DAMN I'VE JUST FOUND OUT THERE ARE COWS IN THE FIELD IN DEVON!

AND WHERE AM I?

BLOODY LONDON!

Blackheath At Dusk

Bus reflections

Same again

The towers without flash

The towers with flash

Blue light on Blackheath's Finest Houses (I want one of those!)

All Saints Church

? Just liked the composition

These pictures were taken the other evening (Friday to be precise). I've always loved taking night shots and now they are more possible with digital cameras!

This weekend has been interesting. Last night I got so so SO drunk on very little wine and managed to upset a lot of people, so I apologize to you all, very, very much. I went from being happy to angry to crying my heart out, I passed out at 1am still plugged in to my ipod which I found in my bed this morning (intact thank God!) and do you know what? I had no hangover! In fact I 'bounced' out of bed and had eggs and baked beans on toast for breakfast, something I never do as I don't eat anything in the mornings because the thought of it makes me sick! Ironic I know.

Plus it's Bank Holiday tomorrow, May Day and I'm intending to paint in my tiny little studio. I discovered today that I only have one canvas left and about 5 tubes of paint. It's going to be interesting!

There's nothing much planned in the week ahead, apart from sending off more job applications, it's really getting stupid now and especially when I see my Gran every week and she always comes close and asks 'You got a job yet?!' I think next week I won't go. That's all she says to me, that and giving me disapproving stares, I mean for godsake, am I 12 or something? Yes. And I want to stay 12 for as long as possible!

Though I don't feel 12. I definitely feel my age! Though I don't look it as I was (again) asked for my age when I was buying wine at Waitrose the other day. I should be flattered, I know, but I'm not! Plus I think I've inherited a family problem (Dad's side), arthritis in the knees and I keep meaning to get it checked out but I have a fear of doctors (and dentists, well, who doesn't?!). I've always had very bad circulation, freezing feet in the summer, cramp in the winter. Or it could be nothing. At this moment, I don't care, all I want is to go to Devon. The trees are budding and soon the Oilseed Rape will be blooming in the fields and I don't want to miss that! The cows will be in the fields and the butterflies in the hedgerows, even though we're going to have a dismal summer, I still want to be there!

Em x

P.S. Below I think I've created a modern day 'Monet' with a camera, what do you think?

Embarrassment For The Government (Whenever Is It Not?!)

Charles Clarke the home secretary for this country has seriously cocked it up! Click on the blue.

Over 1000 convicted foreign crimnals have disappeared from the register ahead of their deportation. They've basically disappeared off the map. Murderers, rapists, burglars, you name it and Mr Clarke almost took the blame just now on Channel 4 news, but he hastily turned 'I' to 'we'. Of course it's your bloody fault, what were you thinking? And also coming from one of the worst 'scandal' weeks for Labour as John Prescott (that odious loaf) admitting to having an affair with his secretary. There was a picture of him with her on his lap on the Daily Mails' front page the other day. . . I felt too ill after seeing that. Plus it's the local council elections tomorrow and I certainly aint going to vote Labour!!!!! Well, would you?! And are any of these idiots resigning? Not on your life!

Right, enough of that.

I want to tell you of a very sad loss I've just experienced only a few hours ago. I CAN'T PLAY THE PIANO ANYMORE!!!!!! My fingers just don't work, they used to know exactly where they were going, now they're like jelly. For years I've been playing the same 12 or more pieces. It all really started at school, the lovely grand piano in the hallway which I'd sit in my free periods playing. The whole school could hear it and I often passed pupils or teachers in the corridors saying how wonderful the piano sounded today and wondered who had been playing it. I never said anything. Maybe I should have, because they certainly wouldn't say the same today! Of course all my friends knew, I used to teach them or they would come into the hall and suggest a tune for me to play. They were great days! My playing included:

The Beatles (yes folks and I was pretty damn good at them) There was:

Let it Be
The Long and Winding Road
Hey Jude
Blackbird
In My Life

Then John Lennon:

Imagine
Oh My Love
How
Jealous Guy
Love
No 9 Dream
Mind Games
Woman

Then Paul McCartney:

My Love
Uncle Albert
Maybe I'm Amazed

Then the odd Bach, Chopin, Satie, Mozart etc

I was good, I used to sit there for ages on end going through them all.

Now? Totally and utterly awful. Today I also include Enya and Blur and a few other well known ones. But the fingers don't move like they used to! And I know, practice makes perfect, but do you realise that almost all I once knew by heart?! All gone (apart from Love and a few bits and bobs of others) That's definitely one thing I blame the alcohol and drug 'abuse' at Art College, it really fucked my memory up. Shit. Today I was playing Satie and the blackbird was singing outside, in perfect time, we were 'singing' to eachother! Until I played a bum note and he stopped!

Well, it's a lovely sunny evening. My Dad and I are going to go for a walk (we did the same last night) and then tomorrow My Mum and I will already be breaking our diets, as my Dad is going to cook, which means loads of food and wine. Basically. . .Naughty stuff! 'A second on your lips, a lifetime on your hips' Whoever made that up should be shot!

Em x

New diet. . .to loose 10 pounds in a week? That can't be right!

Today has been the new start of a new diet. And I'm a little worried, because I love the food, as in it's delicious!

Thats's right folks.

Delicious.

And what is it? Atkins? Oh God no, I tried that, that was disgusting!

Detox? Can't stand it, I've never felt so hungry in my life!

GI? No, but that's good, but it takes a long time to shift any weight, not for the impatient!

Cabbage Soup diet? It sounds stupid, but, YES THAT'S IT, the Cabbage Soup diet.

It took my Mum and I an hour to cut up all the ingredients. 2 hours for it to cook. So lunch at 3:30pm and I've never had such tasty soup!

It's not only about soup, it's about having fruit and a lot of it and unsweetened tea, cranberry juice and water. Only thing is. . .

IT'S MAD!!!!!!!!!!

Somewhere on the 4th or 5th day it recommends you to eat not one or two or three but EIGHT OR MORE BANANAS!!!!! The 6th day is steak, three steaks if you want. Well, I don't eat steak, so chicken or fish, but I can't seriously see myself eating all that meat in one day or eating all those bananas!!! Of course the soup lasts all week, it's like a never ending sauce pan of soup and you must have that at least once a day. Apparently the more soup you eat, the more weight you loose. Wow.

How do I feel after the first day? Well, I have a little bit of a stomach ache but then I have had three bowl fulls of soup, it's something I have to get used to. If any of you are interested and would like the recipe then click here for details


I have just found out that Springwatch will be taking place the time I'll be in Devon.

Springwatch? What is that? You make ask.

Well, I say, it's the best thing on tv. 2 weeks of live broadcast all centred on an Organic farm in Devon, presented by Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King all about the wildlife of the surrounding area in Devon and up and down the country of Britain. They have cameras in nest boxes and the stars are usually; Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens, Blue Tits, Swallows, Crows, Buzzards and Barn Owls and sometimes Spotted Flycatchers and Pied Wagtails. Cameras in and around a badger set. Stories told by people's wildlife fasicnation, foxes in your garden, deer in the fields, mice in the hedgerows, snakes in the grass, pine martens eating from your bird table, you name it, they have it!

