O SPRING, SPRING, WHEREFORE ART THOU SPRING ?!! ..........

I'm not one to moan about the weather ......... I really do love all of the seasons but, somehow, Spring seems to be leaving it a little bit late this year to say the least !!!!!

Have there been any signs of birds nesting yet ? 

I don't think so .....

" The Spring has sprung,

The grass is rizz,

I wonder where them birdies is ? "

- Pooh Bear !!

Are there any Spring lambs frolicking in the lush green fields ? I haven't seen any !!

 No warm Spring days on the horizon, for driving the roadster with the top down .....

 No Spring outfits have been taken out of the wardrobe .....

At the moment, I have no inclination to venture out into the garden to plant seeds .....

Spring cleaning hasn't even entered my mind .....

..... and drying clothes outside is not an option at the moment !!

If anyone has organised an early Spring wedding, they are going to be disappointed with the weather .....

All that we have been promised is rain, sleet  .....

..... and more snow !!!!!

Here's hoping that warmer days, spring bulbs and country walks are on the horizon.

Keep warm, pour yourselves another cup of coffee and have a listen to the Beach Boys !!

images 1 & 16: via an exquisite waste of time, images 2 & 18: via envers du decor, images 3 & 11: via picture perfect, image 4: via present from me, image 5: via umla, image 6: via crush cul de sac, image 7: via la bonne vie, image 8: via 5.mercedesbenz, image 9: via dianabaabaz, images 10 & 12: via fleaing france, images 13, 14 & 15: via zsa zsa bellagio, image 17: via goodfon

BY INVITATION ....

Our 'By Invitation' subject this month is ' The Thing That You Most Want To Do That You've Never Done before ..... Reality or Fantasy, Money no Object '........... what a question !!!!

After a bit of consideration, my first thought was that, whatever I choose, someone will think " is that all she could think of ", money no object and all.

 I could travel to strange and unusual places.....  

..... learn to Tango in Argentina .....

..... drive a Bugatti Veyron Supersport : 

0 - 60 mph in 2.6 seconds

top speed: 268 mph

Price: $2.5 million !!!!

..... or, maybe cross a glacier on foot ..... even find the solution to World Peace and poverty .....

the list is endless, but today, being in a light-minded, flippant and frivolous kind of mood, I am thinking that I would love to join the Cirque du Soleil bungee ballet in their show 'Saltimbanco'. We have seen many Cirque du Soleil shows and, I have seen 'Saltimbanco' quite a few times.

Here's a little taster .....

Four ( .... or, make that five if I was to join them !! ) weightless creatures float, tumble and fly through the air accompanied by an operatic aria, ' Il Sogno Di Volare '..... their serene aerial dance conjuring up images of fantastic white birds reaching towards the sky. 

Wouldn't you just love to fly ? ( ..... hopefully missing that parked car !!!! )

Please pop over to Marsha and see what the other 'By Invitation' participants would do .

Have a great week ..... must fly !!

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image 1: via la bonne vie, image 2: via fleaing france, image 3:via yargb, image 4: via sprichie, image 5: via i like to waste my time, image 6: via BBC, image 7: via YouTube, image 8: via pittsburgcross currents, image 9: via freeweb, image 10: via night tattoo

STEPHEN POLIAKOFF ..... DANCING ON THE EDGE .....

To fill the void left now that Downton Abbey is off the air until the Autumn, it has been beautiful filled by Stephen Poliakoff's  five part drama, Dancing on the Edge. 

 Set in the early 1930's, Stephen Poliakoff's drama, ' Dancing on the Edge ',  follows The Louis Lester Band - a black jazz band - as they find fame amongst the parties and performances of upper class society in London.

London's progressive socialites take the band under their wing. High society scandal, racism, passion, Royal patronage, prejudice, a murder mystery and Freemason's all add up to a really good series. It has seen mixed reviews but, I have really enjoyed it..... especially the original score ..... and, the cast ..... including Matthew Goode, Anthony Head, John Goodman, Jacqueline Bisset, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Angel Coulby, Wunmi Mosaku, Jane Asher, Mel Smith, Pamela Luscombe, Tom Hughes, Janet Montgomery and Jenna Louise Coleman.

