Happy New Year with Bogart, Bacall and Tracy Anderson

Happy New Year to all from a sweltering Sydney oven.
I'm wilting in the heat. I find this city unbearable at this time of year. If you're lucky enough to live near the water it would ease the pressure but the inner-city is an airless, dusty battery-hen cage.
Wishing you a joyous New Year and I'm looking forward to 2011.
Here is my comfort book.

 I re-read it over Christmas in two days. Despite knowing it so well, I couldn't put it down. Amazing how you get a slightly different angle with the characters every time. It has such a sinister, dark edge to it. Clever, wonderful Daphne.

And no surprises as to what I've been doing (see Tracey Anderson DVD). That's my big new year resolution. Writing is such a fattening job.

If you follow my Facebook, you'll see that I'm not a fan of the fireworks at this time of year. I've had a mini-rant there about the waste of money, cost to the environment and the damage to the harbour, not to mention how it frightens animals. I found several others who also hate the fireworks. How about you? Are you pro the big bangs or, like me, believe it's fiddling whilst Rome burns?

With all the Green perceptions globally and the fears for how fragile the planet is, I'm dismayed that firework displays are still so popular. I've been criticised in the past for my anti-fireworks stance and told that I don't like people to enjoy magic.

Personally, I find far more magic, splendour and meaning in a simple blade of grass than in millions of dollars polluting the night skies with transient explosions of coloured lights - but that's just me. I'm not even a fan of going out on New Year's Eve. The Scribe and I spent a cosy evening with a bottle of Grand Marnier and The Big Sleep. We still aren't sure what exactly happened in that confusing, twisty movie but Bacall and Bogart are magic.
Off to try to catch some of the tiny breeze in our courtyard. xx
bogart and bacall image via google images

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and Delvene and Strop

As a little girl growing up in Tasmania, I had two television crushes: Jack Wild who played Jimmy in H.R Pufnstuf - and John Cornell as "Strop". Lordy knows why, when I look back on old clips and photos of him leering away in his swimming cap. I thought he was cute, however, so there you go. And I preferred him to Paul Hogan, the star of the show.

In later years, I came to admire both John Cornell and his wife Delvene Delaney (who had guest roles as a bikini-girl in The Paul Hogan show).

They were the first sea-changers in Byron Bay and so they were ahead of their time. And I always admire people who turn their backs on celebrity to pursue gardening, which is what Delvene did.
I still think both John Cornell and Delvene look beautiful and so I found the October issue of The Australian Women's Weekly inspiring for the article on Delvene, who is now 59. Delvene represents a lot of things I love about the positive aspects of Australian women - their sassiness and a certain take-me-as-I-am attitude. And in my opinion, she's even more beautiful than in her ‘heyday'.
I recently celebrated a birthday and when a friend asked me if I minded ageing, I could only reply I honestly don't. It's far better than the alternative. I'm grateful to be given the chance to age.
Here's a little quote from the article from Delvene;
"True Beauty comes from inside, so I don't mind ageing, not at all. I don't look in the mirror and think, "Oh my God!" l look in the mirror and think, "that's interesting...oh, that's going to start happening now." That's okay - I love me. If you don't like the way I look. Look away.
When I look at my husband for example. I only look into his eyes. He's 70 next year, but he looks great. It was the same with my (late) mother. Did I look at her and see lines and wrinkles? No. I saw beauty. From October issue of Australian Women's Weekly.

Thanks for popping in to visit me. Wishing you a week filled with beauty and wisdom. xx
image source Delvene and John Cornell
image source bikini Delvene
image source Paul Hogan show

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and BB, Prince Charles and IKEA

It's Brigitte Bardot's birthday on Tuesday. As regular readers will know, I adore BB and so Happy Birthday to this icon. She just gets better and better with age.

I'm also loving the 2011 IKEA catalogue. When you live in a small brick house, IKEA is a fantasy trip to heaven. Not only do you get to eat meatballs but I love their storage ideas. I can sit for hours pouring over their catalogues. I've been to Sweden once and the Scribe twice It's like a fairyland country to me.

And I'm totally rapt over The Delicious Miss Dahl cooking show which features Sophie's literary references. You have to love a cooking show where the presenter strolls through Highgate Cemetery, old bookshops and talks about the glamour of train stations.

And Prince Charles gets a nod this week for his gorgeous, candid remarks on a recent BBC documentary.

"...he describes speaking to shrubbery as something that keeps him "relatively sane". "I happily talk to the plants and the trees and listen to them. I think it's absolutely crucial, " he is reported to say. Underlining the importance of his garden, he adds. "Everything I've done here, it's almost like your children. Every tree has a meaning for me."

