Grace Jones

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACE JONES!
This weekend Grace Jones will be celebrating her 65th birthday.

I've been a big fan of Grace Jones for many years. Grace's striking appearance, her unique look, her signature stylised vocals and her music are all reasons that to this day she remains my all-time favourite recording artist. READ MORE

Enjoy this video of one of my favourite tunes by Grace Jones; “I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)”. 



Brendan O'Carroll - Mrs. Brown's Boys

Brendan O'Carroll is an Irish writer, producer, comedian, actor and director; he was born in Finglas, a suburb of Dublin. 

Brendan O'Carroll has been a popular comedian in Ireland since the early 1990's, he is best known for portraying the foul-mouthed Irish mother Agnes Brown in Mrs. Brown's Boys.
 

 

Mrs. Brown's Boys is an award winning BBC sitcom created by and starring Brendan O'Carroll. The show is based on O'Carroll's character he created for an Irish radio series he did in 1992 before using the character for his stage plays which were developed from books and straight to DVD films.

Mrs. Brown's Boys is about an 'Irish mammy' who refuses to cut the apron strings from her six grown-up children who are all adults but she treats them as if they are five. As well as having to deal with her children, she has her hands full dealing with her best friend Winnie, the elderly Grandad and various friends and family members.

Agnes Brown is an outspoken woman never at a loss for words. Here is an outrageously funny exert from Mrs. Brown's Boys staring Brendan O'Carroll as Mrs. Brown.

 

 

http://www.mrsbrownsboys.com
 

Viola

Viola Sororia

Viola sororia is a species of Violaceae, a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Violet family. 

Viola sororia, known as the Common Blue Violet, is a stem-less herbaceous hardy perennial plant that is native to eastern North America. It is known by a number of common names including; Common Meadow Violet, Purple Violet, Woolly Blue Violet, Hooded Violet and Wood Violet.

Violets grows easily in all types of soils and are a good choice for a shady or woodland garden or if you are looking for a quick natural look to a garden. Violets can be aggressive and easily invade lawns, but are an excellent choice for a ground cover. This is a very early flowering violet; it blooms from April to June.

Viola sororia have heart-shaped, scalloped dark green leaves and pretty blue violet flowers that droop from slender stems. The plant propagates on horizontal runners that root every 3 to 5 inches.

Violets are the host plants for Fritillary butterflies. Like many other butterflies, their caterpillars are very selective about what they eat. They do not go for milkweeds as do monarchs; they prefer violets instead. Without violets, there would be no more of those pretty orange and black speckled butterflies.

As well as being used as a common garden plant, Viola sororia has historically been used for food and folk medicine. The flowers picked in early spring when newly opened can be eaten raw in salads or crystallized and used to decorate cakes. The viola flowers can be taken fresh or dried in an infusion to help coughs and bronchitis and also used for soothing nerves, headaches and insomnia.  Herbalists claim that an infusion of dried leaves or dried roots of the viola can alleviate catarrh and bronchitis.

Pico

Pico is a lovely pasteurized goat-milk cheese manufactured and refined in Périgord in the Aquitaine region of south-west France.

 

Pico is a small 100 g (3.5 oz) chèvre that comes in its own cute little round wooden box. It is an uncooked, unpressed soft cheese with an elegant creased natural rind that smells of fresh hay. The soft paste and rind are cream coloured with slight golden streaks. 

Pico has a fine and smooth texture, a rich creamy buttery nutty flavour with a subtle goat tang. Pico pairs nicely with a fruity champagne or a sparkling wine.

Pico is produced by Fromagerie la Picandine in Saint-Astier. Picandine have been making fresh and refined goat-milk cheeses since 1990, among them the famous Cabécou du Périgord.

Chemin Hatley

Chemin Hatley is a firm organic cheese made by Fromagerie La Station de Compton located in Québec's Eastern Townships.

Chemin Hatley is named after the road that stagecoaches used to travel on between Québec and Boston. La Station's farm and cheese factory are located along this Hatley Road located in Compton in Southeastern Québec.

