself when times are tough, reassuring myself of better tomorrows and shouting to the world when the good times are rolling. I'm glad you like it. What follows however isn't exactly pleasant fodder - so I recommend you change the channel now! I used to fly back and forth between Los Angeles and London, 11 hour direct flights without a care in the world. I treated turbulence as if it were a roller coaster, and grinned all through it. I had no fear. These days even a 7 hr flight has me almost throwing up and getting that shaky, sweaty feeling - every slight shudder of turbulence chills me to my core. You see of late, the past 3 years actually, I have felt fear almost every day of my life. It's always of the same variety. I have the greatest fear of dying you see. I know that many parents feel the same, the fear of leaving their children to fend for themselves, but with me its like I can't see something joyful without having that icy chill of "that could be the last time" etc.. My Mother would say it's the Scottish Presbyterian in me. I read an interview today for W Magazine where Penelope Cruz said "I’m always finding very tricky and hidden ways to sabotage any beautiful moment. And it’s something so internal that I don’t think even my friends or family can catch me doing it. But I catch myself doing it. I’ve had that battle since I was a little girl. It’s like, Uh-oh, here it is again, the monster! Go away and leave me alone!" To many that will sound cuckoo - but to me I found myself nodding my head as I read. It's not even that I am a pessimistic person, it's just that I find myself unable to fully enjoy times because of the underlying fear of what lies ahead. Tonight I found myself questioning my religion, I was trying to work out what best fitted my fear, and which had th e most likely chance of reincarnation. You see I always thought deja vu was to do with reincarnation, something like we keep coming back as ourselves, getting many chances to choose the right path, correct wrongs, until finally our lives are perfect and great. Maybe I need to see a shrink, Ally McBeal style, or maybe I need to take up Yoga. Maybe having 3 babies in as many years has played havoc on my brain as well as my hormones! Whatever I do to fix this, I know I have to find a way to lay these demons to rest. Tonight I told my husband I don't want to live to die, for I am dying to live.

Good grief!

A beagle named Rocco that strayed from a NYC yard five years ago, has been reunited with his owners, after being found over 800 miles away in Georgia. Happy days..

life

I'm not having a great day, so it was a joy to see this picture of 3 rare white lion cubs, which have been born at a zoo in Germany. Their Mother rejected them, so they are being raised Knut style by keepers. They are just adorable! My husband burst into a large smile when he saw me tonight, saying I looked like a mermaid, which I took as a complement! Must be the large bosom and turquoise dress that did it ;) I still need your flames on

http://www.pinuppost.com/modern-pinups/belle-bramble/

and also make friends with the fabulous burlesque and pin up costume designer Sickgirl Creations on

www.myspace.com/sickgirlcreations

and vote for me in her blog contest. Speaking of which - sorry to go all "myspace" on you but I got a friends request AND message from none other than Ralph Burch! I nearly squealed, actually between you and me - I did squeal a little :) I've had his pin-ups on my walls for years. I'm starting a run of 4 weeks of shows next weekend, at the Red Hook NY Creates Festival, so I'm busy making jewelry, alongside hair flowers which are selling online amazingly well. We're planning to drive down to Disney World towards Halloween, so that should be fun :) Other than all that I want to be home with my family right now more than ever as I feel compelled to spend time with my Grandmother, my big brothers have eye surgery tomorrow and my youngest brother, is starring in Bard in the Botanics in Glasgow - and this will be the 2nd year I haven't seen him perform. C'est La Vie.

don't mention the war ;)

http://www.chromjuwelen.com

You'll have to do a search for me because I can't get the link to work, but hey yeah I'm there!

