yatje-blog

FIN

2011-08-15T14:38:00.002+01:00

Eternal view!

BYE-BYE JULY

2011-08-08T20:48:00.007+01:00

It is said that all things, good and bad, must come to an end and I have come to the conclusion that yatje-blog is no exception. As the summer draws slowly to an end and I enter my final year of studenthood (and really ought to be concentrating on all things herbal), I realise that blog really belongs more to Paris than to London. So, it seems somehow appropriate that blog should now be induced into a 'low-awareness state' - but don't be sad: naturally, I will bring her back to life to share with you any trips to Paris, and I hope - I know - that there will be many, many of those. In the meantime, I'll share some of the lovely Parisian memories as we say merci and au revoir :) XX

2011-08-08T20:46:00.007+01:00

VALEDICTORY

2011-06-17T22:48:00.002+01:00

MOORE PLEASE!

2011-05-01T21:51:00.002+01:00

Have camera, will take lots of photos!

GREAT BIRTHDAY WEEK-END!

2011-04-30T19:43:00.003+01:00

Lovely new camera, lovely new opportunities for lots of lovely new photos!

ON THE EVE

2011-04-28T21:41:00.008+01:00

It's the eve of quite a few eventful happenings: another bank holiday; a whole day of possibly inescapable wedding coverage; an excuse for eating cakes, dressing up and doing exactly as I please day and Stade v. Clermont to boot. Tomorrow here we come!

HAPPY EASTER!

2011-04-24T08:58:00.001+01:00

FROGGIE!

2011-04-22T09:09:00.000+01:00

I have the tiniest of tiny ponds in my garden, it is in fact an old butler sink, but it allows me to grow water-loving plants like bogbean, houttuynia and a tiny water lily and I've even seen the bees drinking from there too. In the last couple of days though, I have noticed a newcomer who's taken up residence in the pond and he/she seems very happy there!

REVISION TIME

2011-04-19T09:02:00.000+01:00

SPIRAL

2011-04-03T12:12:00.016+01:00

It could be a good April this year. The month is only a few days old and yet the media have already begun counting down the days to my (and William & Kate's) special day. Spring is definitely on its way, there are two really good exhibitions to see, a trip to Crocus, Easter week-end (mini eggs please!) AND a trip to France for some shopping to look forward to! And just when I thought that it couldn't get any better, up pops the return of 'Engrenages' on the BBC. For those of you who don't know it, it's one of those ubiquitous 'gritty police-crime dramas'. But it's French. And set in Paris. And has Gregory Fitoussi. Alors ..

VI NATIONS - FINAL THOUGHTS

2011-03-28T20:44:00.012+01:00

It was truly a great VI Nations this year! And no, not just because England, in spite of a woeful performance against Ireland, won the Tournament. Nor because they topped the table from the start. And not just because Nick became captain for the last game. It was great for all sorts of reasons, not least that it was so topsy-turvy right to the end, it could have been anyone's Tournament; that Italy, despite getting the wooden spoon again, gained a momentous victory, their first ever against France; that Mirco kept his cool and continued to kick most of Italy's points; that a fox on the pitch proved to be the most exciting thing to happen in the England-Scotland game; that a referee suffered an injury and had to be substituted mid-way through a game; that the scandal of 'ball-gate' ;p in the Wales-Ireland match led to their victory; that Andrea Masi won Player of the Tournament. All this, and there's STILL the World Cup to come later in the year!

TINCTURE MAKING

2011-03-18T20:54:00.005Z

Blog and I have been remiss of late, neglectful even, for which we apologise. Personally I blame the rugby, but more of that anon. Here, hopefully, is a small crumb of comfort: making Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla) tincture tonight, (which should be ready in about a month's time), it's useful if you are having trouble sleeping or are suffering digestive upsets. As you can see, I am inspecting it very carefully to make sure it achieves exacting standards!

BLUE SKY

2011-03-07T20:12:00.000Z

This was the sky above my garden today, not a cloud to be seen!

PEU DE CHOSE

2011-03-06T20:40:00.008Z

La vie est vaine, Un peu d’amour,
Un peu de haine, Et puis - Bonjour!

La vie est brève: Un peu d’espoir,
Un peu de rève, Et puis - Bonsoir!

VI NATIONS - THIRD WEEK-END

2011-02-28T20:42:00.001Z

This week-end, it was a tale of two poor matches and one good one. It's becoming exasperatingly repetitive but, once again, Italy could have won their match. Against Wales, Mirco, who is becoming more and more of a hothead, lost his mojo and missed a lot of kicks (11 points of them to be exact). On a much brighter note, England and France were pretty evenly matched in the first half, each trading catch-up penalties, however, the first few minutes of the second half was when the tide began to turn and from then on, you felt that England were never really in much danger. Some lucky sausage was there enjoying it live, absorbing the atmosphere and under strict instructions to take photos! I think the excitement got the better of that last one!

VEGAN?