And, you may have noticed the word Devon. Organic Farm. It's called the Fishleigh Estate, run by Ian and Sharon Sargent, and the Farm manager and gamekeeper Peter Walters. Why do I know that? Because I've been there!!! The cottage is 4 miles away. They are in our patch! On the road to Hatherleigh (local slaughterhouse town. . .eek) to Okehampton where Waitrose is. The main farm building is close to the road, so the whole field opposite will be full of caravans and cables and people. It's the first time we've ever been in Devon when it's been on telly. I've also met Peter Walters, when I was doing my Scots Pine project for my MA and I wanted to plant some trees in his land and do you know what, we're still going to! Whether or not it will be that 2 weeks the BBC are there, who can tell, no, probably not. I'd rather 'bump into' Bill Oddie in the local shop/pub(!) and tell him about it then it being offical. Plus they must have so many people calling up to be in the show, I'll just be added to a long list!

So there you go. Happiness. Glued to the telly for 2 weeks. Plus live video cams from the internet, I'll give you the link for that, when it happens. But click here, onto Springwatch now and read it all for yourself.

Happy Emily now. Ok, not so happy that I have to wait another 3 weeks until we go to Devon, but then life sucks that way.

Em x

Chartwell. . . At Last!!!!!

Sir Winston Churchill and Lady Clementine Churchill

The View of the Weald of Kent from Lady Churchill's Bedroom Window

Well, I got my wish today at long last. We went to Chartwell, the home of Winston Spencer Churchill, now owned by the National Trust for 40 years! Beautiful house, such a lovely, happy atmosphere inside and outside was beautiful and the view! My God, apparently he only bought it for the view. The Weald of Kent it is called, 'The Garden of England' and still looking as lovely as when he first saw it! Unfortunately the weather was dull and overcast, after having been promised a lovely sunny, warm day, but it didn't dampen our spirits! Luckily we're all members of the National Trust, so it's free and now I want to go back, but just to wander around the garden. They're re-creating the kitchen gardens, re-storing them to their former glory. There's a massive big lake, overlooked by a statue of Winston and Lady Churchwill (Clementine), where she's looking at him and he's looking out across the water, it's rather magical. At the back of the house are his painting studios, all set up as if he had only just got up and left the room! Cigar, hat, glass of whiskey, walking stick, oil paint with picture on easel. Fantastic.

Afterwards, as in after the National Trust shop and a pot of tea and scones we went for a drive across the Kentish countryside to a place called 'Titsey'. Everytime we go to Devon, we take the M25 going West and just half a mile from the motorway stop 'Clacket Lane' we pass an old mock tudor gatehouse and far off surrounded by huge trees is a great manor house and church. For years I've been wanting to know where that was and only by chance I found it a few weeks back, on a drive with my friend Alice and I vowed I'd go back there and find it properley. The house is only opened to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays from May to September and is owned by the 'Titsey Foundation'. So we drove up the small track and discovered 2 walks in and around the estate, so we parked and wandered up the lane and there was the house. I'd say 17th century and pretty modest and pretty beautiful. Sorry, the photograph isn't all that straight, but you get the picture, bit of a sloping lawn (that's my excuse anyway!). So we will be back, once again, probably in June when we're back from Devon.

In the paper yesterday it said that the month of May will be cold, followed by a lowsy Summer. Great. Fantastic. Bloody country! Nevermind. Thing is they never get it right anyway, so I'm not going to worry.

I feel pretty exhausted now (unlike a certain little mouse who has been asleep all day), so I'll leave it there, just enjoy the photographs (I took over 70! Too many to show here, so I was selective).

Chartwell from the orchard

Chartwell

The Kitchen Garden

Black Swan (same family of swans when he loved there)

A Chartwell Highland Cow

Wood Anenome

Winnie with his Mrs

Wonkey Titsey (Tipsey?!)

Beautiful Kent Valley

CAN ONLY HAPEN IN THE COUNTRYSIDE!!!!!

Em x

Greenwich in the Rain

The Park (wasn't like this on Saturday. . .It was packed!)

Afternoon PC Plod and horse x2

Greenwich 'Empty' Market

Lovely 'Green' Greenwich Park

What Are You Looking At?!

Comerant

Well what a gloomy day, we're still in that good old April month where it rains and rains!!

We went out for lunch, a real treat, walked the mile and a half to Greenwich, to a lovely old pub called the Trafalgar Tavern overlooking the Thames. A tad expensive I thought, not something you can do a lot, but very enjoyable. Sitting there, tucking into battered fish and chips, watching the boats sail by and the Comerants swim by, not to mention the odd bit of driftwood, while listening to nice, sweet jazz. Very relaxing. Then a stroll into Greenwich itself and then back up the hill, through the park, over the heath to home. Nice :)

'Our Local'. . .Though a tad expensive (Note Statue of Nelson)

I bet it's haunted by Lord Nelson!

Gola's fine, always alseep during the day, but I need to get her out tonight and try and tame her somewhat, as she's still a little wild and frightened of us. Actually I'm a little scarred of her, she has sharp little teeth, I saw them when she yawned! I tell you what, I was lying in bed last night with feelings of immense love for that little mouse. It was a very odd moment. I haven't had any animal companion for so long, I find it amazing! And I hope she will be ok now.

Emy x

A Very Lucky Mouse Called Gola

Well blogger has gone mad today and it seeme to me it takes them ages to fix it! The post just doesn't publish, it gets stuck on 0% and it stays there, indefinitely!!!! Fingers crossed this is going to publish now.

So the scaffholding came down today and woke me up at 8am. Real cockney lads! Singing, whistling, swearing and teasing eachother till lunchtime when it was down and the houses opposite 'up'. We told them to be careful because of the blackbird nest, and they were, but now the nest is exposed and the eggs abandoned. So it's a sad day.

On a happier note, Gola has a brand new cage, It's really rather posh. This morning her eye had opened and she was a little more active. The trick is is to pick them up and play with them every day, but unlike your average pet mouse, this, as I told you before, is a wood mouse and they only come alive at night. So she has been asleep all day in her jam jar and hasn't explored the cage yet. With the cage, came a starter pack, but unfortunately for Gerbils but the guy at 'Pets At Home' said they're the same thing. Ok, maybe for a pet mouse, not a wood mouse, but then she hasn't been awake to complain! I've bought her a grass nest and a mineral stone to bite on, strawberry flavoured!!!!

This really is history repeating itself for my folks, who in the 70s had a pet wild mouse, which had fallen from the sky and landed in front of my Mum's feet in Bond Street. The theory is, is that he was kicked off a roof by a builder. Anyone else would have run screaming, my Mum on the other hand picked him up. His back was damaged. So now they had this mouse and had no idea what to do with him. It was Easter and they were carring an empty, decorated egg shell, so they popped him in that. At first they took him to a church, with the romantic idea of letting him go there, but the church was cold and drafty so they changed their minds. So then they thought of putting him in the bushes in the church garden but there were some ugly, great, viscious looking pigeons! So they took him home. Bought a cage, called him 'Billy' and he lived for three years! He used to play with my mum, running across her fingers. His back never got better, but it didn't seem to cause him much pain. Even the cat didn't mind him. But then this was no oridinary cat, a Simease called Pepper after Sgt Pepper. Pepper never caught an animal in his life! Once a bird flew into his mouth and he was so shocked he ran upstairs and didn't come down for hours! That and being chased by a large chicken in Yorkshire (Pepper was taken everywhere by lead). Billy too slept in a jam jar and was also buried in a jam jar. There's something about jam jars!!!! Plus I do have a lot of them, being a painter!!!!

Anyway, 'Mozart' is singing in the tree outside, so maybe they've started again. I hope so. There's nothing better then hearing a Blackbird and watching them bathe themselves in the pond every day.