The life of a Starlet

So... after appearing on www.pinuppost.com on Saturday (I'm still there - please flame me!) - I've started getting fan mail! They want autographs. I will of course send a snazzy photograph with my best signature - when I invent one that is! I don't think I've ever handwritten Belle Bramble - so this should be fun :)

Viva Las Vegas

The King is dead - long live the King! I came across these pictures of Elvis, and had to share. He died the year I was born, but his music remained a big part of my early life. These photographs were taken by Alfred Wertheimer who was instructed by Elvis’s record company, RCA not to shoot in color because they thought he was just a flash in the pan. How wrong they were! Oh yeah - and I know that guy isn't Elvis, that's my actor brother Tom Duncan, but hey thought I'd throw him into the mix anyway ;)

Viva La Diva

I just listed my new line of silk hair flowers on ebay - yay! It took me an absolute age to get the damned listing right, but at least the ones I have are up. Phew. Over the next week I will be listing my jewelry for sale there, alongside my new site going live. Busy times ahead. The flowers are up now at brambleboutique on ebay. My Mum is busy finishing the illustrations for a children's book I wrote, I'm hoping to fire it at publishers over the Summer. Fingers crossed it will be the first of many. Speaking of my Mum - she, my Aunt and Cousin have formed a new company, organizing fairy parties and selling fairy merchandise. I named it for them - however until it's copy written I can't tell you my fabulous name choice - argh... keeping secrets, my worst trait.

Lost at Sea

So although I didn't participate in the parade (due to my sweet little water baby still not sleeping at night argh) I did attend as a photographer :) Here's a sample of what went down at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade this year.

lovely ducky

In this day and age where the news is filled with countless stories of human parents being cruel, or worse, to their children, I find joy in hearing of incidents like this one in the animal kingdom. Six little mallard ducklings in the North of England this week found themselves trapped in a dark sewer - their only hope of survival lay with their mother - whom they had last seen more than a mile away as they were sucked into a drain. The mother duck managed to follow the little ducklings more than a mile, apparently listening to their cheeps of distress at manhole covers as they were swept along below ground. The long journey took her across countless roads, a busy roundabout, a rail line, a housing development, two school playing fields and hospital grounds. It finally ended when she waddled into a street, where her chicks suddenly stopped. For the next four hours she stood over a man-hole cover, until local residents heard chirping coming from down below. Using a child's fishing net they managed to scoop all six from the sewer one by one and reunited them with their mother in a paddling pool.

when hope is gone - part deux

EDIT: There are some sick people out there.

dream on dreamer

On Saturday night I dreamed that I was taking care of 3 bunnies.. It felt like one of those long dreams with very complex other bits to it. The last of it was me carrying 2 of the bunnies and looking for one that was hiding. All of a sudden one of the bunnies I was carrying started biting my neck but it didn't hurt just felt like a pressure. But then I felt something biting my bum! And that hurt - a lot! It was like a long pressure pain then and OWW!! At that point I woke up thinking that the missing bunny had bitten me, only to find there was a mosquito in the room and I now had a lovely bite on my bum (It was hot - who needs blankets!) Anyway, the thing is, that apparently dreams are just seconds long, and therefore my dream was probably a reaction to the bite ie my mind had to make up a story to match the pain I felt in reality. So this leaves the question - why the hell was I dreaming about psycho bunnies?!

on newstands now

Published in 4 newspapers in Scotland today, and I made the front cover next to Dumfriesshires better known export Ugly Bettys Ashley Jensen - yay!

Can't bear to be apart - hehe

Eight years ago this beautiful black domestic cat Muschi (which means pussy in German) appeared from nowhere at a zoo in Germany and immediately struck up an unlikely friendship with a 40-year-old Asian bear called Maeuschen (little mouse' in German). Who to me bears (sorry) and uncanny resemblance to Totoro! They eat together and sunbathe together. Regardless of their differences - sounds puuurfect to me :)

Happy Friday 13th

Not a horror in sight. Just some sweet pics instead! A family of swans in a town in the South of England took a walk along the main street, stopping by the fish and chip shop before returning to the lake.

too hot to handle

95f is not fun - tomorrow it's to be 97f - joy isn't a word that springs to mind either! In New York I spend the long icy Winter praying for warmth and the long sticky Summer praying for that first crisp day of Autumn. Mother Nature simply can't win. Yesterday I spent 9 hrs in the high 90s at the market - dehydration came quickly. I couldn't have possibly drank enough water to satiate my thirst. High 70s/low 80s is my ideal Summer weather - preferably with a cool breeze. I have such a craving for Alaska right now.

