'O' IS FOR... OPRAH ~ & MILLIONAIRE PETS!

Dear readers, you must think I’m obsessed with pets and luxury! ’Cos my last Alphabe-Thursday post was about pampered pets!

Well, yes I am interested in other canines (naturally, as a Beautiful Bichon myself!) and all girls like a bit of pampering, don’t they?! But what fascinates me here is the combination of the two: pets who are not just pampered but live in the lap of l-u-x-u-r-y. In other words, millionaire pets!

What’s your view? Do you think it’s right that favoured pets should inherit huge fortunes or should the money be directed by the courts to worthy charities and causes like the Haiti Rescue Appeal, The Red Cross or Lola’s Designer Handbag International Trust Fund (all bequests C/O my P.A.!)? Do let me know what you think, dear readers! If you were a millionaire, would you leave your fortune to a pet (if not, to what/ whom?)

KEY TO PETS’ FORTUNES:
1& 2 Oprah Winfrey’s pets - £30M
3 World’s richest dog, the Alsatian Gunter IV - £224.6M
4 The late Leona Helmsley’s Maltese ‘Trouble’ - on appeal, £12M slashed by Judge to £2M! More Trouble for Poor ‘Trouble’!
5 Drew Barrymore’s labrador Flossie - £3.6M
6 The late Moose (Eddie on Frasier show & Memoir "My Life as a Dog") - £1.8M
7 The late Keiko the Killer Whale - £22.6M

If you were a millionaire, to whom or what would you leave your fortune?
Have a great Alphabe-Thursday! And check out other great Alphabe-Thursday posts @ Jenny Matlock’s great site! And thank you so much for all the comments, new followers and visits (’cos dear readers often tell me that they like to visit but don’t always have time to leave a comment).
P.S. See you again for Six Word Saturday this, er, Saturday!
XOXO LOLA:)

WORDLESS ...

Who said we girls only ever go shopping for designer gear and never lift a hand in the garden?

Dear readers, what are your thoughts? Do you agree?

A Happy Ruby Tuesday to all my dear readers in Australia, New Zealand and the Far East where it’s already Tuesday!! And do visit other terrific Ruby Tuesday posts! (Links at Work of the Poet.) And thank you so much for all the comments, visits and new followers!
Enjoy!
XOXO LOLA:)

PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING READS MY BLOG?!

Stephen Hawking, Lucasian Professor of Physics at Cambridge University, reads my blog - like all you dear readers?! (See Saturday’s post below Are We Alone In The Universe?) Seriously (though it’s not impossible, as an extremely intelligent scientist, he reads my extremely profound thoughts and yours!), he answered my question in yesterday’s UK press, for example the Sunday Telegraph, that aliens almost certainly exist but has warned us not to try to contact them. Professor Hawking says that in a universe with 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of millions of stars, it’s unlikely that earth is the only place where life has evolved and adds, "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the American Indians..."

Do you agree with Professor Hawking that we should not try to contact any potential alien life? Or, with Earth’s natural resources being less than infinite, we’ll have no alternative?
Happy Blue Monday! (Above, Crop Circles in Cornwall). Other great posts @ Smiling Sally! Enjoy!
XOXO LOLA:)
PS Sorry for such a ‘heavy’ start to the week! Lighter note for Ruby Tuesday!

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

Farmers near Shrewsbury, England claim to have witnessed sheep being "lasered" by unidentified light from UFOs.

They have linked the unexplained incidents, where sheep’s brains and eyes were removed, to the mysterious orange lights in the sky (below).They have found sheep with "neat holes" while their brains and other internal organs were removed. Other animals have lost eyes or had their flesh "carefully stripped away", usually on the left side.


Phil Hoyle, (below), who has spent almost a decade investigating how the livestock have died, said the UFOs were found to have roamed a 50-mile "corridor" between Shrewsbury and Powys, Wales.

In another incident, a British driver recently caught driving in a car pool lane on a motorway claimed he’d been trying to avoid UFOs! He still got fined and penalty points added to his licence!


Scientists claim extraterrestrial life may exist, but if it’s not an amoeba, it’ll be far too clever to bother with us!
What do you think? Have you witnessed any "sightings" or "incidents"?!
Have a splendid Six Word Saturday. Check out other 6WS posts at Show My Face!
XOXO LOLA:)

'N' IS FOR ~ NECKLACES... !

