Titania-Everyday

Wednesday; A Satire; The News Paper Man;

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000+10:00

Satire; The News Paper Man;

Waiting at death’s door, the news paper man said:” the good news are, there is no hell; the bad news are there is no heaven”.

A deep sigh and he floats softly as an atom; finally settling in a sapling...

100 years have passed just like that. The sapling grew and grew and grew stretching its branches to the sky.

Ready; the chainsaw made short work and the pulp mill was waiting.

In the morning, when turning the pages of a News Paper one can hear faintly a sigh…and a hiss…bloody hell!

© TS

Monday; Bookworm;

2011-10-10T14:35:00.000+10:00

Lettah's Gift by Graham Lang.

A very tragic but still wonderful book to read. Sad though, to see a country, Zimbabwe and its people ruined by bad politics.
Last page; And in this moment I see the smile beneath her veil, as warm and beautiful as it used to be.

Sepia Saturday; Happiness;

2011-04-09T07:19:00.000+10:00

   I like this photo of my mother and her first Love. It was probably 1930.
   This is not my father. My mother and this man were not allowed to be together. So, my mother left and
   went to Switzerland where she met my father and they married later.
   Sometimes she went back to her hometown and on the photos one can see when she met H. again, that
   they  still had a soft spot for each other.
   I think it would have been nice for her to marry her first love. Alas I would not be here then!

Please visit Sepia Saturday to go back in time;

Sepia Saturday 69

Photo from my family archive.

Wednesday; fairy tales...

2011-04-05T18:50:00.000+10:00

Jacek Yerka

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
— Albert Einstein

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
— G.K. Chesterton

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be some kind of library."
— Jorge Luis Borges

Tuesday; out of the box...

2011-04-05T05:00:00.000+10:00

   ....came this little porcelain Dachshund. It was given to me at Christmas 1958.
   My father died in September and we had a sad time. Christmas came along and  we spend Christmas Day
   with my aunt, the older sister of my mother, as we did not want to celebrate Christmas at home without my

father. My aunt was not the person to make presents to her nieces. I was very surprised when she presented me with this little Dachshund. She knew I love dogs. The little dog has survived all my moves around the world. It has again its proper place and I swear sometimes it winks at me!

Monday; another day to enjoy....

2011-04-04T11:39:00.000+10:00

A visitor on the Olive tree got big and fat on the tough Olive leaves. I am not sure if it will be a very big butterfly or a very big moth. I am always thrilled when I see nature at work.

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

Lewis Carroll

Photo TS

Tuesday; the love of books...

2011-03-29T04:11:00.000+10:00

Read to your hearts desire..

Above the entrance to St Gallen Abbey Library, one of the oldest of its kind, is a Greek inscription which translates into English as "pharmacy of the soul".

The monks who founded the library considered books as medicine for the spirit. The 150,000 strong collection, now part of a Unesco World Heritage site, continues to inspire visitors and scholars today.

Monday; good one...

2011-03-28T07:44:00.000+10:00

Dance into the week...

Washington Wonderland | The Washington Ballet

Art / Books

Created in celebration of The Washington Ballet’s tenth anniversary, Washington Wonderland is a brilliant documentation of the works presented by the company. This fancy series is a creative collision of Cade Martin, Design Army and The Washington Ballet that has captured...

Sepia Saturday; Treasures from the grandmothers;

2011-03-26T07:51:00.000+10:00

Reading glasses from my grand mother. They might be from my great grand mother. I am not sure. Anyway, I treasure them and have used them to do fine embroideries. The frames are silver and yellow gold finely engraved or chased with a pattern. They fit perfectly and are very light.

Spectacles, or eye glasses as they are more commonly known today, have a rich history. As early as the 15th century, the wearing of spectacles gave the illusion of a strong intelligence among the blue-blooded nobility. By the 18th century, gentlemen wore spectacles to give the impression of intellect, although many did not know how to read.
The first spectacles made, known as 'Pince Nez', were generally of wood or leather with a center pivot and date to the 15th and 16th centuries. Old paintings and woodcuts show these types of glasses being worn. During the 17th and 18th century, the 'Nuremberg' type, made of a continuous copper wire frame with round lenses, became extremely popular due to their inexpensive price. All Pince Nez type of glasses are characterized by their lack of earpieces; they were formed to sit on the bridge of the nose. They remained popular through the 1930's under different patents and varieties.

In the 18th century, 'Temple' spectacles were invented, with arms fitted with rings, which allowed the temple pieces to be pressed against the head. They were also known as Wig spectacles as the arms were secured beneath the wigs of prominent men. Most of this type of spectacles had round lenses, although you can occasionally come upon rectangular or octagonal shapes. Bifocal lenses, usually attributed to being invented by Benjamin Franklin, also made their appearance during this period.

The watch is silver. The back is engraved with a garland and her Initials. The back can be opened to put a small keepsake. The front has big roman numerals and the hands are rose gold and intricately carved. I have never opened the back as it did not open and I was afraid I would damage the case if I forced it open. I wonder if there is a keepsake inside. I don't know how old this watch is, it might have been her mothers as well.

Please click here to visit Sepia Saturday

Photos TS

Friday; Time;

2011-03-25T04:46:00.000+10:00

Time of Roses by Thomas Hood

It was not in the Winter

Our loving lot was cast;

It was the time of roses—

We pluck'd them as we pass'd!

That churlish season never frown'd

On early lovers yet:

O no—the world was newly crown'd

With flowers when first we met!

'Twas twilight, and I bade you go,

But still you held me fast;

It was the time of roses—

We pluck'd them as we pass'd!

Yes,I do like my Minnie Watch best; I have been a "few years" on this planet, my hair is grey but my heart still sings to the tunes of childhood.

Photo TS

Thursday; misconceptions;

2011-03-24T04:24:00.000+10:00

Jacek Yerka; Fantasia;

Fallacious ideas and beliefs are documented and widespread;

Christopher Columbus's efforts to obtain support for his voyages were never hampered by a European belief that Earth was flat.
Sailors and navigators of the time knew that Earth was spherical. Though they, correctly, disagreed with Columbus's estimates of the distance to India, which was approximately one-sixth of the actual distance.
If the Americas did not exist, and had Columbus continued to India, he would have run out of supplies before reaching it at the rate he was traveling.
Without the ability to determine longitude at sea, he could not have noticed that his estimate was in error in time to return. This longitude problem remained unsolved until the 18th century, when the lunar distance method emerged in parallel with efforts by inventor John Harrison to create the first marine chronometers.
The intellectual class had known that the Earth was spherical since the works of the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. Eratosthenes made a very good estimate of the Earth's diameter in the third century BC.

courtesy Wikipedia

Wednesday; free to....

2011-03-23T05:28:00.000+10:00

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Watercolour TS

Tuesday; an ordinary day;

2011-03-22T06:41:00.000+10:00

"War: a massacre of people who don't know each other for the profit of people who know each other."
Paul Valery (French poet, essayist and critic, 1871-1945)

Monday...sparkles;

2011-03-21T06:45:00.001+10:00

Monday the start of a fresh, new week. Let's go....

THE FLOWER.


Once in a golden hour
  I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
  The people said, a weed.

To and fro they went
  Thro' my garden-bower,
And muttering discontent
  Cursed me and my flower.

Then it grew so tall
  It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
  Stole the seed by night.

Sow'd it far and wide
  By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried
  `Splendid is the flower.'

Read my little fable:
  He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
  For all have got the seed.

And some are pretty enough,
  And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
  Call it but a weed.

Poetry by   Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Photo TS "my garden"

Sunday; Hope;

2011-03-13T16:13:00.000+10:00

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."
— Marilyn Monroe

Surrealism; Vladimir Kush;

Friday; Plaisir....

2011-03-11T06:29:00.000+10:00

Chinese Painting, Zouchuanan-flowers

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."
— Groucho Marx

Thursday; feeling good...

2011-03-10T06:43:00.000+10:00

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."
— Mark Twain

Photo TS

Wednesday; I am thinking about this one;

2011-03-09T05:52:00.000+10:00

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.

— Dr. Seuss

Photo TS

Tuesday; Exercise;

2011-03-08T05:25:00.000+10:00

"Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away."