Emy x

Dragons, People and Mice

Happy St George's Day Everybody!!!!

Queen Anne's House, Greenwich Park

View of Docklands from Shirley's Garden

Shirley's Garden and Shirley

Shirley's Flat

Toilets for the Marathon, Greenwich Park

Hello all, on this very wet day! Though it was fantastic yesterday! Sun out, warm, while sitting in my friend Shirley's garden. I walked over to her, it takes 25 mins, across the heath and through the park. Past the 'hundred' loos for the Marathon (which was today), back to the old road where I used to live and even met the people who bought our house! I had once vowed never to go back, but I have been on numerous occassions! Shirley and I spent some time in the garden talking to her 'marathon runner' Penny who was staying there. Penny wanted to do the 26 miles in 4 hours, I hope she did, even though this was her 7th London Marathon, she was so nervous! Then Shirl and I went down to Greenwich market for an hour then back home to my folks for an Indian take away and champagne, while watching Dr Who. Great time, just totally exhausted from all that walking.

Right, Gola. Well, she seems to be fine. I'm not actually sure if she has broken her leg, but shes definietly only got one eye. We've decided to keep her as a pet, so no nasty vet tomorrow to put her to sleep. She's eating, drinking and washing herself which is a good sign. We tried to buy her a mouse cage today but they had none in stock and we're racking our brains for another pet shop nearby (a certain lack of pet shops. . .a gap in the market!). I've stroked her a little and she didn't bite me. My Mum did the same. She's at this moment tearing up the tissue in her shoe-box to make a nest, though we've given her a jam jar. She probably hasn't had a constant supply of food like this in her whole life! And I called her name and she looked up at me!!!! Apparently the more you handle them, the more tame they become, but I'm still going to put gloves on when I next pick her up, they may be tiny, but they do have razor sharp teeth!!!
So, she seems to be happy at the moment and as she's happy and alive, we'll keep her and nurse her back to health. Wow, I have a pet and for once it's not a gold fish!!!

One-eyed Mouse, Gola

No reply as yet from my hundreds of job applications, let us hope for good post tomorrow. Though I need to paint and I don't think I can wait to mid May when we go to Devon. Somehow I'll get into that little room upstairs and do something.

A few plans this week. Now all the schools have gone back, we'll visit some Art Galleries in London and go and see Winston Churchill's Chartwell, which is owned by the National Trust, so expect some lovely pictures this coming week.

Well, that's it folks and I'll post again soon and of course keep you up to date with Gola!

Emy xxx

Gemma and Gola

Gemma's new place (No.5, Flat 3) Front View

Gemma

Back View

Well, hello folks!

I went to see Gemma today to her new flat. It's a nice little 2 bedroom flat in a large Edwardian house, typical of the South East and what a magnificent home it would have made when it was once one whole house. A lovely communal garden at the back, though lacking in plants and flowers. They have a gardener, but he only cuts the grass. If I was there I would grow plants, I can't be in a garden without flowers! So we had a really nice lunch and then went for a wander and ended up in the nearest pub! It was even warm enough to sit outside in the beer garden!

Last night the two neighboring cats caught a tiny mouse. It was still alive, so I rescued it from teeth and claw (not that they knew what to do with it, I think they were baffled by it and only wanted to play. . . though no excuse! They got a bloody telling off!). So we put 'her' in a shoe-box with leaves, tissues, nuts and water and left her inside, taped up, for the night. I was really expecting her to be dead by morning, as she was in great shock. But the little thing was still alive and she had drunk all the water and eaten the nuts! So I've named her 'Gola' after the shoe-box brand!!!! She has one eye shut and one eye open and she's back in the box for tonight (she's getting better, because she bit my finger earlier when I was cleaning her out!) and my Dad is going to make her a small home in the garden, as in a cat proof home, so she can come and go as she pleases. We've always had mice in the garden (thank God they're not rats) and this is where I don't like cats. Ok, they can't help it, but least in the wild they catch to kill for food. These domestic lot, catch to play and I'm so glad I found Gola when I did, the poor little mite was traumatized and she wouldn't have lasted. So in a way, I'm her savior, even though she bit me! I don't know, I seem to have a habit of giving animals names as you can see from my animal-equals bog, but it's better then calling them 'it' or 'her' or 'thing'. They are all equal little beings, all mice, shrews, voles and I love them a lot and as they're so tiny I kind of feel responsible for them, especially when cats are concerned.

'Gola'

Gola, before she bit me

Gola, after she bit me. . .Ouch!

It was lovely and warm today, so much like Spring going into Summer, all the birds were singing, it really was like paradise! If it's lovely tomorrow, I might take a walk through Greenwich Park, but it won't be the same, there will be loads of people putting up tents and barriers for the Marathon. I hate this time of year, why can't they all piss off????!!!!!!

On that 'lovely' note, I shall wish all of you goodnight and goodnight to Gola!

Emy xxx

P.S. Gola is a Wood Mouse, click here to read all about her!
And Gemma is a human (well, you knew that already!)

The sun is shining (well, it was). . .

Damn, I still think I'm coming down with something!

All today I've been doing my new blog Animal-Equals and I've finally got it all sorted, even though my profile disappeared and I had to write it out all again. I'm still learning! I think it looks ok and I've already had some good, lovely comments. Thing is, I don't want this one to fall by the waste side, but I haven't been anywhere to take any pictures!

So. . .Here's a picture of my Dutch cousin Rinke and David Beckham. I did post it a few weeks back but I took it off, worried about the copywrite, but I checked with Rinke and it's ok!



Rinke is quite a successful journalist and came to the UK to play football with Mr Beckham. Apparently, Mr Beckham is 'drop through your boots gorgeous'! I don't know if I can agree to that, but then I haven't met him in the flesh!

So lunch with Gemma tomorrow, Indian take away hopefully on Saturday night and then, good grief, will be rudely awoken by scores of helicopters on Sunday because of that damn London Marathon - which starts off on Blackheath on the heath and all my 26 years of living here, I have never, ever gone to see it! Madness, aye?! Er, maybe for the sake of my blog I might, take pictures of thousands of people covering the heath? No, that's my worst nightmare! Some people love being in crowds, I certainly don't, that's why I love the countryside so much, so ever so much. S P A C E .

But we'll see. What I need to do is what Tucker does on his photo blog, just go outside with my camera, go for a little walk and take any picture that I fancy, anything that interests me there and then. But where to go? You see, if I go over the heath, it'll be grass and clouds and sun and trees, all over again. I need to think this through. Hmmmm.

Night, night folks, sweet dreams,

Emy xxx

New Painting As Promised

Bloody scheduled outage at 4pm, right in the middle of my bloody new blog creating. . .so the whole thing went pear-shaped and I had to delete it and do it all again!!!!! Before you ask, 'Oh another blog?' the answer is yes, one of two. One is completed the other is still on'the drawing board' stage.

SO MAKE A NOTE OF THIS:

Animal-Equals 'Animals Our Are Equals' A blog site with a difference. I won't tell you any more, go click!

And as promised, a new painting, only one mind as that is the subject for the second blog. More on that in a few days, weeks maybe, as I haven't got the space to paint in London at the moment, I need my studio in Devon and we will be going there around 17 May. Am counting down the days as usual.

