tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108577862024-03-13T18:57:59.402+00:00LORD CELERYAn American - and honorary "Bronx Girl" - living in little BritainJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.comBlogger731125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-80662361142747238202014-08-19T14:50:00.002+01:002014-08-19T15:02:40.706+01:00"It's OK" - Cee Lo Green, 2010Yesterday was my Aunt Blanche's birthday, and I thought a lot about her off and on all day. She was very special to me.
After I got home this morning from walking our dog Tulie (will write more about her later...a lot has happened since my last entry in 2011), I turned on BBC Radio 2. Ken Bruce was playing Cee Lo Green's "It's OK".
I felt like I slipped into a sort of trance. That song was on Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-82087009419247454962011-06-23T22:14:00.003+01:002011-06-23T22:32:33.618+01:00"Suddenly" - Billy Ocean, 1989Our bird feeders have been very popular places lately, and John and I really enjoy watching the birds. I was watching the feeder just outside our kitchen window this afternoon, especially enjoying the baby sparrows and baby great tits being fed and watched over by their doting parents.Not long after I snapped this photo, something awful happened. A sparrowhawk swooped into the hedge, grabbed one Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-19463173371913009962011-06-05T15:36:00.004+01:002011-06-05T16:42:27.477+01:00"Shades of Gray" - Robert Earl Keen, 1997I'm in a battle with a squirrel. He/she eats the food put out for the birds, spills seeds out of the hanging feeders, and chases the birds away from the bird table.I've been trying all sorts of things to stop the squirrel. So far, what has worked best is putting chili powder on the feeders and on any seeds that are set out for the birds.. According to the RSPB, it's ok for the birds -- apparentlyJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-13854985804296858832011-05-31T19:19:00.003+01:002011-05-31T19:32:12.760+01:00"A Tale of Coincidence" - Joe Locke, 2001One of the new members of our sales team at work asked me last week if I could talk to him about options some time, as he wanted to understand better how our energy industry clients might use them. So he came into my office this morning for his lesson. We discussed options for about 45 minutes.As I'm now in an office on my own, I listen to my DAB radio all day (either BBC Radio 2 or BBC 6 Music).Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-26985084861137207272011-05-27T11:03:00.006+01:002011-05-27T11:39:39.353+01:00"Bus Ride" - Marco Benevento, 2008This morning, I had to take my beloved Audi S3 into the dealer for her annual MOT and whatever service she needs (she only has 23,600 miles on the "clock", despite being almost 8 years old now). As I really don't need a car today, I took the Stagecoach 59 bus back home from Oxford Audi rather than accepting a courtesy car for the day.I have a great fondness for the 59 bus. When I first moved intoJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-29329175858215791202011-05-21T12:56:00.002+01:002011-05-22T14:00:55.640+01:00"Happy Birthday" - Stevie Wonder, 1980It's John's birthday today. I am so glad you were born, my love!!!I love you,JanetJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-75075140188744491062011-05-13T18:49:00.005+01:002011-05-13T19:48:17.904+01:00"Our House" - Madness, 1982To make the song that's the title to this blog really perfect, we'd have to change the lyric to "Our house, in the middle of the fence..."For John's birthday in May 2009, I bought him a birdhouse. Not just any old birdhouse, either, but a sleek almost Scandinavian-type house.We hung it on the fence at the side of our house, where it's safe from predators...and where it can be seen from several Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-45579102763664737012011-05-03T19:15:00.007+01:002011-05-03T19:49:11.568+01:00"All Hail the Prince" - Winthrop Douglas, 2011Last Friday was the "Royal Wedding" here in England. The bride and groom had beautiful, dry weather all day. That was good.In our neighborhood in North Oxfordshire, the residents of our two cul-de-sacs had a street party after the wedding, to celebrate the day off work we were given because of the big day.While the weather was apparently fine in and around London, we had a thunderstorm during theJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-87787560761556802322011-04-19T18:46:00.002+01:002011-04-19T20:28:22.792+01:00"It's Still There" - Emiel Van Egdom, 1989For those of you who have been dying for an update to an earlier story, here you go!Following