My new Sunday residence

I will be at the Brooklyn Flea Market - Downtown on Sundays starting this one, the 8th. Details can be found here:

http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/

I'll be selling my collection of original Vargas alongside jewelry and repro prints. And yeah ok the picture above is Cologne in December - but hey - whenever you find love it feels like Christmas or you know whatever.

a darker shade of gray

I feel so lonely. Strange to some I guess who can't imagine that one could ever be lonely - having 3 small children each requiring attention on a constant basis. But somehow I am still very much alone. I have a very bad cold. The kind that makes it almost impossible for you to speak or breathe without coughing up your lungs. My throats so raw I've spat blood down the sink 3 times since I got up. The children are of course being on their worst behavior - it's like they could instantly tell the moment they got up that I can't raise my voice today. My husband is at work, of course. So no help there. My family as you know are over 3000 miles away. I wish I was at my Mums house. The children could play in the garden all day long while my Grandmother would adore looking after the baby. That's the way I envisioned raising a family - isn't that the saying - "it takes a village to raise a child"? Well this village is a one woman show, who's not doing such a great job today. Roll on tomorrow.

Eggs anyone?

Easily the coolest thing I've seen in a loooong time - the Eglu. And yes as soon as we move to a bigger property there will be one in my garden :)

Can't bear to think about it...

I was upset to hear that the first polar bear to swim to Iceland in 15 years has been shot dead by police, even though the knockout drugs that could have spared his life were less than an hour away. The bear was spotted by a farmer strolling along a road near the town of Skagafjördur yesterday morning. The argument going on now is the police man who shot him says he had to do it to protect people who were gathering to look at the bear, and the local vet says they should have closed the road, and could have watched him for an hour while the tranq gun was flown in. Whatever. I just find it a damn shame that this happened. The last time a polar bear visited was in 1993 when sailors saw a bear swimming off the coast of Strandir. It was also killed. Le Sigh...

Goodbye to the fat ladies

One of Britain's best-loved artists, Beryl Cook, died peacefully at the age of 81 yesterday. I loved her lovely 'seaside postcard' paintings of portly ladies having the time of their lives. A great loss to the art world, indeed.

sky high

Some pics I took of the planes at the U.S. Air Force air show at Jones Beach today. The blur is the damned heat - I am burned to a crisp :-/

blue

My parents left town today. They'd been visiting for my newest arrivals Christening, and stayed a little over a week. I feel devastated. You really don't know how much you miss something until you hold it briefly and once again let go. Why did the weeks up to their arrival go so slowly yet the 8 days here flew at record speed? All the way to the airport my eyes continuously welled up. Yet it wasn't until my Mum was safely out of sight did the tears start streaming. I watched them walk from the car across 3 lanes of parked cars to the entrance and felt that familiar hot flush, then as her auburn hair vanished from sight - I dissolved. They were due to depart at 7.30pm and I just checked the flight tracker only to see they're delayed. So now my thoughts are with them, I wonder how they feel - given more time to mull their departure. The week was mixed with all kinds of emotions. My Father has Parkinson's Disease. Seeing his deterioration since Christmas was heartbreaking. My Mother painted my front door frame, cleaned everything in sight, planted out the garden, cooked at midnight for the Christening, and trailed with me to the hospital when I stood on a rusty nail. Not exactly the relaxing holiday one would usually take, but hey - it's our life. I could never express the love and admiration I have for my Mother. She is everything she should be to everyone in her life times a million. I wish them a safe and comfortable flight home.

more dangerous than Al Gore

When I read that ASIMO, a robot which was designed by Honda Motor Co., conducted the Detroit Symphony - my heart sank. To me this is not the way forward we should be looking for. Maybe it's the *cue Cartman voice* damn hippy in me, but robots as smart as this one scare the bejesus out of me.

must see

Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum. At the Met Gala Anna Wintour looked awesome in a Storm inspired outfit by Karl Lagerfeld. Maybe I'm biased seen as I play the character on the 360s X-Men!