2011-02-26T11:12:00.000Z

I have recently made a rare and fascinating discovery - A FRENCH RECIPE BOOK FOR VEGANS! This may seem like a total contradiction, even a heresy for the French, and certainly seeing the words vegan cassoulet together makes you blink twice but the recipes I've tried are actually really tasty, I admit even I was surprised! Vive la gastronomie (sans animaux)!

GOOD VIBRATIONS

2011-02-24T16:11:00.002Z

A beautiful spring day and look what I found in my garden!

GLASGOW BOYS

2011-02-16T08:46:00.001Z

In case you think I spend all my time studying or watching rugby, here's proof that I can, and do, do other things: I recently went to the Glasgow Boys exhibition at the Royal Academy - whoever would have thought that cabbages could be so interesting? Certainly not me and yet, there was so much to admire in this exhibition, fascinating landscapes, characterful faces, amazing wildlife, even a pattern for a future dress?

VALENTINE'S!

2011-02-14T19:40:00.008Z

VI NATIONS - SECOND WEEK-END

2011-02-13T22:14:00.001Z

Sometimes, it is VERY dispiriting to support Italy at rugby. After their last week's, even their last year's, performance, I thought it might be a close-run thing against England. I certainly didn't expect the thumping they got: eight tries and a final score of 59-13; consequently, they spent a lot of time standing behind the posts (see below). Even Mirco-flag made not one jot of difference and I'm beginning to think a change of tactic (one of total indifference) is called for. Anyway, the good thing from the week-end is that all the teams I wanted to won, which means that the England-France bête noire game in two weeks' time will be even bigger than usual, maybe even the Grand Slam decider. Nailbiting stuff!

VI NATIONS - FIRST WEEK-END

2011-02-07T20:45:00.001Z

VI Nations alert! It is here! You have been warned! You may want to return here after 19th March! With this caveat out of the way, I can tell you that it has been a great start to the Tournament. But for a drop goal, it was very nearly a stupendous, mind-blowing, brilliant start. England, although not awesome, won very well in Wales 26-19 and France, also not awesome, won quite well against Scotland 34-21. There was something of the air of inevitability as Ireland limped to their 13-11 win against Italy but I feel it's only a matter of time before Italy win against them. Maybe even next year. Meantime, my players to watch are: Mirco (naturellement), Richie Gray (all 6'10" of him) and Maxime 'lambchops' Medard. Roll on next week!

NEW MONTH

2011-02-03T22:21:00.001Z

Well, what to say about January, except that it passed by mostly in a blur of revision and exams? To be honest, I am still slightly traumatised at the memory of being instructed in my practical exam to palpate the (obviously imaginary) ovaries on a man. But February is here and already with it promises of better things: the days are getting longer, the plants are coming back to life, it's Mirco's birthday this month and the VI Nations begins! My ticket to the England-Italy match is already in my hand and Mirco flag is at the ready! In the meantime, more Parisian hugs ;p

RESOLUTE

2011-01-03T19:14:00.002Z

Yaay, a good start to the new year so far: victories for 'Quins and Racing and even a try from Mirco! And some new year's day ice skating! The only poor show so far as been the "core-shaking" Archers. Even a quick perusal of the messageboard showed that I was not alone in my disappointment and I quote in response to just how awful it was: "Pants would have been exciting." As a result of which, I have a new new year's resolution: I will no longer listen to this (and I quote again) "hammy old c**p" and as soon as I hear that familiar rumty-tumty-tumty-tum tune, off will go the radio. Anyway, as so often at this time of year, blog and I are mostly to be found revising, so with exams looming in a week's time, I hope you'll forgive us if we disappear for a little bit. See you on the other side of the clinical examinations and case histories :/

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T21:32:00.004Z

This year's word is: mindfulness.
And in addition, this year, I WILL learn to swim!

BLOOD

2010-12-30T21:06:00.001Z

Trekking out in the snow last week to attend the blood donor session, (especially after having been almost guilt-tripped by them because donations are 'as vital as ever at this time of year'), the irony was not lost when, on turning up, they said that they were closing the session early because of the snow. Anyway, a week later, another appointment and a successful donation.

EXHIBITIONS

2010-12-29T18:31:00.001Z

There are two really good exhibitions at the moment about photography. One, at the V&A, Shadow Catchers is all about capturing images without a camera and it's fascinating. The other, at the Tate, is the strange and surprising tale about the man who invented the zoetrope and discovered that 'horses could fly'!

ANATOMY PANTS

2010-12-28T11:57:00.001Z

So, I promised to tell you about my pants, so - ahem, embarrassed downwards and sideways look - here we are. The truth is, I have never really recovered from the shock of my first anatomy class and even now still feel slightly uncomfortable with the clinical examination aspect of my course. So, in order to make my (and probably others') discomfort less, I have invested in various 'anatomy pants': that is, large, sensible, usually black, cover-all underwear that your grandmother would be proud of. Recently though, I have found some colourful pants which have gone some way to cheering at least me up during these dreaded sessions!

