meganiwish

I'm just enjoying Joanne Harris's book, the sequel to Chocolat. Just wanted to share this, because I loved the picture so much. "She came in early today, just as Anouk was leaving for school. I left her alone for less than an hour - just time enough to take Rosette for a walk - and when I got back the place looked brighter, somehow; less cluttered, more attractive. She'd changed the display in the shop window, spreading a swatch of dark-blue velvet on to the pyramid of tins that filled it, and on top she had placed a pair of bright-red, shiny high-heeled shoes, brimming over with foil-wrapped chocolates in red and gold. The effect is eccentric, but arresting nevertheless. The shoes - the same red shoes she was wearing on that first day - seem to shine in the dark shop window, and the sweets like buried treasure spill across the velvet in cubes and fragments of coloured light. 'I hope you don't mind,' said Zozie, as I came in. 'I thought it could do with a bit of a lift.' 'I like it,'I said. 'Shoes and chocolates...' Zozie grinned. 'Twin passions of mine.'" I'm only half way through, but I urge you to read this wonderful book. A picture is worth a thousand words, and Joanne Harris paints pictures with her words. (And she name drops shamelessly, which makes me love her more.)

I never realized that Megan. You are so right. Where are all the welcoming ladies on this forum. It must be overwhelming for a girl who says hello on this forum to be welcomed by a bunch of guys.

I used to be quite good at it. I do try to welcome new females when I notice them.

However, welcoming new males would be a full time job and with lots of extra PM's to answer as a result.

Amanda Snake, I know. Not aimed at you. But I just think the girls could look out for the girls. We do get privileges here, after all. I like the girls only forum because sometimes I just want to talk to girls, so... Actually I came here just to talk to girls, but then I made new male friends.

It'd be nice to have some girls say hello.

Oh, wonderful, but your left foot looks a bit twitchy

I had a genuine accident today. I went for a walk in the park to see the spring flowers. I was crossing the stream and I slipped on the stone and ended up sitting waist deep in the stream. There were some people there who were very concerned for me. They were very sweet. If they only knew.

No. The scene in the photo is pretty much at the limit of the ruggedness I could thrive in.

That was my thought exactly

Hi, and welcome, HH.... Oh, what is it you guys have with letters and numbers? lol

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hastingsrangers/5824347804/in/photostream/

This is Old Roar, where I live. OK, it's not Niagara, but we're quite proud of it. I must admit, I've never heard it roar. Apparently it does when there's been enough rain. In the basin you'd be lucky to get a decent cold bath.

I don't know if this is the right place for this, but on a hunch I looked at a few random hello messages (not a scientific poll by any means) and it looks to me that we girls are sadly lacking in the welcoming messages. When I think back, I think I was mostly (if not entirely) welcomed by guys. (I can't believe I didn't check before I started writing this.)Are we really so unwelcoming, girls?

Hi Nikki and welcome. Just so you know the girls pay attention too. Megan

I actually have worn two different pumps. Both the same model and size, but different pattern. One in leopard print and the other in zebra print. Called the combination predator and prey. lol

Clever! And nothing more than I'd expect from you. Yes, you've got to show that there was some thought in it.

Waisted Giraffe, odd DMs, so cool. A girl in DMs is already stating she's something to reckon with. And you couldn't put odd ones on by accident, unless it was very dark or your lucidity was nothing but a (blurry, I presume) memory.

I can't decide how I feel about this. I see a lot of girls in mismatched socks. I love the message it sends that life's too short for searching for a pair. And I've seen two girls sharing two pairs of shoes, which looked really sweet. But unless there's some other nod to the mismatch somewhere else in the outfit it seems difficult to avoid the look of early onset dementia. Maybe that's a personal paranoia.

You're so right. If you're so funny, get on stage, show us. But they never are, because being funny, or being able to perform in any way takes so much effort and preparation and attention to detail and timing and courage and... Ooh, love that feeling when you come off stage and it's all gone well, but you've paid for it before. The heckler wants the glory without the work. No, he's a parasite, he wants the glory off your work.

Tried to PM you, Tech, but couldn't. Please PM me so I can reply

No, sorry, you've just been a victim of my grasshopper mind. Majesty, that's the key word. The film. Sorry. I think I warned Shafted (so he could take evasive action). It was unfair of me not to warn you. You've no idea how hard it is for me to keep on topic.

Waterfalls are great, regardless of size or grander. One of Natures greatest displays.

I'm not much of a movie buff and havent seen that one. I might have to look for it.

