A House for Brownie????

Today I left Beast at home and took a minivan into the city.
As you know I do this every so often because I like a change of pace.
The day was HOTT and I made sure I conducted my business as fast as I could so I could return home quickly.
We are still under water restrictions until the end of the month and the rain has not even showed up as yet...it is some really crazy weather we're having...just heat all day and all night long.
I had made sure that I sat in a window seat to be cooled by the breeze as we traveled along.
Traveling in the minivan warms my heart because I am able to relax and have a good look around me.
Waiting at a stop light I glanced over to the side of the road and this is what I saw....

Ain't that the most adorable dog house you ever did see?
I came home and showed it to Mr. B, but he was not impressed.

 Hope Mum isn't thinking of getting me a dog house...I like living in a big house....don't get any crazy ideas Mum.
Dog house????  Perish the thought!!!

The Day After

Another year gone by.
Yesterday afternoon was my yearly Swap/Tea Party with my closest girlfriends.
The time came around so quickly that I couldn't believe it.
The official May Day holiday falls on May 1st, but since that was a Sunday this year, the following day (May 2nd) becomes the bank holiday. The invites were written for May 1st but some of the girls preferred the afternoon of May 2nd so the date was changed as requested.
May Day Bank holiday is my day to be surrounded by my "girls" to chat, share, uplift, console, laugh till we cry, tell funny stories, enjoy our sisterhood for one evening and give thanks for our incredible friendship.
Friends like these are very hard to come by and the relationships that we share have been nurtured over the years creating an indestructible bond.
I love them all for who they are and what they bring into my life....they are all special to me in their own way.
Once again, I don't have any decent photos of the event because I was so busy enjoying myself, even though I had chided myself that I would capture the event on camera this time around no matter what....well that didn't happen.

Three layer English Trifle - one slice leftover

Mini Cupcakes and one tiny piece of Lemon Fool

Other tasty snacks for the evening included Apple Cobbler, Fruit Cake, Sandwiches, Fish Cakes, Conkies, Pizza Sticks, Chocolate Mint Swirls.

To wash it all down there was Ginger Beer, Mango Juice, Guava Pineapple Juice, Herbal Basil Iced Tea and an assortment of sodas.

My dearest friend cruised in with a package in her hand and promptly placed it in the fridge exclaiming in one breath, "My husband sent this for you, he's into organic farming now if you please."
Thank you Leonard!

Another girlfriend gifted me with a large head of red leaf lettuce....thank you Eureka!!!
These are the friends that know me well and bestow the most appreciated hostess gifts.

 

My spoils from the evening.

I spent the day putting the house back together, tidying up and cleaning.
Entertaining is fun but it can be hard work...but hey I am not complaining, I love it.
I usually borrow my glass top desk from my office for the display of items in the swap. When I pulled it away from the wall a day ago, a large gecko ran out and started running all around and acting all crazy.
Grabbed my Citronella BOP insecticide and gave him a couple of sprays which made him run behind my other desk.... he stayed put.
I forgot all about him, but today as I began to tidy up, I got a big whiff of him....yes another dead gecko lizard I had to search around for.
Thank goodness I found him quickly this time.

He had crawled into the lower shelf of the book case behind my mum's old prayer books and expired.  After disposing of the body it was time to get rid of the scent.
Cleaned the shelf thoroughly with disinfectant but that dreaded smell remained.....until I remembered about vinegar.
Sprayed the entire shelf liberally a couple of times throughout the day until there was no hint of the scent at all.
Tomorrow I will pack the books back on the shelf and push the bookcase back into position beside my work desk.
Glad that Mr. Gecko is gone.
I am hoping that ten more don't show up for his wake...that would be just my luck.