when hope is gone

I wanted to note an incident that happened to me at the weekend. I won't put a picture and I won't dwell on it. It just saddened me greatly. In the supermarket with my husband and children I was pushing the cart when a young woman, early 20s, walked by yabbering on her cell phone not paying attention to what she was doing and walked into my cart. She muttered "ass" and kept walking. Her son, around 6 yrs old, walking while playing his psp/ds whatever, again not looking where he was going - walked into my cart. He looked me in the eye - and said "I'm sorry" in this sweet little voice. I said "it's ok" and smiled. His Mother, and I use that term loosely, turned to him and said "don't apologize to her, she's got 4 eyes - she can see where she's going". I was wearing my glasses at the time. I was flabbergasted. This is what scares me. Here you have this young child being taught to bully others, to be rude, and to have no consideration for anyone. He's doing his best to be a good boy and this woman is ruining him. If this is an example of the adults of tomorrow, then God help us all.

a red night

It's funny how a color can change things so dramatically. My husband ended up in hospital tonight - as that sinking feeling kicks in and I wait for news I change my shirt to a red one. I hear he's been checked in - I paint my toenails red. I hear he's waiting for the CAT scan - I paint my lips red. Suddenly I feel less shaky. I suppose it's my way of coping. Because the children are in bed, I can't be there - so thank goodness for something as simple as color to make me feel stronger. I often live my life in shades of gray, so I rely on color to lift my moods and brighten my life. After the hectic past few months I decided to paint my kitchen a lavender blue, it's so much more tranquil to look at than the previous orangey color. Two years ago following a long, cold winter I painted my living-rooms yellow. I remember feeling ready for Summer like never before. I'm hoping the need for red fades as the night goes on.

UPDATE: With the help of a few IPAs and the return of my love, my red has changed to blue :)

this is my message to you

Call it what you want. I would say here begins my rise to fame. But celebrity is not my goal. So instead here begins my journey to completion. Today marks the day when I woke up. On Friday Liliana started sleeping through the night 12 - 6am, which meant that at 6.30am this morning I listened to my heart and got up out of bed and went running. I ran for 25 minutes in the rain, and it felt great! I got home, did 10 minutes of sit-ups and some toning, and now I feel empowered to continue. Yesterday I cried, I felt so bad about myself. Today I feel like everything is in reach. For years when I felt at my lowest, I would listen to Bob Marleys "Three Little Birds" from an album released the year I was born. The birds told him not to worry and that everything would be alright. This morning when I looked out of my window a little chick sat there chirping away, fluffy down still covering his body. He flew for what could have been the first time. That marked the beginning for him and it gave me a feeling that there is still something watching over me. I know I can realize my goals. I just need to keep on keeping on. My plan for the next month is to keep running, eat better, sleep more. In 4 weeks I start dance classes and vocal training. I'm doing a series of pin-up shoots beginning in July and from that point on I will be opening as many doors as possible. I am excited for my new tomorrow.

The King of Queen

I was just watching some You Tube clips of Queen at Live Aid '85 - I can't believe I forgot how much I loved them! It's not something I have on my ipod or on the car stereo, so I guess I lost them somewhere along the way. Freddie was the ultimate stage-man - so alive, vibrant - such an awesome performer. He makes me smile so easily. Greatly missed. Also he reminded me of Borat so much when he was sitting on the stage in his white underwear. (Sacha Baron Cohen is allegedly signed to play him in a movie).

die another day

Either the new Bond is going to be the best yet or all of the bad karma that seems to be floating around will doom it. Within 5 days an Aston Martin on its way to the set plunged into Lake Garda, and a stuntman has been left in a coma after his car collided with a lorry and crashed into a wall. The latest incidents come just a month after the mayor of Sierra Gorda in Chile, drove on set to complain that the filmmakers had not asked his permission.

for baby

New York City's hospitals are to introduce new technology that simulates the Mother's womb for its premature babies. It will include low lights and special sound monitors that will flash when a neonatal unit becomes too noisy for the babies. When my daughter was in the NICU I was astonished by how loud it was in there, even at night. They had loud alarms going off almost constantly. Every time I held her and accidentally disconnected a wire the noise would make her jump and shudder. The project hopes to complete by the end of 2009.

strange

NYPD Harbor and SCUBA units patrolling the United Nations this afternoon saw a four-foot long beaver swimming in the East River. The 40 lb animal was transported to an animal hospital on the Upper West Side, with breathing difficulties. It's no wonder the poor thing was in distress, the East River's not the cleanest!

