Saturday 2 February 2013

Un mélange éclectique



 “Should we go shopping?”

Ha Ha
So many webpages that one visits nowadays have advertising.  Usually I don’t even notice them – I have an advert-filter in my brain that lets me enjoy the webpage without the annoyance of adverts.  But this one got through the filter and caught my eye.
If I had £250,000 to invest I wouldn’t have any worries about my finances during my retirement!!!

Women Reading
I love pictures of women reading. This is The Artist’s Wife Reading by Paul-Albert Bartholomé (né 1848 et mort en 1928).

Pineapples
Did you know you can tell if a pineapple is ripe by pulling the middle green leaf.  If it comes out the pineapple is ready to eat.

Strange Museums
I mentioned strange museums recently.  I came across another when reading about Alaska. “If I had a hammer…” Some people would finish this song lyric with “I’d hammer in the morning.” Dave Pahl went one better and created a museum for his hammer (and its 8,700 hammer friends) in Haines, Alaska. You will find over 1500 hammers on display, ranging from ancient times to the present and, if you happen to be passing Haines, admission is $3 with children under 12 free.  It seems his wife would only let him keep 100 hammers at home. Some people…

A page of the wind
‘Lepidoptera Symbols Relating to Wings and The Body’ by Ronald A. Gagliardi, a thesis on butterfly and moths in western art and design, includes a reference to these lines….
A page of the wind in the book of the sky,
The fragile butterfly
I don’t know where the lines  are from but I think it’s a beautiful way of describing them.


Roll on spring when the butterflies will be back.

‘Murder in the Library’
If you find yourself in central London with a spare half-hour, the British Library’s new ‘Murder in the Library’ exhibition is perfect for a bite-sized slice of culture.
Among the exhibits are one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s early manuscripts of Sherlock Holmes, as well as a rather unsettling copy of one of Dennis Wheatley’s 1930s murder mystery ‘dossiers’, complete with cigarette butts and human hair sellotaped inside, so that the reader could try solve the crime his- or herself. Also there is the first appearance of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in print in the Royal magazine, and John Gielgud’s annotated script for the film of Murder on the Orient Express.
But in some cases the exhibition is a little too forensic – endings are given away, particularly in one of the most enjoyable ‘true crime’ books of the past few years: the Road Hill House murder written about in Kate Summerscale’s ‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’, believed to be the inspiration for a generation of crime writers with its ‘whodunnit’ premise that involved a middle-class family, a dead body and an entirely locked house.  I’m in the middle of reading that.  ‘Murder in the Library’ is free and open until 12 May at the British Library. 

Our first Snowdrop
Our first Snowdrop opened its little white head yesterday, 1st February.  Since I can't resist photographing them, stand by for lots of photos in the near future.

Poor Little Bunny
I was called ‘poor little bunny’ by a bloggiepal when she learned I’d hurt my hand.  There is actually a character called Poor Little Bunny and if I’m half as cute I’m more than happy…




 “What do you mean ‘Get down from the table?’
There’s a mouse up here so why shouldn’t I be?”

21 comments:

  1. An excellent Ramble this morning.

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  2. Wonderful assortment of topics!!
    First the title of your post sounds like a description of the decor of my house -- (sort of thinking along those lines right now)

    IVY : She is getting bigger every time I see her. She'd be a heavy handful in that shopping bag.

    THE SNOW DROP : The first one! Spring is surely on the way. I wish we could grow them where we are.

    THE PINEAPPLE: That is a most useful piece of information! I've often wondered how you can tell. I do like pineapples but only if they are ripe and sweet. We've recently learned how to let papayas ripen and when they are ripe.... Mmmm.

    THE WOMAN READING: That is a lovely painting. Restful colors and springlike.


    RETIREMENT FINANCES: Let's not talk about that!

    As for the poor little bunny, With your sharp mind I can't think you're a poor little anything -- but I am sorry you hurt your hand and hope it is healing well.

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  3. Ivy tries anything for a chance to get outdoors, doesn't she? :) Here's one retirement tip for you: Put your Ivy photos and comments together in a picture-book. Could be a great success.

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  4. Having now seen the 'poor little bunny' the descriptions seems even less apposite.

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  5. Your black cat looks a lot like our Baby Kitty. A 16 pound terror, sometimes.

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  6. Good advice. When go to the grocery store later today I'll be sure to pluck a few pineapples.

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  7. Poor little bunny is adorable, but I love that painting of a woman reading. Happy Saturday!

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    Replies
    1. And a Happy Saturday to you too. I hope you are feeling a bit better.

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  8. I, too, love images of women reading.
    This was a fun post. If my husband took to collecting hammers I'd put him in a museum!

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    1. A museum of Great Danes - sounds no more strange than some of the ones I've come across recently!

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  9. I love the painting of the woman reading.

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  10. This long post must mean you are healing. Good.
    Remember a pan is still hot when you take it out of the oven. I have done the same thing myself!

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  11. Ivy is definitely NOT a kitten anymore! That is a very "adult cat" look on her face.

    Hmmm I wonder why the reading lady is wearing gloves. Was it very cold in the room, or was it just for style?

    Snowdrops! I saw some on my way to Aldi today, too.

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    1. I suspect that fingerless gloves like that were more for warmth than style. Jo is a heat-loving creature and she often wears gloves like that indoors (bought from Etsy). (I nearly wrote 'Jo is a cold creature' but then realised it could be misinterpreted and I'd be in trouble!!)

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  12. Love the photo of your shopping companion...and the rest of the post. I too hope your burns are healing and not giving you too much grief.

    Have a great weekend. It's Super Bowl Sunday here tomorrow, so it will football (American style) all day every day until tomorrow night.

    Take care and God bless, xoxox Carol

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  13. Ivy's looking very grown up in that last photo.

    The kitchen's looking wonderful.

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  14. First, don't let that cat out of the bag..Second, I wonder if a painting of me reading a Kindle would look as nice..Third and so on, thanks for the pineapple tip!, I so want Spring to arrive! It's snowing like crazy today!, I've been to Haines, Alaska, how did I miss that stop? I hope your hand is doing better and healing nicely. Ivy is beautiful! Love her eyes..they are truly the window to her soul!

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  15. What a fab photo of you and the catten in the kitchen! She's definitely a big girl now, eh? Lovely! She looks like she'd box your ears for you in that table shot. More on butterflies later (it's a secret). As for ladies reading, you do know this may inspire a photo shoot, right? Stay tuned. Now I must run out to my garden and see if MY snowdrops are keeping up with yours.

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  16. No, your Ivy may have kittenish ways but she is definitely an adult. So that's how you test a pineapple. You are full of useful tidbits and I love the bunny - so cute!!

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  17. Thoroughly enjoyed this mélange écletique. I always learn so much here.
    The cat's really in the bag!!!

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  18. Thanks for the pineapple tip...didn't know that one. You won't be surprised to hear that I do the same with the advt's - everywhere, they're EVERYWHERE...we're being invaded.

    and yes, you are as cute as the bunny!

    maybe not in a fluffy, hoppy, sort of way
    but nevertheless

    :)

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