RIP Evel Knievel

October 17th 1938 - November 30th 2007

Have a dram for me

Happy St Andrews Day to all my fellow Scots. My parents are at a ceilidh tonight, and I feel a tad bit jealous not to be there too. And what with being sperminated there's no water of life for me either!

last show

This weekend will be my last show of the season. I will be at the Holiday Bazaar at the Queens Farm, NYC. I have been making some Christmasy earrings, along with ornaments and wreaths. Hoping to sell some of my regular jewelry too. It's forecast freezing rain Saturday night, but it's indoors thank goodness! We put our tree up last weekend, I love how suddenly the house smells fresh and looks warm. Just 2 weeks until we fly of to Scotland. I'm feeling really happy just now, despite my bump being so big it's impossible to do things easily. I'm still managing to jog though, so alls not lost :)

not a mitsubishi

On this day in 1859 the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, by Charles Darwin, was published in England. Darwin's theory argued that organisms gradually evolve through a process he called natural selection. His Origin of Species, the first significant work on the theory of evolution, was greeted with great interest in the scientific world but was attacked by religious leaders for its contradiction of the Biblical account of creation. Yes I know - it's Julianne Moore, and she has nothing to do with Darwin other than appearing in the film, Evolution in 2001, but her Mother's Scottish and she's in my top 5 most beautiful women in the world list, so here she is... enjoy.

stop... turkey time

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! We watched the parade this morning - Shrek was fantastic! I finally have a minute to type this as everything is well underway in the kitchen, and my last minute run to the store for chestnuts has happened :) Here's a run down of our feast - in the oven is the big bird itself (now turned breast up following my domestic goddesses instructions ie yay an excuse to post her pic!), and now it's in its last stretch it's covered with bacon . There are mini sausages wrapped in yet more bacon, roasting parsnips and potatoes, chestnuts and stuffing (separate from turkey). On the stove are my brussel sprouts which will be, along with the stuffing, mixed with the roasted chestnuts. There's gravy a plenty with added all spice to give it a festive kick. On the side there will be delicious cranberry sauce. For afters I have some homemade pumpkin pie (not made in my home, I might add!). Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys their dinner, I have to get back to my duties. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Lupercale

The underground grotto which was believed to have been the place where a wolf nursed the city's founder Romulus and his twin brother Remus, sons of the God of war, Mars, was unveiled by Italian archaeologists yesterday. The vaulted sanctuary lies buried over 50 feet deep inside the Palatine hill, which is the palatial center of power in imperial Rome. Fearing that the delicate grotto, which is already partially caved-in, wouldn't survive a full-scale dig, experts have been probing the space using laser scanners for the past 2 years. It is believed that thanks to the wolf, the twins survived, with Romulus going on to found the city, becoming its first king after killing his brother Remus in a power struggle.

Let it snow

We visited the Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo last night. They had hundreds of life sized animal light fixtures and all the trees were strung with fairy lights. It was magical and I absolutely recommend it to everyone young and old. We ate in the Dancing Crane cafe while watching a choir sing, and my 2 toddlers clapped enthusiastically after every song. There was ice carving and story telling along with a big fire pit to make your own smores, it was fabulous. When we came home it started to snow. Wet and not for long, but it snowed. What a wonderful way to end our night. The first snow also fell in the UK last night. We'll be in Scotland over Christmastime and apparently the odds on snow in Aberdeen on December 25 are now 7/2. Although my Mums house is further south I am taking every bit of snow news as good news! There's nothing more magical than a white Christmas, and I for one am praying for one. I took these photographs in Central Park in the winter of 2004. They are available for purchase as mounted prints size 8 x 10 or as a mixed pack of Christmas cards in packs of 10. Please contact me for pricing.

and...

new me - ie more pin-up

Furze-pig

One little thing I miss quite a lot about being in Britain, is seeing hedgehogs stumbling around at the side of the road. They are to me one of the most appealing creatures on earth. The not so little thing in the picture above is a hedgehog called George. He has been placed on a crash diet to try to reduce his weight from a very unhealthy 5 lbs down to a normal hedgehog weight of 1.5 lbs. The sanctuary that took him in are considering finding the worlds smalled treadmill for him :) Apparently he is so fat that the vets will need to do a tummy tuck to remove his excess skin, if his diet is successful. After what happened to Kanye Wests mother, I hope they can think of a better solution! Obesity in hedgehogs brings on the same kind of problems it does in humans, so staying prickly and porky is sadly not an option for George.

baby numero 4

Weighing in at almost a pound already, I don't think this is going to be a small baby! Oh and joy - it looks like she has her Fathers nose :) Here's Liliana's small screen debut.

love love love

I adore the feeling of being in love. The music that fills your heart and the compelling need to sing, hum, shout out loud "I love you" at every opportunity. The magic that still gives you butterflies after many years. The lust that fills you every time they raise an eyebrow. Love is pure, love needs no boundaries, love is love.

lateness

I can't believe I didn't have time to post a Halloween message, but hope everyone had a great one. I'm super crazy busy just now getting ready for a 2 day Holiday Bazaar in 3 weeks. Heading to Scotland around Christmas time so lots to do. Have an amazing wedding to attend in a castle there New Years Eve which promises to be fun. I'm 5 months pregnant now, it's just flying by. All in all I'm feeling chipper despite my various ailments, pregnancy hits you like a truck most of the time, but it'll be worth it in the end :)