This farmstead cheese comes in a 4 KG wheel which is ripened for 3 months and made with organic thermised cow-milk. The pressed semi-cooked paste is cream-coloured with a rather smooth elastic texture that features small crevices. Chemin Hatley has an orangey coloured rind and a distinct floral aroma.

Chemin Hatley has a creamy buttery texture with a moderate fruity aftertaste. Chemin Hatley pairs well with a fresh aromatic white wine from Bordeaux.

 

Fromagerie La Station de Compton is operated by Pierre Bolduc with his wife Carole and their sons. Their certified organic farm produces award winning farmstead cheeses such as Alfred Le Fermier, one of my favourite Quebec raw milk firm cheese, their popular Raclette de Compton as well as Comtomme.

http://www.fromagerielastation.com/

Der Dritte Raum - Swing Bop (Acid Pauli Remix)

 

Der Dritte Raum is a techno group from Göttingen, Germany consisting of Andreas Krüger and Ralf Uhrlandt. Since 1994, when Der Dritte Raum released their first album, the group's sound has changed without ever losing their uniqueness. From Techno, to Trance, to Tech House, to Jazz the group's style has developed into a very progressive club sound.

Swing Bop is a track from Der Dritte Raum's album entitled Rosa Rausch released on Save To Disc Recordings. This funky version is the Acid Pauli's Remix, which appears on the maxi single Swing Bop Remixes released in 2011.

I love the video that was put together for this track. It reminds me of Crystal Beach Amusement Park in Fort Erie, Ontario where we used to go in the summer time when I was growing up. Who could forget those stomach churning rides on The Comet, the famous wooden rolling coaster.

Swing Bop will make you want to get up, kick off your shoes and dance.

Electronics musician Andreas Krueger, the brain child behind Der Dritte Raum also records under Dr. DNA.

http://www.der-dritte-raum.de/

http://www.myspace.com/derdritteraum

Don Heliodoro

Don Heliodoro is a unique ewe´s milk cheese produced by Central Quesera Montesinos located in Jumilla in the Region of Murcia in the southeast of Spain. Montesinos has been a leading Spanish manufacturer of specialty cheeses since 1978.

Don Heliodoro is a delightful firm sheep-milk cheese that is covered with rosemary. It is produced in both pasteurised and raw milk versions and also without rosemary. The cheese is bathed in virgin olive oil every 15 days during the first months of affinage and then it is covered with rosemary and left to mature anywhere from 6 to 14 months depending on the type.

Don Heliodoro comes in a 3 kg wheel measuring 19 cm (7 1/2") in diameter and 10 cm (4") high. Don Heliodoro has that pleasant Pecorino aroma, characteristic to sheep's milk cheeses. Don Heliodoro is firm with a pale yellow paste that is dense yet still crumbly in texture. The cheese has a pleasant acidity, a bit spicy with rich olive oil and nutty flavours. Don Heliodoro is a real delight for all fine cheese lovers.

Don Heliodoro pairs nicely with a thick body red like a Sangiovese wine such as a Chianti Classico or a Spanish Malbec.

http://www.montesinos.es/

Adamo - En Blue Jeans Et Blouson De Cuir

Oh, I've loved this song for quite some time now. It goes way back to the 1960's.  I remember my older sister, Carmen owned a copy of this Adamo album and we played it over and over and over again.

Born Salvatore Adamo, but known simply as Adamo, is an Italian-Belgian singer composer who had commercial success during the 1960's and 1970's. "Sans toi, ma mie" was Adamo's first hit. He had numerous hits that followed among them; "Tombe la neige", "Vous permettez Monsieur", "Mes mains sur tes hanches" and another one of my favourites "Inch'Allah".

Adamo has sold over 100 million copies of his recordings worldwide. He mostly performs in French but he also sings in German, Italian and Spanish.

En Blue Jeans Et Blousson De Cuir was released as a single in 1961. It later appeared on his album entitled Adamo released in 1964.