Stephen Poliakoff used The Grosvenor Room in The Grand Hotel, Birmingham as the filming location for The Imperial Ballroom. After the hotel fell into disrepair, it closed it's doors in August 2002. After being granted planning consent in April 2012, the building is now being restored to it's former glory. 

The reason that I am enjoying ' Dancing on the Edge' is probably because I grew up listening to that kind of music. Above is a photograph of my Dad ......... as well as having a full time job, he played saxophone and clarinet and played in a band and my Mum sang ( I couldn't find a photograph of her singing ) so, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Billie Holiday and the like were played all of the time in our house ..... and then, when I was a teenager, it was The Beatles, The Who, Spencer Davis and the bands of the 1960's that competed, followed by Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Faith No More, Metallica and the bands of the 1990's that our children listened to.

Although ' Dancing on the Edge ' has had mixed reviews , if you like jazz and a murder mystery, give it a go. It's easy watching and gets your toes tapping !

image 1: video of The Louis Lester Band featuring Angel Coulby singing ' Dead of Night Express ' from Stephen Poliakoff's ' Dancing on the Edge ' via youtube,  image 2: via The Radio Times, image 3: via wikipedia, image 4; via me

A BLOG TWEAK, A PIECE OF HOME AND A WHOLE LOTTA LURRRRVVVVVVE !! ..........

I have tweaked my blog a little .......... I thought that it was about time, so have changed my header pictures and had my navigation bar altered with the help of Diana @ Custom Blog Designs. If ever you need to update your blog and need a bit of help on the technical side, I can thoroughly recommend Diana. She was very helpful, very, very, patient and very quick ( and also very reasonable too ).

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Above is a collage of a few photographs that I took of our home to use on my header  ....... 

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We are not big on Valentines Day in our house ...... since I first met my husband 45 years ago, he told me that Valentines Day is for unrequited love and that, as ours is requited, it would be silly to celebrate it ( .....it could have been his way of getting out of buying a present !!) but, as it is the day of Love, here are a few appropriate images to savour .....

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HAPPY VALENTINES DAY 

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images 1 & 8: mine, image 2: via marie agneau, image 3: via pinterest, image 4: via zsa zsa bellagio, image 5: via envers du decor, image 6: via love french bulldogs, image 7: via picture perfect, image 9: via inspiration lane, image 10: via night tattoo

BY INVITATION ..... INSPIRATION ..........

Our By Invitation subject this month is: Who was the most inspirational person in your life and why ?

AND

What inspires you the most today ?

I suppose that I could say that it was my parents, a family member, teacher, an artist or musician , world leader or one of the many motivating people that are out there but, I think that it's the more simple things that inspire me.

Look at this wonderful lady .......... she doesn't have to say a word but you just know that she has lived a VERY full and interesting life and would be a joy to sit down with and to listen to..... she would inspire me, I'm sure.

Inspirational paralympians and people who live with major challenges everyday, who overcome them with a ' never quit ' attitude when the odds are stacked against them .....

Travel, sunsets, nature in all of it's powerful forms .....

Fashion .....

Art and sculpture .....

and music ..... all of the above are sources of inspiration for me.

..... and, I certainly hope that I shall be laughing with such enthusiasm when I am her age ( and I'm not a million miles away either !!!! )

.......... and, finally, I can honestly say that all of you inspire me in so many ways. 

Please go and see what inspires all of the other By Invitation contributors by popping over to Marsha @ Splenderosa , and find some inspiration !

image 1: via greta tuckute, image 2: via prettie-sweet, image 3: via tumblr, image 4 & 7: via the gifts of life, image 5: via the telegraph: image 6: via yan zhang, image 8: via rastaschas, image 9 & 10: via night tattoo,image 11: via hearts of glass, image 12: via me, image 13: matthew hotton, image 14: via wishful thinking