SATTC

2010-12-27T18:08:00.002Z

The Archers is celebrating its 60th anniversary at new year and Radio 4 listeners will be aware that a 'thrilling shock' is imminent, apparently the storyline will take a dramatic turn, something so seismic that the world will never be the same again. There have been various rumours as to what The Shocker will be. Over the course of the years, we've already had the usual Greek tragedies including: destruction by fire, rape, drugs, adultery, race hatred, suicide, a gay kiss, secret love children, wife beating, so the only real twists left are: murder, incest, transsexual/gender issues, poisoning, something involving the farm animals .. We realise of course that, in the end, it will all turn out to be a terrible damp squib and that what will probably really 'Shake Ambridge To The Core' is Ambridge Organics turning out not to be Organic after all. That, or a terrorist cell which will wipe Ambridge off the face of the Radio 4 earth ..

While I'm on the Radio 4 subject, I would just like to say that I am so very relieved that Jordan is not among the guest editors of the Today programme this week. But BIG hurrah for Diana Athill this morning!

MEMORY GAME

2010-12-26T20:06:00.001Z

A bit of light relief here, warning though: it can get a bit addictive!

CHRISTMAS EVE!

2010-12-24T15:40:00.000Z

A nice bottle of red wine, trying to make macarons, listening to carols from Cambridge. One of my very favourite days - Happy Christmas!

MORE TALES OF SNOW

2010-12-23T08:32:00.001Z

As you can imagine, there isn't much to do in the garden at the moment and my only excursions out there are to re-fill the bird feeders (the birds - and the squirrels - are still VERY active and hungry). Not even any winter trampolining as it is covered by a blanket of snow at least six inches thick. Nothing for it except to worry about which plants are going to make it through (the boldo having already succumbed) and fret whether the bees are still alive. Actually, I have seen signs of life, for when I brush the snow off their hive, the 'killer guard bees' rush out to see me off!

H-CUP

2010-12-22T13:58:00.001Z

It has to be said, the H-Cup has not been setting my world on fire this year. I confess my attention, and even me physically at times, have wandered away, so unexciting have the games been. Mirco has, at least, scored one try and grown a beard (the latter not during the course of a game - they are not that static. Yet.) but Racing are still second in their Pool. On a brighter note, Stade are top of their Pool in the Amlin Challenge Cup (the what? indeed).

SOLSTICE

2010-12-21T16:24:00.000Z

I always like the winter solstice day, and it means that the days are getting longer from now onwards. This one coincided with a lunar eclipse.

THE SNOW

2010-12-20T20:24:00.000Z

To judge from December's posts so far, you could almost conclude that I had been housebound for the whole month with nothing at all happening but snow and ice. While this is, in part, true and I have indeed been trapped and delayed and missed work and lectures and parties because of the snow, there have been brief moments of respite where I have been able to go about my business with relative ease: things like lectures and dreaded clinical examination practice (although now resplendent in 'new anatomy pants' (more about these anon)), being welcomed back at work like a long-lost prodigal daughter after my enforced entrapment by snow, even some exhibition visits, and at least the christmas shopping has been fairly peaceful.

SNOW DAYS

2010-12-06T21:00:00.000Z

The snow, while it remained, looked very beautiful and gave the world a muffled quality but caused major disruption to everyone's lives. To judge by the main service provider's reactions one would think a serious catastrophe had struck the land, so ab-so-lutely im-poss-ible was it to do anything: no trains, no buses, no post, roads impassable. Only the milkman emerges from this story with any decency, delivering his pints of milk throughout this period with absolute reliability; as a result, he now has hero-status. Anyway, one heavy bout of rainfall and the chaos is over, phew.

postscript: one very sad tale amid the beauty of the snowy blanket though: some of the bees, sensing sunshine, ventured bravely out, only to meet a terrible frozen snow fate :(

SNOWED IN

2010-12-01T21:00:00.003Z

It's been snowing for two days and more now: chaos reigns! Welcome December!

BIRTHDAY GIRL!

2010-11-28T10:39:00.001Z

GAUGUIN

2010-11-24T16:59:00.000Z

I have been looking forward to seeing the Gauguin exhibition for many months. Finally I have been and I was not disappointed. Eleven rooms of journey, colour, humour, imagination, exoticism, tales, and, in the words of one of the Rooms: 'making the familiar strange'. You get a sense of Gauguin as a man, an explorer, dreamer, traveller and see the development of the motifs which occur and recur in his works. For once, the 'must-see' title is not inappropriate.

WEDDING DAY

2010-11-23T14:02:00.005Z

I have, up until now, quietly been minding my own business, aware of, in a background-sort-of-way, but not paying very much attention to, the forthcoming royal wedding. That is, until today, when The Date was announced and that special day will be .. royal fanfare .. ta da da da da da daaaa .. 29 April! Yaay! The whole world (allegedly) in a good mood, lots of partying (apparently) and a National Holiday (undoubtedly) to help celebrate. I'll probably be off elsewhere enjoying a long birthday week-end but thank you, William and Kate!

BEST OF GAMES, WORST OF GAMES

2010-11-21T10:47:00.000Z

From the sublime to the ridiculous, England swing from 'dozy' to 'awesome' to 'sleepy' in three test matches. The only good things really about this week-end are that: they won and: Nick was captain. Meanwhile, Italy trundle on their losing way although it's always nice to see lots of camera close-ups of Mirco now that he is kicker. I only wish the commentators would learn how to pronounce his name properly. At present, he is rather unappetisingly known as 'Murco' ..

