i want to go to the seaside

"Seaside" - The Kooks to get me in the mood

I'm going to go to the seaside.  We leave on Tuesday morning (and have to be at the airport at 5.30).  We will see the sunrise as we take off (1time you had better not be late) so it is all very exciting for me.  I love, love, love to fly - Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein or New York - it does not matter to where.  It is still a flight.  When I did the booking about 2 months ago, Gill helped me find the best flights.  I investigated Velvet Sky and was very close to buying tickets from them but Gill found a better deal (she always does) on 1time (we are going to Durban, but) and returning on Mango.  Thank you Gill - that would have been a horrible way to start a holiday being stranded at the airport with tickets on a bankrupt airline.
We are only flying to Durban and not some faraway exotic location and we are not going for long.  We will be spending 4 days at Salt Rock on the north coast of KwaZulu Natal.  My friend Lesley and her boyfriend Wayne are already there and have this enormous beach house all to themselves from tomorrow so it seemed like a good idea to head up there and spend some time at the sea, especially since we did not get away at all at Christmas.

Michael grew up in Natal, he lived in Scottburgh and boarded at Kearsney.  He spent holidays at Salt Rock so he is keen to go back and see what he remembers from his teenage holidays.  Maybe his first love, Joan still lives in Salt Rock.  I will have to keep my eye on him.
I do not know Natal very well.  As a child I remember one holiday in Margate on the south coast with my mother's Johannesburg cousins who did caravaning holidays (as Gill would say with her very, very good "Melanie from SARS" South African accent "I can like to want to go on a holiday with my red Ford Fairlane, pulling my Bokkie caravan with floral curtains and a dishwashing stand")   I remember the camp site, the Ford Fairlane 500's that they all used to drive (their family nearly filled the campsite and you would eat at a different "home" every night (even although they were all in a row)), tripping over tent pegs, the smell of gas, the talent contests on the beach and being forced to do a dance with actions to "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket" with an older "cousin" but most of all I remember learning how to boogie board for the first time, the wonderful waves and the warm water.  Those were the days when your mother made you wear a bathing cap and you could not swim for an hour and a half after having lunch!!
Uncle Clyde Aunt Claudette Uncle Dan's car I had one other trip to Durban in the early '90's but that was only to fly up, collect a car and drive straight back to Cape Town.  Then 5 years ago Michael and I also flew up to collect a new car, didn't spend any time in Durban but drove through to see Kearsney College and then went on to the Drakensberg and the Natal Midlands.  It was a great trip.
So it is time to get packing (and to try very hard not to pack everything "in case" - it is only 4 days after all), get through all my work tomorrow and get my files in an acceptable state for Gill.  She clips things together, uses post-it notes to mark pages, cross references and does "recons" whereas I use the "fan through the entire file" system.  It works for me but will drive her organised mind crazy.  Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day and I have to get up super early tomorrow to catch the best of the Oscars.  If you get up at 5, it is the perfect time to see the best bits live because even if you try not to hear, you will always hear the results or see the billboards (I don't like watching when I know the results).  I am mad with myself for not getting to see George Clooney in The Descendants (he must be disappointed in me too).
I have to pack my favourite Vanity Fair magazines (the last three copies at least) which I subscribe to but never get to read them anymore.  I have two great books to read.  I have just started "The Good Fairies of New York" by Martin Millar.
"Dinnie and overweight enemy of humanity, was the worst violinist in New York, but was practicing gamely when two cute little fairies stumbled through his fourth floor window and vomited on the carpet..."
Should be fun and has started well - hungover Scottish fairies on the run from their clan who find themselves in New York.  Not many people can see fairies, you know?  
I have the latest Lee Child as well and perhaps need to find a soppy love story to read as well.   
Things to do on holiday.  I will paint my nails and organise my new purse (thank you Hayley).  I will arrange my new cosmetics in my new make up bag (thank you Kathy).  I bought new sunglasses today but have not found a new handbag.  The handbag I can wait for but I need to get a camera tomorrow.   How can a girl who blogs go on holiday without a camera?  What if we bump into Joan?   I am so hoping our insurance broker is going to be able to sort out a payout for the stolen handbag but it is looking unlikely as the policy clearly states "handbags must be locked in the boot".  Still cross with myself about being so stupid.
I will send you messages of love and poems of the sea, if I can!!  I am going to be too busy to post tomorrow but I will be in touch.
So I get to fly on Tuesday, experience the north coast for the first time, swim in the sea and spend some quality time with Lesley.  The house is ten steps down to the beach, the water is going to be warm (perhaps the house has a boogie board) and I do not have to wear a bathing cap!!!