My Mother's daughter

As soon as I saw these pictures my husband took tonight I thought of my Mother - who has an amazing ability to either look totally serious or punch drunk in every picture of her! Five weeks on, Liliana seems to get bigger every minute. Seems like yesterday she was curled up in a tiny ball, now she stretches and uncurls into a bundle of blubber. Time really does fly when you're having fun.

Nothing grows in our garden, only washing. And babies.

Dylan Thomas

The blossoms out on the tree in the back garden. Tiny balls of green bursting larger every day. I'm hoping they fall in time for a gathering we're having next month, as they'll coat the ground with something other than dirt! Out front our bulbs are all up, so that's nice. I guess Spring is here to stay. Although I do remember an April snowfall in 2004 that left us with over a foot of the white stuff. I repainted my kitchen blue, reflecting my mood of now. Which is relaxed as opposed to the other blue. The baby has started sleeping 4 hours, which is a blessing. Like the garden, I am starting to wake up.

Men are just like children

They need their naps! I'm sure my husband will be adding the MetroNaps EnergyPod to his list of work-must-haves. Designed to isolate the user from their environment with music and lights while angling your body to take pressure off the heart. Vibrations, brighter lights and more lively music awake the sleeper after around 20 minutes. The pod costs around $600 a month - and is said to increase work rate by over 30% - a sound investment!

RIP Charlton Heston

October 4th 1924 - April 5th 2008

He starred in some of my favorite movies from yesteryear, and will always be a legend in my eyes.

Ladies Day

I would never usually let a WAG (Wifes and Girlfriends of British footballers) name pass my lips for imo they're a bunch of glorified whores, but I give credit where credits due! Alex Curran looked fantastic at Ladies Day at the Grand National horse racing meet. There is an article in the UKs Daily Mail newspaper that shows many pictures of other women there, and it's frankly an embarrassment. Ladies Day used to be just that - ladies dressed in their finest with amazing hats teetering about looking beautiful. In 2008 however, that song - who let the dogs out - comes to mind. Le sigh.

fishy fish fish

So my blue gourami died, and turned out my other 2 gouramis had been fin nipping it - and looks like they may have killed the other tetra too. So what have I done to rectify my little tank bullying problem? I bought a shark! :) He's 5 inches long and looks like he has a hammer head, although I must stress he is not an actual hammerhead! So far the gouramis are hiding, and peace has been restored.

it's a sad day

Not only did one of my Neon Tetras get sucked into the filtration pipe and a Blue Gourami is looking non too healthy afloat the top of my tank; but also the New York Aquarium's 43-year-old sand tiger shark Bertha has died. She measured around 7 feet in length and weighed over 270 lbs. Bertha was brought to the Aquarium by local fishermen in 1965. Although the actual lifespan of them is not known Bertha was believed to be the longest living tiger shark in an aquarium.

the king of the rain

When I lived in Los Angeles, Counting Crows were very much a part of my life from the guy singing on the car stereo to the guy next to me in the bar. Unlike some, who consider their style of music depressing, I find their music reviving. The way Adam sang about the rain all the time was the first thing that got me into them and in turn is what made me like him as a person. The rain can be code for so many things, life, renewal, pain. To me it's everything. My favorite CC song is Goodnight Elisabeth, whenever I hear it I have so many good memories flood back - "if you wrap yourself in daffodils, I will wrap myself in pain, and if you're the queen of California, baby I am the king of the rain"... "Elisabeth" was sunshine to his rain. A bright light for his darkest days. It's raining here today and to many it would be dreary, to me it brings hope of a new tomorrow. New flowers in the garden, new puddles for the children to jump in. A better life ahead and beautiful memories of yesterday. One of my best memories from LA was one night when a group of us drove out to Joshua Tree to watch the biggest meteor storm I'd ever seen. We drank bourbon and eggnog and lay on flatbed trucks for hours staring up at thousands of falling stars. I phoned my Mum in Scotland at what must have been 4am my time and I remember I was in tears I was so happy at being able to experience something so amazing. Mother Nature is truly awesome. I saw these wonderful photographs taken by storm chasers Mike Hollingshead and Eric Nguyen - to me they managed to capture the hidden beauty in these powerful storms that others so rarely get to experience in person.