— Robert Maynard Hutchins

Monday...monday... blues;

2011-03-07T05:49:00.000+10:00

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

— Oscar Wilde

Photo TS

What about a new Wallpaper?

2011-02-28T06:06:00.000+10:00

Carnowski Wallpaper; add some fantasy to a room!

Dream of very light, contemporary furniture for a sitting room, or a capricious bedroom all in white.

Wouldn't it be nice?

Enjoy!

What about a new carpet?

2011-02-24T20:39:00.000+10:00

Something different!

Sublime Ballet;

2011-02-22T11:47:00.000+10:00

Everything is beautiful at the ballet... A Chorus Line

Sepia Saturday; Old wineglasses;

2011-02-12T12:49:00.000+10:00

My mother's wineglasses have a "Art Nouveau" pattern.The glasses are 80 years old. I am still using them.
when I use them I always think of the happy times we had when they were in use.

Please visit Sepia Saturday to indulge yourself in a bit of Nostalgia.

Sepia Saturday; Franz and Emilie Stefanie;

2011-01-01T15:08:00.000+10:00

Franz, born 1912 was my mother's brother. He and Emilie Stefanie got married in 1941.

Their life together did not last long as he was killed in 1945. He died in East Prussia, shortly after he was captured by the Russians, he stood on a mine and was killed.

Emilie Stefanie remarried much later in 1961. She died in 2005, she was 92 years old.

She never had children.

I have never met them. I think there was sort of a misunderstanding between my mother and her. I do not exactly know what happened. I know she wanted to come and live with us after Franz died and did not return from the war. All I know, my mother did not let her, she had a certain dislike against her. I do not know why and I do not know what sort of cause could have instigated this. This photo was all that was left in our house of the two.

Please visit Sepia Saturday for more stories of the past.

Sepia Saturday; Josef and Anna;

2010-12-04T05:54:00.000+10:00

This wedding has taken place in 1931 in Austria. My mothers brother Josef born 1909 and his bride Anna born 1910. Anna is wearing a white dress but not a veil. The basket with the flowers is a nice touch and there is also the ubiquitous fur on the floor.

I did not know them very well. I visited them a few time when I was a child with my mother. I remember them as friendly and loving. Anna always at her sewing machine. Josef died in 1980 and Anna a year later. They had four children.

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Joy... and sadness;

2010-12-01T04:36:00.000+10:00

Summer has arrived!

On Saturday we went to the QPAC Concert Hall.

It was a wonderful production from the Maestro Series.

We listened to Beethoven Symphony No 9 in D minor Choral movement 1-3

Bernd Alois Zimmermann; And turning then I saw the great injustice that is done under the heavens.

The concert ended with Beethoven Symphony No 9 movement 4.

B.A. Zimmermann had no optimism left and took his own life.

Sunday was the Christmas market at the Eco village which is situated opposite from our home.

At four PM we went over and had a look at all the homemade products. We ate a grilled sausage and I bought a shopping bag made of vintage cotton. It is washable and so much prettier then the plastic one available from the super markets. That was our weekend.

Photos TS

A Marriage 1937

2010-11-20T06:11:00.001+10:00

My father's brother, Franz Josef Erwin and his bride Gertrud Martina,

married 19. November 1937.

The bride looks austere in her black dress and black shoes, but I think it was the fashion at the time. She wears a beautiful, long veil and a bouquet of white carnations. Today carnations are not the flowers a bride would carry.

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Parlato Italiano; Sepia Saturday;

2010-11-07T06:33:00.000+10:00

Florence 1958; studying Italian;

"David" is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 5.17 metre (17 feet)[1] marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence.

Enjoy Sepia Saturday click here

Sepia Saturday; Easter 1934

2010-10-24T06:04:00.000+10:00

Peter's Mother and her children; a stroll in the woods; Easter Sunday 1934;

Erik, called Didie, the oldest, then Paul the third child, Rosemarie, called Rugeli the second oldest and Peter my husband in the stroller.

There were more children later. Three more boys, one died as a child on Polio and two more girls. The youngest child, a boy born 1942. All are still alive.

Nellie was born 1909 and died when she was 94 years old.

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Sepia Saturday; Memories; The Eugster's-Bischoff's

2010-10-17T06:31:00.000+10:00

Gertrud Martina was my godmother. She was the wife of my father's brother Erwin. They had a small holding.The summer month they spend in the Swiss alps with the cows and made excellent butter and cheese. Her parents lived with them in the same farm house, like it was custom then.

Her parents name was Bischoff, as a child I thought he was a Bishop! It is a very old pre Christian and interesting name of Greek origin. If you are interested here is the link

Gertrud Martina, preferred to work outside on the farm. We visited often and helped also with the hay making. On Sunday she cooked always a beautiful meal which we ate in the living room. In the middle of the big kitchen was a table and benches but on Sunday we ate in the living room.

She was plagued with a big goitre but later it was removed.

Two of her children, my cousins. Erwin and his sister Erna. this picture was probably taken by my mother in 1944. Erna was a beautiful girl. She had these amazing big grey eyes and dark eyelashes. The house in front was the farm house. Nobody lived in the house at the back. All the rooms were empty, in a odd way it was a bit eerie. We used to play in there and I liked it very much running up and down the wooden stairs.

I have very fond memories of those people, especially my uncle Erwin he was a very kind and nice man.

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Rainy days...

2010-10-13T15:37:00.001+10:00

After the rain the garden looks so fresh and green. The plants have soaked up all the moisture possible. Leaves quivering to catch all the raindrops. In the sun they glitter like diamonds, luminous and shiny on leaves, flowers and branches. Everything grows double as quick. The big, red leaves of a philodendron scrambling up a tree tremble with all the moisture.

The garden is densely planted, when it rains it resembles a rain forest with a big variety of plants, in many shapes, sizes and wonderful patterns and colours.

Please click the photos

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.

John Updike

The Rain

I hear leaves drinking rain;

I hear rich leaves on top

Giving the poor beneath

Drop after drop;

'Tis a sweet noise to hear

These green leaves drinking near.

William Henry Davis

Life is like this: sometimes sun, sometimes rain.~ Fijian Proverb

The Rain

All night the sound had

come back again,

and again falls

this quite, persistent rain.

Robert Creeley

All Photos from my garden, please click;

Sepia Saturday; Summer 1934

2010-10-10T04:53:00.000+10:00

My aunt Helena called Tante Leni and Thomas her husband to be. Bathing in the river Drau, summer 1934. Helene was born 1911 and Thomas 1907. They married in 1936. They already had a daughter born 1930.

It was common in Austria to have children out of wedlock. My mother did not but both my aunts

have born children before they got married.

My great grand mother had both her daughters out of wedlock, my grand mother Franziska Aloisia and an other daughter Helena.She did not have more children. My grandmother also had some of her children out of wedlock.

1934; the taller boy Richard was the youngest child in my mother's family. He was born 1922.

He is now 88 years old and the last alive of my mothers siblings. His mother died at is birth.

The cheerful little fellow Seppel was born 1927. He is the son of my mothers older sister Viktoria

called Tante Dora.

I am not sure who took the pictures, probably my mother who was always taking photos.

Enjoy Sepia Saturday and click here;

Sepia Saturday; Hunt;

2010-09-26T10:25:00.000+10:00

The man on the right standing against the tree is my father.

He always liked to be out in nature. He worked for a few municipalities as a forester; he had to check the woods what to plant and which trees to harvest for the sawmills. He liked this job very much. He had learned a different profession because his uncle owned a shop and he was supposed to work there. He hated it and went a different way. I guess this was probably in the 1930's.

Hunting with some friends. My father is the one smiling behind the sitting man's head. It was not free just to shoot anything. One needed a licence. It was not allowed to kill a female animal. It was also regulated how many animals were to be culled. It provided much needed protein for many families through the cold winters.

At least the animals led a decent and free life in the mountains; not like the farmed cattle in those terrible feedlots like they exist today; where they are injected with hormones, antibiotics and other nasties and lead a pitiful life until they are killed.

As long as I can remember my father had his 10 days of hunting. As older he got as less he wanted to shoot the animals, mostly he came home without shooting anything. He just wanted to be in the mountains and watch the animals. He did not join his friends anymore for the hunt he wanted to be alone.