to matthew ... on his 25th birthday

Having my youngest son turn 25 today

makes me feel older than the fact

that my oldest son will be 30 in December

(I will probably feel different in December)

25 years ago today Matthew was born

I have never hid the fact from him that he was a shock

and a surprise

His brother Nicholas was only 16 months old

when he arrived

and suddenly we had 3 little boys under

the age of 4 and half

There was cause for concern when I found out that

I was pregnant

I had been struggling with breastfeeding a disinterested Nic and

took very strong hormone tablets to dry up my milk

only to discover that I was already more than 3 months pregnant

(Nic knew something I did not)

There were serious discussions with different doctors,

letters to drug companies about the side effects of the drug,

we were given percentages and a list of what "defects" could

occur and throughout the pregnancy there were worries

about the decision we had made not to terminate the pregnancy

The cutest, spiky haired, long and skinny (strange

for a Rosslee) but 100% perfect baby arrived

and we never looked back

The balance in the family was suddenly right

- it is difficult to compare 3 -

They were all so different but so alike

He grew up at Nic's pace

They were told the same stories

and once I was reprimanded by his pre-school teacher who

asked why Matthew knew all the tunes to the nursery rhymes

but never knew the words

and I suddenly became aware that I had never

taught him nursery rhymes

He grew up with He-Man and Turtles 

and rugby balls and yard cricket

and always having to be the one to "fetch" the ball

He could tick-tack on a skateboard before he could

walk and he walked when he was

9 months old

(he needed to be able to stand up to his bigger brothers or

he just got trampled on)

Now when I look at my handsome 25 year old son

I am filled with pride

He is strong and determined, has the

most amazing discipline and doing

his best to make his dreams come true

but not without sacrifices

He is surrounded by testosterone, men

and gyms and grass

but has managed to stay softly spoken, gentle and kind

but firm and focused at the same time

He is arriving home today

I cannot wait to hold him and hug him and be thankful for him

and wish him all good things for the years ahead

that his dreams come true,

and that his heart heals

and that Griquas beat WP tomorrow afternoon

It is hard to imagine what our lives would have been like without him

and with hindsight how a decision in your past could have

changed so many peoples lives...

and made it so much poorer

Happy Birthday Matthew

your Mom and brothers and family love you so much

and your Dad is so very proud

i believe i can fly...not me!!

I am still jittery after watching the video this morning of Jeb Corliss (the guy who believed he could fly off Table Mountain).  Take a look here (if you are not easily frightened).  How do people do things like that?  Actually WHY do people do things like that?

I am not great with heights.  Not too major a phobia but I cannot walk down an open staircase without holding on and taking one step at a time. Those open cement stairs in the old days at the Newlands Swimming Pool scared me off that swimming pool forever (and that was before I found myself swimming with a real live turd).  Lovely place.  I tried getting across a fairly low swing bridge in the Hogsback with Nicky Deacon and Gareth while we were there in 2003.  I ended up going across on my bottom (just like a hobbit from the area).   Going up a ladder is not too bad, but coming down gives me a "no" feeling.

I found out that Gareth shared my fear of heights when as a two year old he would bravely climb the steps to the top of the slide and then sit there, frozen with fear until his heavily pregnant mother climbed the stairs to slide down with him.  Watch the beginning of this snippet.  This was after Matthew had been born and he had had already had quite a lot of practice on slides (note the hand holding on and how proud he looks when his feet touch the ground).