quite a few days of disappointment, I spotted the blue sock again this morning. Yes, it's out of the tree and is now on the path, resting on a plastic shopping bag.Did somebody take it off the tree limb, carry it off, and then reject it -- throwing both it and its carrier bag back down on the path? Or Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-17166500996567258842011-04-18T19:57:00.006+01:002011-04-18T20:15:08.948+01:00"Sitting on Top of the World" - Mississippi Sheiks, 1930Regular Lord Celery readers might remember that some time ago I took a photo of a ladybird/ladybug I found in our house, eyeing our jelly beans. Well, this evening, when I was watering some of the plants in our back garden, I spotted more of them. They were perched on top of some cornflower-blue-flowering plants that were already planted in the flower bed when we moved into the house...sorry, I Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-63903746025812468212011-04-12T18:55:00.001+01:002011-04-12T19:29:51.729+01:00"Getting Older Every Day" - Big Bill Broonzy, 1940 For many reasons, I'm really starting to feel my age these days. As a result, I seem to be paying more attention to all that "You Know You're Getting Older If..." stuff.I heard a really funny one on BBC Radio 2 the other day. I'm pretty sure it was on Ken Bruce's morning show.Somebody suggested that you know you're getting old if, when you listen to the Beatles' song "She's Leaving Home", you Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-52666756926677784772011-04-11T20:06:00.002+01:002011-04-11T20:14:43.274+01:00"Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" - Perez Prado, 1955 One of my favorite signs of spring has just happened. The dwarf apple tree that we planted in our garden four years ago, when we first moved into our home, has started to bloom. Despite our dreadful weather in December, it looks great...unlike the Russian sage plant in front of the house, which has well and truly croaked. Life is getting better. There's light at the end of the tunnel after all! Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-5576847939590915402011-04-06T18:43:00.004+01:002011-04-06T19:03:01.736+01:00"I Lost a Sock" - D Lang/M Gordon/J Wolfe, 2001Several weeks ago, I noticed something lying next to the sidewalk ("pavement", as they would say here) near John's office. It was a single bright blue sock. A sock. How do you lose one sock? A jacket, maybe. Perhaps even your shirt, if you took if off on a warm day and hung it on a fence or wall. But a sock? How do you lose a sock and still walk around? Here's what I saw that day... (You can Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-54623686044353404012011-04-01T07:14:00.006+01:002011-04-01T16:53:50.697+01:00"The Weight" - The Band, 1968 While John was getting ready for work this morning, I switched on the TV in our bedroom. As it was not yet 6am, ITV1 was broadcasting Nightscreen, a collection of still photos and brief descriptions of upcoming ITV programs. One of the items caught my eye. I'm not entirely sure which program was being previewed - it might have been one hosted by Ant and Dec - but it had to do with a family gameJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-2724766075081002112011-03-30T20:13:00.004+01:002011-03-30T20:33:36.141+01:00"What Will It Be Like" - Merle Haggard, 1999 Yesterday, I got a return email from my long-time friend Joel in Houston. He's one of the funniest people I have ever known. As part of his email, he's mused a little about John's and my future. I think it's worth sharing... Years down the road I can see you as the beautifully eccentric couple living in your nice village. Lord John will be resplendent in his Persian slippers, fez and Hudson's Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-66155854649208775262011-03-29T19:31:00.004+01:002011-03-30T13:57:17.671+01:00"El Numero Uno" - R.D.N. Norteno, 2008Last night, John and I filled out the 2011 UK Census. It's the first time in my life that I've been counted in a country outside the US.We could have submitted our information online. But we figured it would be just our luck that our broadband would go down at a critical time. So we took the traditional approach and used the paper form."Person 1" is the one who fills out the paperwork. The Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-5608571037630899642011-03-28T20:16:00.005+01:002011-03-28T20:29:23.718+01:00"Now It's My Turn" - Betty Carter, 1988 Last week, John and I had a good laugh about a question asked on "The Weakest Link".The question was something like this: Despite the name, in which US state would you find the Sierra Nevada Mountains? The