Sunday, May 10, 2009

A Little of What You Fancy

by Anna Campbell

A Little of What You Fancy is the title of a rather saucy Edwardian song sung by a rather saucy Edwardian music hall star called Marie Lloyd who lived between 1870 and 1922.

She's a fascinating character - although you wouldn't think so if you'd watched the recent BBC movie about her life. I was looking forward to it because it featured the gorgeous Richard Armitage as her first husband. Sadly, even the gorgeous Richard couldn't save this mess! Although I think that's a really cute picture of him laughing his head off with the girl who played Marie.

Marie Lloyd rose from poverty in the slums of Hoxton in London to become one of the world's highest paid entertainers. She went through three husbands, including a last guy who was considerably younger than she was. She stood up against the entertainment moguls of the day to make sure less famous music hall performers received decent pay and conditions.

And she was very, VERY naughty!

She was always in trouble with the censors. One of my favorite stories about her is that when the authorities complained about a song called I Sits Among the Cabbages and Peas (yeah, good old British toilet humor!), Marie shrugged, told them any double entendre was all in their dirty minds, and changed the lyrics to "I sits among the cabbages and leeks." Cheeky, huh?

Another of her famous songs was Every Little Movement Has a Meaning of its Own. Again, the lyrics without her delivery could be seen as quite innocuous! But you can imagine what the delivery was like. Ooh la la!

And all this in the prim and proper late Victorian era! They weren't quite as buttoned down as we'd like to think, those Victorians. Ask Donna!

Sadly, Marie ended up falling victim to drink and her last days were rather pathetic with her playing to dwindling crowds and acclaim. But for many years, she was unrivaled as the queen of the music halls and she became that without being a great beauty or even a terrifically good singer. It was all chutzpah and guts and spirit and sauciness. My sorta gal!

She died in rather a sad way. She was performing in a shabby music hall and she was singing one of her songs that had been a hit for her since her childhood on the stage, I'm a Bit of a Ruin that Cromwell Knocked Around a Bit. When she started to stagger and eventually collapsed, the audience rocked with laughter because they thought it was part of the act. But Marie was desperately ill and died three days later. 100,000 people attended her funeral!

All of which is a rather long winded introduction to what I'm talking about today. A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good, as Marie would have said!

I'm talking about small day-to-day luxuries. The thing you regularly use as a pick-me-up. Something that offers a tiny highlight in a day that might be all hard slog otherwise.

I work very strange hours! I get up very, very early, usually around 4am and I work through until about 11 when generally my brain is tired and I'm utterly sick of my office.

Then I stop for a couple of hours. I cook lunch as my main meal of the day, I watch a bit of TV, I often have a bit of a nap. It's quite a European way to spend the midday hours, actually! Then I head back around 2 to start work again, feeling like a new woman.
And if I can't get a new woman, well, I suppose an old one will do. Ha ha. A joke good enough for a Maria Lloyd song? Nah, I didn't think so either!

But the moment of real luxury to me is that I have a glass or two of wine. Generally a nice Aussie red. Aaaaaah. Big sighs of satisfaction when I take that first sip after a hard morning at the computer face.

So do you have a small reward you give yourself most days? A piece of chocolate? Some other favorite food? A favorite TV show? A photo of a gorgeous guy you drool over (you can't have Richard, he's mine!)? A cuddle with your honey? Something, heaven forbid, physical like a swim or a walk or a bit of gardening. I'm not talking about the big luxuries here like a trip to Paris or a couture gown or spending up big at a bookstore - although reading a chapter of a romance or another good book would definitely count.

Come on, share! I want to see if there are other daily sybarites out there!

145 comments:

Helen said...

Is He Mine

Have Fun
Helen

limecello said...

Great post, Anna! Yes I reward myself, pretty much with all those things. Recently it's been food/making it really. I made 72 peanut butter cookies last Sunday for friends. Monday I made fried rice and dumplings/potstickers and dropped them off at school for friends before their exam. Then I walked around the building handing out cookies. Tuesday I made crab and shrimp cannelloni. Wednesday I made ginger scones. Thurdsday I made an adapted shrimp/crab cannelloni and also chocolate fondue (ganache, really). Yesterday I made fresh whipped cream using a whisk, to go with a scone. And today, I made chocolate mousse. :D
I think I might go on a reading kick soon...

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Helen, it's definitely Happy Mother's Day for you! Congratulations!

Lime, you make me laugh! ALL of my suggestions are a daily reward? I want your life! Actually, no, having read your post, I don't want your life, I just want to move in and eat the leftovers! Yum!

Helen said...

Great post Anna Marie Lloyd sounded like a very fun person to be around.

A Little bit of what I fancy
I too get up early (not as early as you)around 530am in the morning I turn the computer on make myself a cup of coffee and sit at the computer for about an hour or so checking mail and blogs (while the washing machine is on) then it is time to hang the washing out have breakfast and get ready for work. When I get home from work dinner is usually just about ready but I go straight to the computer again and yes check mail and blogs then have dinner and shower then my favourite past time pick up a book get myself settled in the compfy chair with a Tim Tam or chocolate and read for a while.

Reading is my biggest treat and being on the computer I love it.

Happy Mothers Day to all of the Mothers ours is just about over all the family have gone home now but there is chocolate mud cake left for the GR and I to share while I read.

Have Fun
Helen

Anna Campbell said...

Ooh, meant to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Helen said...

Limcello

I second Anna you need to do a package and send it to OZ

Have Fun
Helen

oldbitey said...

Books. Lots and lots of books.

Anna Campbell said...

Helen, actually I had a fair idea of what you'd say before you answered! I knew there would be blogs and books and Tim Tams. And I was pretty well right, wasn't I? The mud cake sounds nice - make sure that rooster doesn't eat all of it!

Old Bitey! Wonderful to see you in the lair, m'dear! And what a great choice!

Christine Wells said...

Hi Anna! I'll have what she's having...no, that was another blog. Love the sound of Marie even if she did come to a very sad end. I do envy you your work habits!

My small ritual of pleasure each day is to drink coffee, and for a less usual pleasure, I buy a Spencer & Rutherford handbag:) or a piece of china. But that is a very occasional thing and usually when I want to celebrate something. Oh, and chocolate, of course, but I'm trying to cut down!

Congrats, Helen! Happy Mother's Day to all!

penney said...

Hi Anna, frist I want to say I love your books.
My treat is a book and a cup of Folgers Cappuccino Mocha Coffee.
Happy Mother's day everyone
Penney

Anna Campbell said...