I love looking at this video - that little baby in the pram, sucking his honey dummy

is going to be 25 tomorrow - scary stuff.

I still struggle.  Watching Nic play rugby at UCT on Monday night, Michael perched himself on the wall overlooking the field and swung his one leg over the side.  I felt my uterus contract and thought that it was going to explode through my throat.   Please don't do things like that to me.

Anyone ready and able to enjoy any of these adventures:-

The best one of all:-

My aching nerves - imagine disembarking after a drink?

I feel ill.

last dance

I must be losing it.  I spent about two hours last night writing a blog post about my Dad.  He has been on my mind lately so sometimes the best way to sort out things in my head is to write about what goes on in this crazy head.   Then as I was thinking about a title for the post, I thought to myself  "Jennifer, I am sure you have written something like this before".  A quick search in my archives and I had and here it is (if you too need to remind yourself or if you have not been following me for very long). I know Aunty Norma will need no reminding and would have caught me out had I published last night's efforts.  The story from last night was much the same as in April last year, maybe a bit more light hearted but it was repetitive in parts so I pressed the "Delete" button and started all over again.   

I think of my Dad more in February than at other times of the year, it is around the time of my birthday and the anniversary of his death (very considerately the day after my birthday) that he seems to be around me more than usual. (His ashes are still gift wrapped and placed very regally in the fireplace in my office).  After the death of Margaret last month (who was all alone and did not have any children) I was even more saddened remembering the lonely end my Dad had to his life (and he did have children - Dalene and I and then two stepchildren and a son of his own from his second marriage).

Back to February - on 7 February 1959, the story goes that he phoned the nursing home during tea time of his cricket match and was quite surprised to find out that my mom had already delivered me and that I would be a Jennifer (and not the expected "Stephen").  He popped down to the Mowbray Maternity during his lunch break to check that everything was OK and that there was had not been some awful mistake.  By 1.45 he was back on the field for the afternoon session (and did not miss an over).  

It is sometimes hard to remember my Dad in his glory days before Alzheimer's claimed his brain.  However, I do remember:-

his giggle and cackle and the way he laughed 

until he shook 

and how the tears would fill up in his eyes

his very distinctive lovely hands 

(which both Nic and Kelly have inherited)

his beautiful handwriting and perfect printing 

and how being left-handed never hampered 

his writing and drawing skills

his china blue eyes and freckles on his back 

(which I thought looked like Post Toasties)

his love of the sea and teaching us how to ride a wave

on our lilos

and how to catch a wave to bodysurf 

holidays and the sea in

Port Elizabeth, Margate and Port Alfred

his love of music

(Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Trini Lopez, Tom Jones 

and some obscure group called Shakatak) 

and of him trying so hard to teach me how to waltz 

to follow his feet and not try to "lead" him

"1-2-3 and 1-2-3 and 1-2-3"

(I still don't know exactly what that means)

I remember the last time I danced with him was on his 70th birthday.  He could no longer hold a conversation but he danced with both Dalene and I in his sister's small and smokey kitchen (and he did not (and could not) complain that I still did the "leading").  

Unfortunately I do not remember having any deep conversations with him.  He did not speak about feelings or love or relationships or what made him happy or sad.  He preferred to chat about sport and particularly cricket.  He would also prefer be in a corner or around the fire with the men (and boys) rather than chatting to the ladies.

But he did teach me about music and tried his best to teach me to dance.  I also had a bonus of learning lots about the rules of cricket and golf from him.  At the end of the day I think I scored by being Jennifer and not Stephen.  I cannot imagine my father teaching Stephen to dance.  It just would not have been the same.

 

Slippers that may have helped Cyril to teach Jennifer to dance in 1963

downton abbey - tonight on BBC at 20h30

Starts tonight on the BBC channel (120, me thinks).  Everyone should watch it.

Take a look here for the DSTV report.

Maggie Smith is apparently at her absolute best.  (She looks just like my Aunt Pam)

A short trailer as well?

OK Black Swan is the movie tonight but you should have seen that on the big screen and if you did not you can  now hire it or make another plan.