This was my godmother's husband; he had many children and they all had very fancy names.

His eldest daughter was named Shirlee, after the baby film star Shirlee Temple. Anyway at the baptism the catholic priest said, Shirlee was not a "Christian" name and she had to be renamed "Sirna". We always called her Shirlee!

For many more Sepia Saturday memories click here

Sepia Saturday; being silly...

2010-09-18T12:32:00.000+10:00

First the Torero and then...

...dancing the Flamenco!

I do not think such silly pictures are still taken in Spain! This must have been in the fifties.

Gosh, we didn't know each other then!

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Sepia Saturday; Are they family?

2010-09-11T15:47:00.000+10:00

Unfortunately there is no date nor names on the back of this photograph.

I am pretty sure the old lady on the right is my grandmother. In the middle beside her is my father. I haven't got a clue who the others are. It looks like a family photo does it not?

I have tried to figure it out but it does not add up with the ages of the people, unless I am guessing the wrong ages.

My dad was born 1903.

My grandmother was born 1869.

Or could this be my great grandmother born 1841. My grandmother had four children. Could it be her holding her last baby born 1908 ?

The pretty girl standing could be her eldest daughter born 1898.

The little boy with the sailor suit could be my father, 6 years old and his younger brother 4 years old.

The picture could have been taken in summer 1909, the last baby girl on the arm of her mother was born in June 1908.

I rather think the other people might be the children from a sister or brother of my grandmother,perhaps! I probably will never find out.

Please click the picture.

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Chocolate chip c(h)ookies...

2010-09-06T05:42:00.000+10:00

Last week Fabrizia could not attend school as she had the German Measels. She spend a couple of days with me. We decided to bake cookies, old favourites which we called Chocolate chip chookies.

Try them and have fun with your grand children.

Sepia Saturday; In a Jonquil field;

2010-09-04T05:40:00.000+10:00

1958 a little friend and I gathering Jonquils near Montreux in the French part of Switzerland. Memories of a beautiful spring day.

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Sepia Saturday; School photography;

2010-08-28T05:49:00.000+10:00

Some where in this picture is my father. I do not know when this picture was taken. My guess is

1910 or a couple of years later. There are 27 boys and 23 girls. This is a small village school. I guess some are siblings. In my father's family were 4 children 2 boys and two girls. At this time families were still big, generally more then 4 children. Perhaps in this photo is his brother or sisters. His older sister Rosa was born 1898, my father 1903, his younger brother Franz Josef Erwin 1905 and his youngest sister 1908.

This is my school class of 1951. I am the second from left wearing a white blouse. We are 12 years old. The girls had to wear aprons.This is also a village school. There was discipline at school.

Mr. Caderas was a good and kind teacher.

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Smile.....

2010-08-26T08:18:00.000+10:00

Got my son an iPhone for his birthday the other week and recently got my daughter an iPod for hers.

I was dead chuffed when the family clubbed together and bought me an iPad for Father's day.

Got my wife an iRon for her birthday. It was around then the fight started...

Skiing in Switzerland; Sepia Saturday;

2010-08-20T19:12:00.000+10:00

Arosa, Switzerland, March 1955; I am the girl with the scarf. There was not yet one Microfiber in sight!

Bivio, Switzerland 1959, with a friend. Bivio was a newly developed piste, it was a smaller version like Parsenn Davos - Klosters which I loved to ski.

Please visit Sepia Saturday to enjoy stories and pictures of yesteryear.

A sad picture; Sepia Saturday;

2010-08-13T19:32:00.000+10:00

I do not know much about this baby. I know it was a baby brother of my mother.

All the living children of Franziska are mentioned with their name and date of birth.This little boy is not mentioned. I do not know his name or how old he was when he died. If my mother would not have kept this photo I would not have known, that there was another boy. I think my mother only had a photo because nobody knew about him. I think it was a custom to make a photo of a dead child. There is no photo of him when he was alive. I do not know why he died so early.

Sepia Saturday click here

The number 9;

2010-08-11T19:51:00.000+10:00

The beautiful scented Narcissus has 9 letters, it is flowering now in my garden!

All numbers have interesting backgrounds. I have four 9 and 123 in my birthday.

I am not superstitious, I do not believe in the occult or mystics.

I have for fun and interest had a look at the Number 9.

It has many interesting facts and superstitions hanging on to it.

It is all man made.

"What's Special About This Number" Facts

People have always been fascinated by NUMBERS... Numbers are actually basic elements of mathematics used for counting, measuring, ranking, comparing quantities, and solving equations. Numbers have unique properties: for some they are merely concise symbols manipulated according to arbitrary rules, for others numbers carry occult powers and mystic virtues.

Almost all numeration systems start as simple tally marks, using single strokes to represent each additional unit. The first known use of numbers dates back to around 30,000 BC when tally marks were precisely used by stone age people.

Numbers, cover a range of different topics including mathematics, history, philosophy, psychology, symbolism, etymology, language, and/or ethnology...Number of the patience, the meditation.

Number of the harmony, it represents the inspiration and the perfection of the ideas.

It is the expression of "the power of the Holy Spirit", according to Etchegoyen.

Symbolize the plenitude of talents, the reward of the tests.

Symbol of the creation and the life as a rhythm and development.

As a product of 3 x 3, it is the expression of the perfection, the symbol of the virile power, in addition to be associated to the couple.

Nine is the number of the one who accomplishes the divine will. According to the Cabal, it is also the number of the achievement.

The freemasons have made it the eternal number of human immortality.

Being the last simple number, it is the number of finalization or finition; it is therefore the most complex, that marks the full lighting up of the numerical series.

This number was considered as sacred in Egypt and in Greece.

Number of the man, as a numeral symbol of his gestation (nine months).

Number symbolizing the nocturnal and terrestrial things, for the Aztecs.

Number of the hierarchy, represented by nine choruses of the Angels.

Represent the three divine manifestations in the three plans: world of the spirit, world of the soul, world of the matter, which gives a triple manifestations of Trinity (3 x 3).

Symbol of the multitude, and according to Parmenide, it concerns the absolute things and it is the symbol of the totality of the human being.

A favorable number, associate to the eternity.

After the death of a Pope, we celebrate masses for the rest of his soul during nine days, with nine absolutions.

Nine was the name of the sacred mountain of the Sun, for the ancient Egyptians.

Some peoples believed that the Sky was divided into nine celestial levels. It was the case for the Buddhists and also for the last worshippers of Mithra.

The nine plains of the Chinese sky. The hall of the imperial throne was separated by nine gates from the rest of the palace and the book of Annals, named Chou-king, exposes the "Sublime Science" in nine rules. Also the Chinese prostrated 9 times in front of their emperor.

There were nine gates which separated the sacred enclosure (the holy of Holies) of some religious traditions, from the rest of the space, this one considered profane.

Deucalion, the Greek Noah, sails during 9 days on the vessel which he has built on the command of the gods.

For Hesiode, the Earth was separated from the Heaven by a distance of nine days and nine nights, and from the hell also by nine days and nights.

The nine levels of the hell of Dante.

The language includes, grammatically, nine parts: the verb, the noun, the adjective, the participle, the conjunction, the article, the pronoun, the preposition and the adverb - interjection apart.

The nine planets discovered in our solar system, are in the order starting from Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Recently a tenth planet was discovery beyond Pluto.

R. Allendy speaks about the curious arithmetical properties of the nine which gives it a very particular character because of the use of our decimal notation system. In another numerical notation system they would cease to exist: the difference between an unspecified number and the number formed by the inversion of its digits is always a multiple of 9 - example: between 26 and 62, the difference is 36, multiple of 9; the multiples of 9 are always composed of digits where the sum (once reduced) is equal to 9; the product 123456789 x 9 gives 9 times the digit 1 in the answer (1111111101). Concerning this last property, Elisabeth Haich mentiones the next calculations:

0 x 9 + 1 = 1

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 + 10 = 1111111111

Nines are "magical": the answer to the nines facts always add up to

nine (e.g., 9x8=72; 7+2=9).

“I’m floating on cloud nine”

This saying describes feeling euphoric or happy. The phrase came into use in the 1950s when used by the US Weather Bureau to describe the highest cloud, the cumulo-nimbus.

