Dolls House Fair

Twice a year, in posh, exclusive Kensington in SW London, they hold a dolls house fair. Despite the appalling weather, today people from all over the country (and even abroad) descended on Kensington Town Hall to treat themselves to Christmas goodies.

Of course, to own a Mulvany and Rogers dolls house you would need to be one of the Kensington Filthy Rich. (In an estate agent's office I saw a flat going for nearly £3 million.) They cost thousands. Mind you, they are literally palaces among dolls house creations.

This is their Palace of Versailles. Of course, even allowing for differences in scale, the one outside Paris is much bigger.

Here's their version of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton.

They also did a version of Hampton Court Palace, but I couldn't find a good enough picture.

We talked chickens rather than dolls houses, and they recommended I try giving mine porridge during the cold weather.

I bought a 12th scale Pierre Legrain console table a bit like this (only better).
I suppose I could have taken a picture of my one, but I'm too shattered to go and get the camera!
Mine has a more delicately proportioned top, gold bands round the legs, and a gold base.

The supplier of this Art Deco gem came down all the way from Scotland for the show. His stuff has pretty well furnished my Art Deco dolls house. Not cheap, but very cheerful.

There was no snow left in Kensington (they are too posh to put up with it, it probably melts from one look) but at my end the melt that started during the night had not completed its task. Tonight it's supposed to get colder again, so we can look forward to slipping and sliding on frozen roads and pavements once more.

Meanwhile, the bins have still not been emptied (our day is Friday) but then how could they? You can't drive a Council bin lorry down a frozen back street. If only the gritters had been out. The Council should sue those responsible.

Oh wait, that would be the Council...

Felon in a Frock

Could you really put enough ant poison in a glass of lemonade to kill someone without their noticing it?

Well, if I was with Bobby, I doubt I'd notice anything. But I wouldn't be eating or drinking anything either!

How to lengthen your arms

I couldn't avoid it any longer. Today I had to get supplies, for me, the parrot, the cats, and above all for the chickens.

I started to use a broom to clear the windscreen, but it broke! Eventually I got the snow off, and then used warm (NOT hot) water to clear the screens and the wipers (my favourite and most successful method) before braving the icy road surface to make it to the clearer main roads.

First port of call was the pet shop, where I bought too much to fit into the boot. A member of staff had to help me load it all, but I couldn't take him home to help me unload it. Just as well, 'cos even he was struggling to push the trolley through the slush and snow in the car park.

Among the items was a 20kg (about 44lb) bag of layers pellets

A 20kg bag of mixed corn too slippery to hold even if it were not also too heavy and lacking in anything to actually hold on to
A large box of 100 fat balls for the garden birds

Two 25 litre bags of cat litter

A large bag of compressed hay

An even larger bag of compressed woodshavings

The total? £135! A bit more than last week...

I then went into the neighbouring DIY store to buy a back-busting bag of rock salt to clear away the ice in my front and back gardens before someone (maybe me) falls on it. This I couldn't really even lift.

After all that I went to the supermarket for extra cat food (some to feed to the foxes) and me food, and spent another fortune. By now I was using the back and front passenger seats of the car. The car park here was in an even worst state than the pet store one.

Back at home it took a dozen or more trips through the snow and across the ice from the car to the house to get everything inside, by which time I had almost no grip left in my fingers. Why don't they make things easier to carry? Why do they force you to buy large sizes for economy? Don't they think older be-arthritised women buy their stuff?

Well, at least I got a watermelon for the girls (a bit like carrying a bowling ball, that one) which they love.

My knuckles are now almost touching the ground, but hey, it was worth it.

Same again next week?

It seems like Yesterday

Bobby at his cleverest. Also his most camp. I was convinced in the early episodes that he was gay. As if it would make any difference to me in the real world, only in my dreams.

Snow It Goes

Except it doesn't look as if it's going any time soon.

This is my poor car.


Even poorer little birdies on the feeders.The feeders are on my washing line, which was chewed into pieces overnight, and the pieces scattered, along with the feeders, probably by foxes.I don't have many more feeders to lose, so I've taken them in overnight, and put out some catfood for the unfortunate foxes. (Don't tell the neighbours.)


And what about my extremely poor little girlies? They don't know what's hit them.I wish I could take them indoors.

I Wonder...

Apparently research shows that men who have index fingers longer than their ring fingers are less prone to prostate cancer. This may be because the longer finger develops in the womb as a result of the amount of testosterone the foetus is subjected to. Less testosterone = longer index finger = less prostate cancer.

I thought I was an expert on Vincent's hands, but this one detail I have found it difficult to confirm.



What do you think? How does the length of the fingers compare? And do we really believe that, if his index finger is longer than his ring finger, Vincent received less exposure to testosterone?

Widescreen or Not Widescreen?

Good old Universal Channel! I thought I was finally going to be able to get Season 6 in widescreen when I watched Bedfellows on their channel +1 this afternoon. I've been longing to get hold of it since my Satellite box died and I lost it from another channel.

But it was not to be. It was on a widescreen. But it was not the widescreen version, but the traditional size stretched out sideways.

Its evening showing on the basic channel is on right now, and it is - guess what? You're right, traditional screen sized. I wonder what will happen later on +1?

Message from Lynn

Lynn has had her procedure, and has sent me this message for all her well-wishers:

Dear Vixens-
Especially Val, Beverly, Diane, Judith, Miex, Ducky, Eliza, Jean, Heather, LadyJ, Nantz, SnarkAngel, havers, ann, guidinglight81, potzia, JoJo, Ruby, sixtwosue & any others who sent prayers/good wishes/kind thoughts my way. I cannot tell "ya'll" (now THERE'S a good old southern word for you!) how much the messages meant to me. The procedure was performed Wednesday with some minor problems but it has been deemed 80% successful. Just for the record I have a real big smile on my face.
Everybody-Thank You SOOOOO very much!
Love to each-
Lynn

Glad to hear the good news, Lynn. Keep getting better and better!

Goren's Back

Siren Call is on TV as I type, and this shot just yelled out, "Post me now!"

I can't even think of posting anything else with it, it's so perfect all by itself.

Just so you know

I found the bead from the earring. It can all be put back together again. When I develop magnifying vision.

Strong Daddies

Well, I know one I'd like to have.