Phew, I'm back! Dear readers, just managed to get back here to Spain having been m-a-r-o-o-n-e-d for ages under that horrid volcanic ash cloud! Phew! And just in time to participate in Alphabe-Thursday where ‘N’ is for NECKLACES ~ for Pets in Japan!! Now I have many dear Japanese friends who love their pets and, well, do pamper them a bit! However, do you think the pampering (in these latest pics below from Japan) might be going a bit too far?! Do you pamper your pets (or children or, er, partner!)? Dear readers, do let me know! Time to ‘fess up - in confidence of course! It’ll just be between you and me (and, er, thousands and thousands of my dear readers!) Do let me know what you think!
KEY:
1. Necklaces! (above)
2. Pawicure @ $100 a pop!
3. Kimonos!
4. Dungarees!
5. Ears!
6. Hairbands!
7. Latest must-have for greyhounds!
8. Not forgetting Chihuahas!
9. Cats to rent!

DO YOU PAMPER YOUR PETS ~ OR KIDS ~ OR, ER, PARTNER?!
Have a great Earth Day and Alphabe-Thursday! And check out other great Alphabe-Thursday posts @ Jenny Matlock’s great site! And thank you so much for all the past week's comments, new followers and visits ’cos dear readers often tell me that they like to visit but don’t always have time to leave a comment. And, dear readers, I have the same problem! As you know, though I love to visit your site as often as I can, I’m sorry if I’m not always able to leave a comment ’cos of my P.A. Nora’s work commitments :o( But I do love hearing from you whenever you can and reading each inspirational comment!
XOXO LOLA:)

"M" IS FOR ... MY LOLA LIFELINE!

THE COLUMN THAT GIVES YOU, DEAR READERS, L~O~L~A POWER!

Well, dear readers, welcome to the latest edition of Alphabe-Thursday where M stands for MY (and YOUR!) LOLA LIFELINE! And my postbag’s full to bursting with queries and dilemmas from so many of you! And, as usual, I’ve picked out the most urgent and pressing to share.

1. First up is another query from my puppy-nephew, Alfie (left).
Ooh, Nora! You are sooo useless!
Most incompetent PA ever! Post the pic of Alfie below immediately...!
Dear Lola,
Last December, I was more organized than usual about sending Christmas gifts to relatives in Australia, instead of leaving them til the last minute! For Uncle Ben and Auntie Jen, who have very racy interests, I bought some really explicit, X-rated DVDs. My Grandma asked for some highly religious books from a local publisher. But when I took the parcels to the post office, I was in a bit of a rush and think I may have got the labels the wrong way. ‘Cos I haven’t heard from either relative since, I can’t sleep for worrying about the mix up. And I daren’t tell Mum the truth! What should I do, Aunt Lola?

Dear Alfie,
Stop worrying, Alfie! Christmas is about surprises and life-changing experiences. It’ll probably do Auntie and Uncle the world of good to have the opportunity to contemplate the more spiritual side of life while Grandma could turn out to be far more broad-minded than you think. Or you could tell her it’s the latest trendy nature programmes from the ever-resourceful, budget-conscious, cost-cutting BBC!
Dear readers, that’s my advice for Alfie. Do you agree/disagree? Any other suggestions for him?


2. Next up is a query from Tamara, Alfie’s squeeze (left).
Dear Lola,
I’m a hard-up student but I do like to wear the latest trends in makeup and clothes! But every time I dress up, I end up looking like a cross between the potter, Grayson Perry (right) and one of Viz magazine’s Fat Slags! I’ve got a hot date soon with Alfie and naturally want to look ravishing! What do you advise?

Dear Tamara,
As a teenager on a tight budget, it’s not easy getting clothes and slap just right! I hear you’re going to London this weekend so I suggest you pop into one of the big Department stores like Harrods, Harvey Nicks or Selfridges and make for a beauty bar (such as Armani) for a free makeover and makeup tips. After that, seek out the personal shopper’s free advice as to a drop-dead outfit for your date. I know how difficult all this is for you. You see, Nora, my P.A., for instance, now looks reasonably OK (see her pic in sidebar, on right). But that’s after she got expert advice on diet and dress. If you want to see how she looked before, click HERE
Dear readers, that’s my advice for Tamara. Agree/disagree? Any other suggestions for her?