“Going the whole nine yards”

The whole nine yards has a few possible origins, but a common thought it originates from tailors using nine yards of material to make top quality suits.

“Dressed to the nines”

The expression ‘to the nines’ means to the highest degree. Someone dressed “to the nines” is dressed up as much as they can be.

“A stitch in time saves nine”

”The stitch in time is simply the sewing up of a small hole and so saving the need for more stitching at a later date, when the hole has become larger.

“A wonder lasts but nine days”

This means that a novelty that loses its appeal after a few days.

“Nine times out of ten”

An expression describing a likely probability.

“A cat has nine lives”

One theory on the origin of this expression is that in ancient times nine was a lucky number. As cats seem able to escape injury time and time again, this lucky number seemed suited to the cat.

The nine nodes of the bamboo for the Taoists.

The nine notches of the birch-axis of the world at the Siberian tribes.

The nine openings of the man for Islam.

The nine stages that should traverse the souls of Aztecs to reach the eternal rest. They counted also nine underground worlds.

The nine was the key number of teaching for the materialistic Hindu philosophers in the Vaiceshika school.

I come to the conclusion that the number 9 has two possibilities if I were superstitious I would go and buy a lottery ticket or I would be scared to death. Luckily I am an optimist so I am buying a lottery ticket.

Sepia Saturday; My Mother born 8th of April 1910

2010-08-07T10:36:00.000+10:00

My Mother, Rosalia, went through two world wars. I think the photo above is her passport photo

taken 1927. She left her country for personal reasons and went to Switzerland. Besides her passport she needed her finishing school certificate, she was a very bright student. She also needed a character reference from her home town.(Please click all the pictures)

My mother was a keen photographer and she always took her camera.

This photo was taken in Arosa. It is a famous holiday place for winter and summer sports or for a relaxing holiday in the mountains. My mother is on the right side.

My mother in the middle of her two friends, nonidentical twins.

My mother was always smartly dressed, very clever and she had a lot of stamina. I have never seen her sick in bed, despite she suffered from headaches.

Please click here for more Sepia Saturday

Don't forget to smell the Roses;

2010-08-03T19:15:00.001+10:00

Ilona; strong colour, subtle perfume;

Just Pink, soft colour, wonderful scent;

One Perfect Rose by Dorothy Parker

A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.

All tenderly his messenger he chose;

Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet -

One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret;

'My fragile leaves,' it said, 'his heart enclose.'

Love long has taken for his amulet

One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet

One perfect limousine, do you suppose?

Ah no, it's always just my luck to get

One perfect rose.

Iceberg; pristine and sweet.

Photos from my garden august 2o10, TS.

Sepia Saturday; School photo;

2010-07-31T07:20:00.000+10:00

My Mothers school. I am not sure in which year this was taken. My Mother is the sixth girl on

the right side at the back of the row. She wears her hair up in plaits. she wears a jumper with white spots, her arms are at the back. All the children make very serious faces. Photography then was not an every day event. The room is very bare, everything in education, teaching and bringing up the children was very different. (please click the picture)

Sepia Saturday click here and enjoy nostalgia at its best.

Google is sometimes very annoying it just did not align properly, when I published, grrrr...

Photo TS

Yearnings for summer;

2010-07-28T20:03:00.001+10:00

Tall, orange Cannas;

The warm scent of Abelia;

Silky orchids;

Red, ripe tomatoes;

Pink daylilies;

I don't know why she is yearning for summer, winter is not to bad!

Paul; Sepia Saturday;

2010-07-23T16:36:00.000+10:00

I think he missed his role in "Brideshead revisited."

Paul was Peter's, my husband's father. He was an artist mainly watercolours, a photographer and he worked in a cigarette factory as designer. He was a brilliant entertainer,very clever, but he lacked the commitment to his family. He got ill with Tuberculosis and died 1947 when he was 40 years old.

Please click here to view Sepia Saturday,

Nostalgia at its best.

Sad...

2010-07-19T17:04:00.000+10:00

Mrs Benteli our pet Guinea fowl was with us for over 15 years. She followed me and when I called her she always answered. In the morning I fed her together with the chooks. Sometimes I gave her little treats. She loved oats with milk. This morning when I called her she did not answer. I was afraid something happened. When I went in search of her all I found was her feathers. Perhaps a fox got her. She was only a little guinea fowl but she was very cute and we loved her.

A sad end for Mrs. Benteli.

Sepia Saturday; My Grandmother;

2010-07-17T12:19:00.000+10:00

My grandmother Franziska Tischler - Schneeberger, born 1889 in Austria. She had 3 girls, Victoria, Rosa my mother, and Helene. She also gave birth to 4 boys, Josef, uncle Peppe. Franz died in the second world war, killed by a mine just as he was captured by the Russians. Simon died in the second world war,missing.
Richard, the youngest of the siblings is 88 years old. Franziska died when he was born, a stepmother brought him up. C'est la vie.

For more nostalgic sepia photography join or visit Sepia Saturday.

Sepia Saturday; My dad;

2010-07-09T19:19:00.000+10:00

My dad, Emile, as a tiny boy; he was born in April 1903 he would be 107 years old. I loved him very much and will never forget him. He was clever and had a good sense of humour.

Please follow the link Sepia Saturday to participate or to visit and enjoy interesting and beautiful photography.

The Hot; The Loud and The Proud; Dendrobium Orchids

2010-06-30T19:13:00.000+10:00

For this end of month meme orchestrated by Noel Morata A plant fanatic in Hawaii

I have chosen Dendrobium Orchids. They are all growing in small hanging pots under trees.

They are easy to grow and flower abundantly every spring.

Click here to admire The Hot, The Loud and The Proud;

Busy...busy...

2010-06-19T07:51:00.001+10:00

There is a lot of gardening to be done in the cool season. A few new comers have been added.

Bougainvillea "Coconut Ice". The colour is very luminous which does not really show in the picture. I planted it in a pot with the intention to curb its vigour a little but still let its roots make their way into the ground which will save on watering. I prune it after flowering.

This startled looking cat has found her way into the herb garden planted with a variegated thyme.

The herb garden is also turning more and more in a little rose garden. Yesterday I planted "Brandy" a hybrid tea rose, as they do generally well in winter, spring and autumn. In summer they struggle with the humidity and hot weather. Brandy is a yellow apricot blend. I also bought

again "Just Joe" also for the herb garden. The two colours will compliment each other.

Lady Mann grows in a big pot for many years. It is an Australian bred Rose by Alistair Clark.

Here she looks a bit bedraggled from the rain we had over night...

Generally she looks like this...perfect!

I also bought a new red torch Ginger for which I have to find a good spot. When I plant it I will split it and share it with my daughter Marie-Louise.

Linen...

2010-05-26T05:12:00.000+10:00

One of my antique linen table cloth which I inherited from my mother.

I remember one of my aunts planting a field of Flax. The purpose of this was to produce linen sheets for her two daughters. Later my cousin used those sheets. When they were wet she could barley lift them! It was also a struggle to put them on the beds as they were so heavy. I think those sheets will live for the next one thousand years!

Flax fibers are amongst the oldest fiber crops in the world. The use of flax for the production of linen goes back at least to ancient Egyptian times.

Pictures on tombs and temple walls atThebes depict flowering flax plants. The use of flax fiber in the manufacturing of cloth in northern Europe dates back to Neolithic times. In North America, flax was introduced by the Puritans.

Flax fiber is extracted from the bast or skin of the stem of the flax plant. Flax fiber is soft, lustrous and flexible; bundles of fiber have the appearance of blonde hair, hence the description "flaxen". It is stronger than cotton fiber but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such asdamasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope. Flax fiber is also a raw material for the high-quality paper industry for the use of printed banknotes ( now mainly made of plastic.)

The pretty flowers of the flax plant.

Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) (binomial name: Linum usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum in the familyLinaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India . Flax was extensively cultivated in ancient Ethiopia and ancient Egypt. In a prehistoric cave in the Republic of Georgia dyed flax fibers have been found that date to 34,000BC
New Zealand flax is not related to flax, but was named after it as both plants are used to produce fibres.

