Meet: Monsieur et Madame Champignon (or, to you and me, that’s Mr. and Mrs. Mushroom)

Bonjour mes amis!  (translation: ‘Hello my friends’).  Ok, that’s about ‘it’ for my schoolgirl french that I’m going to try to impress you with.

Meet: Monsieur et Madame Champignon,   also known as: Mr. and Mrs. Mushroom . . . .

I’ve been playing with clay again  (in case you hadn’t guessed).  I actually started out with the intention of making some little-whittle mushrooms for another project I have in mind, but by the time I’d got my clay on my desk, modelling tools all lined up (well, ok, thrown in a jumble onto my desk), my water spray bottle,  and the various other bits and bobs which come into play when modelling/sculpting with clay,  the mushrooms had grown in size and character, and fired by a random memory which popped into my head of some grumpy faced mushrooms I’d seen quite a while ago, (link Caroline McFarlane-Watts <—clickable safe link).  Then the idea grew because of a song which was playing on the radio, I began to think I would make some ‘Mushroom Folks’ (as I’ve Christened them), but doing them my style.  Happy and joyous.  And, from that initial thought, Monsieur et Madame Champignon were born.

Please allow me to walk you all around the home, and friends, of the handsome French Chap and his beautiful Parisian wife . . .

Madame Champignon is a well dressed lady, as you would expect, with a swanky french hat complete with snail. And, as you may have noticed, she has the longest of long, silky eyelashes, ruby-red lips and a little rouge to her cheeks.  So Chic!

They sit atop a small mound of grass surrounded by moss – which allows other creatures from Fairy Wood to hide, and they keep the romantic couple company.  There are mice (who love to eat the left over bits of Camembert and Roquefort which picnic makers drop). There are also two slugs, (complete with tentacles) who leave the most delightful shiny trails behind them, and will sometimes have a game of ‘Guess what I’m drawing with my Slime!’ with the Champignons. And of course – there are the two snails, which the the French couple allow to clamber over their hats – although as they climb up to the hats, they do have the tendency to tickle the Monsieur et Madame, and Madame giggles quite audibly. 

Mr. Slug – he’s the bigger, and stronger of the two slugs.

The rear view of Monsieur et Madame Champignon.  If you look carefully you can see a tiny mouse to the left and Mrs. Slug, leaving her slug trail behind her on the right.  (that’s a teeny tiny pine cone behind the Monsieur).

 

Both of the snails which adorn the  Mushroom Caps  Champignons Hats have pink bodies and pearly yellow shells.  Sadly the camera didn’t seem able to pick the colours up.  But it did a half good job in this photo.

The curled and ‘frilly’ bits on both of the mushrooms aren’t mistakes.  They’re the bits you sometimes find on your mushrooms which you buy from the greengrocers or supermarket.

There are other little dints and dents on them both …which are there simply because I looked at some mushrooms in the fridge closely and saw that each one had its own character lines … so the Monsieur et Madame have their own dints and dents to add character too. (They also have ‘dirt’ marks –  as you would expect!)  😀

The Monsieur has a lip …. and a half!  As I was creating him I began to think of fabulous French men who I knew from movies … and the one which reigned supreme was Maurice Chevalier, who my mother was all dreamy and doe eyed about.  Inside my head I could see how he used to extend his lower lip, and from there …. Monsieur’s own lip developed.

I’ve been told that Monsieur Champignon calls his wife  “My sweet, my darling, my one true love!”.  ❤  Somehow, I feel that this is probably true, for he looks like he would,  don’t you agree?

The whole scene is set upon a small piece of slate

I had SO much fun making this happy couple of romantics and all the way through the creating process, I kept on singing ‘I Remember it Well’ – sung by Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold in the fabulous film:  Gigi . . .  eventually I went to YouTube and found it, and played it while I was sat at my desk, so that I could be reminded of the words.  I share it with you here:

Thank you so much for coming and sharing a coffee moment with me, and to meet Mr. & Mrs. Mushroom.  I hope you liked them, and that you got a smile from them.

I love to know that you’ve visited, so please do let yourself be known and leave a comment and / or a like if you’re a little shy.  (But don’t be shy … we’re all really lovely people here on this blog).

Wishing you a truly magical Monday.  May the weather be calm and beautiful where you are.  May life be treating you kindly … and may you find contentment hidden in the folds of the hours as they pass by.

Much love to you, from me in my corner, to you in yours  . . .  have a blessed rest of your day my friends!

