tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55751852594677387812012-01-27T03:42:22.235ZThorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-21068174138112720012012-01-23T21:24:00.003Z2012-01-23T21:59:42.246Z2012-01-23T21:59:42.246Z

In fact exactly, to the day, six years ago, this little chickie had a problem. Her legs went funny, very funny, she was having trouble walking, so she went to the local NHS walk-in centre. They sent her to the A&E (ER). To the finest hopsital for neurological problems that exists in Europe, to say the least, King's College Hospital (interesting that, I thought, as I got my PhD from King's College

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-69584534966311542722012-01-18T12:51:00.000Z2012-01-18T12:51:56.858Z2012-01-18T12:51:56.858Z

Behind The Scenes Of The International Art Fair « CBS Los AngelesOut of general interest, I thought I'd share this link to an interview with the founder of the Affordable Art Fair, Will Ramsay, the day before the opening of the newest AAF in Los Angeles.Happy reading/viewing!

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-79527205075896799992012-01-15T17:19:00.006Z2012-01-15T17:48:06.646Z2012-01-15T17:48:06.646Z

yes absolutely, I agree, the jasmine is getting out of control and must be cut back. I mean, it's growing over and through the neighbour's fence. That plant needs some serious trimming.Beautiful of course though it is, with that delicious scent that is just heaven in the summertime. No, it needed a trim.Um ....I guess there was some misunderstanding between my "cut it back" and his "cut it down

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-5963903840851775272012-01-10T22:49:00.002Z2012-01-10T22:52:37.882Z2012-01-10T22:52:37.882Z

Yes, well. This song came on the radio tonight (WXRT, Chicago's Finest Rock) and as Ginger was in my arms anyway, we ended up dancing around the kitchen. Me singing to him. I don't think he appreciated it much, but hey, I saw the Stray Cats at the Aragon Ballroom so it was perhaps more of a special moment for me, than for him.He seemed to be hacked off by it actually, and went out the cat flap

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-42964504822879930072011-12-31T00:02:00.001Z2011-12-31T22:06:34.171Z2011-12-31T22:06:34.171Z

Wishing everyone a very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year -And sincerely hoping that 2012 brings you everything you desire.Happy New Year, with much love!

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-31774514031980553892011-12-20T23:30:00.001Z2011-12-20T23:30:00.455Z2011-12-20T23:30:00.455Z

As I close up my suitcase tonight, full of Christmas fun and cheer (and enough clothes for the Chicago weather, I hope!), and ready to board that plane tomorrow morning, I leave you with this heartfelt wish. To all of my faithful readers and followers, and I am very grateful for your support -Hector and I wish you a very, very Happy Christmas. Who needs a Christmas tree, when you have a

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-13987148736539142462011-12-06T20:52:00.003Z2011-12-06T21:22:40.395Z2011-12-06T21:22:40.395Z

So I went outside, after chatting with a friend on the phone, and looked up, and saw a beautiful sight.A nearly full moon, and just below it that bright spark is Jupiter, the friendliest planet you could ever hope to meet. Both are, at the moment, in Taurus. The moon of course will move into the next sign in a few days (Gemini) and then there will be an eclipse. These things happen like clockwork

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-68219930556754939232011-11-26T18:19:00.003Z2011-11-26T18:42:19.567Z2011-11-26T18:42:19.567Z

Now that Thanksgiving is over, thoughts naturally turn towards Christmas.Hector is in the mood.I'm very excited.

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-76457057553243069952011-11-24T00:01:00.002Z2011-11-24T00:01:01.022Z2011-11-24T00:01:01.022Z

To all my American friends.This most certainly isn't my harvest, I wish it was! But no, this is just to share with you all my desire to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope it is a time of joy.Remember to be grateful for what you have - and what is coming ...

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-92141527851342921582011-11-12T19:45:00.001Z2011-11-12T19:45:03.607Z2011-11-12T19:45:03.607Z

In the absence of much to say about the garden, I thought I would add in some planetary, astrological information, for those of you who might be interested.Last Thursday was another Full Moon. There is some information out there, somewhere, about planting by the moon which I fully mean to research, and when I do, my faithful readers will be the first to know what I learned, and if I put it into

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-52819598340853519962011-11-02T21:57:00.007Z2011-11-02T22:34:18.963Z2011-11-02T22:34:18.963Z

We premiered a new Affordable Art Fair in North London last week.I realise this is rather off topic, but the garden out the back is overgrowing and a mess. I've had little time for it lately, but may possibly give it some love this weekend; after I've had a lie in, having worked 12 days in a row. Or maybe, sometime this month. In the meantime, as this art stuff occupies most of my life at the

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-30221443304579308522011-11-01T22:21:00.000Z2011-11-01T22:21:45.201Z2011-11-01T22:21:45.201Z

Well, it's been 3 long years of desire, but I am now now the proud owner of a 5 foot galvinised metal giraffe.The first thing I did last Wednesday at AAF Hampstead was find the Fine Art Consultancy stand, to talk to the lovely Kathryn Bell. The artist, by the way, is Mick Kirkby Geddes.http://www.mkg.me.uk/homepage.htmShe wasn't showing him at AAF Hampstead, but they hadn't all sold at Battersea