Flax fibres vary in length from about 25 to 150 centimeters (18 to 55 in) and average 12-16 micrometers in diameter. There are two varieties: shorter tow fibers used for coarser fabrics and longer line fibres used for finer fabrics. Flax fibres can usually be identified by their “nodes” which add to the flexibility and texture of the fabric.
The cross-section of the linen fibre is made up of irregular polygonal shapes which contribute to the coarse texture of the fabric.

Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, linen fabric feels cool to the touch. Linen is among the strongest of the vegetable fibers, with 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free, and gets softer the more it is washed. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily, explaining why it wrinkles so easily.
Linen fabrics have a high natural luster; their natural color ranges between shades of ivory, ecru, tan, or grey.
Pure white linen is created by heavy bleaching. Linen typically has a thick and thin character with a crisp and textured feel to it, but it can range from stiff and rough, to soft and smooth. When properly prepared, linen fabric has the ability to absorb and lose water rapidly. It can gain up to 20% moisture without feeling damp.
When freed from impurities, linen is highly absorbent and will quickly remove perspiration from the skin. Linen is a stiff fabric and is less likely to cling to the skin; when it billows away, it tends to dry out and become cool so that the skin is being continually touched by a cool surface. It is a very durable, strong fabric, and one of the few that are stronger wet than dry. The fibers do not stretch and are resistant to damage from abrasion. However, because linen fibers have a very low elasticity, the fabric will eventually break if it is folded and ironed at the same place repeatedly.
Mildew, perspiration, and bleach can also damage the fabric, but it is resistant to moths and carpet beetles. Linen is relatively easy to take care of, since it resists dirt and stains, has no lint or pilling tendency, and can be dry cleaned, machine washed or steamed. It can withstand high temperatures, and has only moderate initial shrinkage.
Linen should not be dried too much by tumble drying: it is much easier to iron when damp. Linen wrinkles very easily, and so some more formal linen garments require ironing often, in order to maintain perfect smoothness. Nevertheless the tendency to wrinkle is often considered part of the fabric's particular "charm", and a lot of modern linen garments are designed to be air dried on a good hanger and worn without the necessity of ironing.

A characteristic often associated with contemporary linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots which occur randomly along its length. However, these slubs are actually defects associated with low quality. The finest linen has very consistent diameter threads, with no slubs.

Producers

Flax is grown in many parts of the world, but top quality flax is primarily grown in Western Europe. In very recent years bulk linen production has moved to Eastern Europe and China, but high quality fabrics are still confined to niche producers in Ireland, Italy and Belgium. Also countries including Poland, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Britain and some parts of India.

The seed pods of the flax plant;

Flax seeds contain high levels of dietary fiber including lignans, an abundance of micronutrients and omega-3 fatty acids (table). Flax seeds may lower cholesterol levels, especially in women. Initial studies suggest that flax seeds taken in the diet may benefit individuals with certain types of breast and prostate cancers. Flax may also lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels. There is some support for the use of flax seed as a laxative due to its dietary fiber content though excessive consumption without liquid can result in intestinal blockage. Consuming large amounts of flax seed may impair the effectiveness of certain oral medications, due to its fiber content, and may have adverse effect due to its content of neurotoxic cyanogen glycosides and immuno-suppressive cyclic nonapeptides.

A hand embroidered linen towel also inherited from my mother.

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather.

Textiles in a linen-weave texture, even when made of cotton, hemp and other non-flax fibers are also loosely referred to as "linen". Such fabrics generally have their own specific names other than linen; for example, fine cotton yarn in a linen-style weave is calledMadapolam.

The collective term "linens" is still often used generically to describe a class of woven and even knitted bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles. The name linens is retained because traditionally, linen was used for many of these items. In the past, the word "linens" was also used to mean lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, waistshirts, lingerie (a word which is cognate with linen), and detachable shirt collars and cuffs, which were historically made almost exclusively out of linen.

Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world: their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns, and various types of fabrics which date back to about 8000 BC have been found in Swiss lake dwellings.

Dyed flaxfibers found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia suggest the use of woven linen fabrics from wild flax may date back even earlier to 36,000BP

Linen was sometimes used as currency in ancient Egypt. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen because it was seen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand spun yarns, were very fine for their day, but are coarse compared to modern linen.

Today linen is usually an expensive textile, and is produced in relatively small quantities. It has a long "staple" (individual fiber length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers.[4]

Many products are made of linen: apron, bags, towels (swimmers, bath, beach, body and wash towel), napkins, bed linen, linen tablecloth, runners, chair cover, man and woman wear.

History

Linen was used by Egyptians in ancient times for mummification. Egyptians used linen as burial shrouds. Moreover, priests only wore linen clothes and worshippers were only allowed to enter the temple if they are wearing a linen cloth. Linen fabric has been used for table coverings, bed coverings and clothing for centuries. The exclusiveness of linen comes from the difficulty of working with the thread making it time consuming to produce (flax in itself requires a great deal of attention to grow). Flax thread is not elastic so is difficult to weave without breaking threads. Thus it is more expensive to manufacture than cotton.

The Living Linen Project was set up in 1995 as an Oral Archive of the knowledge of the Irish linen industry which is still available within a nucleus of people who formerly worked in the industry in Ulster. There is a long history of linen in Ireland.

Plutarch, who lived one hundred years after the birth of Christ, wrote that the priests of Isis also wore linen because of its purity.

In December 2006 the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2009 to be the International Year of Natural Fibres to raise the profile of linen and other natural fibers.

Antiquity

When the tomb of the Pharaoh Ramses II, who died 1213 BC, was discovered in 1881, the linen wrappings were in a state of perfect preservation - after more than 3000 years.

In the Belfast Library there is preserved the mummy of "Kaboolie,' the daughter of a priest of Ammon, who died 2,500 years ago. The linen on this mummy is in a like state of perfection. When the tomb of Tutankamen was opened, the linen curtains were found intact.

Etymology

The word linen is derived from the Latin for the flax plant, which is linum, and the earlier Greek linon. This word history has given rise to a number of other terms:

line, derived from the use of a linen thread to determine a straight line;

liniment, due to the use of finely ground flax seeds as a mild irritant applied to the skin to ease muscle pain

lining, because linen was often used to create a lining for wool and leather clothing

lingerie, via French, originally denotes underwear made of linen

linseed oil, an oil derived from flax seed

linoleum, a floor covering made from linseed oil and other materials

In addition, the term in English, flaxen-haired, denoting a very light, bright blonde, comes from a comparison to the color of raw flax fiber.

some excerpts courtesy Wikipedia.

Words That Inspire;

2010-05-21T06:07:00.000+10:00

A soft new tendril of a grape vine reaching out.

"Instant gratification takes too long". Carrie Fisher

Are the words chosen by Noel this week.

I do not like consumerism. I always ask myself, do I really need it?

I have come across this video and you will find it very interesting.

People have to learn to love nature and do everything they can to preserve it.

Instant gratification has no merits.

Click here for Words That Inspire;

A Sari Sari Life Hawaiian Style;

You can watch this video directly on You Tube, which is quicker and more accurate.

Words That Inspire;

2010-05-14T19:46:00.000+10:00

"Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends"

Courtland Milloy

I am lucky to have some of my family very close by. Here my granddaughters present a lovely birthday carte they have made for me and a beautiful Orchid.

Please visit A Sari-Sari Life-Hawaii Noel is the inspiration behind this meme.

My Library, Mornings in Jenin...

2010-05-11T20:56:00.000+10:00

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa;

A very powerful narrative about a world of loss, of home, country and heritage.

Palestinians were driven from their ancestral villages, their homes, their land by the newly formed state of Israel in 1948.

Mornings in Jenin is haunting and heart wrenching, a novel of vital importance. Lending voices to the headlines, it forces to take a look at one of the political conflicts of our lifetimes.

It is more then 60 years since "El Nakba" The Catastroph and "El Naksa" The Disaster happened.

The western world has been and still is taciturn when it comes to tell what happened to the Palestinians and their Country. There has been and still is great injustice.

I hope, for peace in the world.

“A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.” Seneca Roman Philosopher mid first century AD

A love for scent and fragrance...perfume;

2010-05-04T11:41:00.001+10:00

The very scented Christmas lilies.