those baby blues

Italian author Cesare Pavese famously said "We do not remember days, we remember moments." I find this to be the case more so now I have children than ever before. Those Mothers who write their babies every move in baby books so the exact date Junior first spat out peas are beyond me. I cherish the simple things. Just now it's the way Liliana looks at me when I'm feeding her. Her small bird like eyes bright and alive darting from my left to right eyes, never breaking her glances until she falls asleep in a milk-drunken stupor. I love the way her skin is so soft like silk, I can't stop kissing her chubby cheeks. And I love how looking at her brings back the moments from the other children's early life. There are so many similarities in the way she looks at me, her big nose, her fluffy chicken hair. I'm in a good place right now albeit a very sleepy one!

Happy Easter!

Spring has sprung

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

I think this captures this year very well. I love Spring, and everything that goes with it. When I was a child Spring meant new ducklings and chickens to play with. Tiny bunnies would appear in the garden, ready to eat my mothers newest seedlings. In the surrounding farmland calves and lambs danced in the bright daylight. This year for us it means a tiny bundle of joy to cuddle and the prospect of more happiness to come everyday as our baby grows. For me - today brings feelings of excitement over the year to come and all it will bring.

I take my hat off to..

Veeramuthu Kalimuthu - who while awaiting his number 1 train in Manhattan last Friday saw a man fall onto the tracks. He immediately jumped onto the tracks, pulled the unconscious man up to the platform where others helped get him to safety. Kalimuthu then ran back across the tracks to catch his train.

Happy St Patricks Day

Studies have found that the antioxidant compounds in Guinness are similar to those found in vegetables and fruits, and are beneficial to the heart because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls. So drink up!

the early days

The first few years of a childs life are so full of magic and excitement. I am blessed to share every special moment with my two and three year old. Whether it's my son singing song after song and creating elaborate adventure stories with his trains or my daughter hugging her dolly with her eyes shut as if there were never a love more real, every second is heaven to me. There's no better time for me than early mornings, when they pile into our bed with their various cuddly toys, big hugs and echoes of "morning mummy". I would have thought now that I'm nursing night and day and existing on a few hours of broken sleep, I would be less enthralled in their comings and goings - but somehow it all seems more dreamlike. Having my husband home this week to share these memories has made everything in life seem just right. The first week home with my newborn has me excited for what she'll bring to our family. I am totally in awe of her already, and thankfully her siblings adore her! Holding her tiny body with her knees drawn tight to her stomach and staring at her teeny pudgy face is all I need to remind myself that every ache and pain and the lack of sleep is completely worth it.

the unflattering hospital pic...

Liliana arrived at 5.07 pm on March 7th weighing 7 lbs 2 oz

Tomorrow at 7am

I will be hooked up and ready to go... My husband is guessing 7 lbs 5 oz, my Mother 7 lbs 6 oz (my birth weight) - however I'm going for a more easily pushed out 6 lbs 10 oz! I'm praying for a speedy and pain-free (haha) delivery regardless of the weight!

Idol

So I'll start by saying that we don't watch TV in this house. But for some reason I'm hooked on American Idol. I make my husband download it so I can watch it late at night while he kills bad guys on Halo. Maybe it's because Simon Cowell reminds me of my elder brother so much, and I need something to cling to at this late stage of pregnancy, but I'm loving it. It was the guys tonight. Until now I had 2 favorites - Jason Castro and Michael Johns. Jason is this absolutely beautiful young 20 yr old guy with a face that wouldn't look out of place in pre-raphaelite paintings. He comes across as very shy, timid and awkward, which could go against him, but he has the voice of an angel. Unique and empowering. Michael is everything I love about Ozzy blokes. He reminds me so much of my Australian friends back home in the UK, and sings in the same strong tones Michael Hutchinson did. I think he has a strong chance of winning. So those were my two. Then tonight, David Cook did one of the most amazing interpretations of a song I've ever heard. He took Lionel Richies "Hello" - and put an awesome rock spin on it. It was simply stunning. Here's the link courtesy of your friendly neighborhood youtube ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlbGpTa4Hso

The stork....

Finally my doctor let me know I'm being induced on Friday. Lucky number 7 :) So now of course knowing my luck she'll come on her own before then, but hey so long as she arrives healthy - I don't care!