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The Friday Post

Aaaand … here we are again.  I’m beginning to get a very regular feeling of deja vu around this time on a Friday, every single week.  Don’t know why that would be.  🤓

I trust this week has been good for you, and that no ‘disasters’ have happened to you or yours personally.  I’m still having some problems with blog posts not appearing in my ‘Reader’, so I’m having to do a combination of two things:  1. try to go down the list of blogs I follow to ensure that I’m caught up… and  2.  Trust to luck that I’m not missing something vital that any one has posted.  However .. if I have, poke me with the sharp end of a pencil and show me the way to what I should have been reading. (i.e. give me a link)t

So anyhoo … you’re here to have a little Friday Fun, so let’s get on with that shall we?   Because the Factoids were so enjoyed by folks a few weeks ago, I thought I’d re-visit that subject matter again and  share some more of the stuff I have (uselessly) stored in my one brain cell).

Do you have your Seat Belt on?  Air Mask fitted correctly?  Medication taken?  Incontinence Pants on?  (‘Depends’ for some of you)...  and finally … Please Leave Your Mobile/cell Phone and your watch, and your Earrings at Reception.  You’ll be given a clear sealable bag to put it inside, and you will fill out your name in the special box on the outside of the bag, – in order to collect your phone after the ride.    **ENJOY!  (**that’s an order by the way!)

FACTOIDS   –   Did you know:-

Lightning strikes men about seven times more often than it does women.

A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night!

Carrots have zero fat content. (but you can get an unattractive orange tinge to your skin if you eat too many of them.)

Watermelons are 97% water, –  lettuce 97% water, –  tomatoes 95% water , –  carrots 90% water, –  and bread 30%

Ernest Vincent Wright’s 1939 novel ‘Gadsby’ has 50,110 words, none of which contains the letter “e.”

Don’t believe that a novel could be without any e’s?
Here’s an excerpt from page one of Wright’s  ‘Gadsby’:
“If youth,  throughout all history,  had a champion to stand up for it;  to show a doubting world that a child can think;  and, possibly, do it practically;  you wouldn’t constantly run across folks today who claim that “a child don’t know anything.”  A child’s brain starts functioning at birth;  and has, amongst its many infant convolutions, thousands of dormant atoms, into which God has put a mystic possibility for noticing an adults act, and figuring out its purport.”

Great Britain was the first county to issue postage stamps, on 1 May 1840. Hence, UK stamps are the only stamps in the world not to bear the name of the country of origin.

And from the movies:

In “Father of the Bride”,  Annie and Bryan marry on January 6.  But in the opening montage of “Father of the Bride 2” there is a framed invitation of their wedding which states that they were married on October 9.

Towards the end of the Forrest Gump, Forrest narrates that his wife died on a Saturday. When he is at her grave in the next scene, the tomb stone shows her passing on March 22, 1982, which is a Monday.

The movie with the most ‘extras’, (minor people who make up the background scenes) – was the 1982 British movie Gandhi,  which featured 300,000 extras.

Mel Blanc, who played the voice of Bugs Bunny, was allergic to carrots.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia  ….  is a REAL word and not one of my infamous made up ones.  It means:  A fear of long words.  Yes. Really.  Honestly.  Truthfully.  I think that’s irony at it’s best.

On average, you speak almost 5,000 words a day – although almost 80% of speaking is *self-talk  (i.e. *talking to yourself ).  . . . . . .*parents would know  about this feeling – LOL

Diamonds they say, are a girls best friend.. here are some factoids about diamonds:

Impurities lend diamonds a shade of blue, red, orange, yellow, green and even black. A green diamond is the rarest.

A diamond is the hardest natural substance on earth, but if it is placed in an oven and the temperature is raised to about 763 degrees Celsius (1405 degrees Fahrenheit), it will simply vanish, without even ash remaining.  Only a little carbon dioxide will have been released.

However... diamonds are brittle. If you hit one hard with a hammer, it will shatter

A diamond carat differs from a gold carat.  The gold carat indicates purity – pure gold being 24 carats.  One diamond carat is 200 milligrams (0.007055 oz).  The word carat derives from the carob bean.  Gem dealers used to balance their scales with carob beans because these beans all have same weight.

A diamond is 58 times harder than the next hardest mineral on earth, corundum, from which rubies and sapphires are formed.  It was only during the 15th century that it was discovered that the only way to cut diamonds was with other diamonds.

The tradition of a diamond engagement ring started in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy.  The modern tradition is the result of a clever advertising campaign designed by N.W.Ayer in the 1940s.

Los Angeles’s full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size:-  L.A.

and finally….