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent.

Chanel Bois des Iles was my very first perfume I received a life time ago from my elegant and worldly Godmother.

Bois des Iles, was launched in 1926,

The perfume concentration is richer and sweeter, while eau de toilette is quite lighter, but magnificent. The top notes are composed of aldehydes, bergamot, neroli and peach, the heart composition consists of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, woody iris and ylang-ylang, and the base of vetiver, sandalwood, benzoin and musk.

Gardenia a flower for the perfume production.

Always liked Arpege;

Arpège is a 1927 perfume by Lanvin. Along with Chanel's Chanel No. 5 and Patou's Joy, it is one of the three best known perfumes in the world

Perfumers André Fraysse and Paul Vacher had created the perfume for Jeanne Lanvin, one story relates that she offered it to her daughter Marguerite as a thirteenth birthday present, and asked her to name it. Lanvin's daughter, already an accomplished musician, called it "Arpège" ("arpeggio").

Lavin Arpege Eau De Parfum - Ladies Fragrance. An exquisite & mystical fragrance for women Provides a truly classical French perfume Top notes: Bergamot, Orange Blossom, Honeysuckle & Rose Middle notes: Jasmine, Iris Blossom, Ylang-Ylang Base notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver & Vanilla.

Orange flowers have a wonderful scent;

Green Tea (Elizabeth Arden) has a fresh citrus fragrance, nice to wear on hot summer days;

Fragrance compounds in perfumes will degrade or break down if improperly stored in the presence of:

Heat

Light

Oxygen

Extraneous organic materials

Proper preservation of perfumes involve keeping them away from sources of heat and storing them where they will not be exposed to light. An opened bottle will keep its aroma intact for several years, as long as it is well stored. However the presence of oxygen in the head space of the bottle and environmental factors will in the long run alter the smell of the fragrance.

Perfumes are best preserved when kept in their original packaging when not in use, and refrigerated to relatively low temperatures: between 3-7 degrees Celsius (37-45 degrees Fahrenheit). Although it is difficult to completely remove oxygen from the headspace of a stored flask of fragrance, opting for spray dispensers instead of rollers and "open" bottles will minimize oxygen exposure. Sprays also have the advantage of isolating fragrance inside a bottle and preventing it from mixing with dust, skin, and detritus, which would degrade and alter the quality of a perfume.

Pollution

Synthetic musks are pleasant in smell and relatively inexpensive, as such they are often employed in large quantities to cover the unpleasant scent of laundry detergents and many personal cleaning products. Due to their large scale use, several types of synthetic musks have been found in human fat and milk, as well as in the sediments and waters of lakes.

Perfume composed of largely natural materials are usually much more expensive.

Synthetic sources
Main article: Aroma compound
Many modern perfumes contain synthesized odorants. Synthetics can provide fragrances which are not found in nature. For instance, Calone, a compound of synthetic origin, imparts a fresh ozonous metallic marine scent that is widely used in contemporary perfumes. Synthetic aromatics are often used as an alternate source of compounds that are not easily obtained from natural sources. For example, linalool and coumarin are both naturally occurring compounds that can be inexpensively synthesized from terpenes. Orchid scents (typicallysalicylates) are usually not obtained directly from the plant itself but are instead synthetically created to match the fragrant compounds found in various orchids.
The majority of the world's synthetic aromatics are created by relatively few companies. They include:
International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF)
Givaudan
Firmenich
Takasago
Symrise
Each of these companies patents several processes for the production of aromatic synthetics annually.

Animal sources
Ambergris: Lumps of oxidized fatty compounds, whose precursors were secreted
and expelled by the sperm whale. Ambergris is commonly referred to as "amber" in perfumery and should not be confused with yellow amber, which is used in jewelry. Because the harvesting of ambergris involves no harm to its animal source, it remains one of the few animalic fragrancing agents around which little controversy now exists.
Castoreum: Obtained from the odorous sacs of the North American beaver.
Civet: Also called Civet Musk, this is obtained from the odorous sacs of the civets, animals in the family Viverridae, related to the mongoose. The World Society for the Protection of Animals investigated African civets caught for this purpose.
Hyraceum: Commonly known as "Africa Stone", is the petrified excrement of the Rock Hyrax.
Honeycomb: From the honeycomb of the honeybee. Both beeswax and honey can be solvent extracted to produce an absolute. Beeswax is extracted with ethanol and the ethanol evaporated to produce beeswax absolute.
Musk: Originally derived from the musk sacs from the Asian musk deer, it has now been replaced by the use of synthetic musks sometimes known as "white musk".

Other natural sources
Lichens: Commonly used lichens include oakmoss and treemoss thalli.
"Seaweed": Distillates are sometimes used as essential oil in perfumes. An example of a commonly used seaweed is Fucus vesiculosus, which is commonly referred to as bladder wrack. Natural seaweed fragrances are rarely used due to their higher cost and lower potency than synthetics.

Plant sources
Plants have long been used in perfumery as a source of essential oils and aroma compounds. These aromatics are usually secondary metabolites produced by plants as protection against herbivores, infections, as well as to attract pollinators. Plants are by far the largest source of fragrant compounds used in perfumery. The sources of these compounds may be derived from various parts of a plant. A plant can offer more than one source of aromatics, for instance the aerial portions and seeds of coriander have remarkably different odors from each other. Orange leaves, blossoms, and fruit zest are the respective sources of petitgrain, neroli, and orange oils.
Bark: Commonly used barks includes cinnamon and cascarilla. The fragrant oil in sassafras root bark is also used either directly or purified for its main constituent, safrole, which is used in the synthesis of other fragrant compounds.

Flowers and blossoms: Undoubtedly the largest source of aromatics. Includes the flowers of several species of rose and jasmine, as well as osmanthus, plumeria, mimosa,tuberose, narcissus, scented geranium, cassie, ambrette as well as the blossoms of citrus and ylang-ylang trees. Although not traditionally thought of as a flower, the unopened flower buds of the clove are also commonly used. Most orchid flowers are not commercially used to produce essential oils or absolutes, except in the case of vanilla, an orchid, which must be pollinated first and made into seed pods before use in perfumery.
Fruits: Fresh fruits such as apples, strawberries, cherries unfortunately do not yield the expected odors when extracted; if such fragrance notes are found in a perfume, they are synthetic. Notable exceptions include litsea cubeba, vanilla, and juniper berry. The most commonly used fruits yield their aromatics from the rind; they include citrus such as oranges,lemons, and limes. Although grapefruit rind is still used for aromatics, more and more commercially used grapefruit aromatics are artificially synthesized since the natural aromatic contains sulfur and its degradation product is quite unpleasant in smell.

Leaves and twigs: Commonly used for perfumery are lavender leaf, patchouli, sage, violets, rosemary, and citrus leaves. Sometimes leaves are valued for the "green" smell they bring to perfumes, examples of this include hay and tomato leaf.
Resins: Valued since antiquity, resins have been widely used in incense and perfumery. Highly fragrant and antiseptic resins and resin-containing perfumes have been used by many cultures as medicines for a large variety of ailments. Commonly used resins in perfumery include labdanum, frankincense/olibanum, myrrh, Peru balsam, gum benzoin. Pine and firresins are a particularly valued source of terpenes used in the organic synthesis of many other synthetic or naturally occurring aromatic compounds. Some of what is called amberand copal in perfumery today is the resinous secretion of fossil conifers.
Roots, rhizomes and bulbs: Commonly used terrestrial portions in perfumery include iris rhizomes, vetiver roots, various rhizomes of the ginger family.
Seeds: Commonly used seeds include tonka bean, carrot seed, coriander, caraway, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, and anise.
Woods: Highly important in providing the base notes to a perfume, wood oils and distillates are indispensable in perfumery. Commonly used woods include sandalwood, rosewood,agarwood, birch, cedar, juniper, and pine. These are used in the form of macerations or dry-distilled (rectified) forms.

Do you like to use perfumes? which is your favourite and which was your very first perfume you bought or received?

The Hot, The Loud and the Proud;

2010-04-29T06:19:00.001+10:00

It is end of April and following Noel's meme "The hot the loud and the proud", it is time to show some of my attention seeking plants and flowers from my garden.

