Let the Muppets Do The Talking!

She'll make him happy
Now and forever
Until forever their love will grow
She only knows he'll make her happy
That's all she needs to know.
They'll be so happy
Now and forever
Until forever their love will grow.......

What better way could anything end?

Hand in hand with a friend.

London Calling....

well, technically- it's Cornwall calling but...

Guess who came to dinner yesterday??

Snail-y!!
When I went to go to bed yesterday/finish the last 3 chapters of the Potter...
Snail-y was waiting on my window sill!
Bless him!
PS... that picture of Jo & I is from 1996

Today was a lovely day.

My Girl Wants To Party All the Time...

...party all the time, party all the tiiiime!!
And luckily, she has peeps here in Cornwall almost as cool as mine at home to play with!! And me, of course, to hoot and holler
and take pictures!
Peeps- meet LeeAnn and Lydia! L&L- peeps! Someday, we will party all the time together!

Oh, I do love to be beside the seaside...

And when there aren't enough fishies to see in the sea, you do the next best thing- go to an Aquarium, of course!!

Views from the Royal Cornwall Museum....

So, Phoebe found herself between a rock and a Royal.
And I well, I just found myself looking HOT, as usual.

Today we made a tent.

Perranporth Beach

So, we weren't in bikinis but that ain't a horrible thing! Morgan showed off her true Springer capabilities.... Jo and I had a beer. Phoebe had crap hot dogs at her Cubs event (which is what brought us to the beach in the first place) but its all they have in this rain soaked country. Overall, a good time had by all.

The Tale of Casper....

As many of you know, I am allergic to cats. Bless them, they make me sneeze. A lot. But this is Casper and he poo'd in a box of precious things that belongs to someone I dislike. And that makes me exceedingly tolerant. God bless you, Casper and your poo-ing accuracy.

Latest Fashions from Gloucester!*

*picture compliments of Matt's friend Scott! Thanks, Champagne D!

It is FINALLY a beautiful day in this neighborhood!

Thank goodness...
as me and Jo are crap at Ark building!!!
(the sun had to shine at some point, right?)

Can't you just hear the Halloween theme tune???

The many faces of Phoebe...

I love ALL of them!!

Biblically speaking...

...didn't The Flood start because of bad human/unicorn behavior? With only Noah behaving?? Well, despite the fact that there were no unicorns in attendance Saturday night, these pics are from the Gospel according to Scott! The bouncy castle may have been cancelled due to the rain but you can't cancel birthday shenanigans! If only we had used our time wisely and built an Ark...

Flood Updates!

Not to rub it in to my peeps up in Gloucester, but the sun is shining in Cornwall! It may actually be July! I have developed a cold (no doubt from wandering barefoot in two feet of water Saturday) and haven't stopped sneezing since I arrived! I tried to keep it under control whilst watching my Goddaughter's school play... Luckily, I was so sleepy from the Benedryl that I was too tired to sneeze. That being said, if anyone comes across a children's musical entitled Zoom, loosely based on The Tortoise and The Hare- burn it. "That's what daddy Tortoise, taught us!" ( it rhymes if you are British)...

Meanwhile, thanks to Jenny and me Ma for calling to make sure I was above water! Matt has dodgy electricity now and still no water (cable or internet)... I have suggested that he call in wet and come down here but alas... he is a good person! I may go for a wander myself (mainly because it isn't a swim) today and then Phoebe and I are having a pajama party later. Or I may just sit outside and read the new Potter.... God, I love having choices!!

Matt's favourite bit...

'nuff said, really!

My favourite bit...

I forgot to put the picture of my favourite feature of the Model Village... as it was a true model of the village, there was a Model Village in the Model Village! Better still.... There was a Model Village of the Modal Village IN the Model Village!!!!! Seriously, I loved it!! It was all things wine and roses!

Flood, flood, flood!

So, despite the rain, Matt agreed to take me to a Model Village in a lovely olde village called Bourton-On-Water. Sadly, due to the rain, we arrived at Bourton-UNDER-Water! although the Model Village remained fine and diggity dandy (Thank God) the river that runs through the village had wildly overflown and we had no choice but to take off our shoes and wade on in!! These pictures are of us standing in the street, people... not the river! Unbelievable!!! That being said, I love the whole Model Village thing!! For those of you who don't know, a Model Village is- you guessed it- a Model sized version of the Village! pretty darn implied by the name! Not exactly high on Matt's list of "things to do before I die" but hell, I could've demanded to be taken to Birdland!!

