A New Year!

God Bless us all!

That is the one God, the true God, the God of love, the God who cares for everyone and does not discriminate. Look inside yourself you will probably find him there waiting quietly to guide you.

Poetry.

I shall gather myself into my self again,

I shall take my scattered selves and make them one.

I shall fuse them into a polished crystal ball

Where I can see the moon and the flashing sun.
I Shall sit like a sibyl, hour after hour intent.
Watching the future come and the present go -
And the little shifting pictures of people rushing
In tiny self-importance to and fro.

Teasdale

Victorian Shoes.

Nature.

The painting is called In fairyland by Charles Rennie Macintosh. Fairyland, is it at the bottom of the garden or in a distant forest.

At the bottom of my garden is the shed, a place to sit and a bower of trees. A huge Chestnut tree over the fence looms providing a resting place for squirrels common grey ones of course, wood pigeons, two quite large ones actually who like to sit, just watching for most of the day and a number of feathered visitors.

Beyond the tree in the grass a thrush stands waiting, head moving a little from side to side its mate is a little way off he stares at her but she seems to be ignoring him a lovers tiff I think.

In my garden two busy blackbirds are constantly patrolling looking for food, a drink and a bath which they love. A robin comes visiting regularly and flits from tree to tree merrily. Blue tits visit for a drink occasionally but don’t stay. Finches come in a little group but this has become a rare special treat.

Last but not least not in value but maybe in size is the beautiful little wren. Who hides in the trellis and comes for a drink when he thinks no one is around. I haven’t seen a fairy yet, perhaps they hide among the butterflies in summer, I will take an extra special interest in them next year you never know!

A Favourite Poem.

Pack, clouds, away, and welcome day,
With night we banish sorrow;
Sweet air blow soft mount larks aloft,
To give my love good-morrow!
Wings from the wind to please her mind,
Notes from the lark I’ll borrow;
Bird prune thy wing, nightingale sing,
To give my love good-morrow;
To give my love good-morrow
Notes from them both I’ll borrow.

Wake from thy nest, robin-red-breast,
Sing birds in every furrow;
And from each hill let music shrill,
Give my fair love good-morrow!
Blackbird and thrush in every bush,
Stare, linnet, and cock-sparrow!
You pretty elves, amongst yourselves
Sing my fair love good-morrow
Sing birds in every furrow!

Thomas Heywood.

Stunning Views.

Antique Dolls.

A doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being. Dolls have been around since the dawn of human civilization, and have been made from a variety of materials: stone, clay, wood, bone, wax, cloth, corn husks, paper, ivory, papier-mâché, leather, china clay, porcelain, bisque, celluloid, resin, rubber, vinyl, plastic and polymer clay. While dolls have traditionally been toys for children, they are also collected by adults, for their nostalgic value, beauty, historical importance or financial value. In ancient times, dolls were used as representations of a deity, and played a central role in religious ceremonies and rituals. Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in Egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000 BC. In Egypt, as well as Greece and Rome. Dolls with movable limbs and removable clothing date back to 200 BC. Roman doll-makers continued to use technology developed by the Egyptians and Greeks, but they were constantly trying to make dolls more elegant and beautiful. One doll, found near Prati in Rome, was made of ivory. Next to the doll was a small box, also made of ivory, containing tiny combs and a silver mirror. The doll had rings on her fingers and held a tiny key, which unlocked the box. Like children today, the younger members of Roman civilization would have dressed and undressed their dolls, and decorated their hair and fingers according to the latest fashions. Europe later became the center of dollmaking. In the United States, doll making became an industry in the 1860s, after the Civil War. The development of plastics after World War II led to the manufacture of new types of dolls and brought down their price. Antique dolls have become collector's items. Nineteenth-century bisque dolls made by French manufacturers such as Bru and Jumeau are still popular with collectors today, and have sold for over £2,000 at auction.

A Jumeau doll.

1906 German Schoneau-Hoffmeister porcelain doll 31in. Price $1,494. Schoneau-Hoffmeister were producers from 1900 until 1950s. Founded by Arthur Schoenau and Carl Hoffmeister their association was short and disagreements led to the dissolution of their partnership in 1907.