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

2010-11-14T10:14:00.000Z

AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS

2010-11-08T21:32:00.001Z

What is it with the AIs? The northern sides start off admirably, giving us bright, false, hope, only to fall away, nod off, fluff up, call it what you will and finish up on the end of a yet another beating from the southern sides, with the usual trite comments/excuses post-match. It is all very frustrating. At least Nick Easter had the decency to admit the 'dozy' performance wasn't good enough. Here's hoping for better things next week-end against Australia.

HAPPY BONFIRE WEEKEND

2010-11-07T22:34:00.001Z

BIRTHDAY GIRL!

2010-11-02T20:11:00.002Z

NOV-EMBER

2010-11-01T18:34:00.002Z

So it's November, the clocks have gone back, little trip to France been and gone (although not quite Monop' in St. Germain-des-Prés, it still satiates my hunger) and the assignment nears completion - on time, without too many tears and within word count. Unfortunately, I wasn't able simply to write: 'Danger: red flags - refer to GP' and had to pad it out for another couple of thousand words, and top it off with those damn primary sources.

Anyway, November, as well as being Rugby Autumn International Month (be warned), is also National Month to Write a Novel, indeed the 'Great Frantic Novel' according to the website. Hmm, could turn out to be 50,000 words of utter nonsense or of exquisite eloquence.

VERJAARDAG!

2010-10-26T17:36:00.002+01:00

Yaay!

GRRR!

2010-10-16T10:06:00.003+01:00

The new Turbine Hall exhibition at the Tate opened this week. Two days later, it closed. Or rather, it was closed. And for spurious reasons in my humble opinion. It seems that those ever-present, nanny state, health and safety 'experts' were concerned about the wellbeing of our lungs since the thousands of people walking, playing, laying down and sitting on the sea of porcelain sunflower seeds caused such a dust cloud it seemingly rivalled the Icelandic volcano. Now, visitors are forlornly cordoned off from this supposedly interactive installation. I still intend to visit the exhibition but if you hear of any arrests for trespassing, that'll probably be me.

Incidentally, I find it slightly ironic that in the Guardian report on the closure, there is also a link to a video article on the artist entitled: 'Life is never guaranteed to be safe.'

CHILEAN MINERS

2010-10-13T20:12:00.001+01:00

Today, I woke up at 4am and heard the euphoria about the first of the Chilean miners to be rescued from the ground and since then have been mostly transfixed, like the rest of the world, by the rescue of all the others emerging from that little cage and that hole. Truly touching, amazing operation.

H-CUP/AMLIN

2010-10-11T22:34:00.000+01:00

Now that I am supporting teams in both the H-Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup, last week-end necessarily became a bit of a rugby bender. As the Telegraph's rugby correspondent says: "what an orgy of televised action these weekends have become." Indeed. Furthermore, in order to fit in all of the games, these week-ends begin on Thursday evenings but on Saturday and Sunday, I managed to get most of my chores out of the way in the morning before the 1pm kick-off. But once those games started, that was me gone, not to be interrupted for the rest of the day. Some of the games were admittedly more thrilling than others and some decidedly more soggy than others. The best bit though? No, not Mirco's entrance in the 54th minute of the Leinster game (although it came a close second). It was the camera angled on Nick Easter standing in his ripped shorts in the torrential rain! ;p

POLLEN

2010-10-06T10:44:00.000+01:00

These recent lovely sunny autumn days have meant that the bees have been able to quite busily go about collecting stores to see them through the winter. I am often to be found crouched beside their hive, mesmerised by their comings and goings, observing their full little pollen pockets and marvelling at the various colours. In the summer, it's almost a riot of colours but this week, it's been mostly very pale yellow or creamy white on their tiny legs. Thanks to the handy Pollen Colour Guide - much like the pollen equivalent of a paint colour chart, but more for bee nerds, obviously - I can hazard a guess that the bees have been feasting on chicory and borage flowers. Num num.

RAPHAEL

2010-10-02T23:24:00.000+01:00

Brian Sewell may come across as a caricature of his snobbish and art critical self but he does sometimes talk a modicum of sense. Like when he describes the Vatican Tapestries in the current V&A exhibition as 'travesties of Raphael's intention'. The exhibition, which promised to be so much more, is interesting if only to compare the Raphael cartoons beside their poor fabric representations. Curiously, these latter seem to have been given prominence, which serves only to highlight their inferiority the more. I personally preferred the preparatory charcoal sketches and indeed if you close your eyes to the tapestries, it is possible to enjoy the rest of the exhibition. However, after this disappointment, I am eagerly looking forward to the next Big Exhibition: Gauguin at the Tate.

WELCOME

2010-09-30T09:14:00.001+01:00

At this point, I should like to recognise and celebrate the fact that blog has improved its audience twofold and say welcome to its new reader! Here she is looking just as lovely as the beautiful flowers of the Chelsea Physic Garden. Bienvenue, nouvelle, belle lectrice!

