I know what Victoria's Secret is...

Welcome to my blog dear friends! Today is Ruby Tuesday. You will find some interesting vintage images (with red in them of course) as well as a special guest appearance from a well known personality.  Enjoy! (I know we are supposed to post  pictures we have taken ourselves but I like to live on the edge..note to blog police: my camera is in the repair shop!)I know what Victoria’s Secret is. The secret is that nobody older than 30 can fit into their stuff.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends. 



Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today. 

Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness.
I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting my pantyhose on fire.
 



Maxine really wanted to appear on Ruby Tuesday.  Here is what else she wanted us to know:
 
Amazing! You hang something! in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes! 


Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like, "You know, sometimes I just forget to eat."

Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name, and my keys. But I've never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat.A friend of mine confused her valium with her birth control pills. She had 14 kids, but she doesn't really care.  
The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him!
 


I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are: eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That is my idea of a perfect day. 

Maxine wants to thank Mary for giving her a chance to participate in Ruby Tuesday.  If you want to see more red please click HERE!

 

I did dance!

Today is PINK SATURDAY and I will be sharing some memories from my childhood.  

As far as childhood memories go, mine are wrapped around ballet.  As far as I can remember, I danced. My childhood was about going to ballet classes or getting ready to go for a class.  I loved it!  If my mother would have let me, I would have gone every day, all day.  That's how much I loved dancing.   I loved the smell of the studio, the pianist playing all the beautiful classical music, the pink shoes, the pink tights, my black leotard, my neat hair bun and all of my patient beautiful ballet teachers.  I lived for dancing.  I had a really happy childhood thanks to dancing.

Eventually, I became a ballet teacher.  I had my own school and enjoyed teaching all the young want-to-be ballerinas. While teaching,  I was also able to join a ballet company:  Les Ballets Métropolitains du Canada.  It was the best time of my life.  It was fun traveling and putting on "Les spectacles de ballet".  It was "a dream come true".

Finally, a career in dance does not last very long.  As a teacher I was part of the prestigious Académie des Grands Ballets Canadiens.  I finally stopped teaching when my husband, because of his work commitments,  was being constantly transferred  in different cities across Canada and then overseas.  I recently came across this beautiful painting by Scott Mattlin. It conjures so many beautiful memories.  I'm mesmerized by this painter's talent especially the tutu.   Its very luminous with a touch of pink!

It just reminds me of the many times I crossed the pink ribbons over my ankles always making sure that the ribbons were not too tight nor to loose. I still love pink tutus, pink tights, pink leotards, pink satin pointe shoes...

Here is a song that reminds me of how important "dancing" can be in one's life.  At times, dancing literally gave me wings to fly over the peaks and valleys of my life.  Weekend blessings to all!

Here is one of my favorite songs by Lee Ann Womack!  Enjoy!

 Today I've joined Beverly at How Sweet the Sound Is. She is the perfect hostess of PINK SATURDAY!    If you want to visit other pink blogs, just click here !

A redo of B for BLEU with Juliette Binoche

Today I've decided to present to you one of my favorite actresses Juliette Binoche.  She played in many movies such as Chocolat and Bleu.

  Bleu won 3 Golden Globes as well as many other awards. 

Blue is the story of Julie who loses her husband, an acclaimed European composer and her young daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew free of personal commitments, belongings grief and love. She intends to spiritually commit suicide by withdrawing from the world and live completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. However, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery and the music around which the film revolves heals Julie and irresistibly draws her back to the land of the living.

Another interesting aspect of this film is the use of music instead of dialogue, her silence is a reference of her terrible loss and pain.  The photography of the film and the beautiful and delicate face of Binoche contribute to the impact of BLEU.

Throughout the film blue is used extensively, there is a trace of it in practically every shot of the film, everything from people's clothes, the color of ink, the paint on walls and arches, the tint of the street and the water, etc.  Blue is used "to create moods of melancholy and coldness, and to draw attention to the resonant emotional associations conjured up by objects and places in Julie's mind." The coloring perfectly reflects the mood of the film; it presents a very dismal and hopeless atmosphere full of solitude and melancholy, giving the viewer a visual insight into Julie's mind.