'Fire Over Blue' Oil on Canvas

Apart from pulling my hair out over the blog, nothing much has been happening today. I keep thinking I'm coming down with something, but I've been saying that for weeks and I have to keep it at bay as I'm seeing my friend Gemma on Friday for lunch at her new flat. Yes, she's a grown up now, and I'm a little behind. But oh, I can't tell you how pleasesd I am with my Animal-equals blog site. I'm so looking forward to it, especially in Devon in the summer with the new cows! And I'm going to swallow my fear and walk in the field with them. For years I had no problem doing that- then Foot & Mouth came and I didn't see cows in the fields for 2 years after- and I kind of lost my nerve. But now I'm ready (to be chased?) no, they can smell your fear, I'll have none! Uuummmmm, I'll let you know. But, wow, 'live' cows or should I say 'alive' cows?! All the pictures now will be from the archives, but they are good ones.

Ok, that's it now, I'll wish you all good night,

Emy xxx

Catching up. . .The Fair From Yesterday

Canary Wharf from the Heath

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Welcome to the Fair

View from the Big Wheel

On the Big Wheel

Big Wheel

View from Wheel, Old Saint's Church

View from Wheel, Welling and Water Tower on Horizon

View from Wheel, behind, Canary Wahrf

Zippo's Circus on the Heath

I also have a film of my ride on the Big Whell but as always YouTube are taking a long time to process it! This was yesterday (bank holiday Monday) and it was a nice time. We only went on the wheel, that's all you need when you're at at the fair, that and a coconut shire but they went years ago! Pity because my Dad always won one!

Not much else today. Went to the garden centre and bought loads of nice plants for the garden and planted them this afternoon and weeded the stones. Then it rained, and for once we weren't caught out!

Ok as YouTube is being pretty bad, here's a Muppet Show film I found the other day:



I think it's great. Rowlf playing Beethoven's Minuet in G Major. . .they don't make kids TV like this anymore! Least then it was educational, now it's just plain silly, like the Telletubbies for example, what the hell was that all about? (just double click on the film as it's not working, I can see YouTube going down the drain as 'PutFiles' did!)

Ok tomorrow, I promise, painting pictures (just had to get the fair out of the way!)

I don't know what's wrong with Tom Cruise these days, though I've never much liked the chap. This joke of his he made or small outburst over 'eating his baby's placenta' I've been feeling sick all day because of it! Read full article here

We've booked a one week holiday for the summer (no, no-where abroad, why go abroad when you live in the British Isles?!) 15th July for a week to 'Old Mill Cottage', Brockhampton Estate, Herefordshire, a National Trust Cottage, the same one we went before in 2003. I can't wait. The National Trust cottages' are great. A tad expensive. But always in beautiful locations, either in the centre of villages or towns or tucked away on a cliff-head or amongst rolling countryside (which this one is), to take a look at the Cottages the Trust has to offer click here
You can browse the pages or just type in Old Mill Cottage and have a look at the place and be very jealous if you like!

So more paintings tomorrow, though I'm running out of paint and canvas! Oh well, painter's hazard!

Lots of love,

Emy xxx

Ladybird Film. . .Finally!

Note the sound of the camera focusing in and out (must get that looked at, or is that the norm?)

E x

Spring Flowers and a Happy Sunny Day

Not sure what this is called, only good with 'wild flowers'

Lessor Speedwell

Again, haven't a clue!

Forsythia

Cowslips

Hey everyone!

A lovely sunny, warm day, real spring at last and spring photographs today taken in the back garden and over on the heath.

Yesterday was great, we had a nice Easter feast in the evening with lots of wine consumed! So I have been feeling a little fragile today but not too fragile to go on the Big Wheel or Ferris Wheel at the fair. . .pictures of that and a small film tomorrow. I aslo bumped into Henry, a very good friend of mine, who I haven't seen for a long time. .. but he didn't recognise me, which was a good thing because he would have followed us home! Henry is no human, though I think he would like to be, he's a cat and a very lovely one. I stroked him down a few times and then walked quickly away. He used to live next door to us and would come inside and see us everyday. Or he would meow outside in the evenings outside my window to be let in and spend the whole night on my bed. He was almost ours and he could have been. His owners didn't want him and offered him to us, but as we go back and forth to Devon so much it wouldn't have been fair on him, so he was given to some other people. Henry at first was having none of it, he was frightened of them and would keep coming back to us. Then it all turned sour, his 'new' owners didn't get on with us and we would constantly argue over him. Then they moved away, taking Henry with them. I'll never forget that day he left, I picked him up in my arms and hugged him and told him to be good and that I loved him, his fur got wet with my tears. They only moved half a mile away and in the beginning Henry worked that out and would come back. He would suddenly be in the garden meowing. But they always came to take him back. The last time I saw him was walking past their house last July, he was sitting in the kitchen. I really miss him and now I've seen him. I'm glad he is ok. One day I'll be naughty and pick him up, but only when I'm by myself and I do secretly want him to follow me home. He belongs with me.

Opps, sorry, I didn't mean to get into that because I know some of my readers don't like cats much. Well, I don't like all cats either. Just a certain few.

Flowering Red Currant

The most beautiful blossom ever (Pear?)

New buds on a Lime tree

Budding Chessnut Trees

Well the sun is shining on me now and I feel all warm and happy. Mozart is singing (our resident Blackbird and his Mrs) who unfortunately are building their nest in the Honeysuckle in the scaffolding (which should have gone down 2 weeks ago) I hope they will be alright when it does come down.

Also today, a 30 second film of a ladybird. I'm always excited when I see them, they have become quite rare and it's always a joy when they turn up! There's one right now in my bedroom and I must remind myself to take him out, I think he has only just woken up (they hibernate) and I think he's a little sleepy!

Actually ladybird film later (youtube is taking too long to process!)

Ok, going on a bit now about the joys of spring, here's another: There's this old rhyme:

'Oak before Ash, we're in for a splash,
Ash before Oak, we're in for a soak'

Today the Oak is budding and the Ash is behind. So hopefully not much rain to be had in the coming months.

Now it's downstairs for wine and leftovers from last night and then tomorrow back on the old detox diet. . .I'll survive, I usually do. I've decided that this summer I'm going to show my legs! I don't have nice legs, but this summer I will, just need to loose a few pounds and I'll be happier.

Everyone have a good week (us British are enjoying the last of the bank holiday Monday) and I have a good week planned for posts and more photographs of my paintings!

Lots of love,

Emy xxx

Pink Light and Madness (Me)

I've just taken this photo. It's a rather odd light, a pinkish light, a light as dusk after it has rained, that kind of stormy light, the picture hasn't done it justice. All the birds were singing and it was completely calm. It has gone now, all dark. Within 3 minutes of typing this.

Don't worry, kind, faithful readers, no stupid links today of Easter, just me. Actually not for long. As predicted I was in bed for most of the day and I feel more bed is coming soon! I can't stand up, I can hardly sit down, it's that painful (you know, women's things) so it has been one of those days, sleepy days. Nevermind, I'm sure you don't want to hear about that. But really there is nothing to report, no rants, no news on the news and no news of my own, it's a very boring one today, that's why I felt I needed to take a picture.

Sunshine is promised tomorrow. Huurugh! Or is it Huragh or Hurgh, no, that looks bad. Sorry, I'm on painkillers, the kind where it tells you to take 2 so I took 3 and I've been floating around now for the last hour, forgetting all my words, banging into everything and generally being very silly. Also I'll admit, when I'm like this I start talking to myself, so this blog is a good outllet for my waffle. None of it makes any sense, I don't make any sense, maybe I don't want it to make any sense . . . STOP THAT NOW!!!!!. . .ok.