NUM NUM

2010-09-27T12:54:00.004+01:00

Luckily, the Prayer Bees had their revenge: it seems they know exactly where to aim for - as can be seen from the strange 'ridding of bees ritual' photo. The cautionary moral is, apparently, that beekeeping is 'all about confidence'. Incidentally I'd like to point out that I was not stung. But that may be because I was gently pursuing my role as chief recorder and photographer, rather than stealing the bees' honey. It seems I also have a new-found vocation as 'champion un-capper of the honeycomb'. Beware, they don't call me 'Slasher' for nothing! In any case, much precious and delicious honey was spun, filtered, strained. Precious because it was calculated that it only cost around £50 per 100g jar! Delicious because it tastes better than any other honey!

PRAYER BEES

2010-09-26T20:28:00.001+01:00

So, to continue the tale of the honey harvest .. once upon a time, last year in fact, a poor beekeeper, (let's call him 'soulmate'), saw all his bees perish or disappear, even before the very harsh winter when it snowed heavily for two months and more. He went hither and thither seeking a new colony, and registered with all the beekeeps throughout the land (of Sussex) in case they knew of any lost colonies in need a loving home. After many fretful months, a Very Special Swarm was found. It seems that some local nuns had also seen their bee colonies dwindle and so they asked god for some new bees. They prayed and they prayed and finally their prayers were answered in the form of a swarm who came to live in their orchard. These bees worked so hard throughout the year that they outgrew their old home in the nunnery and so decided to divide and separate in order to find a new home. This is when soulmate became the proud new owner of the 'Prayer Bees', as they affectionately became known. The Prayer Bees continued to work as hard as they had done with the nuns and produced not one, but two, supers-full of honey. This is where the tale turns gruesome, for this is when the Prayer Bees are robbed. If you are faint of heart, follow the honey harvest story no more, and look away now..

HONEY HARVEST

2010-09-19T22:04:00.001+01:00

Last Monday evening, a very momentous event occurred: the very first Proper Honey Harvest! More anon, but just to whet your appetite, above is a little taster of things to come ..

HERBS

2010-09-12T21:25:00.002+01:00

I am all plant-ed out. Don't get me wrong, being in my garden is one of my favourite places in the whole world, however, recently there seem to have been rather a lot of plant-oriented activities, a selection of which can be seen above. Last week-end, it was Jekka. In case you didn't know, Jekka is an award-winning, book-writing, long-standing organic herb grower, a very interesting lady with an immense amount of energy and she was holding the last of her open days for the year last Sunday. I had great fun listening to her little herb talk, rummaging around her polytunnels and finding lots of great herbs including a chaste berry tree, a gotu kola and a dangerous poke root. This week-end, it was the great Kent Autumn Garden show. Not so much fun (unless you happen to like carved wooden meerkats and bouncy slides) but I still found some lovely plants, including a great Leonotis which hopefully will grow up to be just like this one in the Jardin des Plantes ..

RUGBY

2010-09-10T22:16:00.000+01:00

Anyway, enough of the gallivanting, here comes autumn and it's back to work and the serious stuff. Like rugby! Last week-end was the grand opening of the season: the London Double Header. Personally, I don't think it could have gotten off to a better start as Nick scored the first try of the game within two minutes. Alas, the ending was not so fortuitous as 'Quins were held to a 29-29 draw with Wasps. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Channel, they already have five games under their belts and Mirco has yet to get himself off the bench (or so it seems to me), let alone score his first try. In the classement, Stade are 5th, hotly followed on their tails by RCM-92 in 7th. And they both share 13 points - it's a close run thing so far.

CAPRI STONES

2010-09-09T18:57:00.000+01:00

FAVOURITES

2010-09-08T23:20:00.002+01:00

Too, too many to choose from!

POMPEII

2010-09-06T22:04:00.001+01:00

Inseparably bound by history with Vesuvius is the town of Pompeii, which was horribly buried beneath that terrible ash cloud and its debris. Nothing really prepares you for a visit there. All the photos you see, the guidebooks, the literature you read can't quite convey the immensity, the atmosphere, the colours, the desolation. And even the masses you encounter on first entering the site, which soon thin out anyway, can't detract from the amazing spectacle. You have a strange, eery, feeling of noseying about in real people's houses, exploring their rooms and their gardens. The whole site is so extensive and there are so many fascinating bits, I didn't even manage to see half of it although I suppose my favourite part was (maybe naturally ;p) the quiet and secluded botanical garden.

VESUVIUS

2010-09-04T09:52:00.001+01:00

One of the most memorable parts of the holiday was visiting Vesuvius, the seemingly quietly sleeping, yet still active volcano that dominates the Neapolitan landscape. It last erupted in 1944 and apparently killed 26 people but its most famous activity was on 24 August 0079 when its ash and pyroclastic flow completely smothered Pompeii and Herculaneum (and two other ill-remembered-by-history towns). As it happens, I visited on the very day, thousands of years later, when it was doing its worst and, apart from the distinct smell of sulphur, all seemed peaceful up there that it was hard to imagine a raging torrent of lava or vicious, fatal, clouds of ash. You certainly know you've climbed Vesuvius: the dirt track leading upwards is steep, demanding, ragged, it's like climbing the moon (or as I would imagine it). But absolutely worth every step: the views from, around, and inside the volcano are astonishing - the views of the Bay, of the islands, the different strata of rock, the plants that grow, the whole landscape - amazing!