Christine, I find when I'm really stressed, chocolate does come into the scheme. But I have to keep an eye on it. Otherwise, suddenly and very strangely, I'm stressed ALL the time and the chocolate just seems to disappear out of the pantry ;-) Love your Spencer and Rutherford bags, by the way! When you say a coffee, I'm assuming you mean a 'proper' one made in an espresso machine? Not Nescafe!

Hey, Penney, great to see you here. You're most welcome to say you love my books. In fact, I think it's a condition of commenting that you have to come back every day for a week and say it again and again.

Don't believe me? Nah, I wouldn't either!

Thanks for the lovely compliment! And the coffee sounds lovely. Sadly, these days, I can only drink decaf. I remember just how a proper cup of coffee to start the day really WAS a luxury.

Authorness said...

Great post, Anna! Thanks for introducing me to that naughty but fascinating Marie Lloyd.

I'm afraid I spoil myself far too often. A good slab of Lindt Lindor chocolate is always a nice treat after I reach my writing quota. I've also taken to buying a lovely warm croissant each morning as a reward for having to get up at 5:45am. That's pretty naughty, I reckon.

Jane said...

Congrats on the GR, Helen.

I like to reward myself with cheesecake, cookies 'n cream ice cream, an ice cold Coke and pizza. I share Eric Bana with Aunty Cindy and I like to think of him as a luxury.

Amy Andrews said...

Love the title of your blog, Anna and loved dear old Marie - she sounds just like my kind of woman.

Treat wise - movies for me. Of course I don't do this every day but a trip to the cinema after I've reached certain writing goals is a fantastic reward.

Wine? Yeh well - that's definitely a daily occurence. I usually pour myself one to congratulate myself for surviving homework. Which is a step up. A few years ago I had to have a glass before I could even face homework - thank goodness for maturing kids :-)

And books of course. But that goes without saying :-)

Also wanted to pop in and say happy 2nd anniversary. I missed the celebrations last week. What an achievement with the Banditas going from strength to strength.

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

What an interesting woman! Did you happen upon her in your research?

I cannot indulge in a "piece" of chocolate for I would become a voracious chocolate monster and grow to massive proportions. I find that some Diet Dr. Pepper in a pretty glass is about all I can handle. ;)

Joan said...

I think my slog days would be easier to get through if I had a hat like Maria's :-)

Actually, I'm envious as all get out about your routine day, Anna (except the getting up at 4 am...I'd push it back to staying up late instead)

Hershey dark choclate kisses help here and there but...the MAIN thing that makes those 12-14 hr days at the hospital doable is...my Diet Coke. And on my days off? A fountain Diet Coke from McDonald's. Oh, I'll get one from any of the resturants, but McDonald's are the BEST.

Don't ask me why.

But today? Today I'm hoping to make it to a showing of Star Trek. Me and my popcorn and my....Diet Coke!

Nancy said...

Congrats on taking home the rooster, Helen!

Hi, Anna--

What a fun post! I learned something today, too. This story reminds me of Olive Thomas, a young star poised to take off in 1920s films as a flapper. She died tragically, of accidental poisoning, as she and her husband, Mary Pickford's brother, were traveling.

I like chocolate. I also like to watch a movie or several back-to-back DVD episodes of favorite TV show. I have two seasons of Smallville sitting here to help me through my current round of revisions.

When I have a fantasy ms. to work on, I like to put in The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas and a troop of Vikings. While the fantasy elements aren't dominant in that movie, it helps kick up that part of my brain.

Alias and Lara Croft movies help me with action/adventure. The first season of Heroes is always a good refueling source, especially with its tight pacing and its exploration of characters whose lives and physiology changes without warning.

I'm not good at analyzing structure in a TV show arc, but it seems to filter into my brain somehow, even though I just feel as though I'm relaxing.

And when I'm frustrated, movies with lots of stuff blowing up are good. Serenity or Independence Day or Batman Begins provide a sort of vicarious catharsis. Unless I need a laugh, in which case I go to Galaxy Quest.

And, as I said, there's always chocolate. :-)

Nancy said...

Limecello, I envy people who can cook s enthusiastically. I'm a purely recipe-bound cook with no improvisational skills whatsoever. I hope your friends appreciate your donations!

Nancy said...

Helen, I'm glad your Mothers Day was nice. We're going to Star Trek for Mothers Day. In about 15 minutes.

Have I mentioned that before? *g*

Seriously, I love reading, too, and one of the things I missed as this semester spun into nutsiness was the chance to just kick back and read. My TBR pile keeps growing, but I actually have some hope of whittling it down now that I'm done for the semester and not teaching this summer.

Nancy said...

Oldbitey, I think you'll find plenty of company here in your love of books!

Nancy said...

Christine, I like purses, too. My feet are so hard to fit that I'll never develop a shoe obsession, but I do like a new purse now and again!

Tiffany Clare said...

I love my red too (Usually Bonterra--which is California, or Obikwa which is South African, and sometimes Wolf Blass' Yellow Label Cab-Sav) I'm very specific in my reds! If it's a big occasion I splurge on some chateauneuf de pape.

In the hot sticky months I use some good English Pear Cider as a reward.

And for those big celebrations (like recently) we went to the bakery and bought these huge strawberry tarts filled with Bavarian cream! Those were HEAVEN!

Happy Mother's Day all!

Becke Davis said...

Sad to say, I had never heard of your feisty lady; I'll have to do some research. Your description made me think of the wonderful movie, Mrs. Henderson Presents, starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins.

http://www.film.com/movies/mrs-henderson-presents/7371437

My pick-me-ups? Well, at home, it's a cup of tea, maybe with a digestive (English whole wheat biscuit) and a book. If I'm out, it's a frou-frou umbrella cocktail.

Chocolates are reserved for VERY special occasions!

Unknown said...

Congrats Helen on nabbing that rooster today. Have fun with him!

Great post Anna, yes I do reward myself daily. Mostly reading every evening before going to bed but like lime I also do it with food sometimes. Although sense I have gained more weight, I need to stop the food and take up walking! We have just had so much rain lately you can't get out for those walks. I know thats no excuse but it works for me right now.

Marisa O'Neill said...

Anna, what a riveting post, thanks for introducing me to Marie Lloyd! A tragic ending but oh, such an interesting life.

For me,at the end of the day I "fancy' one of four things (in no particular order or preference) :
1. a good book
2. a good TV show
3. a good dinner
4. a good visit with friends

Any of these 4 things puts a nice cap on my day.

catslady said...

I reward myself by reading late at night with usually 3 or 4 purring cats next to me :)

Louisa Cornell said...