After I made up that pile of pooh about Snails having a SatNav  (although I did rather like the idea…  and the ‘magical quality’) …  I thought I’d perhaps better find out the truth and share it with you so that you’d be able to quote your knowledge and show people how educatinamalised you are….

Snails have something like a flat foot located on the bottom side of their slime-like body’s.  There are muscles within the ‘foot’ that are constantly contracting and expanding to create movement.  It’s actually the ‘foot’ that creates the slippery trail commonly seen with snails.  It’s a special gland that excretes the slime which hardens when it comes into contact with the air.

(I still prefer my Sat Nav idea.  It sounds far more magical and special!)  lol   😊

Well … while you drink the last gulps of your coffee I’ll wind up this blog post with a few jokes.  Now be careful.   No choking on your coffee,  or spraying your computer screen/tablet  (or the woman sat in front of you on the bus – if you’re reading this on your cell phone) . . .

What kind of bagel can fly?  —->A plain Bagel<—-click, hold the click and drag it to the right to reveal the answer.

Where do animals go when their tails fall off? —>The Retail Store<—click, hold the click and drag again to reveal the answer.

How does a Train eat? —>it goes CHEW CHEW<—click, hold and drag again.

I Tried to take a photograph of some Fog.—–>MIST<—click, hold and drag.

Just before I go …  a wee update on the little Robin I told you about on July the 8th [click here to be taken to the post if you missed it].  I’m filled with happy bubbles to be able to share with you that this darling little bird finally gathered up all of his courage on Wednesday this week and visited not one but both bird feeders and spent a little time enjoying everything which was on the menu. 

And with that …. I shall quote one of my most favourite Gaelic blessings:  May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face;  the rains fall soft upon your fields,  … and,   until we meet again, …  may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Be good to yourself,  and to others you meet today. 

Sending buckets of love your way ~  ❤️ 💛 💚 💙 💜 🖤  ~  in Rainbow colours!

Things I’ve Learned This Week.

Aaaaand   ….  it’s Friday again.  They roll around as regular as clockwork, don’t they?!  They turn up, uninvited and then stick around for a whole 24 hours!  Crumbs, if that was someone who was being a pest and kept coming round to see you, you’d soon begin to hide behind the sofa when they knocked on the door!  But Friday is always welcome.  Maybe it’s because it’s a gift.  What do you think? 

Anyhoo …  we’re here to find out what I’ve learned this week, so put on your full armour. With your breastplate in place.  Take up your shield, and, wearing your helmet, your sword at your side,  gird your loins  . . .   and  . . .   we shall begin with  . . .

Doris Day.

I’ve been in the mood for a lovely Doris Day film (or films) for weeks.  Every week, when Mr. Cobs comes home from the newsagents on a Saturday morning with the coming weeks TV schedule magazine, I’ve looked through it in the hope of finding a Doris Day film, but none was to be found.

I checked out the scheduling on the TV – and even done a ‘search’ on the TV Menu bit, to see if her name threw anything up.  It did. YAY!!  FINALLY!  However it gave me two movies that I’d have to pay for to watch.

Now a Doris Day movie or two are normally there somewhere … so what the heck’s going on?  We have twenty million channels  (ok.  that might be a bit of an exaggeration) … we have enough channels to sink a ship (no, possibly not, but you get what I’m saying here), so why can I only find two Doris Day films, on Netflix, (which we’re not members of) where I’d have to pay to watch those two films?  I mean to say..  it’s DORIS DAY for goodness sake!!  They (the TV folks) put Ms.D. Day films on (normally) all the time.  They fill spaces with them.  So why can’t they fill some spaces for me dogam it?!!   Grrrrrrrr!!!

Well just to spite ’em, I’m going out tomorrow and going to buy as many Doris Day DVD’s as I can and I’ll watch them all day, every day if I want to.  pffft!  Stuff the TV channels.  pffft.

I learned this week . . . .  That Al Capone’s Business Card said that he was a Used Furniture Dealer.   This new-found knowledge has led me to think that I should get my cat (he’s called Alf Capone – in case you didn’t know) an extra collar tag with that engraved on it. [giggling like mad at the thought]  . . .    Imagine it ….   A cat with an engraved metal tag  . . . .  saying that the cat’s   a ‘Used Furniture Dealer’!    [still giggling myself silly]

Alf Capone (in hiding).   Used Furniture Dealer

I also learned   . . . .  That a Dragonfly has a lifespan of approximately 6 months.  That’s, of course, presuming that other cat here at The Cobweborium (Princess Tippitoes Maisie Dotes) doesn’t catch it first.

