Welcome to Diana's Blog

I blog about anything that interests me - my local area, things I've seen or heard on the news, politics and human rights, gardening, arts and crafts, poetry, photographs and general advice.

And, when you've finished reading, don't forget to leave a comment - I love hearing from people



Tuesday 27 September 2011

Beefburgers - Quick and Easy Recipe

If you love beefburgers, you'll love this recipe. Because the beefburgers are home-made, you can control what goes into them, and make sure they are nutritious as well as tasty. using good quality mince meat - much nicer than anything you can buy.

This recipe is very easy, and therefore suitable for beginners, and more seasoned cooks will find it very simple and quick. There is also a Poll to entertain you and lots of pictures, as well as a few things to buy

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Beetroot Soup or Borscht Recipe

Borscht is a popular Eastern European and Jewish dish, made with seasonal beetroots, which makes it very cheap, as well as being nutritious. It makes a good vegetarian meal, as no meat is used, and it is so easy to make, because there are very few ingredients - just beetroot, lemon, salt, sugar, egg yolk and either yogurt, cream, or milk.

There are many different ways to make borscht, and this recipe is the way my mother used to make it.


Tuesday 13 September 2011

"London, My London" has just earned a Purple Star!

Juggler in Covent Garden outside SwarovskiI wrote this web page London my London on Squidoo to show off some of my many photos of London, the most wonderful city in the world. It's full of open spaces, trees, and internationally famous sights, such as Big Ben and the British Museum, but it also has little nooks and crannies which yield their pleasant surprises when least expected.

There are small museums which were simply the personal collection of one wealthy person, such as the Sir John Soane Museum, and the Hunterian Museum, which holds a very interesting medical collection within the Royal College of Surgeons (where I worked for a few months). I will shortly be writing a further web page on London, indeed a series in time for visitors to check out before the 2012 Olympic Games. So look out for more of the same.

I have also been wondering whether there would be any call for people wanting to rent a room with a family in London for a few days during the Games - I know lots of Londoners who would be happy to oblige, if you don't mind being in a suburb a little way from the centre, with something a lot less than luxury, but homely and welcoming nonetheless. Let me know if you think I should maybe do a short web page about that.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Favorites of the 1950's

The Music of the 1950's
Elvis Jailhouse Rock
Elvis Jailhouse Rock
Buy This Allposters.com

Let me take you through a snapshot view of the 1950's, a view skewed by the fact that I was not even a teenager in 1950, and by 1959 I was already a mother.
Too much happened in those post-war years to give you all the cultural, historical and political details, so these are just a few of my own musical memories which stood out.
It was the decade when Pop Music and Rock 'n Roll really took off but there was other good music too. And we played records on the gramaphone or radiogram.

1950s,rock,music,rocknroll,records,vinyl

Friday 9 September 2011

Creepy Poem for Halloween - "Subway"

In a large city like London, in many places where there are underground stations or busy main roads, you will find interlinked passageways.

When they are deserted, they can be very eerie, disturbing places, and you wouldn't want to linger there.

This is my poem about one such subway.



Wednesday 7 September 2011

Quiz on Cats and Halloween

If you like cats and you like Halloween, this is the quiz for you.

There are lots of pictures - photographs and art, some of them famous, some of them not, but all beautiful in their own way.

I think you'll enjoy this

My Weird Collection for Halloween

My Weird Collection of Masks, Pictures, Figurines and Ornaments

What better time to display them than Halloween?
I've always had a fascination for arts and crafts, fantasy and oddities - I was considered to be mildly ghoulish when I was a child and my taste has developed rather than receded.
I must be a weirdo myself to have gathered round me such an odd collection and I'm going to show you some of the best ones. If you think they are a bit eerie, blame the craftsmen, not me! But one way or another, you must admit they are very collectable.

There's also a Poll and a Quiz about arts and crafts.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Pumpkin Pie: A Halloween Love Poem

Halloween poem about the lovely and desirable Pumpkin Pie

You will also find here a popular nursery rhyme, "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater", and some blogs

A Grinning Carved Pumpkin - Warm and comforting but by no means ordinary.

That toothy grin, those staring eyes all lit up by a candle.



My Weird Collection - for Halloween

My Weird Collection of Masks, Pictures, Figurines and Ornaments

I've always had a fascination for oddities - I was considered to be mildly ghoulish when I was a child and my taste has developed rather than receded.

I must be a weirdo myself to have gathered round me such
an odd collection of weird masks, pictures, ornaments and figurines and I'm going to show you some of the best ones. If you think they are a bit eerie, blame the craftsmen, not me!



Symbols of Halloween

What Creepy Symbols do we Associate with Halloween?

Here are some appealing pictures of witches with and without pumpkins and cats, some ghosts, some lovely artwork, and definitely an atmosphere of Halloween and general ghostliness.

Monday 5 September 2011

Halloween Poem - London Darkness

A Creepy Psychological Thriller about Night Time in London - a Poem for Halloween

There is artificial light everywhere, the night-time sky is tinged with yellow.

Sitting on a bus travelling through London, you can see in to people's windows, you get a fleeting glimpse of their life, but not enough to make sense of it.


Thursday 1 September 2011

Halloween Creepy Poems and Pictures

Nasty things which go bump in the night - take a look!