contestant answered: Canada Today, I had an appointment with a new contact lens specialist at an Oxford optician's office. Like me, she didn't have a British accent. I was so sure of where sheJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-9636503355415250302011-03-27T15:01:00.010+01:002011-03-27T17:07:57.145+01:00"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" - The Miracles, 1962As I wrote yesterday, John and I went to see Rumer last night at Oxford's beautiful New Theatre. And she certainly didn't disappoint! I'm not a very good concert/gig reviewer, but I'll do my best here. I expected her voice to be as beautiful (or even more beautiful) live. And it was. I expected her to have a terrific backing band and singers. And she did. I expected a good mix of her own songs Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-64921180141074949512011-03-26T13:09:00.003+00:002011-03-26T13:44:52.719+00:00"Can U Wait That Long" - Shakespear's Sister, 2005The long wait is finally over. John and I are off to see Rumer at Oxford's New Theatre tonight. It's been a very long time since I've been so excited about seeing a recording artist "live"!Some time during the spring of 2010, I first heard Rumer's "Slow" on the radio at the office. Leave it to my favorite BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce to be the one to play the song. I distinctly remember looking Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-51076789624894183012011-03-25T20:16:00.008+00:002011-03-25T20:59:47.980+00:00"A Long Way to Go" - Gary P Nunn, 1996Yesterday morning, John and I were in the Outpatients section of Banbury's Horton Hospital. He was due to see the hand consultant there about his injured little finger. We had a rather long wait for the appointment, so I couldn't help but listen and watch what was going on around us. And sitting near Outpatients Reception made that all the more interesting.At one point, an elderly couple Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-32643994275230445892011-03-22T19:59:00.005+00:002011-03-22T20:24:39.482+00:00"Questions 67 and 68" - Chicago, 1969Six year ago today, John asked me to marry him. It was early in the morning, and we were in the Sheraton Suites on the West Loop in Houston. He said it was appropriate to propose in Houston, as that’s where I was living when we met back in 1995. It was a ringless, impromptu proposal, which made it even more special to me.That was such a wonderful day…although unfortunately John was feeling Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-83148751202549788982011-03-20T20:43:00.005+00:002011-03-20T21:29:10.843+00:00"Words" - The Bee Gees, 1989I started thinking this morning that hearing certain words/phrases on the TV or radio can tell me immediately where in the world I am located (assuming that I'm ignoring accents, I mean).Here are three examples...If the weather for the days ahead is being described as "misty and murky" or "settled" (versus "unsettled"), then I'm in the UK.If the announcer says, "So...how long have ya'll been in Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-30352216766796061642011-03-19T19:44:00.004+00:002011-03-19T20:40:48.700+00:00"A Time to Hear (Who's Listening)" - Art of Noise, 2006Something remarkable was happening at my house this afternoon.It was a beautiful almost-spring day here in the UK. I was outdoors, sweeping up winter debris and sprucing up the potted plants around the house. And I was listening to the radio that I had brought outside with me.Sounds pretty ordinary to you, maybe? Well, what made the scene remarkable was what I was listening to...and the radio I Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-75088160532391556922011-03-18T16:34:00.008+00:002011-03-18T17:52:02.378+00:00"Come On Hot Dog" - Superconductor, 1993 I was listening to the news on BBC One this morning - very early this morning - and one of the stories was about Prince William's visit to Christchurch, New Zealand.I could have sworn that I heard the Prince say, "The Queen sends hot dogs and good wishes."Hot dogs????Of course the Queen didn't really send hot dogs to the people of Christchurch. She had sent "her thoughts".But take a look at the Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10857786.post-8458504435043055222011-03-17T10:28:00.004+00:002011-03-17T10:37:59.516+00:00"How Sweet It Is..." - Marvin Gaye, 1964 I've been a fan of See's Candies for a long time. But I only recently found out about their special St Patrick's Day treats.I can't say that they look very appealing. Can anybody who has tasted one confirm or deny my opinion?JanetJanethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.com0