Congrats, Helen ! Don't give the GR a reward unless he is REALLY, REALLY good ! Like THAT will ever happen !!

Great post, La Campbell. Marie sounds like my kind of gal. What a sad end for such a talented person.

I tend to treat myself to Cadbury's if I've been very, very good as a writer and done all my pages. I also try to reward myself when I do those things I HATE around the house! Dishes. UGH Laundry. DOUBLE UGH !!

My sweetest indulgences are reading a great romance novel (like yours perhaps?) even if it is one I've read before.

I am very partial to an afternoon nap, myself. A habit I formed during my time in Europe and one I can only indulge on my days off. It definitely makes me feel like a new woman!

New shoes! Now there is something I used to do as a reward quite a bit. However, working at Wal-Mart has cut back on that a bit. I DO however buy at least one cute pair of shoes for each Nationals I attend. I need to shop for some soon. SQUEEE!

And for me a good hot cup of tea with some real English biscuits is a real treat for me. It is raining here now. I may just indulge in that luxury right now!

Oh, and CONGRATS TIFFANY on your book contract! I am so terribly pleased for you and I can't wait to read Hidden Beauty !!

jo robertson said...

What a fascinating story about Marie Lloyd, Anna! Thanks for sharing. I love hearing about somewhat bawdy women living against an uptight society. You have to admire such courage, or devil-may-care-ness!

Always, always, always, my rewards are my 7-11 Pepsis, fully loaded. But I think I'm adding the Diary Queen banana cream pie blizzard to my repertoire of rewards. They do beckon me quite nicely to partake!

Yay, Helen, give the rooster a nice mothers day break, or better yet, have HIM wait on YOU, hand and foot, so to speak.

Cassondra said...

Hi Anna.

Wine, a fire in the firepit on a nice evening, and a bit of reading before bed. That's my reward for getting through the day.

What a nice blog, and I love that naughty songstress who set the industry on its ear. And we could take a lesson from her in how to handle the critics, don't you think?

Anna Campbell said...

Ooh, Vanessa, a lovely warm croissant? My mouth is watering! I miss a lot of those lovely big city things now I've left Sydney. Being able to pick up wonderful French bread at the drop of a baker's hat, for example! And chocolate is your staple diet, not a luxury!

Jane, I have a wonderful picture of you reclining on Eric's manly chest and tilting your head back while he drops bits of ice cream and other goodies in your mouth! Rather decadent!

Anna Campbell said...

Actually, AA, I suspect you and Marie would get on like a house on fire. You both have the same delightfully earthy sense of humor! Love the idea of going to a movie as celebration! When I lived in New Farm in Brisbane many years ago, I used to wander up to the Village Twin on a Sunday afternoon to see whatever was on as a way of rewarding myself for a good writing weekend. They played Strictly Ballroom for about six months! I ended up knowing every single line of dialogue! Thanks for the congrats on the second anniversary! It's great, isn't it?

Anna Campbell said...

Hi Sherrinda. Actually she's someone who's been on my radar for ages - way back in the mists of my unpublisheddom, I wrote a book set around theaters in Sydney in the late 19th century and I got interested in theatrical history as a result. And a lot of the Marie Lloyd stuff is still part of the vernacular here because of the British connection. I love the idea of her being so cheeky in what was supposedly such a buttoned down era. My theory is that the era wasn't nearly as buttoned down as some people would have us believe!

Sherrinda, I tend to avoid chocolate as a treat too for exactly that reason. Not to mention I can't have just one little piece. It has to be LOTS of little pieces. The nice thing about the wine is it's a luxury that I don't overindulge in (usually - occasionally I do when I'm out and about and kicking up my heels).

Anna Campbell said...

I've heard great things about the new Star Trek, JT. And there's some serious man candy in it! Marie's hat is pretty spectacular, isn't it? I love that Edwardian fashion. Suspect it was agony to wear because of all the corsetry but the dresses and accessories were dead romantic!

Anna Campbell said...

Nancy, I'd never heard of Olive Thomas. I've just looked her up. Wow, what a life!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Thomas

What an interesting selection of inspirations you've got. And none of them fattening! I watched the first series of heroes - some serious man candy in that too! But I must say I thought it all got too silly towards the end and I lost interest so I haven't watched any of the subsequent eps.

Anna Campbell said...

Nancy, I actually shouted myself a Spencer Rutherford purse when I got my second contract. I'd never owned a proper handbag - I'd always been a backpacker/basket kinda gal. Sadly I can't walk in glamorous shoes any more so handbags have had to become my indulgence of choice now. I adore this handbag - it's one of those love it or hate it purses, but I think it's gorgeous!

Cassondra said...

Anna said:

My theory is that the era wasn't nearly as buttoned down as some people would have us believe!
You know I have a theory of my own....the tighter a society tries to button everyone down, the wilder the "other side" gets. There's always an outlet. Like the wrong side of town where the "gentlemen" went at night to gamble, drink, and be with women not so buttoned down.

I think you're right. Some of those buttons were actually snaps--popped on and off as needed.

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Tiff!!! Let me spread your marvellous news!

Everyone, Tiffany has sold. And in a BIG way! She now has a three-book deal with St Martin's press to write hot historicals. Congratulations!!!

Glad to hear you celebrated in a big way with Bavarian cream (where's my bit?). I've never had Chateauneufdupape. What's it like?

Anna Campbell said...

Becke, I loved Mrs Henderson Presents. That's another one of those odd contradictions that get me interested. The only theatre that stayed open right through the Blitz featured naked women. And they were allowed to feature naked women as long as said NW didn't move a muscle. Tableaux were considered artistic. Very odd! And to a lot of the young men being shipped off to fight, this was the only chance they ever had to see a woman with no clothes on. Isn't that sad? Highly recommended film!

Anna Campbell said...

Virgina, I have been known to use rain as an excuse to avoid physical activity too so you're among friends. Actually when I read Tawny's latest (GOING DOWN HARD, fantastic!), I use to let myself read a chapter after I'd written a couple of pages. Strangely, I had no trouble with productivity targets that particular week ;-)

Anna Campbell said...

Marisa, what a lovely list. I'm with you on all four! Glad you enjoyed hearing about Marie Lloyd. I'm really sad that a lot of really interesting women have been swept under the carpet of history somehow - felt that when I was researching the courtesans, some of those were incredibly fascinating women! I think then people get a false picture of what our female antecedents were like. That they were all demure little baby-making machines. Whereas there was an enormous variety in women's experience in the past and a lot of the women were mind-bogglingly gutsy. They had to be to make it in such a male-dominated world.