Anyway, there's a Johnny Depp film on tonight called 'Chocolate'. Plus LOADS AND LOADS OF CHOCOLATE to be eaten tomorrow. A fair to go to as well, haven't been on the Big Wheel for ages and will definitely take my camera for that. So much to look forward to! (Aren't I Sad?) Mr Depp, Chocolate and the Big Wheel makes me happy! Oh well, that's enough of that!

Lots of love and Easter Kisses (whatever the hell they are!),

Emy xxx

It Had To Be Done. . .

Cadbury Creme Egg

You're the type that stole little brother's easter basket so that you could have MORE CANDY!

What Easter Candy Are You?

Easter Stuff (not sure if they're cool though)

Links for Easter

The Origins of the Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny Rap (no, I'm being serious, it's pretty good, music and everything!)

The Funny Bunny Band (Jimi Hendrix et al) For more Easter bunny themed e cards (that's if you can take anymore. . .I certainly can't!) Click here

Ok, this is crazy. Local News from Pittsburgh Easter Bunny whipped at church show; Some Families upset. . .well wouldn't you be ?!

Mad crazy leaping bunny from Google. . .catch the eggs, ooooo, it's so difficult, I don't think so!
Though it's a little disturbing, someone actually spent time creating this?!

Another stupid Easter Bunny Game (I expected more then this!!!!) Easter Bunny

I am so disappointed, apart from the bunny rap, there's not much else, so looked on the usual I-am-bored site and found these! (I think I'm doing Easter Bunny overload!)

Chocolate bunnies (very funny)

Paint your own Easter Egg (bad 1980s background music, but hey! You can't have everything)

Oh I can't go on with this anymore! I know these links are a few days early but tomorrow I predict I'll be in bed (Women's things) and Sunday I'm cooking the Sunday lunch, well kind of! But I'm sure I'll still get time to blog.

If some or none of these links work, then I pre-warn you now, I'm not going back to change them, I've had enough for one evening!

And on that note in the key of E (E for Em) (Oh shut-up!) I'm off to watch Hustle (last one in series, sniff, sniff, sniff)

So I'll be 'hopping' away now. . .

Emy xxx

Monty Python. . .I promise I'll stop this soon. . .

Damn, I wasn't going to do a blog tonight, I thought I'd might give it a rest! That lasted long!

The reason I'm doing one tonight is that I've just spent an hour on this rather bizarre/mad website of Monty Python. Yeah, I'm going through my Monty Python phase at the minute due to my friend Mary (cheers Mares) buying me the Monty Python Autobiography for my Birthday (my Birthday was in fact last September but she and I have this habit of giving presents late, as in Christmas at Easter, Autumn Birthday in the Spring etc etc) and after reading that I went out and bought the best of Monty Pthon's Flying Circus on DVD (4 discs, no, I couldn't afford it but I had to!) and so I've been watching that and laughing so much I have had tears in my eyes).

SO. . .to cut a long story short, again I've been browsing on the old Net seeing if I can find mad Python sites and I've found one! Click here - Monty Python's Silly Walks Generator
Basically you can create your own walks, a choice of character, background and music (there's a usefull help guide) and you can even send your creations to your friends (if you're that inclined)

And Now for something completely different

I read today in the paper that police somewhere in the UK found a decomposed body, as in a skeleton, in a flat surrounded by newspapers dated 2003 and the TV still on. How bizarre is that? They only forced the door of the flat open because her rent was due, as in 2 years overdue. Now, how is that possible? Didn't her family ever wonder where she had got to? If that's not a Monty Python sketch I don't know what is! Oh sorry, something different . . .

Er, well, the weather? Ok, sunny, but windy today, as in my mum and I almost got swept off our feet walking back over the heath, my mum told me to keep on to her because she might blow away, she's a small, dainty person and my dad often calls her 'the little person' in a nice, loving way of course.

The scaffolding is still up, even though they've finished painting and twice I've almost knocked into it. The reason for it still being up is because the guy living at the end had hired his own window repair people (instead of using the one's already assigned to the job) trouble is I've seen no workers at his house, so the scaffold has become a permanant feature. There is one good thing about it, it gives me shelter from the rain when I'm sitting on the bench underneath it smoking!

Ok, enough waffle, bedtime for me, 10 minutes to Good Friday.

Lots of love and kisses to everyone,

Emy xxx

Not so Much rain, a Bit of a Breeze. . .

Well, it's official! The Eurovision Song Contest is rigged!

The Daily Mail :

"It's something anyone who has watched Greece award Cyprus the maximum 12 points and Great Britain a pitiful 'nul points' has long usupected - voting in the contset is rigged.
Scientists have found numerous countries have formed strategic partnerships which skew the results, and at least twice it has resulted in the wrong nation winning.
(I'll go on as I can't find this article online) The voting scandal was uncovered through analysis of all the results for the last 30 years.
Computer programmer Derek Gatherer (cool name), from the Medical Reesarch Council in Glasgow (oh so that's what they do all day in Glasgow!), has shown there is a large-scale collusion between groups of countries (can anyone guess which one's those are?!). He ran computer simulations to find what the past results would have been if the countries had voted without bias, this week's New Scientist reports. (clever)
The most long-standing partnership - and the most well-known - is that between Greece and Cyprus, an alliance that can be traced as far back as 1986.
In the early Nineties, Ireland colluded with the Netherlands, Malta and Croatia - a union that may go a long way to explain its hat-trick of wins between 1992 and 1994.
Britain which has not lifted the title since 1997 when Katrina and the Waves triumphed with the ballad Love Shine a Light, has not colluded in voting since a brief flirtation with France in the late Seventies. (Shame on us!)

Enough of that. But we all knew about that all along, just nice to have proof for a change. I wonder what's going to happen this year in the Contest now all of this is out? And so what! It's a load of old tosh, a huge joke from top to bottom, but who can miss Terry Wogan's cynical comments every year?! Huh?!!!!

Weather seems to be slightly improving for Easter, it could be 16 degrees C on Easter day. A likely story.

I see no-one commented on the Circus Elephant film. Please watch it.

Red Hot Chili Peppers have released their new single, to read view and scroll down on that page to watch video, click here. Typical Peppers but pretty good (sighs, as always)

And some cool games (well, kind of) There is no direct link but all the games are on this page so Click here

For those who hate cats this is for you (Er, Mr and Mrs MacNeill. . .) Cat - Vac and Cat-a-pult
And the usual Tetris and Space Invaders, the Nemo game is quite odd.

I can't think of much else to add, and I'm going to go off now and 'surf' the net and if I come across anything else I'll post it!

Love to all,

Emy xxx

Yes, I kind of agree with that!

Your Theme Song is Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf

"I like smoke and lightning Heavy metal thunder Racin' with the wind And the feelin' that I'm under" A total independent spirit, you can't be held down or fenced in. You crave the feeling of wind on your face... and totally freedom.

What's Your Theme Song?

R A I N R A I N R A I N R A I N R A I N R A I N

Rain.

And rain.

And more Rain.

Last week, when I saw my friend Alice, she and I went for a drive into the countryside with my car Julia. I've had Julia since I was 17 and nothing has ever gone wrong with her (touch wood), but on that day something did. I was driving up a hill and suddenly there was no power, not in 2nd or third gear, flashbacks came to me of my Mum's old Renault 5 which was a tank to drive and a bastard to get up a hill, that's exactly what Julia felt accompanied with a smell of burning. Panic set in. We stopped after a while and checked her out. Nothing seemed wrong. She drove back beautifully (I'm sure she felt guilty!). Today we took her into the garage and went into Bromley for a few hours (I got a new phone!) and then the call came through from the garage, they had given her a thorough check up, even put her through a few computers and nothing was found, a clean bill of health. Now what was that all about? I grant you her engine is tiny, just 1.0 but she's always 'gone' well, fast in fact and that day she wasn't having any of it. Sometimes I think she is alive!