1880 Doll By Leon Casimir Bru. $22,000. Bru dolls were assembled by Leon Casmir Bru and his wife Appolyne on St. Denis Street in Paris. Leon Casmir Bru had worked for a doll assembler for a short time before deciding to start his own business. Appolyne, a seamstress, proved the elaborate costumes for the lovely fashion dolls, which were unmarked except for the letters on the head. In 1883 the Bru business was sold to Henri Chevrot, who produced all the wonderful designs of Bru Jne. The last owner of the Bru company, Paul Giraud, took over in 1890.

Cosy Fire On A Cold Evening.

Shoes.

I found the amazing shoes (photographs below) while browsing on the net. Gosh! I thought how beautiful! There is no way I could ever walk in them, I love glamour but I like comfort more.

Antiques.

If your looking for a present idea for the festive season maybe a teddy bear would be just the right thing and starting a collection a pleasure to carry on into the future. I found this lovely Steiff teddy bear on the net ( pictured below) c.1950's priced at £195 .Steiff a German toy company was begun in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, later assisted by her brother Fritze. The toys began as elephants, which were originally a design Margarete Steiff found in a magazine and sold as pincushions to her friends. However, children began playing with them, and in the years following she went on to design many other successful toys for children, such as dogs, cats and pigs.The Steiff's nephew Richard joined in 1897 and created the teddy bear in 1902. In 1907, Steiff manufactured 974,000 bears, and has been increasing its output ever since. The Steiff company motto, "Only the best is good enough for children". The famed "button in ear" was devised by Margarete's nephew Franz in 1904, to keep counterfeits from being passed off as authentic. At the Saint Louis World's Fair in 1904, the Steiffs sold 12,000 bears and received the Gold Medal.

Migration.

In recent weeks the sight of large flocks of birds flying by overhead has been magnificent.

Favourite Things.

Waves.

Autumn.

Rainy autumn day, thoughts ever present of a little escape by the sea, of summer everyday and blissful solitude except for a few well chosen friends. There we are drinking long cool drinks and listening to jazz sweet and low in the background.

Modern Art Deco Building.

Delano, National and Sagamo Hotels Miami Beach.

Century Theatre, Ventura, California.

Art Deco, Miami Beach.

Art Deco Facade.

Art Deco Miami.

Art Deco Curves And Windows Detail Miami Beach.

Art Deco Beach House.

Midland Hotel, England.

Favourite Things.

White Flowers.

Fur.

Yesterday I watched a T.V. Movie Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. My interest in photography and the actress Nicole Kidman and actor Robert Downey Jr. drew me to the movie that had not crossed my path before. Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (also known simply as Fur) is a 2006 movie starring Nicole Kidman as iconic American photographer Diane Arbus, who was known for her strange, disturbing images.
For the film, director Steven Shainberg and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson, used Patricia Bosworth's book Diane Arbus: A Biography as a source. As its name implies, the film is a fictional account rather than an accurate biography. In the movie Arbus is torn between a bizarre relationship with a neighbour suffering from hypertrichosis, Lionel Sweeney (Robert Downey, Jr.), and a conventional life with her husband Allan (Ty Burrell), a photographer. A clogged drain leads to a meeting with Lionel.
Turning her back on her wealthy, established family, Diane Arbus (Kidman) falls in love with Lionel Sweeney (Downey Jr.), an enigmatic mentor who introduces Arbus to the marginalized people who help her become a most revered photographer.
I enjoyed the movie. After checking out her photography later I didn't rate it very highly as I feel she photographed people in a way to make their differences stand out (stage-managing a grotesque caricature) rather than depicting them as the wonderful people they were coping with the conformity of what society expects. Robert Downey Jr. was very good as the strange seducer and made me smile and feel compassion in equal measure.

Candlelight Dinner.

Harry Connick, Jr. American singer, actor, composer, and pianist. Star of one of my favourite movies Hope Floats 1998. His role Justine Matisse (The sweetest sexiest cowboy a woman could ever meet). Here he is in a Longines photograph looking like a dish of a dinner date. Me, candlelight and Justine what a beautiful evening it would be.

Yes!

Favourite Things.

Rolls Royce.

It's Just A Dream!

At the moment here in England the days are dark and dreary, often with rain but worst of all with drizzle.

The only thing to do is find a nice bright place to inhabit, somewhere to delight in the daylight, away from prying eyes.

Surround yourself with beautiful things, interesting books and magazines, then transport yourself to the place of dreams.

That fabulous place that is yours alone, where thoughts bring all that is good and beautiful to you. Passion love friendship and warmth.

First Day.