WEEKEND THOUGHTS

I came across this quote from Maya Angelou a couple of years ago -

it affected me deeply, and I have never forgotten it.

Dr Angelou passed away on May 28, and will be sadly missed.

Poet, author, activist, singer, dancer, actor...

and incredibly insightful.

As a beautiful young woman, she appeared in Porgy and Bess...

Amy, of Love made my home, has written a wonderful post in tribute.
She shares five of Maya Angelou's best known quotations.
I'm sure you'll enjoy reading them.

If life had gone according to plan, we would be in Italy now....
but we did the next best thing and went to the movies -
 The Trip to Italy, with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
They were funny, eating their way through a series of gourmet restaurants, impersonating Hugh Grant, Al Pacino, and other stars, and finding ever more outrageous ways to insult one another.

We didn't see any of the famous sights, but I laughed more than I expected...

In other news from Europe, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco are expecting their first child.

Congratulations, and good luck to them both.

These beautiful sculptural forms are Aboriginal fish traps, woven from vines and pandanus palm leaves in a twining technique which is also used for baskets and mats.  
Though made as sculptural objects, they would function effectively as traps;  there is a funnel in the mouth of the trap to hold the captured fish.  
They were made by artists from Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Happy Days!
xxx

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS

Princess Charlene, pretty in pink at the Dior Haute Couture collection show this week.

Can we look forward to a summer of pastels?

I for one would enjoy that - pastel pink, mint green, delicate lemon yellow: yum!

Charlene has the delicate blonde looks of her late mother-in-law

Princess Grace.

My mother bought this tiny plate in Monaco back in the 70s, when Grace was in the prime of her life as Princess of Monaco.

Yes, we are still sorting out the old family home ...

Beautiful, heavily scented stocks from my Dad's garden;

he hasn't been there to care for it since January, but his groundwork was apparently so good that they came up and bloomed just the same.

In the Red Cardinal Garden of Neglect, meantime,

the shrubs are dormant, and an opportunist has been spotted:

Ye old scrub turkey;  Dad says they used to shoot and eat them when he was a boy.

That would be over 90 years ago.

Times were tough then, just after World War I...

bet the bird was tough to eat as well!

An sweet white cane table also came to me from the old place.

And a big pot, which I filled with herbs and pansy plants for Spring:

Been to the sales, too.

Photo frames, 40% off at Myer ...

Car Doona cover for Little Aussie's next visit: $19 at Pillow Talk.

Because, readers, it is Very Near Freezing round here.

In fact, -1 in this area this morning.

Meantime, over in Ottawa, the Petite Garcon is sweltering these nights in his little attic bedroom.

So I made another set of summer pj's for the little man.

Happy July to you all!

xxx