OPI - INSTINCT OF COLOR by OPI

This is a video advertisement for nail polish like you've never seen before. It features a dance-off between 4 female dancers and a thoroughbred horse. The horse was trained by one of our families equestrian heroes Mario Luraschi. Watch  it and prepare to be amazed...

Video found via the blog Horse Sense

New Wellies - Caldene Westfield Wellingtons

My new wellies. Country living requires a decent pair of wellingtons especially with horses, dogs, pigs, chickens and an orchard so today I splurged £60 on a pair of Caldene Westfield neoprene wellingtons. They are comfy and warm only time will tell if they are up to the job, I'll keep you posted.

WWW Wednesday - Haunted Ely and Retreat from Murder

ISBN 0-9545886-06

Joining in WWW Wednesdays hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm dipping into Haunted Ely a little book put together by two friends,Margaret Haynes & Vivienne Doughty, who were Blue Badge Tourist Guides for the cathedral city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, Great Britain.

"Any place with an inhabited past is bound to have ghosts and the Isle of Ely is no exception. This is a selection of stories about a few of the city's former residents whose return to their previous haunts haas not gone unnoticed by many present day residents. The information for this book was collected from people who live in Ely, and from accounts of those who have passed through at some time in their lives."

So I find myself reading about  St. Etheldreda, the founder of the City of Ely. Her ghostly hand has been seen gliding up a staircase at King's School, Ely, by 'three mesmerised boys who watched ... as they shivered beneath their duvets on a warm summer night in 1995'. The ghost dog, which is sometimes seen crossing the A10 between Ely and Cambridge,  Benedictine monks and even Oliver Cromwells' ghost.

 I finished reading Retreat from Murder by Marion Babson at the weekend and found it thoroughly enjoyable

If I'm being honest I'm not sure what to read next, there are always plenty of books waiting.... The question is which one to read?

Guy Fawkes, The Gun Powder Plot and Bonfire Night - 10 Things

1. The Gunpowder Treason Plot of 1605 was an assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of Catholics who were unhappy at the treatment of Catholics in England.
2. There were 13 conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot: Robert Catesby, Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright,Thomas Percy, Guy Fawkes, Robert Wintour, Christopher (Kit) Wright, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, John Grant, Ambrose Rookwood, Francis Tresham, and Everard Digby.
3.  They hid 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars under The House of Lords, planning to blow up The Houses of Parliament, King James, The Prince of Wales and Members of Parliament.
4.  One of the conspirators decided to warn a friend against going to The Houses of Parliament on the day of the planned explosion, 5th November 1605. An anonymous letter was sent to Lord Monteagle who passed it on to the authorities.
5. Guy Fawkes was the conspirator who was supposed to ignite the gunpowder but due to the anonymous letter sent to Lord Monteagle the cellars were searched and Guy was arrested.
6.  Word soon got out about the foiled plan to kill the king and bonfires were lit to celebrate the safety of the King. 
7. Guy Fawkes who gave his name as John Johnson was interrogated and tortured  for 2 days before he finally gave in and told the authorities about the other conspirators. He told the authorities that his intention had been "to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains."
8.  Robert Catesby  Rookwood, the Wright brothers, Percy and John Grant died in a siege at Holbeche House  on 8th November.
9.  Francis Tresham died in prison while awaiting trial, the other 8 conspirators including Guy Fawkes were sent to trail and sentenced to be hanged drawn and quartered.
10. The Gunpowder Plot is commemorated in England on 5th November with firework displays and bonfire parties.

The Raspberry Jam Post

Personally I was never overly fond of Raspberry Jam.
Until that is I tried the Raspberry Jam made by the young mother who lives in the village.
I loved the young mother's Raspberry Jam.
But the young mother doesn't want to make anymore Raspberry Jam
something to do with Food & Hygiene, labeling and %'s.

There's a lady from town who makes Raspberry Jam, labeled with %'s.
She makes it to sell in the farm shop
but
I'm not overly fond of the town lady's Raspberry Jam
and the young mother doesn't make Raspberry Jam anymore...

Weekend Film - Genevieve 1953

When I was a child the BBC used to show some great classic films on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon, perfect for grey, rainy days like today.

The 1953 British comedy Genevieve has long been one of my favorites, it would seem that I'm not the only one to love it as apparently it was the second-most popular film at the British box office when it came out.

 The film is about two obsessive enthusiasts, Alan McKim, his friend Ambrose Claverhouse and their partners Wendy and Rosalind, taking part in the London to Brighton run. Things get badly out of hand, and the journey back from Brighton turns into a no-holds barred race.

Genevieve  is herself a 1904 model Darracq car bought by Alan McKim's grandfather, kept running by his father and now entered each year by Alan for the Veteran Car Club's Annual Commemoration Run from London to Brighton.


Genevieve, a Sirius Production, released by The Rank Organisation, directed by Henry Cornelius, starring Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson, Kay Kendall, Kenneth More

"One of the favorite British Films of the 20th Century"

The totally awesome blog hop

 

Lemon Layer Cake has joined The Totally Awesome Blog Hop it has been organized by 

 Chantilly of ChantillySongs
Marilyn of Pulp Sushi
Rachel of Rachel the Hat
Alycia of The Curious Pug

whose  goal is community building between like-minded folks, a place for of people to meet, make friends, and expand their following. Sounds great doesn't it, check it out at any of the 4 hostesses blogs listed above.