Anna Campbell said...

Catslady, that sounds absolutely idyllic. I'm trying really hard to avoid getting a cat right now - not helped by the fact that someone locally is giving away kittens. I have a lot of very beautiful birds around my house and the cats really are killing machines. Beautiful killing machines, but still killing machines! But the picture of curling up with a book with a purring moggy on my lap is SOOO appealing.

Joan said...

Treat yourselves today everyone...go see Star Trek!

It was FABULOUS! I've now added Chris Pine to my stalking....er, fandom list. He IS James Tiberius Kirk!!!

And Zachary Quinto who plays Spock??? I would love the challenged of breaking up his logic...

Joan said...

Oh, and the Diet Coke was fab :-)

Anna Campbell said...

Actually, Marie Lloyd's ending was really sad, Louisa. Her much younger husband (an Irish jockey named Bernard)used to beat her and that's why she turned to drink. Love the sound of your little luxuries. My family were always great devotees of the afternoon nap - but then my family always got up at sparrow fart. I'm really running out of steam towards the end of the morning and the lunch, the drink and the nap gives me a new lease on life. I don't however do the European thing then of staying up really late!

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, that's exactly how I feel about women like Marie Lloyd. I love to hear about women succeeding against the odds. Actually something interesting I found when I was reading up on her was that she had a couple of sisters who also treaded the boards. All considerably prettier than her and none of them the star she was in England. However when she went to America, her style was too bawdy for them and her much prettier and sweeter sister Alice.

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, your luxuries sound...luxurious! I love an open fire. Where I live at the moment, though, it rarely gets cold enough to justify one.

Isn't Marie Lloyd interesting. Just found something she said when the Americans complained about her saucy material: "They don't pay their sixpences and shillings at a music hall to hear the Salvation Army. If I was to try to sing highly moral songs, they would fire ginger beer bottles and beer mugs at me. I can't help it if people want to turn and twist my meanings." I think she knew EXACTLY what she was doing! And her audience loved her for it.

Tiffany Clare said...

Chateau is full bodied has some seriously nice long legs, and is simply divine! I like a rich red... chateau fits the bill. In too many ways, actually, that's why it's a special treat.

And thanks again for all the congrats, Anna, Louisa! I'm still in dreamland wondering if someone just needs to pinch me harder to wake me up.

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, I agree with you. I remember being shocked the first time I saw how many prostitutes were in Victorian London. Thousands and thousands, a lot of them children. Tragic stuff.

Anna Campbell said...

JT, sounds like Star Trek was definitely a treat! I've seen clips and it looks wonderful - definitely on my list.

Tiff, that's interesting about CNDP. I find New World wines tend to be more robust than the French stuff. But clearly this one doesn't fit the bill. Must say I love visiting America and drinking there (hmm, I'm going to get a reputation!). The wines in the U.S. are wonderful - very similar in style to the Aussie ones, I find. Hey, enjoy your dizziness! I'm still dancing around so happy for you!

Keira Soleore said...

Fo, love, no one can beat you at being a sybarite. You're the model I aspire to.

Having said that, I'm right now enjoying a half-bottle of cream red concord wine, one of the Kedem ones unused from Passover, in the middle of the day and catching up on the intrywebs.

And she was very, VERY naughty!Yes, that's the reason you love her so much. I'm imagining your merry face and that delightful laugh as you wrote about her singing "I sits among the cabbages and leeks."

My daily rewards are my friends, their thoughts, their comments, their jokes. I couldn't live a day without them.

Helen, aha! He's baaaaaaaack!!

Donna MacMeans said...

Loved the post, Anna. Yes, those Victorians were not all as prim and proper as they pretended to be.

I've learned (the hard way) that when it comes to sweets - I have no willpower, nada. I'll start rewarding myself with chocolate if I finish a sentence - just to get to the chocolate. Consequently, our cupboards tend to be bare, and will remain so until I can lose some of this weight I'm toting around.

These days I try to use reading as a reward. There's so many books in my TBA stack, and so little time to actually get to it - that what was once a frequent pleasure is now a sought after infrequent reward. Hmmm...have to figure out how to change that. Maybe I'll have to write more so I can read *g*

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ALL

jo robertson said...

OMG, Limecello, if I'd made 72 peanut butter cookies, the entire batch would not have survived until my friends arrived. Absolutely my favorite cookies, and yes, I know most people prefer chocolate chip cookies. Not me.

Okay, now that's just plain wrong to make so many delicious-sounding goodies and dangle them in front of us. But I have to say, the way to get through exam time is lots of delicious food!

Hmmm, what do I have in my cupboard? Gotta check!

Anna Campbell said...

Keira, I begin to worry that I'm leading you down the garden path, although I promise there will be neither peas nor leeks at the end of said path! I love the feeling of a saucy little wink and a twinkle in her eye when I read about Marie Lloyd. I love that she got away with it!

Donna, I thought of your books when I was looking up the details of ML. Again, that lovely sparkle and sly wink! I still think you pitching Mrs. Brimley as a Victorian striptease was brilliant!

Laughed at you and the chocs. I hear you. Someone I know lines up M&Ms on her keyboard and eats one every time she finishes a page. If that were my keyboard, those M&Ms would be history before the first paragraph reached its last full stop! Needless to say, M&M woman has a lovely figure!

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, I went to bed and dreamed of Lime's wonderful gourmet feast! Seriously. It was a very unfair way for me to finish Sunday and now I want food and lots of it. Not a good thing! Wish I got lettuce cravings.

jo robertson said...

Old Bitey, that goes without saying -- books, books, and more books. I just rewarded myself with two more today! Actually, sometimes I think I just have the compulsion to buy them -- one of J.D. Robb's I haven't read and Karen Rose's "Scream for Me." I can't keep up with the reading.

Maybe I should have an intervention.

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, no intervention! This is a good hobby. It doesn't make you fat. It increases your general knowledge. Um... It keeps bookstore staff in jobs. It cleans pennies if you drop them in the... No, that's Coke, isn't it?

I'm addicted too. Last year I bought SOOO many books because our dollar was high against yours and Amazon became a place that I haunted.

Joan said...

at sparrow fart.ROFL.....

And I'm with you Anna on wanting a lettuce craving...instead of the Vanilla Wafer one I'm on right now...

jo robertson said...

Christine, coffee? Not tea? I must admit I've always wanted to be a coffee drinker, but I think you have to start fairly young. It smells so delicious and has all that lovely caffeine. And hardly and calories if you leave out the froth and cream.

