Fabulous Friday

I love the movement in this portrait of Diane Sackville, Viscountess Crosbie. I get the impression that she must have had a very spritely personality.

So, earlier this evening Officer B comes upstairs and finds me with a very distressed look on my face. "What's wrong?" he asks as he kisses me on the forehead. I shake myself from my stupor and reply, "Oh, I was just watching the news. I think I'm stupider because of it."

This isn't a new complaint of mine. It is horrifying what watered down pap passes for news these days. I flipped between four channels and heard reports on inner-ear infection causing obesity, University of Florida research that proves beer goggles exist, and a woman suggesting healthy snack options for students who sounded as though she didn't think your kids would be any more interested in celery than you do. Ridiculous. Yet further justification for why I read the news (Some of my favorites:BBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, The Age, Google News and then for a laugh (or a cry), CNN.)

In other randomness, I spent most of my afternoon writing on my new laptop. Officer B sold one of his rifles and bought me a laptop. Isn't he a sweety? I couldn't ask for a better husband. I can't tell you how cool it was to be able to curl up on the sofa and write.

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Fabulous Friday

Ha! I made it! My first Fabulous Friday post in what seems like ages. The lady to the left is Winifred Anna Cavendish-Bentinck (née Dallas-Yorke), 6th Duchess of Portland, painted 1912 by de Laszlo. I adore her magenta cape. Every girl needs one of those!


I have to tell you I'm more than a little relieved that I didn't anger anyone with my last post. A previous boss used to scold me for being idealistic, and while I understand that he worried I was being naive, I still feel that having ideals and striving for them is important. We are admonished to love God with all our strength and our neighbords as ourselves. God is easy to love; God is Love. That guy sitting next to you in traffic flashing vulgar hand signs and spewing venom at the elderly lady in front of him - he is harder to love.

I hope you all have wonderful weekends. The Good Doctor has ordered me back to the hospital on Monday for four more fun days with toxic cocktails (a.k.a. 2nd round of chemo). I've got to get my little bag of entertainment packed. I thought I would leave you, gentle readers, with a couple snippets of my own fiction so look for that to go up on Sunday. The really good news though: not a single evil nurse nightmare. That, ladies and jellyspoons, is called improvement.

Fabulous Friday: Portrait Safari II

I've decided to go with a Ladies in Blue theme today. All three of these portraits were painted by the artist de Laszlo. I wasn't able to find much biographical information about them though.

Countess Dénes Széchényi (nee Émilie de Riquet, comtesse de Caraman-Chimay)

Mrs. Elinor Glyn, the original romance novelist. Now we know who to thank/blame.

Lady Alistiar Graham, who reminds me of Shakepeare's Ophelia in this painting.

Reading my sister's blog this morning gave me quite a laugh. She reminisces about our eccentric family and one of my more creative but less practical artistic experiments - the painted sofa.

I hope you all have lovely weekends. I'm off to see the Sex and The City movie this evening.

Fabulous Friday: Portrait Safari

I went on one of my hunts for new portraits this week and hit the jackpot, so instead of just one painting I thought I'd give you a sampling of my finds.

Countess Ada Lovelace, the "first computer programmer". I had no clue that she was Lord Byron's daughter.

The lady in the photograph below was listed as the Duchess of Manchester. I couldn't find out any biographical information but I thought including her was appropriate given Manchester United's win this week.

I found a new portrait of one of my all-time favorites,Princess Zinaida Yusupova

And then there was this gorgeous photograph of Consuelo Vanderbilt.

Wishing you all a happy and relaxing weekend and a pleasant Memorial Day.

Fabulous Friday - G.R.I.T.S.

Driving in Officer B's big ol' truck this morning, the CD in the player was his "Upbeat Country" mix. The first song in the cue was Miranda Lambert's Kerosene, and I've got to tell you it wasn't a bad way to start the day. Embedding was disabled, but it's definitely worth a listen if you need an angry girl anthem to put some sassy in your day.

I laughed at myself driving in that truck, country music blaring, singing for all I was worth. Despite all my poetry and pretentiousness I'm still a Girl Raised In The South (G.R.I.T.S.) . So, here's to wherever your from and being proud of it! Happy Friday!

