I have been obsessed with this image since I saw it in the National Portrait Gallery shop a few months ago. 

Isn't it just marvellous and full of grace, beauty, cheekiness? Maybe even a soupçon of devil-may-care... 

The caption reads "Betty Lindley by Bassano, 1914"

I have been looking for some info about the luminous Ms Lindley, but haven't found anything. One entry on the movie database IMDb lists a Betty Lindley as having appeared in a 1920 movie, "Duds". And that's about it! 

I now have that beautiful picture, framed, on my wall. It will be a great source of inspiration when I work on my books... 

For some more pictures of the delicately beautiful Ms Lindley, go to the National Portrait Gallery Collection HERE. 

A much needed big dollop of aural and visual Beauty in an ugly world... This is how I would describe a Mediaeval Baebes show. 
As a writer, this is the kind of evening that boosts my inspiration and creativity. 

This year, we finally made it to the London date of the Baebes' traditional Christmas tour. 
St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate is situated in the heart of the City of London, surrounded by shiny bank buildings made of steel and glass. Meryll Lynch, the wealth management division of Bank of America, is just opposite. This is what makes the City of London such an intriguing place: old buildings full of history battle the newest, blandest constructions in a fight to death for the heart and soul of London... 

The atmospheric church, which incidentally is the National Musicians' Church, was the perfect setting for the Baebes' shows, which have always been inspired by legends, myths and historical tales. 

The seven Baebes once again gave a pitch-perfect performance: professional, precise, creative, seductive, energetic, haunting, playful, feisty, graceful.

The Baebes are the Ladies of mediaeval music. 

All beautiful, multi-talented and full of spirit, these very modern women enjoy the attention of a very eclectic, cross-over audience, from metalheads to fans of classical music... This is the way it should be.  

Tonight, I am heading for London to attend a gig in the heart of the City. It is the Mediaeval Baebes' Christmas tour, and tonight we will be sitting in St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate, the National Musicians'Church.
I loathe religion, but I have always loved churches, chapels, etc. They are often wonderful buildings and contain works of art; they are also full of history, and I love history! 
I might take my camera with me and will do a little report. It should be a thing of beauty!  

I usually don't do blockbusters, and especially not Film X number 2, 3, etc. But I have made an exception for Guy Richie's Sherlock Holmes. We watched the first one on Sunday to refresh our memories, and it was even better than the first time around - so many little details to spot, and the dialogue is just delicious. Then yesterday, we went to see A Game of Shadows, and we had so much fun. It's beautifully shot, the sets are sumptuous, the whole movie is energetic, witty, funny... It is wonderful Steampunk entertainment for everyone! 
I am a big Sherlock Homes fan (and a student of the Victorian era) and I am not disgruntled by this modern version at all. This re-invention of the iconic characters is quite clever, and if you have read the books, you will read between the lines to see that Sherlock Holmes really is an action man adventurer. Just a different type...  

Yep. I DO hate Xmas. 

Video courtesy of Nomi Leonard from the awesome Dogbones!
2012 will be the year when I see The Dogbones live again! It's been far too long. 

Joolz Denby's stunning Wild Thing. 
Review to be posted here (hopefully) before the end of the year (2011)!

If you fancy buying it, then you can do so HERE.

The precious item is "Heston Blumenthal's hidden orange Christmas pudding". So I had to Google this because I don't know this bloke at all. Celebrity chefs are some of the most useless people on the planet. 
Personally, I don't care about food, I don't cook. Food is fuel to make your body function, end of story. 
Strangely enough, food seems to have replaced culture, hobbies and sex in our society. If that's not dysfunctional... Weird.  

So, this rather yucky-looking blob you can see on the picture is supposedly at the centre of a "Pudding Touts" crisis, i.e people go to Waitrose (where they sell at £13.99), buy in bulk and sell them on eBay for... £200! (Someone has seen one at £500 too). 

Honestly, WHO on Earth would pay this amount for a bit of fat and candied fruit? Just thinking about having a bite makes me feel sick. 

Some people are just snobbish, stupid and incredibly, incredibly greedy. No wonder there's an obesity epidemic! 

The joys of working from home!