Don't most writers live on coffee?

jo robertson said...

Aren't Anna's books luscious, Penney? Today I'm going to take a nice bubble bath and re-read the naughty bits of TEMPT THE DEVIL, my Mothers Day gift to myself.

jo robertson said...

Oooooh, warm croissants! Scrumptious, Authorness. I've love to have them in Paris, thought LOL.

Explain Lindt Lindor chocolates. I've never had them and I really, really need another chocolate to get myself hooked on :-D.

Anna Campbell said...

Joan, do you use the phrase sparrow fart in the States? I love it - so colorful! Hmm, this blog seems to be full of toilet humor!

Actually, Jo, one of my comforts when I couldn't drink coffee any more was that I never had a cup of coffee that tasted as good as it smelled. And I can still get high on that wonderful coffee smell!

Thanks for that, Jo. I must say I'm snorting at the idea of reading the naughty bits - um, that would be ALL of it, wouldn't it? There's quite a lot of naughty bits in that particular story!

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, I've hit this with Americans before - I don't think they sell Lindor chocs over there. A staple food here over Easter is the Lindor bunny. Yum, yum, yum. From his fluffy ears to his little tail. And all that's left is a red ribbon with a bell! Lindor Balls are a Lindt Chocolate (my favorite are the milk chocolate and the hazelnut ones) shell over a creamy chocolate centre. Seriously, heaven on a stick!

jo robertson said...

ROTFL at you, Nancy. At how you make your reward still be something productive like tapping into your creative brain.

Movies and TV-watching as research for books. Absolutely!

Cassondra said...

Jo, you can still learn to drink coffee. You just have to do what I do. Make cake out of it.

In a regular cup of coffee (mug-size, not "teacup" size) you need about three big spoons full of sugar (more if it's coffeehouse coffee like Starbucks), and about an eigth to a quarter cup of cream. NOT skim milk or any such sorry excuse for pretend milk. It's got to be half and half. Whole milk at the LEAST.

Then give it a serious stir and sip. See if you don't like it. Coffee alone is too bitter.

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, I think you're trying to get Jo hooked on a vice! ;-) I agree with you about those pathetic excuses for milk not being worth the paper on the label. And I only just found out that half and half in the US is actually not half non-fat and half normal but includes lots of cream. I had been avoiding buying it in the shops because I hate watery milk. And now I'm kicking myself. Vanessa gave me that handy little tip, by the way!

Cassondra said...

Tiffany said:

I love my red too (Usually Bonterra--which is California, or Obikwa which is South African, and sometimes Wolf Blass' Yellow Label Cab-Sav)Tiffany, I LOVE the Bonterra cab. I haven't tried the Chatea. Have you tried the Liberty School cab? It's also got that richness, with a big mouthfeel, but it has a bit of leather and tobacco in the flavor. Really different. The Bonterra and the Liberty School are two of my favorite "firepit" reds. I also like the Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage (South Africa) and it's a good bargain for the price.

jo robertson said...

Glad you mentioned the fire, Cassondra. Dr. Big loves to build a roaring fire in the winter time, or what we here in California call winter. Often I wake up in the morning to a toasty fire all lit and blazing! Very nice. The flames are so friendly!

jo robertson said...

Tiffany, super super congrats on your deal with St. Martin's!! Yay, you.

I loved Mrs. Henderson, too Anna and Treethyme. Judith Dench was superb in it!

jo robertson said...

OMG, Cassondra, you're such a temptation-witch! You're right, Anna, I don't need any more bad habits LOL.

At first I thought Cassondra meant "coffee cake."

Okay no bad puns on Mothers Day.

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, I so wish you were coming to Nationals. I want to go on a wine bar crawl with you! You'd better come to the one in Nashville or I'll come and hunt you down, Bandita buddy! With a corkscrew!

I think Judi Dench is fantastic in everything, Jo. She's one of my heroines.

Anna Campbell said...

Actually, Jo, Cassondra's recipe for coffee has as much sugar in it as a coffee cake!

jo robertson said...

Oh, yes, Anna, I suspect I'll be quite a while in the bubble bath (snicker). Yikes, I'm channeling Jeanne!

jo robertson said...

Actually, buying more books than I can possibly read in my lifetime might qualify as an addiction. If only I were a faster reader!

Yesterday, I finally cleared out my "finished, non-keeper" books and donated them to our local library. Three large boxes and two large grocery bags. The librarians were giddy!

Anna Campbell said...

Hmm, I think when you start snorking, you really need to be worried about Jeanne being a body snatcher. Hope you've got plenty of hot water! ;-)

Actually I'm due to do a cleanout of non-keepers too. They have a big charity booksale here for one of the old people's homes and they LOVE me!!!! Although this year, because of the RWA bushfire appeal, I won't have quite as many for the local efforts.

jo robertson said...

Anna said: I think then people get a false picture of what our female antecedents were like. That they were all demure little baby-making machines.

Anna, I couldn't agree more with you. Modernists often lament the idea that our generation is so much more wicked than previous ones. However, my common sense tells me that people in general have the same needs, desire, drives. I think it's one of the reasons we love romances. We get to see the real emotions beneath the thin veneer of society.

jo robertson said...

Okay, totally cracking up at the "sparrow fart" phrase. Never heard that Aussie-ism before. My language has grown by leaps and bounds since I've become friends with our English/Austrialian counterparts in the Lair. Uh, scatalogically grown, that is.

jo robertson said...

Oooh, you just reminded me of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, Anna. I loved all versions of it, the old black and white, the one with Donald Sutherland in the 70's, I think, even the sorry little one with Nicole Kidman and Kevin McKidd (the new hottie on Grey's Anatomy and ROME star).

That's another guilty pleasure. I love that story!

Kirsten said...

Hi Anna! Lovely blog -- Iove reading about saucy women! :-)

I definitely indulge daily -- for me, it's yoga. I know, that doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as chocolate, but since I can't have the chocolate, I go for the yoga. It calms me down, gives me an outlet for my energy, and yet builds energy, too. And I get to do a lot of controlled breathing, which seems to do good things for my stress level.

And did I mention that I did my first headstand last week? I can't imagine I haven't, cause I've been talking about it everywhere I go! :-)

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, that was one of the really fun bits about researching the courtesans. Those girls were seriously wild! And I don't think our current generation gets up to much that previous generations didn't find out about and have fun with, frankly. I think that's one of the interesting things about looking at actual people from the past rather than just generally accepting that "Oh, Victorian women were all repressed and asexual." Clearly that was FAR from the case! And the whole life destroyed through drink and drugs thing is definitely not something the current generation invented either.

