Agador does the housework!

"The Birdcage" is a great movie. Hank Azaria as Agador Spartacus is hilarious!

This one is for all you gals with hubbies who help with the housework. Yes, I'm talking to you Aneets..... :)

"The true face of artistic beauty" by Adele Horin

Adele Horin's opinion piece in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald was brilliant.....



Artist Margaret Olley... "Conventional beauty is insignificant in the reckoning of a life." Photo: Simone De Peak

 

by Adele Horin

"In an era of airbrushing and cosmetic surgery, Margaret Olley's extraordinary face challenges women to reconsider the vexing business of ageing gracefully.

With its crevices, marks and splotches, amplified over three columns in The Sydney Morning Herald front-page obituary this week, the late artist's face was a frank statement of a life fully lived. No evidence there of efforts to soften the ravages of time with anti-ageing ''product'' and ''procedures''.

What a face. What a lesson it holds for we women who obsess about crows' feet and liver spots and wrinkled brows; who hate the tiny lines sprouting like fine hairs above our lips, who hate our necks, and the bags under our eyes and much else that signals we are no longer young.

What does this face tell us? It tells us that conventional beauty is insignificant in the reckoning of a life. Olley, 88, was revered and loved because of who she was, not because she was, at any stage, a beauty. Did anyone care that at some point Olley had ''let herself go''? No, they wanted to paint her portrait.

People respected her talent, were drawn to her character, admired her generosity, and adored her wicked anecdotes. The outpouring of love for her, expressed on her death, testified to her special qualities and deep relationships. The philosophy she articulated that she was on earth ''to help'' is what has endeared her to so many.

These days looking your age is a matter of personal choice for women. Baby boomers can't believe they have got old. It seems only yesterday they got wasted at a Stones' concert. They look in the mirror, don't like what they see, and make a choice not to go there - not yet.

Today's beauty arsenal is bigger than the nuclear arsenal. Where once the choice was between Nivea and the knife, there is now a continuum of product and procedures that promise to erase years from your face.

Where to put yourself along the continuum is a matter of angst for many women. But with money, everyone finds a place more and more to the right. Women who devoured Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth in 1991 are now surprised to find themselves spending quite a lot of time and money on ''maintenance''.

Women who once shunned make-up in the brief period of au natural feminism now joust with new ethical questions: Is an eye job today's equivalent of eye-liner? Is it self-improvement or a sign of low self-esteem?

Are Botoxed news presenters realists or defeatists? Even on the subject of breast enhancement - pathetic or positive? - consensus eludes friends who are usually in fierce agreement.

At some point extreme efforts at self-improvement are a sign of self-hatred and self-delusion, of some deeper pathology and failure to come to terms with ageing. The tipping point is not reached with henna and Clairol - millions will attest to that. But to erase laughter lines is surely to erase a fundamental part of our personal history.

In certain circles, cosmetic surgery is so readily available that to desist is the equivalent of making a political statement. Holding out is viewed by some not as a badge of maturity but as a sign of unfashionable feminism, or of premature, defeatist, inflexible old age. In the face of the herd, it takes courage and confidence for women of a certain age to refuse to pad out laughter lines, plump up lips, and smooth out wrinkles.

Worryingly, ever-younger women are resorting to cosmetic surgery as a defensive, preventive measure as if the secret of happiness lies in looking 25 for ever.

The pressures on women to look young and beautiful are hardly new. But the technology to mislead is more refined. At the same time that Olley's unadorned face graced the front pages of the nation's newspapers, a furore was erupting in Britain over advertising campaigns that used airbrushed images of actor Julia Roberts, 43, and super model Christy Turlington, 42.

In a victory for reality over image, the Advertising Standards Council ordered the withdrawal of the advertisements for Lancome and Maybelline. The watchdog ruled the ads breached the advertising standards code for exaggeration and being misleading.

Roberts and Turlington's unblemished, creepily unlined faces are not what 42 or 43 looks like. The use of mid-life women in advertisements was supposed to be progress. But these mid-life beauties are not going to make women feel good about themselves. They have raised the threshold. There can be no thought of ageing gracefully at 40 - not if a little product and a nip and tuck can make you look younger longer. But even the super-beauties, it turns out, needed to be digitally enhanced.

Being 88 with a lived-in face is one thing. Being on the awkward path between middle-age and old-age is another. Does one give up? Does one adopt the attitude of French women for whom looking good and being feminine is a duty unto death? Finding a place on the continuum between Nivea and knife is tricky.

It may be helpful to keep in mind what turns out to be important in life - it is not looks but how one lived. It is not caring over-much about oneself but doing a lot for others. Relationships and work matter. Margaret Olley's amazing life and amazing face are a testament to true beauty.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-true-face-of-artistic-beauty-20110729-1i477.html

 

Pee-Wee Herman - I know you are but what am I?

