I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Stephie fact: many years ago I fainted at a Waterboys gig somewhere in Birmingham - it was a bit hot and I hadn’t eaten much that day - and Mike Scott smiled at me when I made my way back to the front!

Other Stephie fact: The reason I hadn’t eaten much that day was that I’d just turned vegan (making it early 2001), had no idea where to buy vegan food in Birmingham, and had given in to my craving for cream cakes. So I’d eaten breakfast and a mille-feuille. I’ve never craved cream cakes again - it wasn’t all that.

Another Stephie fact: That was also the time I accidentally assaulted a paramedic. Please note: if I awake from unconsciousness to find myself being carried off, I will kick and hit out… until I am put down and realise that the people carrying me off are trying to help me… *apologies to all paramedics attending a Waterboys gig somewhere in Birmingham in 2001*

Kisses, Stephanie xxx

Here is the Wikipedia entry for Aurora… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_australis

And the aurora australis from space! Cool!

Stephanie

‘Marins et capitaines du temps jadis’ was the first to make me smile – bricks wearing paper hats!

Then there was ‘Creation Permanante’ which is boxes and socks:

My favourite piece was ‘Childlike Uses Of Warlike Material’, which made me think of the imaginative games I played as a child, where objects baring only the vaguest resemblance to what I wanted for my game could be transformed to that very object using my imagination.

And then the same things as pictures:

‘Enis, un, one’ was also pretty fabulous! What I somehow failed to notice at the time was that every side of each dice is 1! I was too enthralled with the colours and shapes and huge number of dice, that I didn’t get the main point of the piece until later. But I liked it anyway…

‘Les Chefs Compatables’ was also a favourite, but I couldn’t find a photo, so you’ll have to go to see it for yourself. The exhibition runs until 23rd June – I recommend it!

Stephanie x

Instead of watching hours of tv series I’ve seen over and over again I will do productive things! Like blog! And have adventures! And paint! And read! And… other things! And I will save my telly watching time for the really important stuff, like new episodes of favourites, and Australian soap operas, and good films. Not repeats and that series where people bid on storage lockers. No more of that stuff! Just two leeeeetle soaps per day and weekly new episodes of a handful of favourite series. That’s about two hours per day, and a little more if a good film is showing.

The telly has an off button! I will use it!

Yeah, let’s see how long I last…

Kisses, Stephanie xxx

Today is Record Store Day http://www.recordstoreday.co.uk/, I had no idea, I’d been to the Post Office, heard music and found this outside Jumbo Records:

I stayed and listened a while to some rather good folk style music. Then I had to go because it was 3.30 and I hadn’t had any lunch.

Musical Kisses, Stephanie xxx

And what does a catalytic cracker do? catalytic cracker noun a unit in an oil refinery in which mineral oils with higher boiling points are converted to fuels with lower boiling points by a catalytic process.

Well, that is not nearly as interesting as the image of kitties eating cheese and biscuits which initially popped into my head…

Stephanie

Here is an egg in a basket with a chick on top:

Spring Kisses, Stephanie xxx

They like their hardsports, those Catalans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caganer… not for me, ta!

Steph

And inside:

Ooooohhhhh…. aaaaahhhhh…. shiny, shiny consumerism! And a horse. Also, it snows inside, which is pretty, but I’m not sure how much fun pelting rain and howling winds will be when they get inside too. Why build a shopping centre if it doesn’t keep the weather out?

I didn’t buy anything, despite the shiny temptations and enthusiastic new shop staff. But there seemed to be plenty of consumerism going on, so I don’t think my contribution was missed. I did use the loos though, they were nice.

Consumer Kisses, Stephanie xxx

And here is some more about our historical French salt tax from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabelle

Stephanie