Life boils down to 2 questions …
1 ~ Should I get a dog?

Or …
2 Should I have children?

The Wine Connoisseur

How to s**t on humans.

RICHARDS REALM

For every action, there is an equal and opposite ……. government program.

Street dancers Diversity win Britain’s Got Talent 2009.

Diversity’s winning act gives them a prize of £100,000 and the chance to show off their amazing dance skills in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.

For the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Diversity, which includes three sets of brothers, put in a truly stunning performance, they even included an amusing reference to the judges’ buzzers by donning red caps to represent the judges buttons used to get the acts off the stage.

The members of Diversity range in age from 12 to 25, they formed in 2007 and won a national dance competition the same year.
Throughout Britain’s Got Talent they received positive comments from all three judges and wowed the studio audience, although they were not tipped as favourites to win the top prize.
When Diversity were announced as the winners of the talent show all of the members of the Essex dance troupe were visibly stunned.

Diversity choreographer Ashley Banjo, 20, said, “I was saying, ‘Guys, second!’ When you said our name … honestly, I’m going to wake up in a minute.”

Judge Simon Cowell said, “If I had to give marks on that, that is the only performance tonight I would want to give a 10 to.”
Singer, Susan Boyle, 48, came second, saying, “The best people won.”
Saxophonist, Julian Smith, 39, from Birmingham, came third in the competition.

Bookmakers avoided a potential multi-million pound loss with Diversity’s victory, as Susan Boyle had attracted the largest share of the bets to win Britain’s Got Talent.

I’m really pleased that Diversity won Britain’s Got Talent 2009, they were my favourites from their very first audition.
Just like George Samson, last years winner, I fell in love with their amazing talent. Not only are Diversity’s jaw dropping dance moves mesmerising and a real pleasure to watch, the choreography is absolutely spectacular.
It’s refreshing to see a group of friends and brothers enjoying themselves whilst bringing joy to their audience. It’s clear how close they all are, despite their differing ages and backgrounds, their parents, family, and friends are no doubt incredibly proud of them all.
As for Ashley Banjo, Diversity’s choreographer, he is seriously talented, and although I am probably older than his mother and shouldn’t say this, he is gorgeous.
Thanks the the voting public the best act won. I’m sure they’ll have a well deserved and very successful career ahead of them.
Congratulations to Diversity.

The Wine Connoisseur

Bernd Weise enjoyed a relaxing cruise along the famous canals of Venice, Italy, in his amphibious car.

Bernd Weise, from Germany, caused quite a stir with the Italian water city’s singing gondoliers as he steered his motor under the Rialto Bridge.
The vehicle; amphicar, floats in the water due to its flat bottom, its rear wheels propel it through the water.
Bernd’s vehicle is a 1961 model which is powered by a Triumph Herald engine. It can reach speeds of up to 70mph on the road and eight knots (9mph) in water.

Just one car-netto give it to me, delicious ice-cream from Italy …….

The Wine Connoisseur

Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.

Life in France

Ex-pats in Dubai reportedly make up 90% of the population. People from all over the world have relocated there to enjoy a dream lifestyle which includes gorgeous hot weather, relatively little crime, and possibly the most important attraction - tax free living.
But now, like most countries around the globe, the residents of Dubai are suffering from the current economic crisis with increasing numbers finding themselves unemployed.
Not surprisingly unemployment means lots more free time, and some of the newly unemployed ex-pats have decided to put their spare time to good use and look after their health by joining Bad Times Boot Camp.
Alex Light, 26, set up the Bad Times Boot Camp, after he lost his job in real estate to help unemployed people get fit and get to know each other.
Alex is a qualified personal trainer, and by setting up the Bad Times Boot Camp, he hoped to help others stay active and positive with his free fitness classes.
Bad Times Boot Camp had its first session in March 2009, bringing people together who were in new but similar situations to share their experiences and find the support they need.
Approximately 30 unemployed expats have joined the Bad Times Boot Camp to sweat it out on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach three times a week.
Alex Light is hoping to spread the concept around the world, welcoming the possibility of sponsorship to keep offering the classes for free, whilst supporting himself and his new social enterprise.
When the economic downturn ends, Alex says he hopes that his fitness and networking classes will offer the employed a more valuable way to network.

Running and working out on a beautiful white sand, sun-kissed beach - being unemployed in Dubai sounds a lot nicer than it is in dull grey England doesn’t it? I can think of worse places to get fit.

I was briefly interested in purchasing property in Dubai, but hubby was not - I’m pleased he didn’t listen to me as although I loved Dubai when we last visited a few years ago, I’m not sure I’d like it as much now because I think there are too many new developments, and when the economic situation improves I think there will too many people.
I’m old, I like a little peace and quiet occasionally.

Life in France

An unusually high number of the African Painted Lady butterflies have arrived in the South East of England. The butterflies have been spotted in Dorset, Hampshire, and Sussex.
Wildlife experts have reportedly counted more than 3,000 in just one area, in less than one hour.
Wildlife expert and photographer Kerry King said that there had not been such a large increase in numbers of the insects since the 1980s.
He said, “In a space of about 45 minutes, we counted nearly 3,000 of these butterflies which is quite incredible.
“The Painted Lady is not a British butterfly. It migrates to this country.
“This year, because we’ve had mild weather conditions and the wind has been perfect for them, we have seen this abundance of Painted Lady butterflies which is absolutely just swarming across the South East.
“Numbers of his magnitude are very rare indeed.”

