Beat me on the bottom with a Woman's Weekly

"Everyone's a national treasure these days; you can't move for them. But there should only ever be one at a time. For years, it was Dame Thora Hird. After she died, it was going to be Judi Dench, but then Joanna Lumley saved the Gurkhas so she got the gig."

It's certainly the year of sad anniversaries. On this day a decade ago, we lost the genius that was Victoria Wood. And, yes, she was a "national treasure"!

Needless to say, I, Madam Arcati, and all "our gang" absolutely idolised the woman. As did the majority of British society. We can all recite lines - maybe even whole sketches word-for-word - from her ground-breaking television series. And here's just a tiny sample of our favourites...

Victoria Wood and Juie Walters - Turkish Bath

Victoria Wood - Two Soups

Victoria Wood - Shoe Shop

Victoria Wood - The Cafe queue

Victoria Wood - Acorn Antiques

Of course, I haven't forgotten it's a Tacky Music Monday - so here's the ultimate pick-me-up with which to start the week!

Victoria Wood - Ballad of Barry and Freda

Victoria Wood (19th May 1953 – 20th April 2016). We still miss you.

Have a good week, dear reader.

Come on, meet me on the dancefloor

Another sunny day, another day in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers, trying to drown out the demon children next door and their sodding karaoke machine with blasts of Sounds of the Seventies while pottering and making things lovely...

Meanwhile, Queen Madge continues her latest comeback - she appeared on stage with Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella Festival last night, and the full-length version of I Feel So Free has been released!

I love it!

Madonna - I Feel So Free

Thoughts?

Nothing compares

One of our new acquisitions, Salvia Salgoon Lake George, looking gorgeous in the sunshine [click to embiggen]

It has been another beautiful Spring day and, needless to say, I spent most of it in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers: I built another set of display shelves [as you can see in the background of the photo above], potted-on another load of small plants into bigger pots, created the first of what will be a number of window box/wall-pot displays, and did load of general pottering besides. Very satisfying.

Meanwhile, I have just been reminded by Sean Keaveney on Radio 2 that it will be ten years next week since the force of nature that was Prince ascended the glittering (purple, of course) stairway to Fabulon. I think a little tribute is in order...

The archetypal flamboyant icon of mid-80s to mid-90s pop [alongside Queen Madge, of course], he evolved from the shadow of his idol Rick James into the mega-successful, adored superstar whose death was so widely mourned across the globe. He was not merely a performer, singer and musician, however; he was a brilliant songwriter, too.

And, by way of a tribute to his genius, here are several examples of how his compositions became massive hits for other people:

First up, the one that always makes me cry...

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2U

...lightening the mood somewhat, a clutch of much more uplifting choons...

Chaka Khan - I Feel For You

The Bangles - Manic Monday

...the classic - here featuring an artist who shares a birthday with The Purple One, Sir Tom Jones (Tom Jones)...

Tom Jones - Kiss

...and finally, the man himself:

Prince - Girls & Boys

Prince Rogers Nelson (7th June 1958 – 21st April 2016)

Now Miss Sophisticated, your nose up in the air

It seems very odd today to be doing a post all about celebrating the end of a week, when in fact I have been on annual leave for most of it, and am only in work for one day today - so this feels more like a Monday!

However, traditions are traditions after all...

...so how about some Earth, Wind and Fire to put some sparkle in our step? That'll do nicely.

Thank Disco It's Friday!

Earth Wind & Fire - Let Me Talk

Have a good weekend, all!

Of a lost Joan, eagles, Winnie Atwell's piano, octopi, totty, Time Warp, and the return of a Queen

Costume designer Edith Head called this frock "cinema’s single biggest influence on fashion"

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

• Nymphomaniac news: Letty Lynton, a scandalous Joan Crawford film about sex and murder that - thanks to a long-standing lawsuit - was pulled from cinemas and has remained unseen for ninety years, is finally getting shown, thanks to the great lady's grandson. The Art Deco settings and outfits by Adrian [as per "that dress" above] alone would make it worth a watch!

• Where eagles dare news: The magnificent golden eagle, one of Britain's biggest birds, is finally set to be reintroduced to England after more than 150 years, with a boost of government funding.