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, I've never seen The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (hmm, if it's you in the bath and Jeanne sneaking in, I'm still not sure about it!). Must check it out!

KIRSTEN! A head stand! No, I didn't know - clearly I've been under a rock doing this dirty draft. Congratulations! Actually much as I think you've raised the tone unforgivably mentioning yoga when the rest of us are talking about chocolate, I know what you mean. I'm currently pining for my pool (it's too cold to swim). Going out for a dip after a couple of hours on the computer is always such a treat.

jo robertson said...

Okay, my bath is calling -- hee, hee -- and if I squint my eyes really, really tight, Dr. Big looks like Julian, uh sort of, like I'm sure I look like Olivia in TTD.

Don't have too much naughty fun while I'm gone :-D.

Anna Campbell said...

I'm sure I told you, Jo, that Olivia was based on a young Lauren Bacall? And Julian is Bryan Ferry when I had a huge crush on him in the 70s and 80s. Those slumberous bedroom eyes. Yum! Enjoy your bath and thanks for coming to play!!!!

Joan said...

Don't most writers live on coffee?Um, no. Some of us live on Diet Coke :-)

Anna Campbell said...

JT, I'm channelling Jeanne now - SNORK!

Joan said...

Anna, we use "sparrow" and "fart" but not together.

And here I thought I was being awakened by cheerful chirping... pffft...

Joan said...

Kirsten,

My brother got a Wii Fit yesterday and I was doing one of the Yoga poses. I stayed steady enough to be called a "Yoga Enthuisiast"

Huh, first time I'd done anything like that and while I'd like to do more...I don't see a head stand in my future...

Anna Campbell said...

Cheerful something, JT! ;-)

Helen said...

Loving everyones treats one of my daughters gave me a Darrell Lea Mums Bag for mothers Day and I am so happy I have a box of soft centred chocolates, Rocky Road,Jubes,Caramel Snow bars,peanut brittle fingers and a bag of soft liquorice Yummy I was enjoying some of it last night while reading a good book. I a, going to make this last as long as I can LOL

Have Fun
Helen

Kirsten said...

Joanie, you'd be surprised! You should try it a few times. At least, give the yoga a shot. ;-) I have only done the headstand "unassisted" for a few seconds at a time -- I rely heavily (!) on the wall behind me to keep me from flying across the room and ending on my rear! But I'm working on it. Little by little.

And Anna, I would love to have a pool! I am a sucker for the mid-day swim. Not that I've ever really taken them, but if I had the opportunity, I know I'd love it!

Kirsten said...

Tiffany, I had missed your big news, and then saw it pop up on my Publishers Marketplace deal sheet!! WAAAAHOOOOO! You go girl!!

Can't wait to have you on as a GUEST BLOGGER when you're launching! Now that will be such a great party in the Lair!

Trish Milburn said...

Fun post, Anna. Interesting lady.

I do the mini-reward thing for meeting certain goals, even small ones. I could be being able to watch something on my TiVo, or a trip down the street to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard (hmm, I just mowed the lawn -- think I deserve a Blizzard), getting to watch a fan vid on YouTube, reading a chapter of a fun book, etc. I'm also a big fan of going to the movies at the theater, so I look forward to that when I can. This week has been awesome as I saw both Wolverine and Star Trek at the theater. I love sitting there with my nachos, watching the previews and then the movie. I love seeing things on the big screen.

Anna Campbell said...

Ooh, Helen, no wonder the Rooster came to visit you. Yum! I love DL Rocky Road!

Kirsten, I NEVER thought I'd live in a house with a pool but I have to say I love it. I get lower back pain and nothing helps to stretch out those poor cramped vertebrae like a swim. And it freshens up my mind too - water always helps me think, whether it's looking at the sea or swimming or even a nice long bath. Hey, I'd love to have a Bandita retreat here one day. When we're all NYT bestsellers, huh?

Trish Milburn said...

Anna -- "sparrow fart"? LOL! I've never heard this term, but it make me crack up.

Anna Campbell said...

I'm really looking forward to Tiffany visiting too! I feel like I'm linked to her in several ways - the Vauxhall Vixens and her visits here and the wonderful Avon Fan Lit contest which is where we first met. And I love the idea that pubs are still buying and buying big!

Trish Milburn said...

Oh, and my current celebrity crush is Karl Urban. I liked him before as Eomer in Lord of the Rings, but seeing him in Star Trek has renewed my interest.

Anna Campbell said...

Trish, sounds like it's been a good week movie-wise in your house! I actually think those little rewards keep us going. It's a game I play with myself - and the silly thing is I'm gullible enough to fall for it. You know, finish this chapter and you can go and watch a DVD.

Let's teach the cabana boys about sparrow fart, huh? Sounds like something that would enhance their vocabulary.

Anna Campbell said...

Just looked up Karl Urban - he isn't too bad at all (Richard, no need to get jealous, my heart still belongs to you!). And he lives relatively close to me. Wonder if he wants a visit?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

What a lovely post, Anna. I'm curious. Did you not like the life story movie because they wrote out the good parts of her life, you know white wash it, or because they went too far the other way?

I watched RAY again the other night. First, let me just say that Jamie Farr deserved that Oscar with that performance. It was like watching Ray on the TV the entire time. Anyways, my daughter, Lynds didn't like it when she saw it, because "It showed all the bad things he did, but didn't show how great his life was after he gave up the drugs." Alas, she's right, but his life was such an inspiration because of how low he went, then how he persevered. (Yeah, I know it's not the topic, but it's on my mind.)

Suzanne Ferrell said...

oh, forgot to talk about the subject.

Chocolate covered caramels. Milk or Dark chcolate.

And for my birthday or when I've finished a manuscript, I treat myself to a slice of Dulce de Leche cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. To. Die. For. And I eat it slowly over a few days.

Oh yeah...am close to earning a slice!!

Anna Campbell said...

Suz, what a good question. Perhaps I didn't like it because RA played a rotter and was written out far too soon. Hey, am I that shallow? Actually the characterisation was nonexistent. You never really knew WHY anyone did anything they did. And because they only had 90 minutes and tried to tell her complete story, it was really jumpy in terms of time line. So you'd just start to get a handle on what was happening to her in 1910 and suddenly you're in 1922. Also - and I find this annoying in bio pics anyway - they kept doing cameos of famous people who would appear for no particular reason (apart from that the watcher would go, "Oh, she knew Oscar Wilde") and then disappear forever. LOTS of characters - far too many for me to develop a relationship with anyone in particular. Also I think for stage bios, you really need to see quite a bit of their stage work because really, that's why we're interested. This had about two songs in it and none of them were done in full. I suspect it was done on the cheap. Sadly, the girl playing Marie was really good and deserved a much better vehicle for her talents.