The Butterfly Conservation Trust said the species, recognisable by its orange, black, and white-spotted wings, was becoming increasingly common across the UK.
Painted Lady butterflies are from north Africa, but they migrate to Europe in search of cooler temperatures each year.

The Butterfly Conservation Trust said that the Painted Lady butterfly, and Humming-bird Hawk-moth were arriving from Africa and becoming increasingly common in the UK.
The trust is mapping the spread of departure of the migrant insects on its website.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE!

I recently ordered some beauty products from lovelula the organic apothecary.
I love lovelula.
I’ve ordered from this website before, it’s excellent. All of the products are natural and/or organic, there are no harmful chemicals; no sls, no parabens, no animal testing, they are independent; not affiliated with any of the brands they stock, they run a reward point scheme on all purchases, free shipping for all UK orders over £50, free samples (up to 3 with every order), fast delivery, gift wrapping service, secure payment, and best of all they offer a well informed personal service.
I have emailed lovelula several times with questions about their products and asked for advice for my skin, and I’ve always received a prompt reply that told me everything I wanted to know.

One of the items I purchased with my recent order was Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner.
I’ve already written and posted a review of the Giovanni 50/40 Balanced Shampoo which I love, and this conditioner is also one of my new favourite hair products.
The reviews on lovelula for this conditioner were excellent, and as I’d ordered a Giovanni shampoo I thought I may as well try a conditioner too.
I paid £7.99 Euro 9.42 (approx) for a 250ml bottle.
I usually use a rinse out conditioner, but don’t really like them, and I wanted to try a leave in conditioner for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that I am lazy! My hair is unbelievably tangly and it seems to take ages to spread it evenly through my hair, and then a long time to thoroughly rinse it out. So a leave in conditioner seemed like a good idea.
I loved this conditioner from the very first application. After showering and gently towel drying my unruly hair, I squeezed a very small amount of the Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner into the plam of my hand. Then I spread it equally between both hands and then gently stroked it over my hair.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much hair was covered with such a tiny squirt of this conditioner.
My hair was almost instantly tangle free, and that’s not an easy task.
This conditioner is creamy yet light at the same time, a little goes a really long way, and my hair seems very happy with it.
I noticed immediately that my hair looks very shiny and healthy, it smells lovely too, and the aroma lasts until the next wash.
I am so pleased that I decided to try a leave in conditioner, it is so much quicker to use, just a few seconds and my hair is happy and free form knots and tangles. I doubt I’ll ever go back to rinse out conditioners.
I’ll definitely be purchasing another bottle of Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner when this one is empty. I love it.

Here’s what lovelula says ~

Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner 250ml ~
size 250ml hair type dry or damaged
Recommended for moisturising & volumising conditioner
* Restores strength, lustre and nourishment to abused hair.
* Moisturises and builds body. Detangles for easy comb-out, easy styling.

To create condition and style, you need to go direct to the source. Direct Leave-in Conditioner goes directly into each hair to provide both. This leave-in treatment repairs hair as you go through the day. It also has the added benefit of plumping up each repaired hair so that it feels thicker. More bodified. This conditioner infuses each individual hair with proteins. Pumps it up. Goes directly to style.

To use ~
Apply to damp hair and comb through to distribute evenly. Do not rinse out. Air dry or blow dry for body.

Ingredients ~
Aqua (purified water) with *rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) oil, *nettle (Uritica dioica) oil, *thyme (Thymus vulagris) oil, birch leaf (Butela alba) oil, *chamomile (Anthemis nobilus flower) oil, *clary (Salvia sclarea), *lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), *coltsfoot leaf (Tussilago farfara), *yarrow (Achillea millefolium) oil, *mallow (Malva sylvestris), *horsetail (Equistetum arvense) oil, *soybean protein (Glycine soja), cetyl alcohol (plant derived), tocopherol (vitamin E), panthenol (pro vitamin B5), trace minerals, citric acid (corn), sodium hydroxymethyglycinate, grapefruit seed (citrus derived), fragrance from essential oils.
*certified organic

Life in France

Trompe l’oeil wall paintings amaze passers-by who thought the images were real.

The paintings are the work of Californian ‘Con artist’ John Pugh, whose murals make viewers believe they are seeing a 3D scene.
Artist John Lugh spoke about the reaction to his work saying, “People say ‘wow did you see that.
“I thought that was real’.
He added, “These life-size illusions allow me to communicate with a very large audience. It seems almost universal that people take delight in being visually tricked.”

John’s optical illusions can be seen all over the world from New Zealand to Hawaii.
Many of the images tell a story relevant to their location.
John’s mural in Honolulu features Queen Lili’uokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, with Duke Kahanamoku, the ultimate father of surfing.

John said, “The mural in Honolulu was a life pinnacle project for me.
“We put 25 coats of glaze on that one, about 30 gallons of glaze alone.”

According to John, the scene is so realistic that just before it was completed the fire brigade reportedly stopped their truck in the middle of traffic thinking their services were needed.
John said, “They jumped out to rescue the children in the mural.
“They got about 15ft away and then doubled over laughing when they realised what it was.”

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