   Here is the beginning of the movie.  You will see an element of BLUE introduced in each scene:

It does have a happy ending.  This movie is part of a Trilogy:  Blue, White and Red (the colors of the flag of France).  Blue stands for liberty, white for equality and red for fraternity.  The theme of the movie BLUE is liberty and it is manifested by Julie's attempt to start life anew, free of personal commitments, belongings, grief and love.  The character of Julie begs for self tolerance in the face of many enormous swings of faith that life can present.  The message is that life is precarious, enjoy what you can, when you can!

Enjoy life now by joining Alphabe-Thursday's Alphabet Soup hosted by Jenny Matlock.  Want to stir the alphabet soup? Just click HERE!

Better Homes and Gardens 1939

Anne-Marie is asking herself if she sould take a break from slavin' in this hot  kitchen....  I have a better idea why don't  I share something red today and join Sue for Rednesday? 

 

 

If you have something red to share click Sue loves Cherries.

 

Hotel Les Rosées!

Last year my husband and I went on a short trip to France.  This time I promised myself I would see the Riviera and all that the Provence region has to offer. From a recommendation from a friend  I booked us a room at Les Rosées  because it sounded perfect and its name caught my attention. The flagstoned walls are pink!  I thought, how romantic!  This is my first pink post at Pink Saturday and I'm dedicating it to Beverly and all the pink lovers.  Thank you Beverly for letting me join. If you wish to join, please click here!

We are, it turns out, the only non-honeymooners at Les Rosées, and it isn't hard to see why. It doesn't get much more romantic than this. As pretty as its name, this lovingly restored, traditional Provençal country house sits in the same flower-filled garden in which it has snoozed peacefully for more than 400 years. It is located in Mougins, just 20 minutes from the glitz of Cannes, it is a gloriously tranquil base from which to explore the most glittering stretch of the French Riviera.

The town of Mougins, only three kilometres north, is like taking a cool, flower-filled bath. All winding bougainvillaea-bedecked streets of artisan shops, fountains and picture-postcard restaurants, Mougins is exactly how you'd imagine a picturesque village on the French Riviera to be - only prettier. It's no wonder that generations of glamorous writers and beautiful people - Jean Cocteau, Man Ray, Christian Dior, Catherine Deneuve, Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, among them - have hung out here. Most famously, Picasso spent the last 15 years of his life in Mougins, high on a clifftop overlooking the Côte d'Azur, after he married Jacqueline Roque. The fascinating Musée de La Photographie at the centre of the village has a wonderful collection of photographs of him and other 20th-century icons.
  Here are a few pictures of the hotel and of Mougins:

Arriving late and weary, we don't fancy venturing out for dinner, but a snack of ham and cheese with a glass of wine in our room is no problem. I was told that the Isadora suite is the most beautiful and is a favourite of Liza Minnelli, but we are happy with our pink spacious bedroom .

 After our long car journey, the bed, with its clouds of crisp linen, is heavenly.

Decorated in warm, earthy tones, the pink flagstoned rooms have a rustic feel, yet are still stylish.  You can see the influence of the owner's Canadian wife in the homely touches. Breakfast - everything is organic - is a treat: white tablecloths, croissants, ham and cheese, and homemade jams in the idyllic garden. The pool is a good size and, if we hadn't been on the doorstep of some of Europe's starriest towns, we could easily have spent a blissful day reading in the shade of the trees.

I convince Glenn that we have to visit the famous Fragonard perfume factory in nearby Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. A guide explains the whole process from distillation to bottling. Did you know that to extract one kilo of rose essence you need to distill 3,000 kilos of roses? The tour is free, but ends, predictably, in the factory shop and a fairly heavy sell. Glenn grumbles, but agrees to treat me to a tiny bottle (only, I suspect, because our attractive and fragrant guide recommends it so warmly). The products at Les Rosées are Fragonard, naturally, so I've already had a chance to sample them in the luxury of our pretty Provençal-style bathroom.