If you want to do some homework, take a look at this blog.  A good synopsis to whet your appetite.


I don't think you should miss the first episode tonight.  Actually, DON'T miss the first episode tonight and DON'T say that you never knew about it.  You will only have yourself to blame.  Take a nap this afternoon if you need to.

how to look like ryan gosling and other stuff

This video amused me this week.  "How to look like Ryan Gosling" from YouTube which went viral this week.  Pretty good.

So Valentine's week is over (thank goodness).  It is not a grinch kind of thing but it has never grabbed me. Maybe because I have never had a man in my life who got all romantic over Valentine's Day, but I don't think so.  Well, except my first boyfriend who was a wunderkind with cards and letters (and gifts) and when I was 16 years old he wrote poems about our future together and what we would name our children (scary canary - remind me to tell you about my first love sometime) but I was only with him for one Valentine's day, so does that really count?   In fact his box of poems and letters is still around (not 100% sure where it is now but my mother guarded it for me for many years and moved the box from house to house when she moved, then she had had enough so it moved into Albion Road with me - after all there are a few good photographs of me in the albums (so cannot be destroyed).  Perhaps I should seek it out but it was probably burnt and thrown out after the fire at Albion Road a couple of years ago (perhaps it caused the fire!!).

Heart shaped chocolates are now all on sale at Woolworths so get in quickly before Lent (when some people give up chocolate or bread or wine until Easter when they go crazy on Easter eggs and hot cross buns and wine - hello Gill and Lesley).  So the fact that I can probably count on one hand the number of Valentine's cards I have received in my life (actually 3) does not mean that I cannot pretend to be romantic.  I am not really sure where this post is going but I was thinking about Michael and him watching Ghost (on his own on Valentine's night).  Actually, there was a romantic moment while he watched on his own and I sat on the computer.  He came down the passage (perhaps for another beer) and serenaded a couple of lines of  "Oh my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch..........."  to me.   My most romantic movie which, like most other woman, must be The Notebook.  OMW who would not want to be kissed in the rain like that!!  That sold it to me, forget the storyline.   But what is actually the attraction to Ryan Gosling?

Thin lips, small deep set eyes, face a tad too thin.  You also don't really ever see his teeth (I like teeth) and I also don't like guys who wear hats and caps (except when the sun is shining and you risk getting a sunburned nose) or who wear those signet rings on their fingers (only a wedding band for me).  Amazing how you remember some of the things your grandparents taught you.  My grandfather once told me never to trust a man who wears a signet ring - a lot of nonsense really but I always remember it.  He also once told me, and I forget the context of the conversation but it was probably about some relation of ours being "high and mighty".  "She must remember, even the Queen's bum smells like a bum".  He was a beaut, old Pa Carlson.

Back to the Gosling dude  - is it the facial hair?

I prefer the facial hair.

We are getting there eventually.  I am starting to understand better but why the frown (admit it, you did not notice the frown and had to go back and look for the frown?)

My understanding, however STOPS RIGHT HERE.  

As Cher once sang - "It's in his kiss" in the Schoop Schoop song - remember?  I have to agree with her.  Ryan Gosling can get away with close-set small eyes, thin lips (and face) and even wear a stupid hat - (not sure I could cope with a ring though) - and make the Top 10 Hot Film Star List (just because of one kiss).

And then before we get too romantic about things, here is something to remind us that we must never believe everything we hear, even if said by Ryan Gosling.

From a great blog.  Take a look.

Last point - Doesn't Ryan remind you a wee bit of Dave Annable (Justin from Brothers and Sisters)?

Actually I think Dave is better looking (but he can't really act - but are we talking about acting?)

Ryan or Dave?  Rain or Pool?  Water or Grass?  Blue sky or Orange?  

Time to go, before I get locked up (or excommunicated by my sons).