A SMALL PART OF CAMPANIA

2010-09-02T21:54:00.003+01:00

I have never been to southern Italy before. I have heard the rumours, especially those about Naples, and thought that it would be full of danger, muggings (and worse!) on every corner. Naples is not a typical tourist city. More like a mangey, yet appealing, mongrel that might bite you at any moment. It seems to have an attitude of: come if you want, but if you don't want, va bene. If I had gone for the day, I would probably have left hating it: the chaos, the dirt, the heat, the smells. But it's the kind of city that grows on you, slowly, and remains with you. The food is simple but wonderfully tasty, the views from the hills of Naples are amazing, and once you get your bearings, it's an easy city to navigate. By the end of the holiday, I was even attempting a Neapolitan dialect (pronouncing 1oo 'shento' instead of 'chento'), making friends with old men on buses and even, dare I say, enjoying the laissez-faire attitude.

OFF ON HOLS!

2010-08-23T04:32:00.000+01:00

DOING DOING DOING

2010-08-22T21:48:00.000+01:00

Best fun ever!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

2010-08-21T16:44:00.001+01:00

Hope you have a really special day, special girlie!

RAINBOW

2010-08-16T08:14:00.001+01:00

Downpour one minute, brilliant sunshine the next, certainly makes for some beautiful skies!

MOORE

2010-08-15T10:04:00.000+01:00

Another amazing exhibition is the Henry Moore at the Tate, eight rooms of wonderful sensuality and tactility, I don't think there was a right angle within sight to interfere with the heady abundance of curves. I admit it was so incredibly hard to restrain myself from touching the sculptures that I just could not resist a figurative touch - a surreptitious, if blurry, photo (below) - just please don't tell them ;p It was also fascinating to see the different materials Moore used from green Hornton stone to ebony, lead, plaster, bronze and elm. I left the exhibition with a certain dizzy feeling but one of nourished contentment.

SKIN

2010-08-14T08:44:00.001+01:00

The Wellcome Collection is, in my opinion, one of London's secret gems, a very much underrated venue for intriguing and fascinating exhibitions. Like the current 'Skin' exhibition, for example. It explores what our skin is, what it does, how it does it, and what happens when things go a bit awry. It's amazing, go see!

"Skin is alive. Knowledge of who we are begins at the body's surface .. the sense of touch, and especially touching others, is a voluntary way to build evidence, to distinguish sensations from emotions, to guide medical examination, or simply to take care of ourselves."

SHOOTING STARS

2010-08-13T09:18:00.000+01:00

11.30 p.m. last night, in the garden, wrapped in scarf, hat and blanket, watching the Perseids meteor shower, and sometimes getting confused by the big, flashy-multi-coloured ones (ahem, 'planes) but well worth it!

NEW TEAM ON THE BLOCK

2010-08-05T21:20:00.002+01:00

Finalement! The photo (I am sure) you've all been waiting for! Mirco in his new stripey rugby colours! Over the summer, Stade had a clear out and Mirco was one of the players who made their exodus to the other Parisian team. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce - fanfare - : Le Racing-Métro 92. As one star wanes another one rises; this new team happen to be higher in the Top14 table than Stade and they will also be playing in the H-Cup this year, whereas Stade have been relegated to an obscure thing called the Amlin Challenge Cup. No divided loyalties though - they are both Parisian teams and both have Bergamascos on the teamsheet ;p

BEES PLEASE

2010-07-25T20:48:00.002+01:00

YOGA VII

2010-07-20T22:08:00.001+01:00

Hot on the heels of birthdays (and exam success, yaay! good riddance pharmacology), it's back to yoga. This month I am calming my brain, stimulating my liver and kidneys, and stretching and strengthening my hamstrings, calves and thighs. Well, actually only half calming and stretching as unfortunately, I can only do a 45° angle ..

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2010-07-18T10:44:00.000+01:00

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE

2010-06-23T06:44:00.001+01:00

Wishing a special friend a special day!

NH-SH AGAIN

2010-06-20T22:20:00.003+01:00

Well, what do you know? No sooner do I shake my virtual head in a disappointed and disenchanted manner than what do we get? Not one win but two! Midweek and Saturday! Admittedly, it wasn't spectacular, edge-of-the-seat stuff but their holding it together for 80+ minutes and not resigning themselves to another trouncing was reassuring. Meanwhile, Italy did spectacularly well - special mention (as always) to Mirco as kicker - to hold South Africa (who are let's remind ourselves World Champions at the moment) to a score of 29-13. What's more, their coach stated that if they lost with a margin of 20 points or less, he would shave all his hair off. I fear this will not be a pretty sight ..