She’s an ever so teeny tiny cat, but she’s a Dragonfly Slayer.  I don’t think she actually means to kill them,  and in fact I don’t think SHE herself, does.  But she does bring them home,  . .  they’re so quick-moving,  and they make an attractive noise to her,  and they are a little sparkly in sunshine,  – so as far as she’s concerned, they were made just for HER.

However, when she brings them home, her brother, Alf Capone – Used Furniture Dealer, then steals them from her  (if I don’t get there first)  and sadly . . .  he does ‘the deed’.

Princess Maisie Dotes,  on Fairy Watching Duty.

I’ve found out this week (and so ‘learned this week’)  that a snail can sleep for 3 years.  Now if this is true … WHY DON’T THE BALLY SNAILS IN MY GARDEN SLEEP FOR 3 YEARS AND LEAVE MY PLANTS AND FLOWERS ALONE???!  (I shall be talking to God about this when I chat with him later, and, I can confide in you, that I’m a bit grumpy about this matter.  A very bit grumpy indeed!).

I learned a very important Life Lesson this week too:  ….   –  after a long break from using my BIG BEASTY sewing/embroidery machine  I got the (bloomin’ heavy) machine out (well actually no, that’s a lie.  It’s too heavy so Mr. Cobs has to get the machine out,  and put it up onto the table for me), I set it up, take half an hour to remember how to thread the machine so that it self threads the needle … then remember how to select all the settings;  then get the right presser foot;  double-check that I’ve got the right colour in my bobbin . . . and FINALLY set to in the sewing   . . .  AND THEN . . .  just two flowers into the stitching and feeling a warm happy feeling thinking that I’d ‘still got it’ . . . just at that point where the glow of happiness was surrounding me like a golden, heavenly halo and I could almost hear the Angels singing,   . . . . .  S.N.A.P.!

The ‘rasser frazzer grisser bazzer’ needle breaks and I find I don’t have any spare ones left.

[great  BIG  s.i.g.h].  It’s now 7.45pm and the shops where I could get a box of needles from are all now closed for the night.   I had to un-thread the needle, and put away the cotton back in the cottons box.  Then sadly put away of all the bits and pieces of my machine, and hope that I can get some spare needles in the right size in a couple of days time, so that I can do it all over again.  [double sighs and thinks  of as many great BIG swear words as possible… just doesn’t say them].  The moral to this tale is:  To always go and buy new needles for your sewing machine the moment you use the LAST BUT ONE needle.  Don’t wait.  Don’t think that you have one needle left and that you have loads of time to buy a new pack.  Go straight away and buy new needles, because if you don’t, the minute you put that very last needle into you machine  . . .   S.N.A.P.!  Then where will you be?

 And finally …

I’ve learnt this week that Tesco own brand of ‘Easy Seal Ice Cube Bags’ – those bags which you fill with water, put into the freezer and they turn that water into individual ice cubes, ‘those’ bags.   Well I found out this week that they’re suitable for use in the freezer!  That’s a bit of luck, isn’t it?!!

I’ve learnt quite a lot this week….  can you tell I’m more cleverer than I actwally woz last week?  🙂

Oh .. Oh … I nearly forgot …  I learned that you should always leave folks laughing .. so with that in mind I thought I’d do my best cheesy jokes … get ready ’cause these are my bestest ever:-

There was an explosion in the Cheese Factory! . . .  There was de Brie everywhere!

What did the Queen say when a man threw cheese at her?   . . .   “How dairy!”

Why didn’t the cheese want to get sliced?   . . .   Because he had grater plans.

How do you handle dangerous cheese?   . . .  Caerphilly.

Which Cheese is made backwards?  . . .   think about that one and I’ll tell you in a minute.

What kind of cheese would you use to try to disguise a small horse?   . . .  Mascarpone.

Which cheese would you use if you wanted to coax a bear down from a tree?  . . .  Camembert.

How did Mr. Cheese paint his wife?   . . .  He Double Gloucester.  (for those outside of the UK,  you say Gloucester like this:  Glosster.  now say the answer to the joke again and you’ll get it then).  Link: Gloucester Cheeses

And finally ..  back to Which Cheese is made backwards?  . . .  the answer is …  Edam.  Get it?

Have a truly fabulous Friday.  I hope that today leaves you feeling happy, tired, and ready for a nice weekend doing something you enjoy.  Remember to make a memory along the way.

Look after each other.  Be kind.  Try to make someone happy.  And … whatever you’re doing  and  where ever you go,  may your God go with you. 

Blessings, my friends ~

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