I hope you pop back on Wednesday as I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Miss Flower Potts.

And thank you so much for all your good wishes over my book deal. I'm still floating. Thank you. You're all wonderful and I appreciate you all. xx

images of Bardot source

image of Prince Charles source

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and A Manifesto

Hello, here's some powerful words to start the week from the Blog Whitehot Truth. Hope they inspire you as much as they did me. I particularly like the lines about service people. I remember being in a department store once when a friend who is really into new age philosophies came in to buy an item for his girlfriend. He looked around at all the staff with a puzzled, slightly contemptuous expression and said, 'Don't they get they don't have to be here?"
Eer, yes dude but then be grateful they are because who is going to serve you your girlfriend's knickers?
Anyway, I digress. Here's the manifesto. Let's spread it around and start a bushfire. xx

right now:
There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.
A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie. Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you -- for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.
The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. They just can't see it from where they're at.
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want -- and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche -- this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.
Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Someone is fighting the fight so that you don't have to.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable. You. Me. Some. One. Now.

charles blackman and arthur boyd art image source

baby, Hardy and woman/door image source

lauren child and clarice bean image source

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and the Dreamer who never woke

He described himself as a dreamer who never woke up. Marc Chagall is my kind of person and artist. I have long admired his world of whimsical, fantastical beings and visions . He is a poet, a child, a madman. Pablo Picasso, not known for praising many artists, said that Chagall must have had an angel in his head to paint as he did.
Chagall was fearless and remained true to his own imaginative visions and world, rejecting the popular art of the day (abstraction and intellectual object paintings). Chagall's is a fantastic world of lovers who fly backwards, fiddlers with green faces or humans with rooster heads.
This outsider, eccentric genius rose from poverty and obscurity to become one of the most acclaimed artists of our time.
The French poet Guillaume Apollinaire described his paintings as “supernatural.” Whenever I feel jaded or uninspired, I only have to look at a Chagall painting to feel my sense of awe and wonder of this mysterious universe restored.
He was creating until the day he died, of course, at a very young 97. I can only imagine the angels flocked around this mystical child-artist when he departed this world.
A writer friend, Blaise Cendrars, composed a poem about Chagall: “Suddenly he paints / He grabs a church and paints with a church / He grabs a cow and paints with a cow.”
For Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday let us grab churches and cows and infuse our creative efforts with the joy and enthusiasm of a Marc Chagall. May we continue to see the world through fresh eyes every second and may we never allow ourselves to be pigeon-holed. Three cheers and a backwards flip for Marc Chagall.

If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing. Marc Chagall
The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. In this long vigil he often has to vary his methods of stimulation; but in this long vigil he is also himself striving against a continual tendency to sleep. Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall image source

The Birthday image source:

Midsummer Night's Dream image source

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and Armand and Michaela Denis

I've long loved Armand and Michaela Denis's books detailing their adventures in Africa and around the world. This dynamic couple who were so popular in the fifties are, sadly, barely remembered today. And yet they played such a vital role in conservation and were so influential when it came to nature documentaries.
Their lives resonated with me in a lot of ways. The Kenyan expat community reminded me of my own early years in Papua New Guinea.
Their books make riveting reading as they describe their adventures with lions, the natives, crocodiles and so forth. One of my very favourites is Michaela's 'At Home with Michaela' as she details how she made a beautiful house for herself and what it was really like to be a woman on safari. She soon found out taking lipsticks and cosmetics into the native camps was a sure way to make new friends with the women there. It seems women can have universal interests!
Michaela was a stand-in for Deborah Kerr in the movie King Solomon's Mines and was a quintessential fifties glamour pot. She trained as a dressmaker in Paris and so her life really did take an unexpected turn when she fell in love with the Belgian film-maker Armand Denis. Of course I was always going to have a soft spot for a woman who never forget to apply her red lipstick in the middle of the jungle! She would sneak away many times to dance all night with the natives, and kept her cool whilst being bitten by baboons and charged by wild rhinos!
Both Armand and Michaela were believers in psychic matters and swore they saw a spaceship over the African plains. I also believe strongly in magic and psychic affairs after my time in Papua New Guinea. Michaela's books are filled with fascinating psychic stories of Africa.
The books have a poignant edge as the couple lament the rapid loss of wildlife in the Kenya they loved so much. They would be heartbroken to see the situation today, not only in Africa but worldwide.
Michaela writes beautifully of her longing for a child (sadly which never came to pass, as predicted by an African witch doctor) and of her enormous love for Armand, who she loved so much and regarded as her soulmate.
Although Michaela believed she couldn't live without Armand by her side, she had to as he died in 1971.Michaela stayed in Africa and became interested in spiritual healing techniques which she studied under African healers. She did marry again but her husband died several months after their marriage. Michaela died in Nairobi in 2003.
Although this very special couple often draw blank looks from people when I mention their name and their wonderful books are long out of print, you can still track them down through EBay and secondhand shops.
It was the Scribe who first introduced me to this dynamic, adventuring couple. On Friday I shall post about a wonderful gift the Scribe bought me related to them.
And so for Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday let us pay tribute to the spirit of conservation, adventure and lust for life that Armand and Michaela Denis possessed in spades. May their courage, compassion and sheer guts enter our own creativity and life. And never forget - even if the lion has your scent, don't forget that red lippie!
make every second of this life count. Never feel self- pity - what a vice, what a bore for others!"
Michaela Denis