The highlight of the trip for Glenn undoubtedly was driving along the heart-stopping coastal roads. This should definitely be on everyone's list of romantic things to do before you die (if you are afraid of heights, stay away) - fortunately we, and our mini, make it back to the serenity of Les Rosées in one piece.

Hope you enjoyed my post!  I'm tickled pink to have joined Beverly at Pink Saturday and cant wait to visit other pink participants.  See you soon! 

Rain makes me feel sleepy!

Its raining again. Not men, nor golden opportunities just warm drops of water! Somebody more poetic wrote: 

The first drops of rain always bring a smile on our faces. The smell of wet soil, the damp grass, and the slosh of puddles under our feet make us want to dance with wanton joy. Rain makes a heart go romantic. Ever danced in the rain? The feeling is inexplicably beautiful. Hold your sweetheart's hand and walk in the rain while the clouds play cupid. 

Ever watch children playing in the rain? As an elementary school teacher I often get a chance to see how young children, especially boys, just love to  jump in puddles and how little girls love to show off their latest Wall Mart umbrellas and rubber boots!

Since we are on the subject of rain, I thought I could share some of my favorite vintage pictures.  Enjoy!

I also love to hear the rain at night. It puts me to sleep.  How does the rain affect your sleep? Let's suppose you were in your bedroom and you are going to sleep and it's pouring rain.  Does the sound help you fall asleep or does it become an annoying sound that keeps you awake.  For me, I find it better and easier to fall asleep when it's raining (minus the lightening and the thunder), it can even make me sleep soundly and peacefully. How about you, how does the rain affect your sleep, does it make it  easier or harder to sleep?

This post is presented by the letter Z.  Tody I'm joining Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday.  If you want to see more ZZZZ posts. Please click here!

I'm also joining Jennette at Smart Trendy Moms. If you want to discover new friends at Social Parade please click here!

Here is another blog hop I really enjoy: Hop Along Friday!  To join click here!

She lives in Ireland, its her birthday and she is a hostess at Friendly Follow Friday. Who is she?  Emma! If you want to meet her an discover new friends click here! 

I'm also joining Lauren at That 22yr old Housewife at Friendship Friday, if you want to meet some brand new friends click here! or click her button situated at the top of my left  sidebar.  

I was finally able to link myself up with New Friend Fridays which is hosted by Diana. If you want to meet the many participants, please click here! 

Les chaussons rouges!

Its Ruby Tuesday!  I'm joining Maryt at Work of the Poet. To discover other red blogs, click here!

When I was young I loved to watch the movie The Red Shoes in English or Les Chaussons Rouges in French. Either in English or in French I would watch it as many times as they would show it. I loved ballet and as a child I always wanted a pair of red satin ballet shoes. I had many pink pairs, black ones and even a blue pair but never owned a red pair. To compensate I watched Moira Shearer dance in this old 1948 movie.

 The Ballet of the Red Shoes is from a story by Hans Christian Andersen. It is about a young girl who is devoured by an ambition to attend a dance in a pair of red shoes. She get’s the shoes and goes to the ball. For a time all goes well, and she is happy. But at the end of the evening she is tired and wants to go home. But the red shoes are not tired. The red shoes are never tired. They dance her out into the street, they dance her over the mountains and valleys, through fields and forests, through night and day. Time rushes by, love rushes by, life rushes by, but the red shoes dance on....

I thought it would be interesting to include this You Tube song  made by Kate Bush in the 90′s, to accompany her 7th album ‘The Red Shoes’.  The song is hauntingly beautiful. It loosely sticks to the story told in the ballet sequence with the addition of another dancer who passes on the curse (Miranda Richardson). The cinematography was handled by Roger Pratt, who went on to shoot ‘Chocolat’ and the Harry Potter films interestingly enough.

I've also joined a fun gang of girls at Follow Me Back Tuesday.   If you want to join in the fun click here!
You might also want to discover another fun blog hop hosted by Chelsea at Twee Poppets. Its Tuesday Tag-Along. To join click here!