3. Next up is a query from Mr Romsey, London (left)
Dear Lola,
After restaurant closures, declining profits and lost Michelin stars, I really need to do something different, something that no other top chef has done, something that’s going to give me fantastic PR! So I’ve thought of diversifying into a totally new gastronomic market - haute cuisine baby food! Which I’d sell in my restaurants! This way, I’d not only attract more and more mums into my restaurants to buy it and stay on for lunch but also have their kids grow up hopefully addicted for life to MY food! What do you think Lola?

Dear Mr Romsey,
Well, I think this is a no-brainer! And potentially a double whammy for you! You’d not only be selling to babies but also to, wait for it, ADULTS since German baby food firm, Hipp (Mr Hipp above) says 25% of its consumers are adults!! And the reason? Apparently, they find baby food (left) easier to swallow and digest! Well, swallow that if you will! What’s the world coming to? Is everyone losing their teeth or simply becoming a bit, well, demented? Well, whatever the reason, Mr Romsey, you can’t fail! My advice is: go for it!
Dear readers, that’s my advice for Mr Romsey. Agree/disagree? Any other suggestions for him?!
Well, dear readers, sadly that’s all we have time for today! But remember, if you have any problems or queries you’d like me to respond to (dealt with anonymously if preferred), don’t hesitate to let me know (or my P.A., Nora) in the COMMENTS BOX BELOW! However weird, outlandish, insoluble it may seem, I’ll have an answer to that Desperate Dilemma of yours! So why hesitate any longer? Go on! Write to me, Agony Aunt to the Stars, in the comments box NOW!

And remember, YOUR LOLA LIFELINE! - your lifeline to a saner, more harmonious, beauteous world. And now I’m going to creep back to my basket for my beauty sleep (yawn), but do help yourselves, my dear readers, to the Pierre Herme macarons on your way out! Oh, btw, I shall be MIA for the next few days ’cos Nora’s off on another brief business trip and, as you know, she’s the one who transcribes all my deeply profound thoughts! But, like Arnie (above), I WILL be back very, very soon!! Promise!!
Have a great Alphabe-Thursday! And check out other great Alphabe-Thursday posts @ Jenny Matlock’s marvellous site!
XOXO LOLA:)

WORDLESS ... OR: IS LOLA A GAY ICON?

WORDLESS... OR: IS LOLA A GAY ICON?!

Move over Lewis Hamilton, Jensen Button and Michael Schumacher!

Back briefly but not long enough, unfortunately, to visit other blogs! (:

btw in my last post, my incompetent P.A. gave an incomplete link for My Romantic Home. It should have read Cindy~My Romantic Home which is such a beautiful site for sore eyes! The other one seems to be some strange spam-type blog! Which reminds me I’ve lately been receiving so much oriental spam - not to mention some rather naughty comments that make me wonder if Lola’s maybe become a gay icon like Madonna and Oprah! - that I’ve reluctantly had to add author moderation to word verification pro tem.Sorry!

Happy Ruby Tuesday - and do visit other terrific Ruby Tuesday posts! (Links at Work of the Poet's marvellous site.)
Enjoy!

XOXO LOLA:)

PS Whatever you do, don't miss YOUR LOLA LIFELINE this Thursday, 15 April!!

'L' IS FOR MY LOLA AWARDS!

Dear readers, I am participating in Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe-Thursday where ‘L’
is for both The Lola & Superior Scribbler Awards!

Firstly, I’ve got a little confession to make! I received most of the awards hanging in the sidebar over a year ago and, er, forgot about them - until now! The reason? The site’s had a spot of spring cleaning! And not just a coat or two of cooler, paler colours, polishing the pics and rearranging the text furniture. But hanging up winter’s woolly words and dusting down all those wonderful awards hanging over there, the most recent the Superior Scribbler Award from the wonderful Bhavesh Chhatbar which I’m passing on today together with the most famous and prestigious of all, my very own Lola Award for Services to Blogging!

