The Locksley School of Visual Arts at the University of Milton North

[PhoenixRisingFromTheAshes]

Please come in and make yourself at home. All are welcome to join in our exhaustive and detailed daily research programmes. Areas of study include: The Cotton Industry in the Industrial Revolution; Robin Hood Studies (specialist subject Guy of Gisborne) as well as exhaustive study of the Creative Arts, Film and Media (with particular emphasis on Tolkein, the Armed Forces and National Security).

Would you like a glass of Chateau Gizzy?

Sorry you're feeling poorly, Phoenix - feel better soon.

I had to giggle at the image of Mr DHL arriving in his 24 hour plays coat and imagining your ! As for Mr Butler, I think he's very handsome but don't fancy him at all - I get the impression he's a bit of an arse, for some reason. Also thought he was a bit of an idiot at the Baftas.

The Little Twiglets are both watching an old video of last time we went to Disneyland. Thney are both begging to go again and I am saying "sorry, it's just too expensive - maybe next year" :o They don't seem too bad with the illness - TwigBoy is jumping around, doing somersaults, stopping to throw up and then jumping around again :)

Massive, oh wasn't Guy just the most beautiful thing in that episode?!

Twigs can I ask you what deal you got for Disneyland. If we are going to go later in the year I would greatly appreciate the advice of someone who has been before.

Twiggy I am glad to hear the little twigs are not too very poorly.
I bet you are having a secret smile to yourself at the Disneyland comments. You are sneaky

Yup! Indeed Guy was breathtakingly beautiful and it makes me despair at myself, it really does. Can I be swayed by a mere pretty face when the owner is so dyed in iniquity?

Obviously I can.

If I had been the peasant girl i'd have been disappointed that all he wanted from me was the necklace, as his droit de seigneur

Mind you Massive, she was obviously too dozy or too in lurve to think of an alternative offering (I'm sure any one of our Academy members would be quicker thinking than that!)

Am not a huge Gerard Butler fan myself, although I loved him in 'The Ugly Truth' - still better than what I'd anticipated though!

Her swain looked a right drip though, with his long blond locks. A free helping of Gizzy pie could have been the best thing about getting married to a wimp like that.

I have that on DVD Spiro and agree that's probably his best film. I saw him in PS I love You the other week and his acting was dire.

I can't bring myself to even read the book of that Small, tbh. Loved the Ugly Truth though, but Katherine Heigl is v. good at that sort of thing.

DD loves '27 Dresses' (she woke up & wandered downstairs when I was watching it once I hasten to add - my parenting isn't that laid back) - I just have to remember to mute the sound every so often!

Yes you did Massive! I don't think you'll het anyone disagreeing with you here.

Was just about to catch up on last nights YouTube clips that I couldn't play on my mobile when bloomin' DH came in

Oh for heaven's sake, you wanton wenches.

::conforms to stereotype::

You need to cleanse your minds with something pure, spiritual and uplifting.

Still distressed to think that Mr Thornton smells of Benson and Hedges rather than Imperial Leather soap and manly cologne,

How about Imperial Leather with a touch of good cigar?

Forget about it all, Maud, that isn't the real Mr Thornton, it's only some guy (who happens to look exactly like him) pretending to be him.

And talking of Guy and wanton wenches, perhaps he could be taught a little refinement, who knows. Maybe we could work on him while he was tied up, as seems to befsll him with alarming regularity.

Good cigar? That just inspires a more expensive reaction, I'm afraid.

Yes, I know that it is only Mr Thornton's alter-ego who's been spotted with fag in hand, but it's made me feel ever so slightly sorry for Daniela. And I never thought I'd say that! Anyway, I have used Ros-Stella's deep brain memory thingy to expunge the memory.

Sadly (I fear) for your notion of the Gisborne School of Manners and Deportment, being tied up seems to bring out the worst in Guy and I doubt he would be a receptive pupil. Unless leering and sneering are to be part of the curriculum,, which would seem counter-productive.

A word of warning then Maud - don't bother with the Marie Lloyd biopic if you find smoking that off-putting

I saw it years ago, Spiro, when it was first broadcast. Before the revelation that was Mr Thornton.

From her comments, Daniela didn't seem that bothered!

I am not terribly bothered by smoking myself as I have been practically picked in fag smoke for years. Not courtesy of Mr M I hasten to add.

Sneering and leering is fine by me too, provided the sneerer and leerer is Gizzy of course

pickled, obviously

I must proofread
I must proofread
I must proofread.

Maybe the fair Daniela was herself having a couple of Woodbines between takes? Smoking bothers me more now than in the days when everyone smoked - I guess because I've become dishabituated (if that's the word).

So, what news from the Rialto tropical island?

All is well on the Isles of the not so Blessed, thanks, Maud. I expect I shall be like you in a year or so, now there's a smoking ban here too in public places. But as I say, atm I don't even notice the smell. Probably used to smell of Eau de Gitanes*
myself, most of the time.

*or local equally stinky equivalent

I admit the image can be seductive

This graduate of the Gisborne School of Manners and Deportment has me drooling again....

Oh my!

I suppose only because we've been conditioned to think so in the past by the meeja of the day.

All those scenes of sultrily lowered eyelids and a plume of smoke issuing from pursed lips. The cigarette lighter and cigarette holder ploys. The rolling over, er, afterwards and lighting up.

It was a whole universe!

Yes, quite. The marketing men did a fine job in convincing generations that smoking was cool. And, let's face it, Bogart as Philip Marlowe was cool.

Extremely cool pic there, I love the trench coat and the hat. Now they'll just have to put both hands in their pockets, instead of just the one.

I wonder how things are going at Twiglet Towers. Poor Twiggy sounded in for a trying day.

He was just so cool, wasn't he?

Lovely sculpture programme on BBC4 again - just had a peek in Leighton House.

I'm not surprised at the radio silence from Twiggy. Either she's dealing with two poorly bubbas or she's drinking Prosecco and discussing the finer points of the Hippocratic oath with the good doctor Track who has been there for over 12 hours now.

I think I've found out what mad dogs is.