I was kidding!!!

So, remember a post ago when I a) introduced you all to Lopez and b) whinged about the rain?? Well, it didn't stop raining for over 13 hours!!!! Matt and his boss had to take a taxi home from Birmingham (which should have been an hour and a half on the train)!! Why a taxi?? Because the train tracks were flooded!! 4 hours!!! In a cab, with ones boss.... YUCK! He made a short film on his phone from the taxi window and if I didn't know he was in a cab, I would have assumed he was in a boat!! CRA- ZAZY!! And now, the banks of the River Severn are set to burst!! In just 2cm!! And it is due to keep raining for the next 3 days!! They are preparing to shut off the water supply as they are fearing contamination due to overflow!!!! Mid-Friday, we lost internet and cable (which was fine with me as a) I am used to that and b) Matt does own the Trilogy!) The sun came out on Saturday and Sunday so that helped a little but by Sunday night...
well, here came the rain again! Poor, poor Matt!*
The church above is in the town of Tewkesbury which is 15 minutes north of Gloucester.
Lopez is fine, BTW...
*I have promptly abandoned the WHOLE situation and come to Cornwall for the week...
where it is raining but we can still flush!

Rain, rain... GO AWAY!!!

You may have guessed it from the fact that I have put a

million posts up today (!)

but it is Ark building time in Gloucester.

The rain just keeps on coming...

There will be not a single wander today, people!

Even Lopez looks sad....

Oh, sorry. Peeps, this is Lopez, our plant. Lopez- peeps.

Those Crazy Brits: Vintage War Ads, V

I think he says it all really.

Although, I do wonder about the '

I would have put a !

Those Crazy Brits: Vintage War Ads, IV

Turns out, these are not early inspiration for those Benetton ads but ones for jam...

Well, thank goodness there's a duck.

Those Crazy Brits: Vintage War Ads, III

One can only assume that in this case, "mum" means quiet as opposed to "mother".

Either way, as I have a vagina and intend to be a Mum some day...

umm, thanks uber-intelligent 40s jerkwads?!

Those Crazy Brits: Vintage War Ads, II

I think this was an ad for friendship....

Those Crazy Brits: Vintage War Ads, I

This woman had some severe mucous issues.

Meet Petunia and Ethel!

So, I took the quiz at www.mypetchicken.com to find out which breed would work best for me and my needs. I have decided that the Favorelle (who is described as being "quirky, a loner, submissive") will be Petunia and Ethel, will be my prize Wyandotte (a breed described as being generally easygoing with a tendency toward domination- a chicken after my own heart!)! What a trio we will be... And I think my landlord (a jerk described as being a bully and sidewalk hog) will just love this plan!!

Which is which, you ask?? Like it isn't obvious! Look at Ethel, with that "I am in charger, motha clucker!" look in her eye....

SHUT UP!!! A Suburban Chicken Coop!

That's it!! I am getting hens!! And in the morning... I'm making omelets! I might wait until I get back to Astoria to get them because I am pretty sure Matt will NOT be pleased with that pet project! I gotta chase down that Croc man and get some matching yellow ones.... But SOLELY to collect the eggs!! Pinky swear!

I am going to call the hens...

Petunia and Ethel!

Now you don't need to live in the country to have farm-fresh eggs. The Omlet Eglu — a compact, environmentally friendly, and downright cool-looking suburban chicken coop — will make its American debut in March. Introduced in England, the Eglu gained widespread attention when it appeared in the London Times, and the resulting must-have stampede was enough to cause a temporary chicken shortage throughout the capital. It's no wonder: The contraption looks like an iMac, is made of easy-to-clean, recyclable plastic, and comes complete with everything from feed to egg boxes — there's even a reassuring 30-day money-back guarantee. The only requirement is a 20-square-foot yard. (Two hens are included with the British version, but the company hasn't yet decided if it will offer the same deal in this country.) Suburban farmers can expect to collect from 8 to 12 eggs a week. (About $600; 011-44-845-450-2056; omlet.co.uk; info@omlet.co.uk)

And speaking of Germans...

This is Alfie.

I love him.

He loves Matt.

But every day...

He likes me a bit more.

Bella DaBalls would like to interrupt this blog!*

....She wants a Ms. Potato Head with a Burlesque alter-ego....

Ms. Hot Tot-ty

She'll come with ketchup red pasties and thong, 4 inch leather heels and a crop!