NH-SH

2010-06-14T22:14:00.002+01:00

Finally! The exams are over and I have simply been enjoying that exquisite sense of freedom that having no revision, no assignments, no lectures, no research, no homework brings, so to be frank the last thing on my mind has been anything blog-like. However, the lamentable rugby events of the week-end have brought out the 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' in me and I felt compelled to write in order to vent my spleen. Be warned, many more ventings may follow. I wish I could say hurrah! for the summer tours for, as well as prolonging the rugby season, they are acting, at present, as a distraction from the (inferior game ;p) madness surrounding us. Alas, the northern hemisphere teams* seemed to play in slow motion, lacking imagination or tenacity and for this, they got well and truly spanked by the southern hemispheres. Danny may well raise his arms in despair. It was painful to watch, painful I tell you. Can I bear to watch any more? Erm, yes!

*Hurrah for Scotland, the exception and admirable against Argentina!

YOGA V

2010-05-16T22:26:00.000+01:00

Where on earth (you may be thinking) do you think you've been? There is, it seems, a lot of catching up to do. And so many things I could have written about in this time between earth day and now. For example, Rugby, did you hear that Mirco is changing clubs?; Exhibitions, have you seen the lovely Renaissance ones?; The Election, who would have thought?; Birthdaytime in Paris, need I say more?; Bees, will they survive the summer?; The Garden, how will my forthcoming veg plot fare?; Exam Revision, will this pharmacology nightmare never end?; The Weather, whatever happened to that warmth, that sunshine?; My Incredible Ever-Growing Notebook Collection, just why? For the time being though, (at least until the exams are over), let's just stick with the yoga: deep breaths and sa ta na ma ..

EARTH DAY

2010-04-22T11:14:00.000+01:00

Today is Earth Day, the day to make a 'personal commitment to sustainability'. Without wishing to sound too alfalfa-loving, I personally think we should think about the earth every day. But then, as an official 'Green Rep', I would say that ;p

YOGA IV

2010-04-14T08:54:00.000+01:00

Back to the yoga: this is repose posture - well-needed. Admittedly, I can't do it without support ..

H-CUP: THE OTHER ¼ FINAL

2010-04-12T16:56:00.002+01:00

Ça y est, le malheureux Stade are out of the H-Cup for yet another year, beaten 42-16 by a superb Toulouse. I don't know what happened either, Lionel! It's possible even that they won't be there next year so far down are they in the Top14 table. What a terrible, pitoyable season it's been so far, I wonder if they can get their fire back and conjure some magic before the end? Otherwise, it's 'en vacances' ..

H-CUP ¼ FINALS

2010-04-10T22:30:00.002+01:00

Frustrating is the word so far for this week-end's games. I came in half-way through most of them to find that the teams I 'liked' (admittedly, I should have been neutral) were losing, then the tide turned and they started to gain, even take the lead, only to lose at the end, alas, by one tiny point in two cases. All the home teams have won which doesn't bode all that well for tomorrow's match. But Mirco's on the teamsheet and I'm going to be watching right from the start this time ;p

Y A W N ..

2010-04-07T21:24:00.003+01:00

It's only day two of the election campaign and already coverage is starting to irritate. It's going to be a long month ..

HAP-BEE EASTER ;p

2010-04-04T10:00:00.000+01:00

And Happy Birthday to the birthday girl too!

ELSPETH THOMPSON

2010-03-31T21:16:00.007+01:00

Today, I am sad and a bit shocked to hear of Elspeth Thompson's death. I didn't know her but as a lover of plants and writings about them, and through her enthusiastic and truthful articles, she introduced me to lots of new plants, such as the lovely Rosa moyesii. Her blog is here.

EARTH HOUR

2010-03-27T16:20:00.000Z

Are you doing your earth hour bit? Should I even be on the laptop? ;p

FINITO

2010-03-21T20:44:00.003Z

That's it, another fairly insipid VI Nations over for another year. France deservedly won the Grand Slam; Italy got the Wooden Spoon. Again. Even Mirco flag didn't work its magic in Cardiff this year, in fact, he got a little hot-headed and then Mauro got sent off. The best game of the tournament was Scotland beating Ireland. So, questions from this season: Will Italy ever make progress? In fact, do you think if I don't support them next year, that will bring about better results? Was the cinema 3-D experiment a success and will it be repeated next year? Was the new Twickenham spydercam worth it? After all, it got at least 169 complaints from seasick viewers. Why oh why are England so inconsistent? And will they ever stop their pointless kicking? Can it really be that St. Jonny's halo has slipped a little? And will I even tune in next year? ;p

AÏE

2010-03-19T21:49:00.003Z

It's been quite painful watching the VI Nations this year, I've literally winced each time England have plodded on, whether to win, defeat or draw. Thank goodness the French are there to lift the spirits and although I admit to divided loyalties, I really hope they do win the Grand Slam, even if it means smacked bottoms for England. The other bright spot in an otherwise meandering VI Nations is Mirco kicking most of Italy's points, confidently and precisely. There was a time when you watched behind the cushion whenever Italy took a penalty but not any more since boy wonder took over kicking duties. Since it's the final day tomorrow, there's not a better place that I could think to spend it than at the Millennium Stadium. Me and Mirco flag will be there and hoping he scores a try too!