My previous post was upsetting. Today I feel much better but I still have a small feeling inside that something is not right, or something is going to happen. Maybe it's the weather. Yes, I'm sure it is the weather. A hot summer is predicted and maybe as Spring is so late it may turn into a Indian summer, who knows?

I've noticed on my 'Cluster Map' that there's been visits to my blog from Australia. For weeks that part of the world has been empty of red blobs and I just like to welcome you Aussies and thanks for reading and if you leave a comment one time soon that will be much appreciated and I'll come and visit you!

A few links this evening:

Sheep Vs Cows
A cheese advert, but with a difference and I hate to say it, but sheep are a little stupid, I've been chased countless times, but if I suddenly stop and turn round, they turn back and run away!!!

More cows takes a while to load (go and do something else for a few minutes) Nice idea, does anyone have any idea who sang the song? It's the kind of film I would make!

Brokeback Mountain in 30 seconds Re-Enacted by bunnies Funny lol

To watch the full back catalogue of bunnies re-enacting movies in 30 seconds, including: King Kong, Pulp Fiction, The Shining and other such films, click here

Ok folks, now you've had the lovely sweet animal films, here is the serious one. As promised a second film from PETA:

Circus Elephants This is going on everyday. It's all pretty shocking, but the end made me cry even more.

Next film one month from now. 11th May.

Have just stuck my head out the window, yes, still raining!

And on that wet/soaking note I'll shall wish you all a goodnight/afternoon/morning,

Emy xxx

Laying it on the Line, Love Me or Leave Me

Hello all, I've had a funny day with one thing or another, mainly because of a sleepless, emotional night over the pure, simple fact of me being emotional, over sensitive and downright stupid. I did a very foolish thing last night, I hung up on a friend on MSN, a good friend I might add who only was showing how much they care and I got very upset over what they said, so now I'm going to get personal with my post tonight, knowing full well that any Tom, Dick or Harry might read it, well, so be it; this has to be said, I've kept it locked up now for most of my life and last night was the final straw. . .So here goes:

A few things that have been said to me over the last few days:

1 "You must let go of the apron strings"

2 "I never knew you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth"

3"Have you got a job yet?"

4"You better find a man before all the best one's are taken" (actually said a few years back and it's been with me ever since)

5"Now I know why you're a Tory"

6"There's no point me asking you what you've been up to, as I read your blog every day"

7"Ummmmmm"

MY ANSWERS:

1 "Apron strings" I have let go, although it's cheaper to live at home and my parents are my best friends and they are the only ones who know me through and through.

2 "Silver Spoon" Yes; private education, big house I grew up in, holidays abroad (all my friends at the time had the same benefits), dad had well paid job, anything I asked for I got. I was the archetypel 'Only Child' who was spoilt rotten, so I can't change who I am or how I was brought up, please accept me for who I am.

3"Got a job?" Working on it. A constant worry, as in sleepless nights, feelings of worthlessness, gee, thanks for last night 'good friend' (still a little bitter but feelings are changing for the better. . .)

4"Man?' Too picky.

5 No, not a Tory (Conservative), not a Royalist, not no-one, not nothing. Can't stand any politics, can you see why I don't talk it in my blog now? A waste of my fucking time!

6 "Blog" Well, Mr "married to old school friend" that was a little bit of a conversation killer, wasn't it? Seeing I hadn't seen you since that night at Blackheath 'yonks' ago, I don't type everything on my blog, I do have a life outside it too!

7 "Ummmmmm" - Yes, exactly, why the fuck am I defending myself? I know I have many downsides, like any human being, but I'd like to see myself as a generous, loving, free spirit kind of gal who's always there for friends whenever they need me . . . So why have some of you said those things to me?

More defending:

Well, here we are. Here's something about myself in my blog which is a little private and personal, which I'm shouting to the world! Blogging is for ranting, right? Well, here's one:

Last night I had a discussion with a good friend of mine about my 'employment status' or lack of and they asked me should I be looking for work? It touched a very sensitive subject and I was greatly upset at some of the remarks and comments this person said.

Yes, I was born with a 'silver spoon in my mouth' but not through choice, the same as being born a Catholic, but not through choice! It took my folks 12 years to have me and when I came it was deemed as a 'miracle' and so I was their only one. Spoilt rotten, I won't deny it and my friends I hold close to me have accepted who I am. I don't give a sod about class or wealth or lack of, all I care about are my family and my friends.

I have had 5 years of Art education and have a BA and an MA after my name and my ambition is to find a gallery to represent me and in order for that to happen I need to paint. But (Oh God, always a but) I also need to earn to fuel my artistic ambitions. And it's hard. I've had jobs, but I just can't find anything at the moment. I want to work with animals, only if it's £50 per week, I want to feel fulfilled, doing something I enjoy and giving care and attention to my best friends (as in the animals).

I wanted to teach but no-one believed my 'passion' and therefore I didn't get accepted into teacher training college. The stance has always been: "Why do you want to be a teacher and earn money when you're an artist and can sell paintings?" It's almost like, "You've made your bed, now lie in it" No-one wants to give me work, I've applied to many and have heard nothing.

I care greatly about this. I owe my parents a million times over, they've been so supportive and now I need to do something for them. (it's all very well giving them 'free' artwork!) and I'm trying, my God, I'm trying to get work, get a career and I keep hitting brick walls. I'm the last of my friends from school who hasn't got a career or family. I feel small and worthless right now and last night didn't help. I've been bullied and teased throughtout my Art college life about my (fantastic) relationship with my parents (jealousy?) and how once I could have had anything I wanted from my Dad - I still could - but I don't ask. And yes, I still live with my parents and yes, they give me so much money per month. But I'm seeking, I'm worrying day in, day out and it's driving me nuts.

I think I'm a little lost.

I can't be bothered to carry on.

I'll stop there.

Oh do I LOATHE self pity! Damn it!

Ok, enough of that. As I said, an odd day. We all went up to High Street Kensington to renew our (mum and I) Dutch passports. What a to do! Documents here, documents there! Crazy. So hence, the Dutch flag (next to the European one):

Battersea Power Station (the shell) on the train

Battersea Power Station and River Thames on Train

Barkers Department Store (now gone) Beautiful Art Deco building

Police on the Heath

And it snowed in Kent last night! Rotten April!

Oh well, tomorrow I'll re-read this and cringe to myself, "why the hell did I open up?" It's best to leave these things alone. But. But. But. But. Sometimes these things need to be out in the open.