For those of you who haven't heard of Pee-Wee Herman, get ready for a kooky treat!



Pee-Wee is a comic style character created by a guy called Paul Reubens. Pee-Wee was hugely successful in the late 1980s with a television show Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and a couple of great movies including my favourite, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Unfortunately, in 1991 Paul Reubens was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor obscenity offence (don’t ask) and this marked the end of Pee-Wee. In recent times, Reubens has been rebuilding his career with Pee-Wee.

I will always love Pee-Wee Herman. He is so sweet and silly and funny plus he has a cool house!

Because I Said So!

I miss my Dad.  I miss him every day.

This is me with my Dad when I was only 9 months old on holidays up the coast.

This morning I heard myself tell my daughter to hurry up and get ready to leave for school and I actually said the words “Come on hurry up, lickety split!”  A Dad-ism.

It’s funny how little sayings like this just stay with you.  Anyone else find themselves repeating phrases from their parents? You know besides, "Because I'm the parent!" and "Because I said so!" or "Don't make me say it again!"  All the things you swear you'll never say when YOU are a parent you somehow find yourself uttering.

My daughter was eating her dinner at snail's pace last night as usual and I said to her "I won't say it again, eat your dinner!"  She just looked up at me and said "Yeah, you will" with a very cheeky little grin on her face.  She was right of course.

Ricky Gervais and Red Nose Day

This is pure genius.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

Chocolate.  I love it.  I am devoted to dark chocolate.  

Truly, Madly, Deeply.

There are few things that bring me as much joy as good chocolate.  Last weekend I made a pilgrimage into the city to Haigh’s Chocolates in the Strand Arcade.  I couldn’t believe how busy this store was! Seriously! The line was out the door and it wasn’t like it was a special time of year, just a regular Saturday afternoon.

I purchased a packet of 10 Dark Chocolate Frogs and bought my daughter and her little friend a chocolate heart each.  $15 thank you very much.  It was worth it though!

I have compiled a list of my favourite chocolates in no particular order. 

1. Darrell Lea Dark Chocolate Ginger

I could easily consume an entire box in one sitting.  Hence I rarely buy them.

2. Dark Chocolate Marzipan

I know this is a controversial choice.  Many say marzipan tastes like medicine but I love it.

3. Dark Chocolate Raisinettes

I became addicted to Raisinettes when I visited the US a few years ago.  These are best enjoyed with a packet of Goobers (chocolate coated peanuts ).  Sadly* you can only get them at import shops like Sweet Surprises.

4. Fry’s Turkish Delight

Despite the fact it is coated in Milk Chocolate, this is a perennial favourite for me.  When they brought out the twin pack I gained 2kgs in about a month.

5. Haigh’s Dark Chocolate Frogs

Simple perfection in chocolate. What more can I say?

OK people, your turn.  Your top 5?  No judgment here.

(well maybe a little if you mention white chocolate)

I want an Uncle Bryn!

I want an Uncle Bryn!
For the uninitiated, “Uncle Bryn” is a character from the TV series Gavin & Stacey. It was shown here on the ABC a while back and somehow I missed it. Lucky for me, my dear friend Persephone put me onto it via Youtube and I was hooked. If you haven’t had a chance to watch any of Gavin & Stacey, do yourself a favour. You will fall in love with it I’m sure the way I did.



Back to Uncle Bryn. Bryn is the comic creation of UK actor, comedian and all round genius, Rob Brydon. Uncle Bryn is Stacey’s over-protective Uncle and he’s a bit of a dag. Here is a classic Uncle Bryn moment.



Gavin & Stacey is just the most brilliant show; hilariously funny, affectionate and clever. Despite being warned against rushing through the episodes, I think that I ended up watching the every single episode in two days including the commentaries and the behind the scenes and the extras. Fortunately, it’s so well written and chock full of clever little jokes that you can watch it over and over and see something new with every viewing.

My only regret is that I don’t have an Uncle Bryn. He is a gem.

Alan! Alan! Alan!

I think his name is Steve.

Steve! Steve! Steve!

Wild and Beautiful and Perfectly in Process

I love flowers.  One of the most exciting things about Spring approaching is seeing all the flowers starting to come out.  I don't really like formal flowers that much.  I prefer more cottagey (is this a word?) bouquets, imperfect and thrown together.  I like to mix in rosemary and lavender and leaves from non flowering plants in amongst blooms from the garden. 

A few years ago I read a book called "The Shack".  It's an extraordinary book. 

Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.

Beside the shack is a garden....

Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) shows Mack a messy, fractal garden. The garden is full of colors, herbs, flowers, plants. Mack describes it as a “chaos in color”…”confusing, stunning, and incredibly beautiful.” As they walk, Sarayu picks various herbs and plants and flowers, giving them to Mack and creating a bouquet.This garden is his OWN SOUL, that he lays witness to. Mack says how, though the garden is a mess, he somehow feels strangely comfortable in it. Sarayu says, “And well you should, Mackenzie, because this garden is your soul—this mess is you! Together, you and I, we have been working with a purpose in your heart. And its wild and beautiful and perfectly in process. To you it seems messy, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive—a living fractal.”

I love the idea that our souls are "wild and beautiful and perfectly in process".

I'm not going to say it's an easy read, far from it.  In fact, the first few chapters were hard going and I almost didn't persist with it.  At the time, so many people had recommended it to me I felt I just had to read it and so I pushed on with it and it completely changed my view on so many aspects of life and God.

Anyway back to my point, flowers and Springtime......

Lisianthus are by far my favourite flower.  I love their delicate petals and their ragged sort of look.  They don't have a strong perfume which I prefer. 

Now this might sound a bit harsh because really, how can you hate a flower?  However, I have to say that I despise Anthuriums.  I think when God created them he was havin' a laff.  The sticky-outy bit is disgusting and sheds pollen which stains and the flower istself looks like plastic. Hate 'em.

Margin Call

This is going to be a great film!

"Margin Call offers a thoughtful examination of the lead-in to Wall Street’s most recent financial collapse – as filtered through the lens of a taut thriller with mainstream appeal."Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Penn Badgley, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci and Paul Bettany - what's not to love???

Why I love Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Report
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What I Miss Most About Summer

Daylight Saving

Mornings that don't freeze your bazookas off

Cool breezes in the evening after a long, hot, day

Mangoes

Peaches

Any fruit that isn't apples, pears or bananas

Eating ice cream while walking along Manly Beach in the evening

The sound of the cricket playing in the background on the television

Being able to wear a tshirt to bed instead of 3 layers and then waking up boiling hot and delayering only to be freezing cold half an hour later

Holidays

Fireworks on New Years Eve

Sleeping with the window open

Have I missed anything people?

Best Dessert Ever?

Well, it's certainly time consuming to make at home and expensive if you want to try Peter Gilmore's version but the Snow Egg seems to be all the rage in the dessert world right now. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind living in Dessert World....mmmm.

My dinner party dessert of choice for many years was Toblerone Two Tone Mousse but these days I have really lost my dessert making mojo. It's hard to get motivated when it's just the two of us and one of us would just be happy with a Mint Slice every night. Even if I wanted to make a delicious dessert I wouldn't know where to start these days.

So, your favourite dessert? You know, think "firing squad at dawn dessert".

Heidi the Cross Eyed Opossum

"Heidi, an over-weight, young cross-eyed opossum, is shaping up to be the most popular furry critter in Germany since Knut the celebrity polar bear.

She won’t be visible to the public until July, but a cross-eyed opossum has turned into Germany’s new media darling. Two-and-a-half-year-old Heidi has even inspired a YouTube hit, her own high-end stuffed animal, and has more than 49,000 friends on Facebook, and counting.

“It really is surprising how famous and loved she is — I guess it has to do with being cross-eyed,” said Dr. Helmut Schache, of the toy manufacturer Kösen, whose hand-made stuffed Heidis will be available for order in two weeks."

"Praise You" - FatBoy Slim

There are some music videos that make me smile, no matter how many times I've seen them. This one from 1999 (really? that long ago?) is one such video. It was directed by Spike Jonze and reportedly only cost $US800 to make! It never fails to make me smile.



So which music videos make you smile? Which ones can you watch over and over again?

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

It seems to me that there are plenty of places on the net to read about all the tragedy and bad news in the world today. There is no shortage of places to go if you want to read about the bad stuff. Like here and here.

There are also plenty of places to go if you want to disagree with someone or have an argument. Like here and here.

A Bowl of Cherries isn’t that sort of place. It’s a place to talk about the beautiful things, the funny things, the uplifting things. I hope it will be a place where you can come and be reminded that the world is still full of wonderful things and amazing people.

Because afterall....




Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious,
Life's too mysterious
You work,
You save,
You worry so
But you can't take your dough
When you go, go, go

So keep repeating "It's the berries."
The strongest oak must fall
The sweet things in life
To you were just loaned
So how can you lose
What you've never owned

Life is just a bowl of cherries
So live and laugh, aha!
Laugh and love
Live and laugh,
Laugh and love,
Live and laugh at it all!