Saturday 20 September 2008

Lilly's Bits

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The weekend is here and I am happy because the weather is getting warm and that is a good, good thing. It's our turn in the Southern Hemisphere to get some sun even though by January I will more than likely be wishing for cooler weather again!

I found some interesting bits n' pieces in my travels on the net this week and thought I would share them with you.

First, have a look at Martha Stewart's blog, The Martha Blog. Not only is it full of great lifestyle information but one of Martha's shows this week was about blogging. Her guests and audience were all well known bloggers. Martha also has a blog contest you may be interested in.

If you like to think outside the box and love a dose of lateral thinking, go to Yoko Ono's blog called 100 Acorns. I am addicted and I wish I had discovered it earlier.

What do you think of this for a romantic gift? I would not say no and love this idea.

I am sure we've all had to stop and gather our thoughts before replying to unwelcome emails at times, but here is a way to be polite but still say what you really think. Funny!

For those who are interested in home design, check out Sixx Designs. The husband and wife team (who also happen to have six young children) make creating beautiful, artistic homes look easy. My favourite design blog is Desire to Inspire, which is trying to inspire the world one room at a time.

I love stationery of any kind and spent some time during the week looking at See Jane Work - organisation is a good thing, right?

WorldofGood.com by eBay is the world’s first online marketplace to convene thousands of People Positive and Eco Positive sellers and products all in one place. Positive step I think.

If you have young children or grandchildren you will love this Magical Thinking from Inchmark Journal.

If you are an AC/DC fan they have just released a video of their first single, Rock N’ Roll Train from the band’s upcoming album Black Ice. The first in eight years. I really like it although there is something not quite right about a middle-aged Angus still wearing that school uniform.

On the food front, I will be making cookies this weekend. When you see them at Smitten Kitchen you will just go uh huh and completely understand why.

And for those who need some positive thinking, go visit Kenny McBride's blog. Reading this blog might make a difference.


And finally, to end with a little blue sky thinking, if I asked you to go and find Osama bin Laden where would you look and why would you look there.

The most creative response will win something suitably Australian (no not a Kangaroo, Koala, Kylie Minogue sorry Henry or AC/DC for that matter). Entries will close at midnight next Friday and the winner will be announced next Saturday (just reply via comments on the blog post).

Photo: Our beautiful blue sky today




18 comments:

  1. I believe that Osama bin Laden is alive and well and sitting upstairs on a green velvet chair at the Cafe Lavena, in the Piazza San Marco.

    You will know which one is the Lavena Cafe, by the orchestra playing Moon River outside, and by the yellow cafe chairs.

    Not the Quadri Cafe aqua green chairs, and no, not the Florian Cafe, across the square.

    You go up the staircase after you have had your cappuccino, and there you will find the green velvet chairs. And the restroom. You can sit in the chairs, look down onto a magnificent chandelier, listen to the orchestra, and watch the tourists gaze in awe at the most beautiful church in the world - San Marco.

    Yes, try looking for him up there. Or Lilly, I can go and look there for you if you like?

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  2. Leslie - you are so clever! Looks like it's a contest now!!

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  3. Thanks for those links. Cool.

    Now let's get on to the real issue at hand, Osama bin Laden. I have got the goods for you and I think you may be surprised about my intelligence (not my IQ Lilly, I mean the secret information I have about Osama).

    Leslie may have seen OBL on summer holiday in Italy but he is not hanging out in the Cafe any more. Mind you, the way she described it I wouldn't mind hanging out there, I like the sound of those green velvet chairs and magnificent chandeliers.

    I promised I would not divulge this 'information' to just anyone and you know I can't reveal my sources but, seeing it's just you, I guess it's ok.

    My eagerness to 'spill the beans' has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that there is no chance in hell any government can now afford a $25 million reward and every chance to do with the fact that I get a chance of winning a prize from you (it's not a crocodile is it Lilly?)

    So listen up. Don't bother to look under your cushions, your beds or in your back shed. Osama won't be there. Disappointing I know.

    He has never lived in a fur lined cave on a rugged mountain top in Pakistan either. He is alive and well apart from his kidney stones.

    The reason we have not heard from him for years is because he's had a few serious cash flow problems.

    He now only receives about $1 million a year from his family's fortune(he's got 52 siblings after all).

    I know what you are thinking. That most of us would be more than happy with a million a year from the family trust, but OBL's got some LARGE overheads. No wonder he hasn't been putting out any videos lately.

    So, where is he?

    He had to get a job.

    A legitimate job.

    He decided to become a banker.

    It's paid off.

    Handsomely.

    Oh yes, the 6ft 5 inch, skinny, bearded, bespecled 51 year old who walks with a limp goes completely undetected amongst the suits in the financial district of a large British city. Who, after all, would be able to pick him out from the crowd? Genius move!

    Now, I want you to ponder the banking links for a while, the current bail outs and the multi-millions banking executives are raking in while the general populace does it tough. Is it beginning to make some sense?

    Oh yes. Torture of a different kind.

    Lilly, just remember, I never told you a thing, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

    Post Script: If the prize is a date with Hugh Jackman in the Cafe Lavena in the Piazza San Marco then I would also be willing to name the Bank, its address and give you his phone number and shoe size. All I am saying is I am open to negotiation on this.

    Sarah (Secret Spy)

    Note: This post is meant to be tongue in cheek just in case anyone reads it and thinks its true - you just never know!