Prince

 Prince Rogers Nelson "Prince"

June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016
Singer

When I heard the news yesterday of Prince's passing, I was too stunned to even write this post.  I had to make sure that the TMZ report was true...and so it was.
Prince died at his Paisley Park Recording Studio/Home in Chanhassen, Minnesota after a bout with the flu.
One of the most iconic singer/artists, Prince is gone. The Purple Reign is over.
He was 57 years old.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to his parents Mattie Shaw, a jazz singer and John L. Nelson a lyricist and pianist, he would become a child prodigy teaching himself a myriad of instruments including piano, guitar, drums and bass.  He would also become a great vocalist with an incredible vocal range.
He wasn't just a singer, he was a musician, songwriter, producer and actor as well....a creative icon.
He wrote tons of songs for himself and others and they did well on the charts.  Songs drenched with sexual overtones and songs filled with spirituality, that was the pop star that was Prince.
His music influence was pop, R&B, funk, hip-hop along with a whole gamut of other sounds.

Back in my partying days it was totally unheard of not to play his music...what's a party without His Royal Purpleness....boring.
I loved him for his incredibly crazy music......his flamboyant performances on stage...his extravagant dress style....you never knew what he was going to do next.
I loved him too because we shared the same birthday.

 

He was eccentric and I mean that in a nice way.  In 1993 after a contract dispute with his record label Warner Bros., he changed his name to the" Love Symbol" sign and became "The Artist formerly known as Prince."   I was shocked, but then again that was Prince...the Unpredictable.

 

When he changed his name back to Prince, I was cool with that too.

Prince the prolific writer and arranger was still there no matter what he called himself....we the fans didn't care.

I never had the opportunity to attend one of his concerts....concerts that went on past the three hour limit because of the dedicated performer that he was.  It always seemed as if my trips to the US would never coincide with any of his concerts no matter how I tried.....I do have two of his concerts on dvd....electrifying and stunning guitar work accompanied by his indelible vocals...incredible.

Some of my favourites: Purple Rain, 7, When Doves Cry, For you, Controversy, 1999, I wanna be your lover, Let's go Crazy and KISS.

Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide (I am included in that total), making him one of the best selling artists of all time.
He has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.
In 2004 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Here is an interesting article on Prince, one of his rare interviews.

His career spanned over 35 years, in which he released 39 solo albums....he was always releasing new material....and working on new material...up to four albums in the last 18 months. 
The legend of Prince alludes to tons of his unreleased material known to be in "the vault" ....The vault is packed to capacity with his work....we could hear new music for many years to come...approximately one album a year for the next 100 years.
His legacy as a singer and musician along with his limitless creativity can never be replicated...ever.
Fans all over the world are in mourning. 
Purple tributes are everywhere....buildings and famous landmarks all over the world are bathed in purple lights in his honour....the grief and shock is raw.
Gone too soon.

He will be missed....the world won't be the same without him.
Rest in peace Prince...if you can find that at all possible....Rest in Peace.
All images for this post were respectfully borrowed from Google Images.

Adieu Doris!

 Doris Roberts

November 4, 1925 - April 17, 2016

If you are an "Everybody Loves Raymond" fan like myself, you must be saddened at the passing of Doris Roberts the no-nonsense Marie.
Doris died in her sleep on Sunday at her home in Los Angeles.
She played the mother of Ray Romano and also the wife of the late Peter Boyle (Frank) on the show.

She was a hoot and her overbearing character always made me laugh with her "mean-well" interference and snide remarks to members of her family but in particular Deborah (Patricia Heaton.) her daughter-in-law.
Over the years I have been watching the comedy reruns whenever they air and you know why?  It's clean with no filthy language and I love the smooth roll off the tongue comedy.

I can't believe she was 90.
Rest in peace Marie, I know deep down within that you are somewhere that is not here continuing to enjoy life.

All images borrowed from the internet for this post.

Harvest Sunday

Last month when we attended one of the Sunday services at our "new" church, it was Harvest Sunday.
After the service, along with the usual refreshments, there was a display showcasing the artistic talents of the members.
God-given talents should be treasured and shared and this exhibit was the right forum for doing so.
All kinds of talents, hobbies and interests were on display. 
The Plant enthusiasts and Gardeners were happy to oblige.

 Beautiful flowering orchids

 Cacti

Bounty from the garden

I loved this orchid in this cute pot.

Photography display

Jewelry and carved wooden items

What amazed me was that I have all of these talents as well....with the exception of wood carving.

I made a mental note to myself that next year I will be contributing to the  Harvest Display as well....yes you can hold me to it.