Fabulous Friday: Charade

This is one of my favorite movies. It's perfect. Absolutely, perfect. I love the part where she takes his glasses and says she bets he doesn't need them. It would have been so easy to overplay it, but Audrey is just charming.

Happy Friday!

Phlegmie Friday!

"The Reluctant Bride," by Toulmouche

Blast! I caught a cold. My sinuses are so compacted with unmentionable nastiness that I'm walking around slack-jawed, breathing through my mouth. What's worse is that "mouth-breather*" is one of my favorite insults and now I am one! I selected this painting by Toulmouche not because I'm a reluctant bride (certainly not after 10 years of marriage!) but because the expression on the subjects face captures how I feel, afflicted as I am. If only there were kind nurses to soothe my brow and pet my hand. Gerrard has quite accommodatingly been sleeping on my feet to keep them warm, and Wasabi eyes me with concern each time I sneeze, but it isn't really the same. Sigh. I had so many plans for this weekend.

BTW - Happy Leap Year! Do something unusual!

*Mouth-breather: any Neanderthal-like creature who behaves in or expresses brutish manners or thoughts. An uncouth and uncivilized ruffian. - As defined by Mrs. Fox

Fabulous Friday!

The dashing gentleman to your left is Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale. In this portrait by John Singer Sargent Lord Ribblesdale is shown elegantly dressed for the hunt. The warm tones are inviting and yet the spartan background and the subjects demeanor definitely give an austere sense of removal from the viewer.

Thomas Lister was the last of the Barons Ribblesdale. Both his sons died in service to the Crown, the eldest in the Somaliland Campaign and the youngest during WWI.

Lord Ribblesdale had three daughters, two of whom have living descendants. His fourth child, Laura, married Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat and the 23rd Chief of the Clan Fraser. His youngest daughter, Diana, married the 14th Earl of Westmorland.

Wishing you a cheerful weekend!

P. S. Keep your fingers crossed on Groundhog Day!!

Fabulous Friday!

In theory, the holiday on Monday made it a short week, but I've got to tell you, the cold, gray weather made the past four days seem like six. I took my inspiration for today's fabulous guest from the winter weather.

The lovely lady to your left is H.S.H. Zinaida Yusupova, as painted by Valentin Serov. The Yusupov's were one of the most wealthy aristocratic families in Imperial Russia.

"The dazzling beauty and kind, affable personality of Nikolai Yusupov Jr.'s daughter Zinaida (1861-1939) made her the brightest star in the constellation of aristocratic heiresses of her time. Her son Felix recalls: 'Not only was she intelligent, educated and artistic; she was also the most charming, kind and outgoing person I knew. When my mother appeared, she lit up the room with some kind of heartfelt, demure inner radiance'."

A valuable trait, one would think, during those bitter Russian winters. There are a number of things that draw me to this painting. First, the soft, muted colors are cool but suggest the promise of Spring. The casual setting and pose are welcoming and intimate. On a less sophisticated note, I like her little dog - rather reminds me of my Wasabi. I don't usually post two images, but when I found this one, I couldn't resist. Princess Yusupova slightly younger . . .

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Fabulous Friday!

Friday at last! This week has been a slow one.

This week it is my pleasure to introduce the gloriously beautiful, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough.

This portrait by Giovanni Boldini is a favorite of mine. It seems to combine the sometimes incongruous qualities of whimsy and elegance. She is painted here with her youngest son, Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill.

Sadly, her marriage to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough didn't last and they divorced in 1921. Rest assured she didn't spend her days shut up in a convent.

Here's to a restful weekend!

Fabulous Friday!

Happy Friday, you bright young things! Help yourself to champagne or, if you prefer, Arthur is mixing martinis at the bar (I warn you - he always over does it with the Vermouth). Yes, let's loose the bonds of the weekly monotony!

Allow me to introduce Lady Decies, nee Miss Elizabeth Wharton Drexel

Nabbed herself a title with that third marriage, but isn't she lovely. Between you and me, I'm not sure what she's doing to that dog, poor creature, but she insists that he accompany her everywhere.

Cheers to a sparkling weekend to come!