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  4. AC DC, my all time favourite band, I've got every album they've recorded. I saw them play live in Dublin's RDS many, many years ago. It was part of their 'For Those About To Rock' tour. Needless to say it was fantastic. Angus was his usual raucous self, Brian Johnson's voice was typically gravelly and as for the atmosphere, well, it's hard to describe. But when the two massive cannons were trundled onto the stage, then let rip a thundering 21 gun salute the whole place went wild.
    I'm still a massive fan and have been looking forward to the release of their new album for some time. Can't wait to get my hands on it. I play their music so much that even my daughter, who's only three, knows some lyrics of by heart. In fact as I write this Back in Black is blaring out loudly downstairs.
    As for Osama, haven't a clue were the man is, though I've heard rumours that he's hanging out with a break-away group of the Loony Bin Leprechaun Party. How true this is I don't know. But since they lost their pot of gold during the recent credit crunch, they could probably do with some extra funding. And as Osama has a few quid to spare it is just possible that he's taking shelter under a four-leaf clover somewhere.
    Hang on, wait a minute. There's a small bearded gentleman in next door's back garden head-banging to the classic Have a Drink on Me. This looks interesting, I'll report back later. If is Osama, judging by antics and his beard he would fit in quite nicely with ZZ Top.

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  5. About Osama bin Laden. Sorry, but I cannot divulge what I know, because it would put all of your lives in danger :).


    Thanks for the cool links, by the way. Everyone is blogging!

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  6. Wow, you've got some serious contest entries already there.
    My mind is just not wrapping around your challenge yet...but give me a bit of time.
    Love the blue sky photo.
    Makes me very happy as our blue skies are beginning to look increasingly gray around here as fall moves in.
    I'm glad somebody I love is looking forward to all the joys of summer.
    Thanks, too, for all the ideas and links to follow for some great reading.
    I will bookmark this page and try to make the rounds of these great sites later.
    Thanks for your sweet comments, as usual, on my recent photos.
    Love,
    Jlo

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  7. I found Yoko Ono's blog about three months ago, I've had a link to it on mine for some time. It's cool isn't it.

    The gift of flowers was neat, I wonder how much it cost.

    AC/DC has a new video yeah. Yes I listen to rock also not just country.

    Osama Bin Laden is sitting on the beach of his private Island somewhere in the Caribbean, using an assumed name to order in tropical foods and drink.

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  8. I'm so cross eyed with tiredness that I can't find the comment box for the above post! And I looked really hard!

    Isn't it that famous sheep work inspired by James Ainsley - and the artist is Les Kosatz? It reflects Canberra's history.

    And do you know, I was sitting there goggle eyed at that sheep, then I scrolled down and saw my name. WHAT a hoot!

    My personal thoughts on it? It ain't no Rodin!

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  9. Oh, OBL is undoubtedly living in a stately home in Britain (I dare not reveal EXACTLY where). He is, of course living in total luxury at the state's expense - just like many other criminals, terrorists and anti-British champions. In his spare time, under an assumed name, he heads up a government advisory quango on foreign policy and multi-cultural intergration, for which he is, naturally, paid handsomely.

    PS: Shame about Kylie not being on the prizelist.

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  10. Thanks for providing the links, which I will look through!

    The sculpture of the sheep intrigues me........I find it a bit upsetting to view...

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  11. Dear Lilly

    Please immediately end this campaign to expose my whereabouts.

    Yours,

    O-man

    PS. you may not know where I live, but I sure as hell know where you do!

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  12. OK as we have a few entries in this little contest (very funny by the way, I will call on another blogger to help judge this. I'll let you know who it is later on the post so that you can try and bribe them if need be.

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  13. Hi Lily,

    hmmm id love to be part of this contest but i can't seem to think an answer to that "tricky" question.

    Anyway, i just finished post today and we really live in 2 different continents.I'm glad you're enjoying the weather. Would be checking out the links. Don't forget the sunblock now=)

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  14. Lilly - I loved these links ... now how am I going to find more time to come visit you too.
    I love the flowers idea and the kids quotes notes ... That is brilliant especially with twins whose language is exploding daily I would never remember which twin said what.

    Osama ... I heard he is working as a Car salesman in Sydney. Of course if I told you more I would have to shoot myself.

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  15. Darn, I wanted to comment on the sheep sculpture.
    So, rebel that I am, I just decided to put it here.
    This reminds me of the piece I read on the artist Damien Hirst this morning in the New York Times: just pulled in $200 million at Sotheby's for his animal "sculptures". Except these are real, dead animals suspended in tanks of formaldehyde - no, I'm not kidding!
    Google Damien Hirst or go to NYT.
    Crazy!
    Jlo

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  16. Oh My! I saw the sheep picture first and thought, "What in the heck?!" Then I read your blog and I can't wait to read what you research with it. It's disturbing. Lol.

    As for this post ~ it was great, filled with lots of links and great info. I'll have to read over it a couple of times to go to the various sites you provided - Fun stuff!

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  17. Lilly, the comments link seems to have disappeared on your recent posts (or is it just me having a senior moment). On the latest post you ask a question at the end, but there seems to be nowhere to answer it. Has something got changed by mistake in settings or somewhere? :)

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  18. You see Lilly...I'm soooo slow. (actually I've had a disasterous week - I managed to seize my car engine trying to get to the show...and I missed it anyway and people were NOT pleased :(

    Still I survived...only to come back to the post I was trying to find details for THE KYLIE REPORT - (I can take a hint, and I knew that you were aching for another missive of news about the singing microbe, but I couldn't find anything...except that Sinead O'Connor has supposed to've been slagging her off...then the car *BANG* and I find you've gone into blogging overdrive.

    I really don't know why you go on about my writing. This is just 'Fab-Pro' stuff - Lot's of information, great humour and a great writing style.

    THE KYLIE REPORT
    It seems that the pop particle is writing a musical around her hits and that I'll be premiered in London's West End...

    ...London then New York...then maybe Hollywood....

    ...her imprints on Hollywood's Walk of Fame should be interesting...

    love

    henry

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Thanks for your comments.