En Blue Jeans Et Blouson De Cuir

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu vas rejoindre les copains

Si tu n'vois pas qu'est c'qu'ils vont dire

Quand tu les verras demain

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu te crois en liberté

On ne pourrait te contredire

Ça blesserait ta dignité

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu taquines tous les jupons

Vise-moi donc ça quelle allure !

T'as une affiche au pantalon !

Tu n'es pas mauvais garçon

Un p'tit rien te fait rougir

Vas profites de la leçon

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

Tes blue jeans, ton blouson d'cuir

Tu les prends pour bouclier

Contre une vie qu'tu voudrais fuir

Parce qu'elle t'oblige à t'humilier

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu taquines les jupons

Vise-moi donc ça quelle allure !

T'as une affiche au pantalon !

Tu n'es pas mauvais garçon

Un p'tit rien te fait rougir

Vas profites de la leçon

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

http://www.adamosalvatore.com/

Valbert

Valbert is one of Québec's finest artisanal cheeses produced by La Fromagerie Lehmann located in Hébertville in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Québec.

Valbert is a non-pasteurized cow-milk cheese with a firm, semi-cooked, pressed paste. Valbert is a large mountain style 6 KG cylindrical wheel that is aged a minimum of 6 months. The brushed rind has a golden-pink hue with the name Valbert embedded in its rind. The firm, cream coloured paste has small crevices that develop as it ages.

The Valbert I selected is aged 12 months. It has a chewy texture with a wonderful nutty, buttery flavour and quite a pronounced lingering fruity taste. It paired nicely with a white Riesling.

Valbert, received its name in homage of the Swiss hamlet the Lehmann family is originally from, located in the foothills of the Jura mountains.

Jacob and Marie Lehmann and their children arrived in Lac-St-Jean and started farming in 1983. The area's cool climate, the high quality grasslands due to the fertile soil and the Lehmann's passion for the love of the land all play an important role in the distinguished cheeses produced at La Fromagerie Lehmann.

The Lehmann's selected the Brown Swiss cow for their farm, as this breed is distinguished for its ability to transform grass and hay in one of the richest milk. For generations, the Brown Swiss has also made its mark in the production of high quality cheese.

From when they young and even today, the Lehmann children Sem, Isaban and Léa have all been involved. Whether it's caring for the animals and pastures, helping with the milk and cheese production to the marketing duties, every member of the family plays an important role to achieve a delicious and acclaimed product. 

Kénogami (a soft washed rind cheese), Pikauba (a semi-firm pressed paste cheese) and Valbert are all award winning artisanal cheeses produced by La Fromagerie Lehmann.

 According to Jacob Lehmann;

“Since the land is so precious, we must take care of it. We do not use GMOs, pesticides or chemical fertilizer. We count on a large variety of forage plants to provide a healthy diet of hay for our animals in the summer and grains in the winter.”

“At “Fromagerie Lehmann”, our entirely artisan production is based on a balance between the plants, the animals and the humans in creating a natural-flavoured, durable product.”

“Artisan products …. a philosophy, a way of life.”

Jacob Lehmann of Fromagerie Lehmann was the laureate of Le Renaud Cyr 2012. A recognition of his savoir-faire and contribution to Quebec's artisanal produce and cuisine.

Source:

http://fromagesduquebec.qc.ca

Brenda Boykin - Hard Swing Travellin’ Man

Brenda Boykin is an American singer who earned her reputation in the San Francisco Bay area as an excellent interpreter of jazz and blues material from big bands, old blues bands and honky-tonk artists.

According to blues historian Lee Hildebrand "Brenda Boykin has the most authentic and most inventive female jump blues vocal stylist of her generation". Brenda calls it “Bourbon and Cornbread,” the musical mixture of jazzy sweetness and down-home sass.

Enjoy this up-tempo jazzy swing number "Hard Swing Travellin’ Man" by one of today’s finest jazz singer Brenda Boykin.

"Hard Swing Travellin’ Man" appears on Brenda Boykin's album 'Chocolate & Chili' released in 2008 on Chinchin Records.

http://www.myspace.com/brendaboykin