E x

Canary Wharf in the Sunshine

The Cutty Sark

Greenwich Thames Tunnel
View of Docklands from Bus stop

One Canada Place 900 ft

Hello all, sorry for not blogging yesterday, I was a little 'cream crackered' as in exhausted from my little, yet major expedition with my Mum to the shopping centre at Canary Wharf, hence the pictures. What started out as a gentle walk to the Lewisham DLR (Docklands Light Railway) became a nightmare and a typical reminder of how traveling to places sometimes in London is not worth it, best to stay at home! The DLR was out of action, all weekend, engineering works so replacement buses were on duty. Now my Mum has never been a great fan of travelling in buses and even though she had a seat and I didn't, she complained the whole time and made me get off at Greenwich to get the Jubilee line. I did tell her that the man said Canada Water and then one stop on the underground but she wasn't listening, a case of 'Mother knows best'. So we walk to the Jubilee underground station and guess what? It's closed due to engineering works! Anyone else would have turned round and gone home, but she and I were determined to make it. So a walk underneath the Thames in the tunnel (which my Mum claims of all her 30 years living in this area, shes never done!) and we find ourselves waiting at a bus stop probably waiting for the same one we got off!!!! Then a taxi turned up and we got that instead and arrived at our destination. Phew! Luckily the weather was beautiful, though an icy wind. It's a really nice place over there, it's like 'toy town' all these huge buildings shooting up from the ground which makes great photography! And I was the only taking pictures!

And then home for a lovely meal cooked by my Dad and a lot to drink, so posting a blog last night didn't happen! It should have happened today as there's nothing to report, I had a very lazy day doing just about nothing. I do like these days!

Yesterday was the infamous Steeple Chase, The Grand National which I missed. I always watch it but only preying for the horses safeful run around the course. One horse fell and had to be put down on the scene but the rest seemed to survive, which is a miracle after Cheltenham. Plus there was a false start too. I hate to bring this up but I have one of those PETA videos lined up for here next week. So keep your eyes peeled and this time the subject is very different then the last two, equally as shocking, but watchable.

That's it folks, enjoy the rest of Sunday and I'll see you tomorrow,

Emy xxxx

More Pictures of Surrey and Random Links

Cyprus trees in a cemetery in Egham, Surrey

Cranes over Winsor

Wave to the Queen at Winsor Castle

Ancient book at Founder's Library, Royal Holloway

Is the Queen waving back?

Ok everyone, not much has happened today. A long shopping experience in Waitrose on a Friday, it was grid lock, but we got what we wanted as Dad is going to cook tomorrow.

After lunch I then slept for 3 hours, I hope I'm not coming down with anything, Mary has a cold and Alice was having the beginnings of one yesterday. Oh hell, if it's going to happen then I'd rather get it over and done with! (well before Devon anyway, planned to go the 2nd week of May, I'm counting down the days!!!!)

I still have no comments. I was looking at Blogs that have been noticed on Blogger Buz, one person had 365 comments in one day!!!!! What am I doing so wrong? And I do know around 40 of you read this but don't comment. It'll be polite if some of you could start. Ok, so I do do this for my own enjoyment but I also hope that you all enjoy reading it as well.

A short one tonight, just a few links to bizarre places:

Follow the White Rabbit A little bit of a disturbing game from the band 'Korn' who I don't like and the music plays in the background, but it's fine, a little freaky, you have to shoot the animals dressed up in suits; cows, lambs, pigs, chickens, frogs, goats and fish. I only got to level 3. Very simple and basic, but if you've had a hard day and want some good quality shooting time, then this is it, blood and gore. Great.

It's bloody cold If like me you're fed up with that James Blunt song, 'You're Beautiful' then watch this from the Dead Ringers team from the BBC. It's great and much better then the original!

Green Day VS Oasis Music Video Now I'm not going to defend Oasis here, Noel is notoriously known for pinching certain intros from well known songs and curtain guitar chords, but from this, he's not the only one. Someone has carefully threaded a Green Day song and an Oasis (Wonderwall). I don't like Green Day, I don't see why everyone goes so mad over them, am I the only one who can see through them? I just find them 'too easy' as it were, almost an American version of Oasis (who ok, I admit I was a big fan but only from their first 2 albums, not much since), so I find this pretty good, both songs much better like this. I bet it'll go to number 1 if it's ever released!

Docklands tomorrow for shopping with my Mum, we have to 'clear the area' as my Dad starts cooking early and uses EVERY pan and space in the kitchen!!!! When he finishes it's like a bomb has hit it! So lovely pictures tomorrow of the towers.

Lots of love to all,

Emy xxxx

More Comments Please and Don't Panic!!!!!!

Hello folks, I see there has been a lack of comments the last few days, I suppose everyone is busy, but still you could just say 'hi' so I know you all still exist!

A lovely sunny, warmish day. I saw my friend Alice, she cooked me lunch then we went for a drive and for the second time drove past Chartwell and didn't stop (and I really want to go there!), lots of daffodils on the banks and gambling lambs in the fields, makes me want to be in the West country. Such a lovely time of year and I'm missing it in the city!

All the coverage on the news about the dead swan found in Fife, start with. . ."Don't panic, Don't panic!!!!!" Well, I am panicking a little bit, not because of the threat to human life (we're all going to destroy ourselves soon anyway) but for the poor birds. The last thing we want is a repeat performance of foot and mouth, already the 'angels of death' are slaughtering birds in Germany (though this time they're all wearing orange not white!) and people are putting their poultry inside for a precaution and I'm sure mass panic has already started, pictures of vehicles and people being sprayed down with disinfectant. I wasn't in Devon when the outbreak of foot and mouth started but I was in Hampshire where there was burning in the air from hundreds of pyres and the stench of disinfectant wafting through the towns and villages, it was not a nice time and I don't think anyone would like to go through that again. At least there is a vaccination for the birds, but there was one for the animals 5 years ago but it was termed as 'too costly' to inject millions of animals. I do not agree with that. My friends lost their milk herd, over 100 strong, healthy cattle who didn't even have the disease anyway and MAFF (DEFRA now) didn't have a clue whose animals were killed or not. Within 3 days after they were all slaughtered they had a phonecall from them saying that their animals were safe and not needed to be killed!!!! Disgusting! All the employees couldn't speak a word of English either. Disorganised bunch of twats! So hopefully they've learnt their lesson, but there's never was an inquiry into the negligence, into the sheer stupidity and the slap dash way they handled the outbreak, the government (Blair. . .Go to hell) applauded them for their swift, organised, efficient work! Actually, come to think of it, DEFRA haven't learnt their lesson, remember when I told you about the dead badger on my friends farm? How they wanted nothing to do with it? There was an opportunity to test the badger for TB, without causing harm, stress or upset to the creature because it was already dead (I think I already said that . . .). Oh hell, bloody world, why can't all us humans be wiped out tomorrow and let the flora and fauna take over, my God, it'll be paradise!

Ok, enough of that.

Though back to the birds, as I promised yesterday, my favourite bird calls, the sounds of Spring and Summer: Click the blue for their sounds

Collared Dove (who sings, "United, united, united"!)

Cuckoo (Last one I heard was in Perthshire, Scotland in June 2005 by a Loch, called Lassintuloch, when the sun was going down)

Green Woodpecker (we have a few around here, they like urban areas but mainly heathland, they are called the 'yaffle')

Song Thrush (one of this countries greatest singers! Although they do have a tendency to start belting out at 4am, waking all and sundry up. . .Including me!)

Mistle Thrush (often called the 'Storm Cock' as it sings before it storms!)

Willow Warbler (tiny birds, very hard to spot, but a lovely, sweet tinkey sound)

Chiffchaff (When this bird sings, you know it's Spring!)

Wood Warbler (Beautiful, soulful bird)

Yellowhammer (by far the loveliest bird, my dads' favourite and a special farmland bird in Devon, high summer, singing amongst the Scots Pine or on the telegraph poles).