• Go East, young man news: The remarkable new V&A East museum opens its doors this weekend. Planned as an "open space" for visitors and locals alike, its emphasis is on 'making' and the process of craft and creation. The first showcase exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story apparently features outfits worn by everyone from Dame Shirley Bassey to Sade to Stormzy, Joan Armatrading's guitar, Winifred Atwell's piano and much more besides.
• When is an octopus not an octopus? news: A fossil believed to be "the world's oldest octopus" has been proven, using new technology, to be another primitive sea creature altogether.

[click any pic to embiggen]

• Hot Paprika news: Hungary's new prime minister Péter Magyar is not just a breath of fresh air for that country after years of repressive government, he's also a rather tasty bit of totty! [And Mistress Maddie agrees.]
• It's astounding news: Half a century on, and three of its stars Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn ("Brad", "Columbia", "Magenta") are reuniting for The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular UK tour, which hits London's Dominion Theatre this weekend. Little Nell spills the tea on everything from Freddie Mercury to Mick Jagger to Disney erasing her nipple...
• And finally - Our Glorious Leader news: Madonna has a new album out this year - and even more fabulous is the fact that it's a sequel to her superb Confessions On A Dance Floor, from way back in 2005! Confessions II, released in July, is a return collaboration with Stuart Price - who produced the original - and here, for your delectation, is a teeny-tiny teaser snippet:

Madonna - I Feel So Free (Preview)

It's a bit trance-y, so more like her Ray of Light era - but exciting nonetheless!

And the weather? It's been threatening to rain all day, but that never happened. I'm back in work for the day tomorrow, and it looks better (sigh) - but then, so does the weekend!

Warm fuzziness

New research has found making a train journey in Britain can be survived and even enjoyed if the passenger has drunk enough.

A study of the UK’s trains, from rural routes to commuter trains, shows that once eight or more units of alcohol have been consumed it becomes a magical ride of stimulating new destinations, mysterious announcements and meetings with strangers.

Professor Henry Brubaker, of the Institute for Studies, said: “There’s nothing wrong with our overpriced, antiquated rail network that can’t be fixed by the warm fuzziness of aluminium-wrapped alcohol.

“Once lightly pissed, being in a long box fired randomly across the countryside becomes a mellow experience. Your slumped face can vibrate against the windows in a happy haze, just as the Victorians intended when they built them whacked-out on laudanum.

“Stations drift past cheerfully. The couple you’re unwillingly sharing a table with become fascinating. Even the toilets are fine when you’re urinating as freely and erratically as all their previous users.

“Whether the night train to Aberdeen, the 4.35pm to Didcot Parkway or a 6.30am commuter train into Liverpool Street, it’s just like mother said: booze is best.”

Market analyst Helen Archer said: “I drank a bottle of prosecco on the way to work in Leeds and woke up in Llanelli. So same as normal, but with prosecco.”

The Daily Mash

Of course.

Mr. Paganini, please play my rhapsody

Another busy day spent in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers! I finally tackled one of those jobs that is easily "put off" - the accumulation of clag at the end of my back passage [oo-er, Missus!]: a load of gravel on the floor where over-wintering pots had been blown over, the old compost bin that has needed emptying for ages [since next door's drain collapsed a while ago and all their "grey water" flooded the area, killing any chance of us using any of the bin's contents as they were contaminated], lumps of moss from the roof, and the carpet of leaves from the weeping fig houseplants we left out all winter - and I pruned them; they're still alive!

That was knackering, but at least now we have a new clear space to put up some more greenhouse staging shelves as a home for more plants (and more storage space, to boot)! I also embarked on the process of planning the window-boxes that will accommodate most of the recently-acquired annuals, and moved on some more things that were out-growing their pots, before the skies started to turn ominously dark and I finally packed it in for the day.

Meanwhile...

Sharing the day with such luminaries as Sir John Gielgud, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger, Peter Capaldi, Ritchie Blackmore, Gerry Anderson, Robert Carlyle, John Sergeant, Gina McKee, Erich von Däniken, Loretta Lynn, Adrien Brody, Robert Doisneau, Chris Langham, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bobbi Brown, and - erm - "Papa Doc" Duvalier...

...it's the 75th birthday today of Sir Andrew's "talented younger sibling", Mr Julian Lloyd-Webber!

It's about time we brought some class into proceedings here at Dolores Delargo Towers:

Julian Lloyd Webber - Variation on Paganini's "24th Caprice" [by Andrew Lloyd Webber]

Yes, British readers will recognise it - it was the theme to the classic arts television series The South Bank Show.