But now, back to our awards today! Now I’m aware some of you don’t "do" awards and I’ve tried to bear that in mind with the nominations below. However, mistakes do happen dear readers and if, inadvertently, your blog’s been included ~ or excluded for that very reason ~ please blame it all on that useless P.A. of mine, Nora...!

Now, my Lola Award is for recently discovered blogs and, like all similar blog awards, is useful because it introduces wonderful new blogs to a wider readership. This means, regrettably, I have to EXCLUDE those esteemed fellow bloggers I’ve known now for a little while (most of whom have already been garlanded with well-deserved awards). In fact, all those listed on the sidebar deserve award after award but I’m restricted to just 20. (Stop gushing and get on with it. Your P.A., Nora.) So, ripping open the shiny, sealed envelope on the blogosphere podium, I momentarily pause (for drumroll and swig of whisky from artfully concealed hipflask) before reading out the nominations for both the Lola and Superior Scribbler Awards (in no particular order):

Jenny Matlock

Bermudabluez

Jacque4u2c

KatiewhatcanUdo?

Trying to look fab in your forties

Teawithonesugarplease

Seens from the backs of my Eyelids

My Romantic Home

The Misadventures of Mrs B

Haute World

Smiling Sally

Me and My Memes

The best hearts are crunchy

Daydreamnworld

Show my face

Carmen's Chronicles

A La Carte

Here's to Life!

Styling Bodies

Hyacinths for the Soul

Finally, thank you all my dear readers and also new followers who visited or left comments this past week! Have a great Alphabe-Thursday! And do check out other great Alphabe-Thursday posts! btw I’ll be MIA for a few days cos’ my P.A.’s away on a brief business trip again! But she’s promised to type up and post my latest YOUR LOLA LIFELINE! next THURSDAY, 15 APRIL! Make a note in your diary! Don’t miss this historic, earth-shattering event!!

XOXO LOLA:)

PS Be good while I'm away!!

THE BEST APRIL FOOL'S JOKES EVER!

THE BEST UK PRESS APRIL FOOL'S JOKES EVER!

Dear readers, here for Ruby Tuesday are some of the best April Fool's jokes in last Thursday’s UK press specially for you! Some are hilarious and one I fell for (forgetting it was April 1!) Which do you think is the best (and which do you think I fell for? I’ll reveal all at the end!) And does the press in your country print April Fool's jokes too?

1 Specially trained ferrets (above) have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service to deliver broadband to rural areas following groundbreaking techniques used by an Internet provider. The ferrets wear jackets fitted with a microchip which is able to analyse any breaks or damage in the underground network. (Notice the red!)

2 The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror both carried the same story that the Queen booked herself onto a flight with budget airline easyJet to cut her travel costs. "One paid just £22.99 for a ticket from Luton to Aberdeen" she declared to reporters. A fellow passenger said she was treated "just like any other traveller." (Again, notice the red!)

3 The Guardian reported that Labour is planning to embrace Gordon Brown's (above) "reputation for anger and physical aggression" in a pre-election poster campaign. Three billboard adverts are reportedly being considered by aides, to present the Prime Minister as a "tough guy" – each bearing the slogan: "Vote Labour. Or else." (Red again!)

4 The Daily Mail gave the Automobile Association a James Bond makeover by claiming that its breakdown rescue service had launched a rapid-response patrol of "AA Rocketmen" (above). It said mechanics with jet packs, similar to the one worn by Sean Connery in Thunderball, could now reach stricken motorists more quickly by soaring over traffic jams. Tests would run above the M25 between dawn and noon. (Note the red!)

5 The Independent said it had seen a preliminary study commissioned by The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) looking into the feasibility of creating a second Large Hadron Collider (above left) using the 23km tunnel of London Underground's Circle Line (above right). If the scheme goes ahead, two proton beams would collide at Westminster Station directly below Portcullis House – the offices of more than 200 MPs. The collision would happen "within feet of Circle Line passengers stuck in perpetual immobility" but that health and safety advisers warned that the experiment could create "a mini black hole at Westminster".

Dear readers, which Joke is the best? And Happy Ruby Tuesday - and do visit other terrific Ruby Tuesday posts! (Links -in sidebar-at Work of the Poet.) And, yes, it was the third ad I fell for. All too realistic!
XOXO LOLA:)