Oh, dear, what a rave! Sorry.

I haven't seen Ray. I must. As you can probably gather, I love a good showbiz bio pic.

Actually another one I didn't like at all was the Edith Piaf one - La Vie en Rose. Yet again, the central performance was amazing but the movie itself was really badly constructed and for some of the same reasons as this Marie Lloyd one. Did anyone else see that?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Trish, did you see Pathfinder? Karl is the star of that movie. Yummy!

And he was in The Borne Supremacy, but he was the bad guy.

And he was in Doom with The Rock.

Yeah, I totally get the Karl Urban crush!!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Suz, long may your cheesecake rule! Your treats sound great. Actually a small treat I have when I'm on a chocolate hunt is a bitesize Cherry Ripe but don't tell Christine - she despises them!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

I haven't seen Ray. I must. As you can probably gather, I love a good showbiz bio pic. ..

Anna, you really must see RAY. Jamie Farr played and sang the music, and he not only nailed Ray's sound, he BECAME Ray.

Blew my socks off both times!

Anna Campbell said...

Suz, I just put Ray on my list of DVDs to get sent to me. Thanks for the recommendation! I remember wanting to see it at the time.

Unknown said...

Well this is sort of off subject but the history and the wine made me think of it. I pulled this page out of my page-a-day wine calendar a few days ago. It's a quote from George Washington and I've got it taped up over my computer. I dunno. Just something about it I liked.

My manner of living is plain...A glass of wine and a bit of mutton are always ready, and such as will be content to partake of that are always welcome.Sometimes to treat myself I do something simple and quiet, because life is always so rushed. I guess that's what it is with this quote and my fire and my wine. (I do fires even in the summer, Anna. I just build them a bit smaller and push my chair back further. But of course, mine are outside.)

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, what a lovely quote. I love the simplicity of it - as you said, it really cuts straight to the heart, doesn't it? I honestly do love my glass of wine at lunchtime - it just takes all the stress away for a little while, sort of gives me a breathing space and then I'm ready to dive back into it. And I've been doing this for years - you'd think the effects would wear off but they never have. And I have a really nice glass too which somehow enriches the experience and I really take my time drinking it.

p226 said...

I get home. I pick up my guitar. I use it as a catharsis. If I'm angry, I improv death metal. If I'm sad/down, I improv blues. If I'm happy, I'll stick to major keys and just noodle, or play other people's stuff.

I play guitar mainly for me. Not for others. And this is why. It's a release.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Hey, Anna! Great post! I love those little luxuries, like a cold glass of chardonnay, a piece of cinnamon toast, my husband's coffee cake (a weekend favorite!), a cut flower from my garden. :> Not everyday, but most days, I have at least a LITTLE somethign to remind me that Life. Is. Good.

Grins.

Oh, and thanks to everyone who popped on the blog yesterday. Thanks especially to Nancy for keeping the convo going!

Huzzah, Helen, hope the bird treated you right on Mother's Day (US)!

Trish Milburn said...

Suz, I've seen him in Bourne. I put Doom on my Netflix queue to get next. I can't remember if Pathfinder is on my queue -- must check.

Trish Milburn said...

Anna, if Karl comes to visit you, I'm so going to beat my fear of planes and come for a visit. :)

Anna Campbell said...

P226, sounds like your guitar is exactly what I'm talking about! Something you do just for you.

Jeanne, I love your list of luxuries. They sound great - although I'd swap a shiraz for the chardonnay ;-) The blog yesterday was rockin'! Great column!

Trish, I think I'm a little bit hurt that you'll come all this way for a hot guy but not for a pining Bandita! ;-)

Nancy said...

This is not a pick-me-up I can have daily. At least not until the video release. For me, at least, Star Trek was freakin' awesome!

Others may disagree, of course. I came out of the theater wearing a big grin, satisfied and happy. And I can't wait to go back. If I get bogged down in these revisions, I'll be there.

I'm not saying more because I don't want to spoil things.

Jeanne, I was glad to keep the ball in motion yesterday. Your great post made it easy.

Anna Campbell said...

Nancy, I haven't heard of anyone who hasn't liked ST. And a lot of those people aren't necessarily fans of the TV show or the other movies. Sounds like it's a great film!

Unknown said...

Anna said:

, I've hit this with Americans before - I don't think they sell Lindor chocs over there.Oh, YES, we have Lindt truffles. They're actually in the grocery stores around here--even at WAl Mart, but they're more expensive than your average chocolate here. They come in little bags--kind of a cream-yellow foil bag for the white chocolate, and various colors of blue for the regular and dark chocolates and a black bag for the extra dark. They're about the richest chocolates you can get around here unless you go to a specialty chocolate store. Even then, sometimes I'm a bit disappointed because I bite into the really expensive stuff and think, "this really isn't any better than the Lindt."

It's a special treat for me sometimes. I don't get them often though because I can't stop at just one. I eat the whole bag!

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, one of the good things about Lindt is that they're so rich, I can't actually sit down and really pig out. Two or three and I'm feeling on chocolate overload. Sounds like the sort of stuff we have here - maybe they're just labelled differently in the States.

Anna Campbell said...

Actually something wonderful in Sydney is the Lindt Cafe! They use their chocolate to make hot chocolates and it's the most decadent stuff you've ever tried in your life.

Unknown said...

Anna said:

Actually something wonderful in Sydney is the Lindt Cafe! They use their chocolate to make hot chocolates and it's the most decadent stuff you've ever tried in your life.

OMG. If I ever come to Sydney, you have to take me to that cafe. I love hot chocolate.

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, there's been a run of chocolate cafes set up lately. There's two Lindt ones I know of - one's in a lovely historic building right on Martin Place in the centre of town. They do Lindt chocolate ice cream too! There's at least one Guylian cafe and a wonderful Israeli franchise called Max Brenner. Seriously, I think we'll need a week to do them all justice! And then there's the Opera House shaped chocs they sell at David Jones's, our classy department store. Hmm, maybe make that a month!

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Okay, I finally got to run through most of the comments - Jo and Anna, are ya' done channeling me now? Can I come back as me? Ha!

Wait...I missed something. Tiffany? Sale? WOOOHOOOO! Just went back and found it. Missed that one in my scan. GO TIFFANY!!!