Crotons with their strong coloured leaves are one of them especially when illuminated by the sun.

Epidendron- or also called Crucifix Orchids are favourites of mine. I like the strong tropical orange...
...or the yellow butterball flowers shining from the dark.

Soon the hot red leaves of the Poinsettia will be a focus in my garden throughout winter.

All come in the categories of The Hot, The Loud and The Proud;

Please follow the link to be dazzled by hot tropical colours.

All photos TS

Food glorious food; Risotto with Pumpkin;

2010-04-07T04:47:00.000+10:00

Cooking a risotto is easy.

I had some Pumpkin left which had to be used. Generally Risotto does not contain Pumpkin. My ingredients are:

1 Onion diced, small piece of Pumpkin cut in cubes, 1 cup arborio rice (roundcorn rice) 3 cups of water.

Sweat onions and pumpkin in a little olive oil, add 1 cup of rice, add 1teaspoon curry powder and

mix, let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Now add water always a little say a 1/3 of the cup and stir. As soon as the water is soaked up by the rice add more until you have used it all and the rice is soft but still has a little bite to it. Add salt to your taste before it is finished cooking. When the rice is ready to serve add a good handful of cheese. Parmesan or cheddar if you prefer. I do not think this has to be completely authentic because every cook has his or her own recipes. Some use white wine or chicken stock instead of water. You can also use sweet potato instead of pumpkin which is very delicious too.

I cook this rice in a Terracotta pot suitable for the stove top. I cook this dish on low heat from 5 -3 never higher on a Miele cooktop which goes up to 9 .

I serve the risotto with slowly cooked small tomatoes from the garden. They too are cooked in a terracotta pan suitable for the stove top. They too are cooked slowly on low heat 3-4; until they caramelize slightly and smell delicious, then a delectable sauce has accumulated as well.

Ingredients; small tomatoes cut in half, cold pressed virgin olive oil, Thyme and a little garlic. Herb salt and Pepper.

Lettuce from the garden, with a simple dressing of herb salt, white balsamic vinegar and cold pressed Macademia oil.
Campari on the rocks to keep the cook happy!

The finished vegetarian dish. The skin and the seed of the tomatoes are kept and eaten. When you grow your own vegetable you do not throw half of it out. The skin contains many minerals and the seeds as well.

Meat is not essential with this dish.

The English Philosopher and Politician Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a gourmet, he also liked to experiment with food. Allegedly he caught a bad cold while trying to stuff a chicken with snow and died soon after from the consequences of this cold!!

The Hot, The Loud and the Proud;

2010-04-01T05:42:00.000+10:00

The Hot; Ipomea horsefalliae

The Loud; Vriesia grows in the fork of a tree in my garden.

Vriesea carinata

Lobster Claw

Paint Brush

This attractive small plant has a rosette of fifteen to twenty, light green leaves, which are soft textured. Each leaf is only 15-centimetres (6-inches) long, and 2.5-centimetres (1-inch) wide. Also, many offsets form in the leaf axils. On its inflorescence are the most brilliant colours of the genus. The flattened stem is between 5 and 7.5-centimetres (2 and 3-inches) long. On this stem are lobster-claw-shaped bracts. They are coloured bright cardinal red at the base, blending to yellow, and green towards their tips. Out of each bract, a bright yellow flower appears.

They grow as epiphytes on bushes, and low on trees in shady areas.

The Proud; Beaumontia grandiflora;

An interesting rare perfumed plant is Herald's Trumpet (Beaumontia grandiflora) which has wonderful large white flowers with a sweet tropical perfume. It is a vigorous woody climber which is native to the region from India to Vietnam and belongs to the same plant family (Apocynaceae) as Oleanders, Frangipanis and Mandevillas which typically bleed a white milky sap from cut stems.
Plant details
Common name: Herald's Trumpet
Botanic name: Beaumontia grandiflora
Climate: Will grow best in the warmer zones of Australia, north of Coffs Harbour, NSW. It prefers sub-tropical and tropical conditions to thrive and can look miserable in areas where temperatures fall below 10°C.
Description: Herald's Trumpet is technically a climber but is normally grown as a shrub to 2-3m (6-10') tall with dark glossy green leaves that are deeply veined. The large white flowers have a rich tropical scent and flowers through the warmer periods of the year, spring and summer.

This meme, The Hot, The Loud and The Proud is created by Noel

It is about plants in bold colours. It appeals to me as my garden is full of "hot, loud and proud plants and flowers.

20th Annual Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day;

2010-03-28T07:14:00.000+10:00

at Somerset College; my granddaughters' school.

The get together is an annual event up to year 4. As it is also Easter time, the children and grandparents bring their Easter hats for the Easter hats parade. It is a lot of fun for the children and grandparents.

Somerset College is one of three International Baccalaureate World Schools on the Gold Coast accredited to offer the IB Diploma Programme.

Here is a link to this great school Somerset College Gold Coast

Poem by Kevin William Huff
Teachers
Paint their minds
and guide their thoughts
Share their achievements
and advise their faults

Inspire a Love
of knowledge and truth
As you light the path
Which leads our youth

For our future brightens
with each lesson you teach
Each smile you lengthen
Each goal you help reach

For the dawn of each poet
each philosopher and king
Begins with a Teacher
And the wisdom they bring
I hope Friday the 26.of March was a happy day for you too.

Food glorious food;

2010-03-12T05:24:00.000+10:00

It is still raining and very windy. I am going shopping today to buy the ingredients for dinner with the family on Saturday. It will be simple, but delicious. As I usually cook everything from scratch it is still a lot to prepare and cook, lots of fun too.

As entree I prepare Tapas;

White pizza to eat with different cured meat and salami.

I have to make the Pizza dough, but I buy the cured meat.

Gildas; small skewers with anchovies, green Olives and chillies. (Gilda means Lollipop!)

I buy the best anchovies cured in olive oil and green olives but I have chillies in the garden.

Slices of lightly toasted french bread topped with sauted mushrooms and aioli.

I buy a stick french bread, saute the bought mushrooms and make aioli, a mayonnaise with garlic.

Tiny blinis with salmon and creme fraiche.

I make the blinis, small omelets, buy salmon and creme fraiche,

Small grilled eggplant rolls filled with chillie jam and Feta.

I grill eggplants from the garden, use homemade chillie jam and the best available bought Feta cheese

For the main meal I cook delicious shepherd's pies served individually in small earthenware pots. This time of year I have to buy potatoes as there are non available yet from the garden.

I buy only organic potatoes, if possible. I buy 1.5 kg shin beef and mince the meat with my mincer attachment on my Kitchen Aid.

For dessert I make a creme caramel. I use organic sugar to make the caramel, organic milk, and eggs from my chooks. I am "decadent" and add whipped cream to make it very smooth.

To drink, who likes what, Beer, Campari, red and white wine, natural soft drink, wellwater, Brandy Alexander;

This is the menu, we, that is, Eight of us, will eat for dinner on Saturday evening.

It is still raining and the wind comes in gusts, never mind I am shopping and then I am cooking!

What are you cooking on Saturday evening for dinner with family, friends or just for yourself?

Weekend Reflections; ready for school;

2010-03-06T06:04:00.001+10:00

click the pic please;

Reflections are fun, go and see more here

Words of Wisdom;

2010-03-01T18:17:00.000+10:00

Wisdom is knowing things that help a person to live sensibly and make good decisions. Wisdom is defined differently by many cultures. Some say that wisdom is something a person learns as they grow older.

If someone has wisdom we say he is wise.

The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.
Common sense; good judgment:
The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge:
A wise outlook, plan, or course of action.

"What experience and history teach is this -- that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.": Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel - (1770-1831) German philosopher

Cooking; Lentils; healthy and delicious;

2010-02-20T05:12:00.000+10:00

Ingredients to cook a healthy and delicious lentil stew.

2 cups lentils, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 3 bay leaves, curry powder, ground cumin, pepper, herb salt (made from my herbs), tomato paste and water. (I use when ever possible my own grown or organic.)

The ancient Greek dramatist Aristophanes mentions lentil soup in his plays and describes it as the "sweetest of delicacies."