Enjoy your weekend.  Red or White?  Sushi or Pizza?

time to dish up some slutty stuff

It's birthday month at the office.  Not really but when you only have a staff of 9 then having 2 birthdays in 2 weeks does kind of make it "Birthday Month at Coulters".  It was my birthday last week and Gill's today - the 2 menopausal Aquarians who run the front office (and on some (most) days, the company as well (joking Franc)) are now a year older.  Now our Gill does not go shopping for cakes (nor does she need to).  She loves baking and is a master baker.  Today she arrived laden with containers filled with cup cakes and the hugest, highest carrot cake I have ever seen.  She left us guessing all week as to which of the many cakes in her repertoire she would produce today.   No need for her to mess around with something savoury.  She hit us with a three layered carrot cake (the Hummingbird recipe) and the kind you would not mind paying R55 a slice for in a coffee shop and light and delicious vanilla cup cakes (the Magnolia recipe).  She knows lots about cakes and did not disappoint today.

 

I am now inspired and although am no baker I can make pretty good chocolate brownies.  The recipe below I found last week is going to be tested this weekend.  We have invited the golfing four ball to supper on Saturday night and I thought these brownies would go well for dessert with ice cream.  I fell in love at Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlour's in the States with their Cookie Dough ice cream and these brownies remind me somewhat of it. 

Also when you serve your brownies as dessert, the pressure is off if they do happen to be too moist or gooey (like mine often are).  "Weigh and measure your ingredients properly, Jennifer" I heard over and over again from my mother (and now Gill).

SLUTTY BROWNIES

(OK, it was the name and not the cookie dough that grabbed me)

Ingredients

For the Brownie layer:

10 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour

For the Oreo layer

1 package of Oreo (regular stuffed or double stuffed)

For the Cookie Dough layer:

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

For the Brownie layer:

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix.  Set batter aside.

For the Cookie Dough layer:

Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.

Assembly:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray.
Layer 1/2 of the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the slutty brownies. Reserve the remaining cookie dough to be used to make cookies later in the day.
Layer as many Oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do.
Pour the brownie batter on top of the Oreo layer and make sure it's evenly layers on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if the centre is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more.

Serve with ice cream

Seems pretty straightforward - Will let you know how they turn out.

Time for bed.  Yeah tomorrow is Friday!!!

lessons from dr seuss that i am only learning now

Theodor Seuss Geisel (2 March 1904 – 24 September 1991) known to us as Dr Seuss was an American writer, poet and cartoonist.   

Green Eggs and Ham was my favourite and I still know every word.  I have only now discovered that the reason I know every word is that there are only 225 words used in the entire story.  The Good Doctor's editor took him a bet that he could not write a story using 50 words or less.  Green Eggs and Ham uses exactly 50 words and contains a total of 225 words.  For those interested the words are:-

a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.

I know why it was my favourite too - short and quick to read and by knowing it off by heart (have not used that expression for a while) made it easy to recite with your eyes closed when naughty boys did not want to close theirs'.  I clearly remember Gareth questioning me about what nonsense I was speaking at the end of a particularly long story when my eyes were closing and I had started dreaming and making up words.

Dr Seuss published 46 children's books with others being The Cat in the Hat,  One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Now with my latest addiction to Pinterest,  Dr Seuss's name keeps coming up.   I know most of his books but am pretty blown away by these quotes from his books.  Maybe you have to see these quotes standing on their own and not in children's books and while reading stories to little boys for them to make more sense.  I can't remember being blown away by them years ago -  perhaps these things come with age.  Do you remember any of them?

 

From "Happy Birthday to You"

From "Oh! The Places You'll Go!"

And also from "Oh! The Places.."

Step with care and great tact

And remember that life's a great balancing act

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

From "I can read with my eyes shut"

(me too)

I love this one.  Where does this one come from?

Did you ever fly a kite in bed?
Did you ever walk with ten cats on your head?

Did you ever milk this kind of cow?
Well, we can do it. We know how.

If you never did, you should.
These things are fun and fun is good.

From:  "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"

This comic doctor had lots of great advice:-  

On being alone:-

All alone! 

Whether you like it or not,
alone is something you’ll be quite a lot.

I’m afraid sometimes you’ll play lonely games too,
games you can’t win because you’ll play against you.