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-47438567367177972782011-10-25T21:47:00.009+01:002011-10-25T22:46:22.239+01:002011-10-25T22:46:22.239+01:00

This is what I work for, so I thought I'd share, once again.First off, let's start with a cat.Oh my.Yep. That's a large photograph of a very special cat.Here's one for scale (and to show off my new dress).He's a big old cat. But there was all sorts at the Affordable Art Fair Battersea last week.And these.One of these, I'm not sure which, but one of these, is mine.Oh yes. I've wanted one of these

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-32478162125743767142011-10-18T21:46:00.005+01:002011-10-18T22:03:00.590+01:002011-10-18T22:03:00.590+01:00

But I thought this might be a help to get Ginger used to the cat flap. A leg up, as it were. Yes, it's a breakfast-in-bed kind of tray. But just the right height.He seems to be coping okay - when I come home every night, I hear "meeeeoooowww" and see his little face through it.And then he comes in, with a little bit of encouragement from me.Problem is, I don't think he's coming in during the day.

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-69476562410100764572011-10-04T12:21:00.001+01:002011-10-04T12:22:42.508+01:002011-10-04T12:22:42.508+01:00

I have a cat.A cat flap, to be exact. Which kind of means I am acknowledging the fact that yes, this is my cat.It wasn't exactly straightforward, but I was determined that it was done this weekend for more than one reason, more on that later.Escalting the "problem" meant that I got my way, and in the end after a bit of fuss it was nicely installed.The trouble is, and I did think Ginger was used

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-43601142834621646472011-09-25T19:10:00.000+01:002011-09-25T19:10:00.178+01:002011-09-25T19:10:00.178+01:00

I managed to find a few more red ones.And yes, those two are meant to be yellow. And the little dark ones, well, they're meant to be dark.So then I did everything I could to strip back as much foliage as possible, chop off the fledgling branches with flowers and/or very small fruit that would never amount to anything, so each plant could put as much energy as possible into turning what exists,

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-78654985481652368822011-09-23T00:05:00.000+01:002011-10-01T11:31:32.979+01:002011-10-01T11:31:32.979+01:00

with love.

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-52734807225821403552011-09-14T21:42:00.003+01:002011-09-14T22:03:44.500+01:002011-09-14T22:03:44.500+01:00

That looks like such a strange word up there, "poetry".I'm about to share my own poem, that I wrote perhaps some 29 years ago. A lot had happened in that particular summer, to do with love.It was longer when I wrote it, but it was, I think kindly, cut down by my Creative Writing teacher at Triton College. The original is long destroyed, when I ruthlessly threw away everything of my early writings

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-26714965558996114922011-09-12T21:44:00.002+01:002011-09-13T17:55:57.480+01:002011-09-13T17:55:57.480+01:00

Just soz y'all know.Hmmm ... Gardens, Cats, and Astrology?Or Gardens, Cats, and a Hot Babe in a Bikini ...?

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-49689101418239550592011-09-11T18:42:00.003+01:002011-09-12T12:08:04.128+01:002011-09-12T12:08:04.128+01:00

So last weekend, we (or rather my husband) finally put a trellis in the longstanding gap-at-the-back that has existed since we moved in, over 4 years ago. It's been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.You see the gap at the far right? Where you can see the tree that is actually behind the fence level? I've never really pointed it out before but it is and always has been a major ingress

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-62341057814294617112011-09-04T18:48:00.000+01:002011-09-04T18:49:01.053+01:002011-09-04T18:49:01.053+01:00

It's a good thing I'm not trying to live off anything I grow. So far, this is the sum total of what I have been able to harvest from my garden. Not too impressive, huh? There have been perhaps 10 ripe tomatoes overall from this lot. And those, as you see, are the smaller variety. Not even a meal, really. The foliage looks impressive, but apart from the one plant, every fruit is green.

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-33338313616089576902011-08-26T18:00:00.001+01:002011-08-26T18:00:04.761+01:002011-08-26T18:00:04.761+01:00

Must always have Marguerites in my garden. You might call it the humble Daisy, I call them Marguerites. Essential, and lovely.

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-53506519041488120942011-08-24T20:00:00.004+01:002011-08-24T20:07:47.848+01:002011-08-24T20:07:47.848+01:00

that I made friends with a cat whilst in Spain. And very friendly he was, too. Well deserving of a bit of petting. My sister told me to wash my hands afterwards. I'm not sure how much she actually likes cats.

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-74737570191268582412011-08-14T22:30:00.000+01:002011-08-14T22:46:11.549+01:002011-08-14T22:46:11.549+01:00

Slightly off topic, but there's not a lot going on out there in the back right now. Did you know that you can swim in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London? It's a very big lake in the middle of the park, and if you join the club, well you can swim year round. If you're completely insane, you can take part in the Christmas Day race. Obviously a tradition that goes back some years. That

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575185259467738781.post-66468951677979929572011-08-11T20:30:00.001+01:002011-08-11T20:36:01.990+01:002011-08-11T20:36:01.990+01:00

While everything grows and needs little attention, apart from a bit of pruning here and there (not much watering, given our non-existent summer), my attention is turned to the back. As is pretty well documented by now, the back of the garden is a mess. The swingset is gone now, of course (although the trampoline is still there - Ginger likes to sleep on it, as you can see) but that

Thorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765308896852026630noreply@blogger.com0