Oh, and a CD with Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls on it for her number!

Glitter and fake eyelashes sold separately!

*bella couldn't deal with the seriousness of the last post and wanted to get back to our new career as

Potato Head namers!

Poor, Poor Lamb & Lynx...

Having heard about the Nazi Pop Twins awhile ago (about the time their Montana neighbors were protesting them), I really couldn't wait to watch this documentary and hate them. Turns out... these girls didn't stand a chance. Pushed into show biz by a mother who felt there exists different definitions for the word "racist" ("my definition and everyone elses"), they recorded songs at 11 years old that have earned them hatred and confusion... And now at 14, well, they are protective of their mother, conflicted about the fact that they do not believe what they have learned their whole lives and just plain lost...

God, as adults, as parents- we have so much power. And children just want to be seen and loved and feel safe. It is not these girls who are a "threat to society" as they have been called but the selfish people who have forgotten their responsibility. And selfish people just plain piss me off. We have a responsibility to our future and these children are it. (I don't mean to sound all Whitney because Lord knows, Bobbi Kristina is going to be a mess!) But as I watched every shot of these girls, whose very essence was crumbling under the weight of their mothers hatred.... I gotta be honest, I could have happily kicked her in the teeth myself. And then given her a hug because they filmed her father as well. The ties that bind....

I don't know that the show will ever air in America... particularly as it is balanced, open minded journalism with close-ups of imperfect people who are not portrayed as monsters but given a chance to reveal that they are broken... whether they mean to or not. (and American journalism don't play that way!) But here is the article about the show and if you can find it on youtube or whatever, it is so worth the watch. If only to remind us how influential we truly are to those children that we are connected to. And at the end of the day, if we behave selfishly and irresponsibly toward them, they will hand us the same and then they will hand it to their children. And isn't that simply just crazy making? The most disturbing part of the whole hour, for me, was watching the twins' sister- 3 year old, Dresden, shout "white power" to get to wear a bracelet that the Mom was pushing.....
the ties that bind...

Nazi Pop Twins is a one-off, one hour documentary where filmmaker James Quinn investigates the controversial American pop band Prussian Blue, whose teenage twin girl stars have made headlines across the world with their white nationalist music and as poster girls of neo-Nazism.

Prussian Blue , named after the chemical residue from Holocaust gas chambers, are 14 year olds Lamb and Lynx Gaede who with their long blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes aren't your typical teeny boppers – they're white nationalists.
Californian, but proud of their German ancestry, the pop duo have been performing white nationalistic songs before all-white audiences since they were nine.
Since their arrival on the pop scene, Lamb and Lynx have gained thousands of column inches and ignited global outrage across the world with their very own brand of pop in which they sing the praises of Rudolph Hess, promote holocaust denial and dream of a White America.

Filmed over a year, Nazi Pop Twins follows James as he is invited into the home of the Gaede family where he aims to discover the secrets of the twin's notoriety and the motivation behind their controversial music.
As the family allow James and the cameras into their lives, he discovers some disturbing truths beneath the happy family image that determined mother/manager April likes to project. Is she, in fact, just using Lamb and Lynx as a mouthpiece for her own extremist views?
A Tiger Aspect Production for Channel 4

I Love to Do The Moves!

This is my current favourite advert on telly here! It's the song... it's so catchy! And the break dancing worm? SHUT UP! Love it! He does the worm!! As I can't seem to upload a video... just click here and Do The Moves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgdl_wScUhQ

(and when you have seen that one... move on up to the PG13 one!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LYV0sf7Lp4 )

(These ads are for Comfort Liquid Fabric Softener, a Unilever product.

Mark works for Unilever- we love him

and thus, we love to do the moves!!)

My dogs is barking!!!

Lots of walking today... Feet hurt. New shoes- cute but not for walking.

Have stigmata feet now. OUCH.

Must have cheeky + saucy little pot au chocolat!

Sadly, we only have the one left...

PS... don't ever Google images with just the word "gu"

yuck.

Time away...

...can sure give a girl some thinkin' time! And finally, I have decided what I want to be when I grow up... Namer of fun Mr. Potato Heads!! How fab would that gig be???

Optimash Prime!

Artoo Potatoo!
Darth Tater!
Sign me up!

(Termintater, Harry Totter, Spuds Mackensie.... I will be playing this game in my head ALL day.. and now, so will you!)