image of armand and michaela source

image of michaela making herself up source

image of michaela cuddling a very big cat source:

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and Pablo Picasso

It's my birthday week! Tomorrow is my birthday and so for my Monday post I thought I'd select a Scorpio whose birthday was the 25th: the legendary Pablo Picasso.
This multi-talented artist was a child prodigy (although he didn't believe in the term saying all children are genius with art) and worked across several different disciplines in his life. He was a real Scorpio male. They don't come much more Scorpion than Picasso. Dynamic, intense, individualistic, non-conformist, inspiring awe and respect.
So far, this description doesn't sound a lot like myself but something to aim for! I might have not liked to have been one of the women in his life. Pablo was not known for his faithfulness to his female companions. Two women did in fact commit suicide over him. But there's no doubt he would have been a stimulating companion.
His life story is fascinating and inspiring. In 1900 he first travelled to Paris where he had to learn a new language and was so poor he had to burn his own art to keep warm in his tiny home. My two favourite art periods of his are the Blue Period and the Rose period.
He is a tremendously inspiring and exciting artist to read about because of his willingness to tackle new boundaries and dimensions in his artwork. 'Everything you can imagine is real' he said, and his imagination appeared to have no boundaries.
And so for Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday, let us approach our art with all the dynamic energy and passion of Picasso and let us always stretch that little bit further in whatever medium we use. Picasso was fascinated by children's artworks, believing they were closer to spirit. Dissolve your boundaries and limitations and allow creativity to come from your source!
Happy Birthday Pablo and I am sure wherever you are in the spirit world you are creating! And for my birthday, I think I am off to Ikea which I will post about later in the week. Wonder what Pablo would have made of Ikea?

God is really only another artist, he made the elephant, giraffe and cat. He has no real style but keeps trying new ideas.

Inspiration does exist but it must find you working.
Pablo Picasso

picasso image source:

girl in a chemise image source:

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON

I first heard of the Captain many years ago when the Scribe and I were watching a documentary on this warrior of the sea. I was transfixed to the screen as he described the moment he looked into the eyes of a dying whale that he had bravely attempted to save from a whaling vessel. He described the intelligence and knowing in the mammal's eyes, the knowing that Paul Watson was attempting to protect him. That was the pivotal moment when he pledged to do all he could for the creatures of our oceans. I realised I was watching an individual of enormous nobility and courage; a unique soul with an enormous challenge to stop the carnage being done to our oceans.
Always controversial because of his proactive modus operandi of ramming whaling boats, he has been vilified, imprisoned, shot at and has to face political bureaucratic stupidity time and time again from governments attempting to appease the Japanese who continue their cruel and senseless slaughter.
One of the founding members of Greenpeace, Paul left them in 1977 because he didn't feel they were doing enough direct action.
Captain Watson has attracted a large band of celebrity supporters over the years, from Mick Jagger to Martin Sheen, and has won many awards and been honoured by Time magazine in 2000 as one of the environmental heroes of the 20th century.
Captain Watson sails into Sydney today and we are hoping to tour the Steve Irwin at Circular Quay. As usual, his visit attracts the usual controversy with the Australian Federal Police investigating the Captain thanks to Japan's complaints. For some reason our present government is content to stand back and do nothing whilst Japan kills our whales in protected waters. It continues to infuriate me that a hero like Captain Paul Watson and his crew are subject to such shabby treatment in Sydney.
I am very proud to say the Scribe has met the Captain, attending a talk, and was also fortunate enough to interview with him for an Australian men's magazine. He spoke to him for about half an hour and found him very much how he comes across in the media.
Here is a link if you would like to read more about the Captain.
Sea Shepherd:
And so on Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday let me salute the courage of this great and might warrior who achieves more in one weekend of his life than most of us ever will to protect our oceans and the wonderful creatures who live within them. Thank you Captain and safe journeys as you sail!