AUGURI

2010-02-23T22:14:00.000Z

Hoping for a win this week-end!

THIS SEASON'S CLOTHES

2010-02-18T20:26:00.000Z

VI NATIONS II

2010-02-15T10:47:00.000Z

Already this year's VI Nations is proving to be so much better than last year's with some fairly intense games this week-end. Although I was initially all for Wales, I couldn't help but feel some sense of undeserved victory for them. Or could that simply be due to an English tendency to love the underdog? As for France, still having a little part of my heart attached there, I am probably going to be more for them than any other team (except England, of course ;p). And have you ever seen a more elegant placing down of a ball for a try than Yannick Jauzion's (example below)? Besides, it was worth it to see their win wipe the cutesy leprechaun grin off BOD's face. But I am enjoying this year's VI Nations especially more for a very important reason: the increased participation of - and therefore increased camera attention on - a certain chouchou. During the anthems, I even noticed a little tear .. The emotion is getting to all of us it seems! ;p

SUCCESS

2010-02-11T06:58:00.007Z

BIG sigh of relief - I have passed the most recent set of exams and made it almost half-way across those murky waters to Qualified Medical Herbalist. Now I am wading through drugs and disease .. although maybe not literally. Thankfully.

SWYWTH

2010-02-09T21:44:00.002Z

Anyone who knows me knows that I almost permanently glued to Radio 4, to the point of intravenous sometimes, and could probably recite their schedule like a continuity announcer. On Thursday, there is going to be an interesting afternoon play in which you might even get to take part, vicariously. It's called: Say What You Want to Hear. Let's hope they do.

VI NATIONS' OPENING WEEK-END

2010-02-07T22:34:00.001Z

It has been a VERY good start to the tournament, with England winning against Wales 30-17. They even wore some very fetching shirts for the occasion although unfortunately these were only a one-off because it is the centenary year of Twickenham. Call me old-fashioned but .. Anyway, it was a good match in more ways than one since I was lucky enough to be watching the first live broadcast of the match in 3-D. Let me just say that as much as I am attached to my sunglasses (and I am: I carry them with me all year round), watching a rugby match in special shades is a strange experience and although you didn't quite feel as if you were actually there, the perspective was great, especially from ground level. One odd thing I did notice was that these special cameras made the players look extremely buff; even Steve Thompson looked 7 feet tall and 13 stone (he is actually 6'2" and 18st 2lb). The other matches were only noteworthy because - blink - MIRCO WAS THE KICKER - blink - in Italy's match against Ireland (Italy lost 29-11 but not because of Mirco) and I managed to fall asleep during the second half of the Scotland-France match (9-18) and not miss a thing. I am really looking forward to next week-end!

YOGA II

2010-02-01T11:54:00.005Z

February's pose stretches the thighs, abdomen, chest and shoulders, stimulates the abdominal organs. I have problems with simple one-legged pigeon pose, never mind this one :(

PRELUDE

2010-01-31T19:24:00.001Z

At this time of year, blog is usually to be found looking forward to the start of the VI Nations so on that note, today's 'taster' match - England 'A' against Ireland 'A' - was a very good start as the Saxons (as England prefer to call their A team) won 17-13! Next week is the opening week-end and it so happens that England's home matches are being shown live in 3D at certain cinemas. Guess where I'll be next Saturday?!

MOON

2010-01-30T20:58:00.000Z

The full perigée moon this week-end is apparently one of the biggest and brightest of this new year and if you look closely, you can even see Mars close by too. They're certainly making for beautiful sunsets and sunrises at the moment.

SIZE MATTERS

2010-01-28T19:41:00.000Z

While being the typical nerdy tourist in Berlin, I was astonished to hear that the Fernsehturm is actually taller than the Eiffel Tower. Having been to the top of the Eiffel Tower (but alas not the Fernsehturm), I can assure you that it is quite scarily high, but since I unfortunately can't check the statistics for myself, I have to take the www's word for it. It seems it's true and by some 44.03 m too: Eiffel Tower 324.00 m/Fernsehturm 368.03 m.

FINAL H-CUP WEEK-END

2010-01-25T19:34:00.001Z

I hardly dare say it, but the rugby so far has been - how can I put it without being rude? - somewhat below par. I've almost forgotten what a Mirco try looks like, so long it seems since he even played, let alone scored. And Harlequins who, it will be remembered, made it all the way to the quarter finals of the H-Cup last year, are skulking at the bottom of their Pool this year with (ahem, don't laugh) two points. This week-end was the last of the H-Cup pool matches, with only one really excitingly watchable match, and finally this is the quarter final line-up. Fairly alléchant!

Munster v Northampton
Biarritz v Ospreys
Toulouse v Stade Français
Leinster v Clermont Auvergne

NOTEBOOKS ANONYMOUS

2010-01-22T07:34:00.005Z

You know you've got a problem when you return from holiday with a stack of notebooks bought from KaDeWe as souvenirs ..