Oh yes! I used to take my class on a field trip to see ours. It was about a three mile walk from the school, observing the stages of a river on the way up. They were always impressed by the waterfall.

Your pictures are stunning, and really capture the power of it. I live by the sea, so I'm used to the power of water in bulk, but still, I wish I'd seen your falls for real all those years ago.

English Bob goading Americans on the attempted assassination of a president (I don't know which one it's meant to be) and why you couldn't assassinate a monarch: "Were one to stand before royalty, with assassination in mind, their sheer majesty would cause one's hand to tremble. But, I mean, a president! Why not shoot a president?" (The views expressed here are not necessarily my own.)

Two years ago, because of the cost of fuel, I gave up driving in favour of walking. Now, I wonder what the petrol/shoe leather exchange rate is. (Actually, I suspect driving is harder on shoes than walking.) Anyway, people on Jobseeker's Allowance here in the UK get sixty something quid a week, which the letter tells you is 'what the government says you need to live on.' Not including rent or council tax, but including fuel, clothing and laundry. I don't claim it myself, because I can earn that much without too much trouble, and without having to jump through hoops. In fairness, they're not far wrong, but you need to shop cannily, and not expect luxury. Because my income varies, council tax regularly comes and bites me on the behind. Sorry, not meaning to get political (or whiny).

Perhaps you should start a thread about driving in heels. Unless it's already been done. Enjoy reading through and see. Megan

ilikekicks, I like your stage look, your outlook on life, and now "lens look". I like waterfalls and have photographed Taquemenon Falls in Michigan's U.P., Takkakaw Falls in B.C., Angel Falls in Venezuela, and, most recently Iguazu Falls when my wife and I were in Brazil in 2010. You captured Niagara's majesty by your nighttime shots, was it with 1600 speed film? Thanks again for posting them!! HappyinHeels

ilikekicks, I agree with everything Happyinheels says. We have a waterfall where I live, which we're proud enough of (apparently) to call it Old Roar. A stream two foot wide falls about 30 feet. I imagine we have a different idea from you of what constitutes a roar. And I guess majesty is all relative. (Have you seen Richard Harris play English Bob in Clint Eastwood's film Unforgiven?)

"Some can wear nothing but UGGs or whatever sensible shoes and still get bunions, hammer toes and so on. "

Oh, Uggs are terrible. They were designed to be an indoor slipper and made fashionable by movie stars wearing them on cold film sets between takes. (Slightly off theme, apologies, but I've heard of people being rescued off snowy Scottish mountains wearing Uggs. I mean, who'd go mountaineering in their slippers?) But they're so destructive to people's ankles when worn on hard surfaces. There was a Brazilian football (sorry, Colonial friends, soccer) player who had bent legs. They both bent the same way. Sorry, can't remember his name, I think it had something to do with birds. Maybe a football loving chap or chapess can supply the name. Anyway, certainly in the UK, there seem to be a lot of girls who have legs that both bend inwards, shuffling around in Uggs. I pains me to see it. They're only in their teens. What will become of them. A good heel won't do that to you.

(Sorry. I seem to have done something wrong with the quoting. Hope you can see the sense.)

Hi Sharon, Hope you had a good weekend. They were black 70 denier. My cowboy boots don't have zips, so they would have held quite a bit, but I knew I was going to dance some more and I didn't want it all squirting out of the top. I like to keep it secret really, so I only used a little from a small wineglass. I don't think anyone could hear because the music was so loud. By the end of the evening the boots had soaked most of it up and it was really quite difficult to pull them off with the damp tights inside the damp boots. I had quite sore feet by the end of the night, but nothing like my knees the next day. Ow! I'm going to have to be more sensible in future. Regards, Megan x

Oh, absolutely. I was expressing approval, not accusing you of plagiarism. I hate heckling, it's so rude and disrespectful. The other thing Billy Connolly says is, "Look, it's very simple. When the light's on me that means it's my turn."

Hello, Kutefeet

Here it is (I hope.)http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/christine-keeler-photograph-a-modern-icon/

Seems I got the year wrong. How very strange to think she'll be 87 years old now. If I just read the birth date right. No. It's the photographer's birthdate. Phew! I'm so relieved Christine Keeler isn't older than my mum.

Sangue, no reason you should know. Christine Keeler gained notoriety in the Profumo Affair in 1964, which brought down the MacMillan government here. Briefly, John Profumo, the Defence Secretary, was caught in flagrante with a young lady of the night, Christine Keeler, and the press had a field day. Later an iconic photo was taken of her sitting naked astride a turned around chair with the chair back covering her modesty. I'll see if I can find it. Megan x