‘She is too fond of books…’

Louisa May Alcott, from a photo taken just previous to her going to Washington in 1862 as a hospital nurse. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain.”

What? Louisa May Alcott said that!  Surely not.  In case you’re thinking that the author of Little Women was not the woman you had always thought, fear not.  She put this absurd thought into the mouths of one of her characters in Work: A Story of Experience, a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1873 about a determined young lady intent on finding satisfying and worthwhile work.

As if one could ever read too many books; as if a fondness for the written word could ever addle the brain.

Take care and keep laughing!

Related articles

• How I Went Out to Service by Louisa May Alcott (mapleandaquill.wordpress.com)
• Reading advice, from the uncle of Louisa May Alcott… (mapleandaquill.wordpress.com)
• 8 Signs You’re A Book Person (thoughtcatalog.com)

 

Loch Striven and the Bouncing Bomb

Reblogged from Secret Scotland:

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Today, May 16, 2013, marks the 70th anniversary of Operation Chastise, better known more popularly as the Dambusters Raid, thanks to the publicity it has received over the years in the 1955 film, The Dam Busters.

Dan Snow presented The Dambusters: 70 Years On, a tribute to World War II's Dambusters raid, as veterans and their families gathered to remember the bravery of the 133 men who undertook it.

Read more… 1,440 more words

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Dam Busters Raid and I'm passionate about history and both World Wars, hence this re-blog.

Take care and keep laughing!

Related articles

• Enemy Coast Ahead by Guy Gibson (amazon.co.uk)
• The Dam Busters 1955 (IMDb.com)
• Dambusters 70th anniversary fly past (bbc.co.uk)
• In pictures: Dambusters WWII raid (itv.com)
• Lancaster bomber fly past to mark Dambusters anniversary (telegraph.co.uk)
• Dambuster veteran remembers the historic raids (telegraph.co.uk)

Yellow Illustrates Happiness

Roses are Golden by FirstNightDesign

A quick post to show some of my latest tinkering!  This image was created with vintage flowers from The Graphics Fairy and my own backgrounds and textures. I do love creating an image with rich, golden yellows.  As colour genius Karen Haller says, it’s the colour of happiness.  ’Yellow can boost your self-esteem and self-confidence, leaving you feeling full of optimism and positivity.’  It certainly does that for me, Karen.

Linking to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy

Take care and keep laughing!

Untitled #5 - Salmon Caramelized in Maple Syrup and Dijon Mustard

Reblogged from The Flash Cook:

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Those of us who have been to art museums lately (ahem . . . or some time in the not-so-distant past) have squinted at our share of incredibly literal titles for works of art. You know, Woman with a Hat or Vase with Twelve Sunflowers.  I'm sure someone who knows a lot more about art than I do can provide some reasonable explanation for this but, as a layperson, I find it curious that an artist would take so much time to paint something and then choose to give it a title that reduces it to its components. 

Read more… 764 more words

Food and art are the stuff of life.

Take care and keep laughing!

“Fail Better” — Samuel Beckett

“All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), Worstward Ho

As you might imagine, Worstward Ho, Beckett’s last but one novella and published in 1983, was a parody of Charles Kingsley’s Westward Ho!  I find the words quoted above to be an excellent piece of advice lest we hold ourselves back by not being perfect.  Striving for perfection is good; beating ourselves about the head for not achieving such simply brings us low, unable to do anything.  Perfection is unattainable.

Samuel Beckett Caricature by Edmund S Valtman by FirstNightVintage

Caricature by Edmund S. Valtman from 1969 of Samuel Beckett, courtesy of Wikimedia.

Playwright Samuel Beckett is not to everyone’s taste.  Indeed, when I was at drama school in the mid-70s, you were considered persona non grata if you expressed a distaste for either Beckett or Harold Pinter.  That’s a slight exaggeration but I did find that others were aghast that I liked neither Beckett nor Pinter.  It was not until I saw a production of  Happy Days that I began to see what all the fuss was about.  I continue to resist the work of Pinter!

Take care and keep laughing!

Related articles

• Actress does Beckett at record speed (bbc.co.uk)
• In Memoriam of Samuel Beckett (and Raymond Federman): The Laugh that Laughs at the Laugh (lethatechnique.wordpress.com)