Ok, now I'm going to rant some more about people, well, some people I've seen the last few days who have no idea or who are not aware of the beauty around them. Ok, it's fine to say "Oh I do love this time of year" but no-one appreciates why. I have to stop dead in my tracks if I hear a Song Thrush or Blackbird, while the people I'm with walk on by. I have to take pictures of blossom or daffodils, celandine growing in the hedgerows, I have to spend time in the fields in Devon taking in all the wondrous flora and fauna right under my very nose!!!! I feel so fortunate and so excited by Spring, for example, I saw my first ants this year a week ago!!! Oh Spring and then Summer. . .The high Summer months of July and August, the heat hazes and the last sunsets and everything overgrown to the point where it's almost impossible to drive down the single track lanes without the bramble scrapping your car! I'm there right now.

Last thing before I bore you all still further, for those of you reading who were with me at KIAD, I've just found out that the highly publicised Turner contemporary Gallery in Margate has been scrapped. Kent County Council have pulled the plug after a decade of planning. The costs have spiraled out of control, starting at £7 million to £50 million! They feel the design is wrong and the site is too dangerous for the valuable pieces of work that were going to be housed there. Apparently the test structure they did not so long ago was blown over into the sea within two days!!!!

Ok, more random pictures tomorrow.

Goodnight, God bless and I love you all (will love you further if you appreciate my birds and comment too!!!!)

Emy xxx

Avian Bird Flu Arrives in Great Britain

I've just seen on the news that they've found the first case of Avian bird flu on a dead swan in Fife, Scotland. Read aricle here

So it'll be the 'killing fields' now, no bird will be safe from the poachers gun!

After hearing those glorious bird calls in Kent, back home, in the garden, our Blackbird (Bernie) was singing out his alarm call and as I sat on the bench I began whistling to him, to calm him down, and you know what he did?! He started singing his haunting song, to hear a snippet of the Blackbird, click here

More of my favourite bird sounds tomorrow (from Monty Python to bird song in 48 hours!!!!!)

Love and all that,

Emy xxx

Birds of the Feathered Kind and KENT

The road to the reserve

The Bridge over the Medway, Kent, Elmey Marshes

Shadows of Myself and My Dad (him with the binoculars!!!!)

The Medway Estuary

Hello all,

Beautiful sunny day! Whoopee, Spring has sprung!

Over the years my Dad and I have gone out for days together, whether it's to Kent or Sussex for walking or birdwatching. . .or both and we've always had so much fun, always finding these eccentric pubs for lunch (which we did today, The Yew Tree in Sandling, wow, what a hoot! Full of OAP's having discount lunches with a bottle of red or white!). We found ourselves close to the Isle of Sheppey on this WONDERFUL RSPB reserve (we're members, so it's free) Elmey Marshes. My God, 3100 acres of marsh, all in a blue, sunny day, full of wading birds(listen to their sounds in blue, please!); Avocets, Lapwings ( my fave birds) Black tailed Godwits, Oyster Catches, Redshanks, Curlews (wow, the Curlews with haunting cries, flocks of them flying over our heads), Herons, Coots, Moorhens, Yellow Wagtails, Little Ringed Plovers, Skylarks (yeah, I know my birds!) and a few Rabbits and Sheep. Fantastic. We had the hide all to ourselves! Very lucky! It was a lovely day and my face is burning from the sun. So pictures:

Only in Kent will there be a pwer station surrounded by beauty!!!!

Meday Estuary

Elmey RSPB Reserve

The New Bridge (not yet opened)

The Journey home on the M20

Night folks!

Love Emy xxx

Calling all Kate Bush fans! Buy, buy, buy (or download)

Album I'm listening to at moment, click here for Kate Bush Aerial

Student Life

As always, no pets allowed, so house resident Henry the bear

Dead Tulips, rather arty, if you like that sort of thing

Dead Plant. . .Oh dear

Washing up mayhem
And Again

Right, having been a student now for 5 years (ex-student now) I could not live in this squalor, my Virgo tendencies would get the better of me or my Monica Gellar characteristics and all of this would be gone in no time. I don't think Mary's house has ever heard of a duster or a Hoover, though amazingly enough they did have a dishwasher, but then, even that was hard to fill up (but it was on two occasions). Just think, poor me, washing up by hand in 5 years and those lazy arses has a washing machine. The bathroom was worse, I won't even begin to describe it. Yuk.

Today has been one of those days that pass too quickly. I've finished doing my cv, now I have to start applying, late because of my MASSIVE hangover which has only just 'kicked the bucket'. So to put my mind at rest I read my Monty Python Autobiography and disappeared into the world of surreal. And just to get you all in the mood for some Python madness, click on the sound links:

grenade (the Holy Grail)

Argh (the Holy Grail)

Bring out your dead (the Holy Grail)

Hamster (the Holy Grail)

Runaway (the Holy Grail)

Naughty (Life of Brian)

Wolf Nipple Chips (Life of Brian)

Stuffed (the Meaning of Life)

And one last thing, the fish slapping film

All brought to you by: Monty Python's Completely Useless Web Site

Plus (all of this needs broadband by the way): Also there is no direct link you need to click on 'Full Sketch or Large WAVS'

The complete Lumberjack Song Soundfile

The Complete Arguement Soundfile

Wow, I feel so much better now! I don't think I have a favorite Python, does anyone else?

Emy xxx

Myself At Mary's With Friend Duck

Don't Say a Thing

Advanced Global Personality Test

Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

This test is good if you have time to answer a few questions. I'm not sure I agree with all my results. Well, least I'm Artistic!
Try it out, go on, you know you want to!

xxxx

Madness, but Much Excitement

Royal Holloway. . .Fantastic, HUGE!!!!!

Mary, the good student with library books (on a saturday!)

From the road with plane, Heathrow very close by

The Clock tower and Queen Victoria

Hello boys and girls. it's me, Emy! Back from 17 hours sleep after a total of 4 hours sleep in 48 hours!

Ok, you may say, 26 and you still do stupid things like that? Ok, I say, yes, and I enjoyed every minute of it, I don't want to grow up, I want to get drunk and dance the night away and then fall over (which I didn't this time, but I could have.)

Mary and I had a fantastic time. All junk food and alchol and talking about 'boys' and her one at the moment, nicknamed by me. "The Mole" not because he is small (he is) or Asian (he is) but he is called 'Amor' but when Mary said it, it sounded like 'Amole' so it kind of stuck! No, they're not together together, it's just on the flirting side, he doesn't want a relationship, blah, blah, blah, so there are just having fun. Companionship. The word of the moment.

I got wet through April showers. Took so many pictures that they will be shown here for the next few weeks. I went to Winsor for the first time and can't wait to go back. Caught my first glimpse of 'The Long Walk' up to the Castle, the flag was high up and flying so her Majesty was in, I waved!!!! Danced to cheesy music in the Uni bar, big dance floor, but full of ugly men and equally ugly women. Played piano at Mary's music rooms, badly. Watched Monty Python's Life of Brian 4 times, but didn't see it. Went to local pub called "The Happy Man" and had 4 'twisted shots' called 'Cocksucking Cowboys', baileys and Butterscot Schnapps, nice! Went to a random poker game and sat down and then broke the chair and then smoked some 'wackie backie' and loved the world twice over. It was good. All good. 4 hours sleep and then pizza for breakfast, would have been curry but we ate the leftovers at 3:30am. Oh student life, I miss it so and I'm definitely going back when her exams are over. Can't wait!

So back to normality. So not much to say. Tomorrow, back to normal posting, but was it ever normal? :)

Emy xxx