Streams Full of Stars

September is really the New Year, isn't it? So HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! Here, I am starting a new study group soon: The History of the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. The history is fascinating for sure - reading Rogues' Gallery right now and it makes for an interesting debate. Who has the right to 'steal' or buy the treasures of another country? Even for 'safekeeping'? Lots going on behind the scenes of some famous museums!

Monday, September 21 is World Peace Day, so please check out this site:

http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome

Another heartwarming place to visit is the MS Foundation School in Hyderabad, India.

http://msfoundationschool.org/

We can make a difference for the children of the world if we try. No matter where we live, our lives are intertwined by kindness. Please share with others.

Lots to catch up on! August brings heat, humidity and magnificent thunderstorms...the last is the best! Have you caught the wedding video dance? See those smiles! YES!

Enjoying our gardens in full bloom now...and the Garden Museum in London! Music to rock to...and a stack of books to read...now that's bliss!

Well, it's been awhile! Now we are headed into lazy summer days...as opposed to lazy winter days, or lazy autumn days, I guess! Spring is for 'cleaning', we know that!

For now, let's slow down and relax - with a pile of books and a Bellini to sip...start with Swedish author, Linda Olsson, who now lives in New Zealand. Look for her Astrid and Veronika, a story of love, loss and a friendship which spans generations and also continents. Then for suspense and witty observations, turn to Joanne Harris of Chocolat fame - once you start her Gentlemen and Players, set in a British public school, you cannot stop - promise! Visit both their websites in the Library for insightful and entertaining interviews.

Check ART for Susan's newest vernissage venue. Oh, and GARDENS to check out the glorious Longwood and also Land Art in the Glen Villa Garden in Quebec's Eastern Townships - truly remarkable! You will be inspired!

Some new thoughts added to our Streams Full of Stars page as well...reflections to keep us in tune with all around us....

Today is World Laughter Day!

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." Helen Keller

One thing we can all share is our smiles! Heaven knows there's lots to laugh about - if only we take time to look! Let's escape the gloom and doom of the news...off to LOL to get started with Johnny and Jerry and surely one laugh will lead to another! If you have some special laughter moments, please share them with us in comments - you  know your suggestions are always welcome!

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person."

                                                                      Audrey Hepburn

Go to ART to see Yelena! Bravo! Bravo!

If it is a rainy April day and you need a pick-me-up, then head over to our YES page and watch the T mobile video and dance along! BIG smile factor! And we're adding more GARDENS all the time! Linger there to soak up the colour and tranquillity. Check out Philip's garden blog.

Also new in MUSIC, some nostalgia - back to the 70s...and even to the Beatles! Tell me that this doesn't make us feel lighthearted! The Fab 4 also appear in MOVIE CLASSICs - a Hard Day's Night shows us that young people have always been insouciant...how refreshing!

Spring's a-coming! Smell the fresh earth and feel the sun on your back!

Zoom! Where did February go? Well, here we are still working on our own recovery package  but let's skip that part. Received a great new video of Ellen for LOL from Lyssa - thanks!!! Love hearing about things that make us laugh!

Also, to make us smile - in Links check out the new look on Amanda's site (she is so funny!) and you have to see Tracy's too! Plus you need to check out the flower girls link!

And there's new additions to Gardens...we so need that colour in our lives...Keukenhof is just the start! The sun is shining today and although I cannot remember what Puxatawney Phil or Wiarton Willle predicted, it seems safe to say that spring is not far away!

Smile and be happy!

When I mentioned 'cocooning' with good books in January, I had no idea anyone was listening! Broke a glass while washing dishes and it severed the tendon of my left thumb on January 12th! After repair by a lovely plastic surgeon and now sporting a cast for 4-6 wks, things are on the mend...stitches out today at St. Mary's...2 weeks since the op and am now halfway through the cast time, then therapy, so feeling very positive!

Reading is in! Dishes are out! Adding new books to In the Library from the stack beside me! More to follow....did anyone say dolce far niente?

We have snow! Just in time for Christmas! What would Canada be without our winter wonderland? We also had freezing rain to make the branches sparkle. Combined with a snowfall, it made for especially pretty scenes...you can see some in a new Photo Album for winter! Plus pix of the huge towers amounts of snow we had last Jan. which led to some amusing sights!

If you prefer warmer thoughts, check out Peacefulness where a trip to the Maldives has just been added - talk about being carried away by a dream! Also new movies added to remind us of another way to travel and escape for a few hours! Cocooning? YES! If you haven't laughed and cried over Cinema Paradiso, you have a special treat awaiting you! Watch it...and you will be so glad you did! And in Gardens - Part Two, a wonderful new site that explains how you can have a living wall of plants. How cool is that? Very!

Have fun and happy holidays!

streams full of stars

44 Books now and still going strong - here's to Yann Martel, Canadian author and hero! One of our library books was his gift to Mr. Harper for #43 and below is an excerpt  from his accompanying letter to the P.M.

For Yann Martel's website, visit In the Library.

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0A2

Dear Mr. Harper,

I can't think of a more delightful introduction to the republic of letters than Alan Bennett's short novel The Uncommon Reader. One day at the bottom of the Palace garden, parked next to the kitchen garbage bins, alerted by her corgis, the Queen discovers the City of Westminster travelling library. She pops in to apologize for the barking dogs and, once there, impelled by a sense of duty rather than any real interest, she takes out a book. This simple act marks the beginning of Her Majesty's downfall, in a way. The irony in the story is as light as whipped cream, the humour as appealing as candy, the characterization as crisp as potato chips, but at the heart of it there?s something highly nutritious to be digested: the effect that books can have on a life...

Before I forget, one of our very own great Canadian writers, Alice Munro, makes a cameo appearance in The Uncommon Reader, on page 67.  

Head over to Yann Martel's site for more about his fascinating venture!