"I have been honored to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me. These beings have spoken to me, touched me, and I have been rewarded by friendship with many members of different species.
If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy."
- Paul Watson

Paul Watson image source:

whale image source

Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and JOHNNY DEPP

This is one Monday post when I shouldn't really have to say anything except two words - Johnny Depp – and, like the Buddha holding up a Lotus leaf, we all nod and just get it.

However, I'm a tale peddler and words are my passion and joy. What inspires me about Johnny Depp? There are times I wish I didn't love him so much as it seems the entire world shares my feelings and I'd like to be original. Whether I am talking to grannies, schoolchildren, preschool teachers, males or females - mention Johnny and people light up.

To me he has the charisma and presence of the old-time movie actors like Clark Gable. I can honestly say that if George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise walked into my house (such an unlikely scenario I feel confident swearing to this) they wouldn't rate a second glance from me. I'd politely usher them out the door and go back to my book.

But Johnny looks like a person I'd love to hang out with. I'd like to see bands, discuss parenting, talk poetry and silly stuff. I'd like to see him pursue his creative passions like painting, writing and music as I think the results would be really interesting. He's a family guy. He loves his mother, his wife and his children. He has substance, humility and a purity of spirit. He's not some boring pretty-face male actor attending premieres, puffed out with his own ego.

No, Johnny has artistic integrity, choosing films that appeal to him instead of relying on mass-market crappo films or a pretty face and playing the Hollywood game.

And he's a humanitarian. Our hero gives a lot of money to charity whilst insisting his contributions remain private. His kindness on set to all the 'underlings' has often been commented upon in the media.

And so for Magnificent, Marvellous Mighty Monday let us reflect on the Magnificence of the quirky, softly-spoken, talented and super cool Johnny Depp! May the example that he gives us by being true to himself inspire our own craft! Hurrah, Hurrah for Johnny Depp!

I'm shy, paranoid, whatever word you want to use. I hate fame. I've done everything I can to avoid it.
Johnny Depp

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Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and HERCULE POIROT

Although Miss Marple remains my favourite Christie detective, Hercule Poirot the Belgian detective gives the spinster a run for her money. He is everything I am not - organized, methodical, with a tendency to use intellect over heart and emotions. Add his wonderful, immaculate Art Deco apartment (no dust! Perfect symmetry). I long to be Poirot at times, living in such an orderly world. I suspect we do however have a touch of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in common. The Queen of Crime may have tired of her famous creation, finding him 'insufferable', but I feel his popularity is a testament to Agatha's skill in creating characters that we can relate to. I remember weeping my way through Curtain: Poirot's Last Case; even the New York Times published a front-page obituary for the little detective. In a recent poll at the official Agatha Christie website, Hercule Poirot topped Miss Marple.
And it goes without saying that David Suchet is my favourite Poirot of all time. He is Hercule Poirot!
And so for Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday, let us throw our top hats into the air, polish up our intellect, ensure all items around us are placed in pleasing order and give three loud cheers for Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells!
"I am Hercule Poirot and I know."
Death in the Clouds
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Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and L. Frank Baum

A shy child, L. Frank Baum grew into an adult who attempted many different jobs with varying degrees of success: chicken breeder, acting, salesman, managing theatres, newspaper work, playwright. He even began a magazine on window dressing.

He was a caring, nurturing father of his own children and would spend hours a day comforting and soothing them.

Frank wrote and published his first book when he was 41. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became one of the best-selling books for children in the 20th century.

For nearly two decades this prolific author wrote and published over 60 books and many short stories and poems. He would never write a book again with the mythical magic and sales power of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Rather than this daunting him Frank continued to write, refusing to rest on the laurels of his first book.

Librarians decreed The Wonderful Wizard of Oz a dull read and flat in style. It was kept off library shelves until 1960.

In 1911 Frank declared bankruptcy. Despite his financial woes, he remained his chirpy, determined self and continued to attempt new things.

His health began to deteriorate in 1917. He suffered from gall bladder problems and spent a lot of time bedridden where he continued to write and remained optimistic until the day he died. Just before he died, he said: "Now we can cross the Shifting Sands."

L. Frank Baum is an inspiration for the way he continued to strive for his dreams despite hardships, heartbreak and disappointments. To me he epitomises that wonderful American 'can do' spirit I've always admired.

For all of us who have thrilled to the ever eternal magic of The Wizard of Oz, for those of us who still feel a thrill when we see a pair of ruby slippers or hear the words, "There's no place like home!" – let us pay homage to the Wizard of words and magical tales, L Frank Baum, on this Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday.
"When I was young I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now that I am getting old my first book is written to amuse children. For, aside from my evident inability to do anything 'great,' I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp which when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward."
L. Frank Baum

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