Book List

Here are some of the best books I've read recently (I'm not getting any money from anyone for this)

Don't let the cat out the bag!

I love this pic because he's my cat, the photo reminds me of laughter (though of course cats hate being laughed at) and it's a photo of a cat in a bag.

Something for the weekend

I'm really looking forward to this weekend being low-tech. We'll be reading books and soaking up the sun.

In the spirit of relaxation and the proverbial getting away from it all, then...

Henchpersons and now Minions!

Aren't minions what the yellow guys in "Despicable me" were called?

Some time ago I posted about a job for "henchpersons" because I totally loved the wording. And now Evil Mad Science in California (where else?) is advertising for part-time minions. So cool.

 

I would have preferred to be a henchperson but I could settle for being a minion. Am I a flake?

Friday Favourites

First an old favourite (old as in I have been following since I started blogging). Tania Kindersley is a woman with the most exquisite turn of phrase. Her blog is a daily delight and now I find that she has a second more "instant" blog, here, with one-liners and magnificent pics like this one:

Secondly, I have found (at last) a maker of ragdolls I can truly love. Her name is Angelica Pelati and she makes a range of speciality cakes and custom homemade plushies. She'll be at the i heart market on Saturday and I'm hoping to get my paws on one of these:

The Magic Faraway Tree

I was talking about The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and could not remember the name of the fairy. So I googled her and here she is...

Illustration by Dorothy M Wheeler from the first edition.

Cuptakes - awesome and cute!

It is possible to be girly and also love tech stuff. Last night I found Cuptakes and I'm hooked! 

Lauren, of Restored 316 Designs, has created a fabulous iPhone, iPad and Mac application that offers a selection of exclusive wallpapers called, “Cuptakes”. She says: “My goal was to offer something I wanted myself, and that is, true original girly girl wallpaper designs for my Desktop and that complements my iPhone and iPad. The Mac has been such a joy since I switched, and I just wanted to complement something that’s already awesome!”.

There are matching designs for your iPhone and iPad home screen and lock screen and now also your Mac Desktop (all screen sizes and the app auto-detects your screen-size). The whole app is really easy to use and the designs are too cute. My favourite for today is the screenshot on the right.

One of the reasons that I like the app such a lot is that it has quite a few "text" designs and I like words. For example, these cushions that I had made for my wedding (right), and this wallpaper from "Cuptakes" (left).

There are also calendar pages that co-ordinate with the home screens and lock screens and a selection of Christmas themed "Cuptakes" including my favourite that says: "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas"

Where WAS sanehelen?

Mystery house name

On 31 May I posted a question with this photo. The answer was that I was on holiday in the UK, staying near Kew Gardens. This sign was just on the gateway of a house that we passed on the way to the post office. 

Our trip took us to London (the flat in Kew Gardens), Suffolk (postcard-perfect, rural England), Whitby (also postcard-perfect, a seaside town), York (where everything is within walking distance, and old and new are side-by-side) and back to London. There were many times that I had to pinch myself to check I wasn't dreaming. 

Scrumptious pie in Kew

Near the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew was the most wonderful café that served tea and scones and delicious lunches as well (just look at the photo of the pie I had for lunch one day). The area around Kew Gardens is so beautiful and restful. The streets are tree-lined and there are loads of restaurants and interesting shops. The Kew Bookshop took up a lot of our time. There are so many bookshops in the UK and as a book-lover and newby-writer, spending time in bookshops is a favourite pastime of mine.

Narrow side-street in York

In York I spent some time just wandering around the streets of the city. It is one of the few walled cities and the city centre is a meandering maze of streets which cross over two rivers. 

Counting my blessings

I was groaning to my best friend about the tedium of the washing and then reminded my little egotistical self that I should be grateful for so many things both related to the fact that I can do the washing and live the life that I am living.

I am grateful for (in no particular order, other than the order in which they occur to me):

• tea
• writing
• being able to grumble and groan to my best friend without her telling me to take a reality-check
• internet access (and related technology, laptop, phone, etc)
• my very very dear friends
• the love of my life
• my family (and his)
• science and medicine
• music
• home
• clean sheets
• fresh air
• drinkable tap water
• having a love of books and reading
• nail polish
• having "an education"
• The Body Shop
• spellcheck and autocorrect (most of the time)
• fruit

Actually, when I get right down to it there are a limitless number of things for which I am grateful. While looking for a suitable image for this post, I came across a "Blessings Jar" which (as the name suggests) is a jar with ten small heart-shaped pieces of card. You write your blessings on the cards and when you're feeling blue (Phil Collins' "Groovy Kind of Love" pops into my head just there) you re-read your blessings. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to do the same with this post though that was not my intention when I started it.

Fridays and Christmases seem to come around faster every time

For those of you who are on holiday, will be going on holiday or wish you were on holiday, here's my quote of the week (photo by my husband):

"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars,
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

Henchperson! Job advert.

Would you reply to a job advert for a henchperson? It brings to mind the type of assistant (named Igor) of a mad scientist. I would LOVE to answer this ad if only they were in South Africa!

http://www.adafruit.com/jobs/job/26/henchperson-at-evil-mad-science-llc/

Evil Mad Science LLC in Sunnyvale, CA 

Evil Mad Scientist seeks henchpersons.

Evil Mad Science LLC is a tiny company looking to expand. We need careful, detail-oriented people with an affinity for strange little robots and things that go blink in the night.

What do we do? We assemble kits, pack and ship, manage our web sites, talk to customers, perform various administrative tasks, design future products and refine current ones. And, we’re looking for several people that can each help us with (at least some part of) that rather large collection of stuff.

Can you do some of that? Located near (and/or willing to commute to) Sunnyvale California?

We’re open to hiring part time or full time, temporary or long-term. Experienced or intern. You should be willing to let us know what you like to do, what you’re good at, and let us train you on the rest. If you’ve got specialized skills (coding/designing/engineering/administrating/other), we may well be able to use them. Let us know.

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To go placidly

Posting the Holstee Manifesto reminded me of the poster that was on the back of by bedroom door while I was growing up. It's called the Desiderata (latin for 'desired things'), and was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Word Power

The words Peace, Love, Hope, Joy and Happiness as well as repetition of the image of a heart seem to me to be appearing everywhere I go and I'm wondering what that says about our culture and society today. It reinforces in my mind the idea that there is a power in words and images that we all recognise at some level.

My recent blog post about the Holstee manifesto and my fascination with the concept of word clouds has reminded me how much I enjoy words and language and I am wondering if I will ever get to put form to the many ideas that arc across the neurons in my brain.

In the beautiful words of John Keats...

"When I have fears that I may cease to be

Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,

Before high pilèd books, in charact'ry,

Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,

Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,

And think that I may never live to trace

Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!

That I shall never look upon thee more,

Never have relish in the faery power

Of unreflecting love! - then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and think

Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.