On being "You":-

If you’d never been born,
then you might be an Isn’t!
An Isn’t has no fun at all. No, he isn’t.
You are you.
Now, isn’t that pleasant?

Today you are you
that is truer than true
There is no one alive
who is youer than you


On giving everyone a chance:-

A person’s a person, no matter how small.

and

I know, up on top you are seeing great sights,
but down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights.


On coping with life:-

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!


On being positive:-

And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed!
Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!

On thinking:-

Think and wonder, wonder and think.
Think left and think right
and think low and think high.
Oh, the things you can think up if only you try

Clever man.  I wish I had concentrated more and not thought that they were just "easy peasy" books with bright pictures to read quickly at bedtime to three boisterous boys.  I would have read them slowly and clearly and with my eyes open!!

that's what friends are for.......

Last night I went to visit a close friend who unfortunately I don't get to see that much of anymore.   Not through any reason, just the way time flies by and what with work taking up much of the week and family things taking up most of the weekend, I have started to feel a bit bogged down and guilty about not making more effort to see friends and during the week seems the way to go.  Driving to Rondebosch last night I was reminded of how often in the past I drove the route to her house to collect or drop off boys and always to stop for a chat.  Last night I had to slow right down to make sure that I was taking the right road, the trees and whole look of her road has changed since the last time I visited.   We had a delicious chicken salad and crusty bread, chilled wine (perhaps 2 glasses too many) while chatting and sitting outside on her covered patio.  Our conversation jumped in many directions and by 12 o'clock (on a Monday night) it was time to go home.  5 hours of non-stop chatting and catching up!!

On getting home (to a fast asleep Michael), I had a quick swizz of the newspaper, had a shower and slipped gently (as gently as clumsy Jenny can slip between the sheets) into bed.  Do you think I could sleep?  Too much conversation (and probably 1 glass of wine too many) and my head was filled with thoughts and ideas.

I thought about:-

• friends and friendships and how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many awesome people;  
• how great getting older actually is and how much more confidence and honesty you have in your friendships; 
• how you no longer worry too much about what people think;  
• how you have so many different groups of friends and how these groups overlap more and more;  
• how this blog has introduced me to more friends and drawn me so much closer to others;
• and lots of other nonsense and a few good ideas (but later for that)

So it is my resolution to use one night a week to catch up with friends - an early visit after work, a glass of wine after supper or even an old fashioned telephone conversation (I just don't seem to do those anymore).

As for Valentine's night - I am ready for an early night.  Michael's idea of romance for tonight is to watch Ghost (one of his all time favourites and my absolute worst (except the song and Demi Moore was very pretty back then (silly girl)) - Whoopi Goldberg (UGH) and Patrick Swayze (double UGH (ugh) - RIP)).  Michael announced to the office that it is on Channel 105 at 8!!   I don't mind watching Sleepless in Seattle, Notting Hill or even Pretty Woman over and over again but one watching of Ghost was enough for my lifetime.

So we will probably watch "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" (romantically) knowing that the boys will not be coming around for supper tonight (to rip us off about watching re-runs of the 2004 series).  Maybe Michael will not be able to resist Ghost and will watch teary eyed in the bedroom, while I catch up on last night's Grey's (and nod off in front of the TV).  Silly thing Valentine's Day.  Love you lots!!

who's your daddy?

He belongs to me - Harper Seven Beckham!!

Cuteness Squared

Don't you love her outfit.  Thank goodness they dress her like a baby because I had visions of her with high heels and a handbag like Tom Cruise's little girl, Suri.

And then the cute Shiloh Jolie-Pitt who at 4 years old refuses to wear dresses and wants to be a boy.

Only thing I do not understand is why the Beckham's drag a baby along to a fashion show?  She was only on show for the red carpet arrival and then must have been whisked away because David was in the front row with his camera seated next to the Vogue editor.  

Victoria is releasing a handbag called the Harper bag with her new fashion collection.  The rich get richer!!

The pictures are thanks to Victoria (Rutherford, not Beckham).  They have not been in our papers yet, so hot off the press for us.  Thanks Victoria!!