Put half a table spoon ghee into a pan and make a sofritto with the finely chopped onion, carrot and bay leaves. The onions and carrots must not get brown. This will be the base for the lentil stew.

Lentils contain high levels of proteins, including the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine, and are an essential source of inexpensive protein in many parts of the world for those who adhere to a vegetarian diet or cannot afford meat acids, methionine and cystine.

Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B1, and minerals.

Add the soaked and rinsed lentils (soak the lentils 2-3 h before use) and 2 table spoons tomato paste. 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt and pepper to your liking.

mix well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, add 2 cups of water.

Let this lentil stew simmer for 1 1/2 h or until the lentils are nice and soft. Check from time to time if it needs more water. It can be reheated in the microwave the next day.

Lentils are annual plants producing lens-shaped seeds. A cousin of the bean, the lentil belongs to the legume family, or those with seeds that grow within pods. Lentils are quite rich in iron and have the highest levels of protein of any vegetable next to soybeans.

Lentils, botanically-known as Lens culinaris esculenta, have been a source of sustenance for our ancestors since prehistoric times. The word lentils comes from the Latin lens, and indeed, this bean cousin is shaped like the double convex optic lens which took its name from the lentil.

Lentil is the oldest food legume that has been known to the mankind. The nutritious value of the seeds of the plant is quite high as it is rich in carbohydrates, fibers and proteins and that is why lentil is so popular among the vegetarian population of the world.

It also acts as an important secondary crop in the crop rotation schedule as it has been proven that masur crop is extremely good in fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere and forming nitrogen nodules in the soil that rejuvenates the nutrients and keeps the soil productive for a long time.

Lentil or masur is one of the earliest and first crops that have ever been cultivated. Lentil originated in the central Asian region in the prehistoric times.
The earliest archeological finding in context of lentil is from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic layers of Franchthi caves in the Peloponnese, Greece that dates back to almost 13000 to 9500 years ago. Other ancient findings are from Syria and Jericho area of Palestine that is almost 8000 years old and from Turkey dating back to around 6700 BC.

Bon appetit

Lunch with the family;

2010-02-01T05:59:00.001+10:00

The table is ready for a companionable lunch with the family;

A good Red, Shiraz "Cow Bombie" Margaret River, Western Australia;

Heirloom Napkins;

The Poeta bought me this contraption to cut onions etc. He saw it and bought it, thought it would be a big help to cut the onions. It is alright when one has to cut lots of onions like for Goulash or onion Pie or Pissaladiere etc. I usually cut the onions by hand. It is definitely not a MUST HAVE!

I cooked Capsicums filled with Rice and Mushrooms; Lamb and a mixed salad.

I did not make an Entree because Lilli had prepared an elaborate, filling dessert.

(When I removed it from the oven looking delicious; I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish...LOL)

Lilli made this Bread and Butter Pudding, it was yummy; would anybody like the recipe?

Reflections; Going home...

2010-01-24T05:58:00.000+10:00

Sunset at the beach...please click the picture.

To visit Reflections click here please;

Reflections; Imagine...

2010-01-09T07:37:00.000+10:00

Shadow like the goldfish swim between the branches of the Jacaranda tree and the Strelitzia leaves.

To see many more reflections click here

Ironed out!

2009-12-18T05:22:00.000+10:00

That's better!

Photos TS

I love rain;

2009-11-09T21:21:00.000+10:00

C J Dennis1876-1938, written in 1913

Adelaide and Oodnadatta,

Pepegoona, parched and dry

Laugh beneath a dripping sky.

Riverina's thirsting plain

Knows the benison of rain.

Ararat and Arkaroola

Render thanks with Tantanoola

For the blessings they are gaining,

And it's raining - raining - raining!

Weeps the sky at Wipipee

Far Farina's folk are dippy

With sheer joy, while Ballarat

Shouts and flings aloft its hat.

Thirsty Thackaringa yells;

Taltabooka gladly tells

Of a season wet and windy;

Men rejoice on Murrindindie;

Kalioota's ceased complaining;

For it's raining - raining - raining!

On the wilds of Winininnie

Cattle low and horses whinny,

Frolicking with sheer delight.

From Beltana to The Bight,

In the Mallee's sun-scorched towns,

In the sheds on Darling Downs,

In the huts at Yudnapinna,

Tents on Tidnacoordininna,

To the sky all heads are craning -

For it's raining - raining - raining!

Mile on mile from Mallacoota

Runs the news, and far Baroota

Speeds it over hill and plain,

Till the slogan of the rain

Rolls afar to Yankalilla;

Wallaroo and Wirrawilla

Shout it o'er the leagues between,

Telling of the dawning green.

Frogs at Cocoroc are croaking,

Booboorowie soil is soaking,

Oodla Wirra, Orroroo

Breathe relief and hope anew.

Wycheproof and Wollongong

Catch the burden of the song

That is rolling, rolling ever

O'er the plains of Never Never,

Sounding in each mountain rill,

Echoing from hill to hill…

In the lonely, silent places

Men lift up their glad, wet faces,

And their thanks ask no explaining -

It is raining - raining - raining!

C J Dennis, Poet & Journalist was born in Auburn, South Australia, on 7 September 1876, he was christened Clarence Michael James, and afterwards given the confirmation name of Stanislaus. He preferred to be known as Den.

After formal education in Gladstone, Laura and Adelaide, Den worked in a number of diverse positions, such as a solicitor's clerk, a member of the staff of the Critic (a weekly Adelaide journal), and a hotel barman. Already writing, a number of his early verse were published in the’Critic’ in 1898.

Raindrops on Salvia;

Reflections;

2009-11-05T05:46:00.000+10:00

1. The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected

2. something reflected or the image so produced, as by a mirror

3. careful or long consideration or thought

4. implicit or explicit attribution of discredit or blame

5. (Mathematics) Maths a transformation in which the direction of one axis is reversed or which changes the sign of one of the variable

s6. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Anatomy the bending back of a structure or part upon itselfreflectional , reflexional adj

Reflections

are so very alluring, calming

and full of mystery.

Early in the morning;

2009-10-30T05:23:00.000+10:00

I feed the fish...

and Mrs. Benteli, she is always waiting or comes running when she sees me;

This little pair of native, crested pigeons arrive as soon as they see me feeding Mrs. Benteli. They have become fairly tame and usually breed in the garden. Generally they bring up one baby. I do not feed them to much, they still have to do their own foraging.

Billy loves a few grains as well!!

The Angelina's can never wait...they also get kitchen scraps, fruit and greens. In spring they love lots of dandelion leaves. They always look good with glossy, black feathers. They enjoy special treats too. These hens are nice and friendly birds always talking to me.

Please consider buying free range eggs. Battery hens are not happy birds. They are very poor, abused creatures.

Purple carpet;

2009-10-29T06:20:00.000+10:00

Today it looks fine, the sky a freshly washed blue.The coarse, dry lawn has become a purple carpet. The pretty bells look silvery in the early sunlight.

The day has only just started and I am still free as a bird.

Later I have to drive into town to go to the pharmacy to prolong the hired crutches. P. is not very happy with them I have to ask for something better, more sophisticated! I think there is nothing else available and he has to get used to the ones he has got. It will be at least another 5 weeks...long weeks for a very active man! Patience is not a word he knows well!! He has to be a fast learner!

A little rain and the Daylilies start to show their amazing patterns and colours. The earlier ones were very beautifully plain! Now they have become show pieces with frills and curls on their petals.

Fine lines of gold along the rim of the petals, they are getting very diva like.

I am glad I do not have to water the gardens today.

Rain...

2009-10-28T13:51:00.000+10:00

Enfin, the rain has come. It has not come in great big puddles but just about 35mm. The garden was very dry. The daylilies had really a hard time, all of them not just the newly planted ones.

I am very pleased for the 35 mm and a big thank you to the Rain goddesses.

Today we had to get back to the hospital to have Peter's ankle checked and xrayed again. So far so good; his plaster was exchanged, he could choose the colour...lol...it is green...

We go to the public hospital, there is some waiting, but the service is excellent everybody is kind, cheerful and very helpful and it is all free. The public hospitals always get blamed and bad mouthed. I think the concept of the PH is wonderful as are the nurses, doctors therapists and others who are involved to help you to feel better.