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Cassondra, you and I can plan a trip together. We'll also liquor up Trish, get her on the plane and we'll gather up Anna and kidnap Karl Urban.

*rubbing hands together* Ohhhhh Yeahhhhhhh!!!!

p226 said...

Oh, man, you guys are missing out. I commented one day that my hot chocolate came in packages. My friend called me a heathen and left it at that.

A week later this hot chocolate maker shows up via FedEx on my porch. You can take *any* chocolate, break it up, feed it to this maker with milk, and it produces PERFECT hot chocolate.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Okay, first, I gotta say...GREAT friend! :>

Who makes this miracle machine?

Anna Campbell said...

Jeanne, Tiff's sale is amazing, isn't it? I'm so excited for her! And we'll definitely have her here as a guest to celebrate!

Hmm, I'm liking the sound of this invasion of my proud nation. Only ONE gorgeous guy? Don't you think he might end up getting a bit tired? Union rules and all, you know!

Anna Campbell said...

P226, that maker sounds fantastic! I'm with Jeanne - what's the brand? Actually does anyone remember me talking about the Belgian chocs I got for Christmas? In the packet were six chocolate sticks that you basically melt in hot milk to get a really great hot chocolate. I'm saving them for a moment of extreme celebration. They sound yummy!

jo robertson said...

Isn't Lauren Bacall one of the grand ladies of film, Anna? Sultry and sexy when young and a pistol of an actress when she got older. She must be in her 80's now, a great model for your heroine.

p226 said...

The brand is Bialetti.

jo robertson said...

A pox on all the Coke, people, Joanie. One of the reasons I like Eve Dallas (in the JD Robb series) is her buying "tubes" of pepsis. Uh, she also drinks coffee by the gallon. Hmmm, and she's a skinny one.

Nancy said...

It's a good thing I don't live in Sydney. This Lindt cafe thing sounds dangerous.

So does p226's machine. I want one!

p226 said...

Here's a review of the thing.

http://ergonomics.about.com/od/kitchengear/fr/hot_cocoa_pot.htm

Nancy said...

Jo, I am a Coke person, too. Sorry. :-)

In my universe, Lance Toast-Chee peanut butter crackers (the orange ones) and a Coca-Cola combine to make an excellent food substitute. Sort of the way beans and rice combine to make a protein. :-)

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Anna said: Don't you think he might end up getting a bit tired? Union rules and all, you know!

Union Jack, right? Snork. Let's run it up the po...oh, that's a bit risque for a Mother's Day blog, isn't it. Bad Writer! VEG

Nancy, you are SO my long-lost-twin. Four corner nabs and a Diet Coke. We'll just go out on the porch and appreciate that, shall we?

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, I wanted someone who wasn't conventionally beautiful but was still gorgeous enough to stop traffic. She's got quite a bony face, every distinguished.

Thanks, P226. I mean, THANKS! Just what I need. A hot chocolate machine! ;-)

Nancy, you're most welcome to join the Lindt Cafe trek in Sydney ;-) Bwahahahahahahaha!

Laugh at you Coke and Pepsi girls! The great divide!

Jeanne, I'm laughing at the pole thing. Yeah, clearly Marie Lloyd would have appealed to BOTH of us!

Trish Milburn said...

Sorry, Anna. Even to you, Madame Christine, Karl, Hugh Jackman, and my life-long pining to see Australia and New Zealand, it's going to take some drugs to get me on a plane over water for that long. I can see myself flipping out halfway there. Maybe someone can learn that Vulcan neck pinch and put me to sleep every time I wake up. :)

Fedora said...

Hi, Anna! My frequent rewards are books and/or the reading of said books, and good ol' chocolate :D

And wow, a hot chocolate machine? Might have to check that out...

jo robertson said...

Great diversion today, Banditas! What naughty fun.

And, okay, all right, I will concede to the apparent superiority of the Coke afficionadoes. But I will NEVAH choose it over Pepsi!

Joan said...

it's going to take some drugs to get me on a plane over water for that long.We'll hypnotize you and tell you it's a train. Why can't you see scenery? Er, because of fog...yeah, that's it...fog.

Or, I know people (MD's) and we can get you a script for drugs.

Or...I'll pracice the Vulcan neck pinch ....

Nancy said...

Joanie, when we get together in DC, you'll have to teach me the Vulcan neck pinch. I've always wanted to do that!

Jeanne, I can always use an ally in the food substitute corner! :-)

Anna Campbell said...

I actually rather like the idea of someone developing for real the 'beam me up, Scottie' apparatus. I don't get scared when I fly - hope they're not famous last words, Trish! But I get the world's most horrific jet lag. I'm a mess for a week after a big trip!

Fedora, I think the hot chocolate machine definitely sounds worth checking out!

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

blackknight8Consider us allied, then, Nancy! :> Rice and beans? Coke and 4 corner nabs? Cheesecake and...well, anything?

Grins. I'm there.

Oh, and now we can add a hot choco machine to the list. After all, milk, all that good stuff in chocolate that's supposed to make us feel good...oh, sure its sugary, but I DO need my calcium, right?

Vulcan neck pinch? Yep, we'll work on that one for you Trish...

Anna Campbell said...

Jo, I'm hearing echoes of Braveheart in that Pepsi speech. You may nevah take our FREEDOM!!!!!!

JT, you're quite cunning when it comes down to it, aren't you? ;-)

And eek to the Vulcan neck pinches! Please don't practice on me in DC. If I'm doing all that flying, I want to be awake to enjoy it at the other end!

Anna Campbell said...

Everybody, it's been a fantastic day in the lair! Thanks so much for playing and rescuing a forgotten woman from the vault of history. I mean MEEEEE! Marie Lloyd was an afterthought ;-) Hope all the mums had a great day!

Mari said...

Someone else that I really admire although she was born a little later than Marie Lloyd is Mae West. I absolutely love that she was a revolutionary, a feminist, fought against censorship and bucked the establishment.
Her biography is hilarious and I never tire of her one liners.

Anna Campbell said...

Mari, back in the days when I subtitled TV shows for the Deaf, I remember doing a show about Mae West and thinking what a revolutionary she was. She and ML had a lot in common, didn't they? Fascinating woman!

limecello said...

lol considering all the other comments; I guess I shouldn't say that I grilled lamb chops today, and made more chocolate mousse, right? ;)

Genella deGrey said...

What a fun post, Anna! (Yes, I know. I'm late. :) )

Gals like Marie Lloyd and Mae West were ahead of their time.

My treat, when I earn one, is whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.
:)
G.