Hester

Sweet Transvestite

Yes, indeed, the rum is gone ... and I know where ... straight to my hips! Goddess grace, ya spend the summer sitting on the deck drinking rum cocktails, only to discover that none of your fall clothes fit! Personally, I blame the Malibu -- half the alcohol, so ya have to pour twice as much, and the stuff's absolutely loaded with sugar. And it goes down so smooth and SO fast! ['Specially when you're sucking it back through one of them parasol straws!] Oh, sigh ... I miss my Capt. Morgan! Cheers, Hester

dry

Rum & butter tarts! (And no, I'm not referring to trollops covered in grease). Cheers, Hester

I feel I need to illustrate my point: Norrington in PotC1: Far too stuffy to be sexy. Norrington in PotC2: Very sexy -- although he could perhaps do with a bath. Cheers, Hester

and Janette wrote: I didn't really take much notice of Norrington in PotC1. Too stiff and proper, and hidden under that hideous poodle wig. But when he turned bad boy in PotC2 -- woo-hoo, did he ever get sexy! Maybe he will wind up with Elizabeth. After all, Jack's still rooting for him. But then, what could be done with Will in the storyline? He's too true-hearted to find love elsewhere. [Although Tia Dalma wouldn't mind consoling him, I'm sure.] Still, Will's faithful broken heart would mean he'd have to die a noble death -- possibly rescuing his father from Davey Jones' thrall. Hey, let me see that mirror! Cheers, Hester

Cheat death if you dare!

Johnny Depp's pretty sexy, isn't he!

manure / narrow

Handfuls of vitamin C pills, because my dance instructor last night had a wicked cold! Glad I remembered to take the hand-sanitizer with me to class. Cheers, Hester ... who's wondering when the flu-shot clinics start up!

Hi, Jim: I'll try to catch the show. I've always wondered how you did that! Cheers, Hester

Kedgeree ... a traditional British breakfast dish from the days of the Indian Raj ... combining rice, eggs, and fish. Here's the basic recipe: Kedgeree My own version this morning was a bit of a riff on the same theme. I sauteed some chopped leeks in butter in a large frying pan, then added 2 eggs to the pan and scrambled them, added 1 cup of cooked leftover couscous instead of rice, and one curried tilapia fillet (leftover from supper), flaked into pieces. I stirred it all until well mixed and heated through, then seasoned with fresh ground black pepper. As an accompaniment, I had a bowl of fresh pineapple chunks. To drink: mango juice, and a cup of strong black tea Kedgeree is very versatile and can be eaten at any time of day. [it's absolutely the perfect brunch food!] And the variations are endless, as these recipes attest: Mackerel Kedgeree Salmon Kedgeree Smoked Tuna Kedgeree Riverside Kedgeree Kipper Kedgeree Cheers, Hester

Black John: I love the fact that you're wearing a scarf with "tinkly bells" on it! You must sound quite charming when you strut across the deck! And if we ever need to revive you, we'll just clap our hands and say we believe. Cheers, Hester

Oh, and then there's this swellegant nautical one. Quite large, all silk, designer's sample, $10 on eBay: Whenever I wear it, I feel like a member of a yacht club. (Now I just need the boat to go with it!) Cheers, Hester P.S. I updated my earlier post with pics

bit of rough

Oops, sorry, I forgot I'd left that set of lyrics hanging before I went away on vacation for a month. Since no-one got it during that time, I'll end the suspense and tell you that it was Billy Bragg's "A New England" (also covered in the 80's by the late Kirsty MacColl). I had to google Piratesse's quote. The answer surprised me, because I remember the group but not that song. Anyhow, I won't give it away ('cause googling is cheating), but I think I'll look it up on BearShare to hear what it sounds like. Cheers, Hester

^ Plays the ukelele

larceny

... and your little dog!

M'dear, I'm Canadian. Red Green is a spot-on parody of most of my male relatives. My father-in-law actually got stopped at airport customs for having duct tape in his carry-on luggage ['struth!]. Cheers, H.

Lion ... and bears, oh my!

Out of turn, I know, but to this I can only reply: The neighbour across the alley who revs the engine on his stock car and drives it through the neighbourhood despite the fact that it is not street legal. I think he's watched Days of Thunder too many times! Goddess Grace, there is nothing sadder than a Tom Cruise wannabe! Anyhow, now that that's off my chest back to the game. We left off with: dragons Kraken [next?] Cheers, Hester

Kraken

I have a total obsession with scarves. I've plundered most of mine from e-Bay. Hard to pick a fave, but I'm partial to a pink sheer cotton Alexander McQueen knock-off with white skulls and silver threads woven through. I have a brown, pink and turquoise silk one that cartoonishly depicts Paris in the regency of Anne de Beaujeu (1483-1491), and has a mermaid in the corner. I also have a black and turquoise silk "story" scarf entitled "All's Fair in Love -- a tale without a moral" that shows vignettes of a young couple in Regency dress. They go for a walk, have a quarrel and part, and then he steals the clothes of a scarecrow, dresses as a ruffian and goes back and frightens her into a faint. Then, he sheds the disguise, revives her and claims to be her "hero" for having fought off the ruffian. And I have an original silk Victorian shawl with a cream background, black border, and floral design, that I fear is probably too fragile to actually wear [or scan]. Cheers, Hester

In George MacDonald Fraser's comic novel The Pyrate, one of the pirate captains, Bilbo, is a fop who suffers by wearing plundered boots that are very elegant, but don't actually fit his feet. [This is quite appropriate, as the term "bilboes" refers to a type of shackle for the feet.] Indeed, in his biography of Cap't Kidd, called Pirate Hunter, Richard Zacks points out that the stereotype of pirates in outlandish dress is borne out by historical documentation, and that pirates often stripped their richly dressed victims and wore the spoils, including fancy, heeled shoes with silver or gold buckles. Of course, these stolen shoes likely didn't fit very well, so I'm sure these old salts, used to going barefoot on deck, wound up with blisters on their tender tootsies whenever they went ashore in their finery. And the heroine of Daphne DuMaurier's Frenchman's Creek borrows a sailor's shoes when she cross-dresses as a member of the pirate crew. To her chagrin, they give her blisters when she is running for her life. I can empathize with these limping pirates. I have oddly shaped feet that are quite hard to fit, and even some of the most practical-looking shoes give me wicked blisters. I'm just breaking in a new pair of shoes for the fall -- so, I'm wondering if any of the crew here have some spa tips for preventing or treating blistered feet? Cheers, Hester