My Sweet George....oh my George

Tallulah says Yar!

We're chewin' on Life's Gristle

Cheers to you my darlin' Yaye

Yours truly, your parco...

Tallulah

Tallulah Searches for her Inner Clooney

A very long phone conversation occurred between Yaye and I. I believe we could be knee deep in a midlife crisis as we approach 40 at an exceedingly rapid pace. We discussed the pitfalls of being a woman; working, cleaning, nurturing etc… This is when the subject of George Clooney came up, not in our typical saucy way…well okay maybe for a few moments, but then it turned “serious”. Our pal George is a man’s man, a ladies man, intelligent, really frickin’ funny and owns a villa in Italy. I have decided it’s time for us to reach our inner Clooney.

When one reaches innerClooney the following will happen:

You will age with saucy grace

You can amass many lovers without the stigma of “Jezebel”

Others will put YOUR dishes in the dishwasher AND put them away

Yaye & Tallulah - Two Minx at Work

Be It Ever So Humble...He Got It For a Paperclip!!

Holy canoli, Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald at One Red Paperclip has done it!! One year exactly from the day he first offered a colorful piece of twisted metal as a bartering chip, he has -- in 14 moves -- successfully traded up to an actual bricks-and-mortar HOUSE! Who'd a thunk it?

The town of Kipling, Saskatchewan has accepted a role in a Corbin Bernson movie in exchange for the abode (not sure how that one works), apparently in the spirit of the town's two mottos: "Where If Becomes Reality" and "Embracing the 21st Century."

This is one of those "Blair Witch" why-the-hell-didn't-I-think-of-that moments!

Congrats, Kyle!!

Yaye Loves the "Emma & Pete Show"

Continuing with these confessions of my anglophiliac habits...we have the Emma & Pete Show! A young married couple of Brits who work together, garden together and converge in their bedroom several times a month to "yap" into a microphone for 10-30 minutes and podcast the results to the world. I discovered these two about two months ago, subscribed via iTunes and have been hooked ever since. Emma and Pete are both exceptionally brainy (she studied astrophysics in college), lively, fun and devoted to their two pet chickens: Hen Solo and Princess Layer (how brilliant is that!).

Sometimes they verbally spar as couples do (although in a restrained, English way), sometimes they're worn out from long hours at work, and I have become a little too acquainted with the sound of Pete's belches, but most of the time they offer warm and witty insights into their Oxford world of nerdy co-workers, shopping at Tesco, eating out at "the Lebanese" and trying to find time to cultivate their "allotment" (community garden).

Anglophilia Strikes Yaye Again!

©Getty Images / P. Cole

Further cementing my status as an anglophile, I've spent a good part of the past week glued to television coverage of the Grand Dame of tennis tournaments: Wimbledon. Tennis is the only sport I give a fig about; yes, I like that there is "Love" in the game.

I tend to root for the underdog, and Frenchie Amelie Mauresmo, despite being the current #1 Women's Singles player in the world, qualifies as an underdog. For years, she has shown athleticism, talent, brains and the lots of heart while trying to move up the ranks in her profession. Unfortunately, she has also shown a tendency to choke in the big matches, and so only achieved her first Grand Slam title this past February at the Australian Open at the advanced tennis age of 27. Even then, what should have been a moment of undiluted glory was unfortunately marred when her Belgian bulldog of an opponent Justine Henin-Hardenne chose to retire from the finals match, citing nausea. That's not the kind of victory a girl dreams about.

So I'm really happy for Amelie, that she finally conquered Wimbledon and that she did so in a highly competitive, decisive win over Henin-Hardenne. That's gotta feel good!

If only Rafael Nadal and his capri pants could have beaten Roger Federer. Next year. Or maybe even the U.S. Open!

More Treasure from Yaye's Magic Trunk

Long before Matthew Macfadyen and Clive Owen quickened my pulse with their rugged brand of British beauty, I was an anglophile. I don't remember a time when I wasn't. I was 14 when Prince Charles Philip Arthur George (I still remember!) married Lady Diana Spencer. This was a major event in my adolescent life, and I managed to wrangle special permission from my very strict mother to stay up all night and watch the wedding. It was July 29, 1981.

My good friend Ro had the capital to buy all kinds of commemorative goodies, like the tea towels and a vinyl apron (why???); I had to settle for one item: "The Princess Diana Paper Doll Book of Fashion." Behold...

My, what tiny...feet you have, Prince Charles.

The wedding dress was quite a disappointment (not pictured as it is too damn big), especially after all the hoopla. Perhaps she should have sported a "cheeky tam-o-shanter" on her wedding day!