Peckerwood Manor

On May 4, 1929, in the charming city of Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, Audrey Kathleen Ruston, known to the world as Audrey Hepburn, was born. She was the cherished daughter of the Dutch baroness Ella Van Heemstra and Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston. Her father embraced the more aristocratic surname Hepburn-Ruston, adding a touch of nobility to their family name. Audrey's childhood was a tapestry of experiences woven with the threads of different cultures as she spent time in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands, following her father's work assignments. There doesn't seem to be much indication that her very early life was troubled, but that would soon change. In the early 1940s,  the dark shadows of World War II fell upon Audrey and her family as they endured the hardships of life in Nazi-occupied Holland. In an instinctual protective gesture, her mother temporarily changed Audrey’s name to Edda Van Heemstra, to shield her British heritage from the Nazis. Yet, amidst the turmoil...

This is to remind everyone that we are doing every other week for Pup Sundays and the same for Caturdays. So if Caturday Saturday is up, it means the Pups will be the following week. This gives people a chance to plan something to share with everyone.  Today, I wanted to share some examples of different styles of art that showcase our canine friends and truly a lady's best friend in so many ways. Animals can heal the heart and provide unconditional love; we can give the same back without restraints. It is easy to see why they inspire such devotion and inspiration. 1532/33 Portrait Of a Lady with a Lapdog, Bronzino 1665 Portrait of a Lady with a Lapdog, Rembrandt c.1769  Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson ,  Jean Honoré Fragonard 1768/69  Portrait of Madame Freret Déricour, Joseph Siffred Duplessis 1782 Lady Hamilton as Nature, George Romney (she is a scandalous woman with an interesting but tragic life-Emma Hamilton it is worth reading about for history buffs or feminis...

Carole Louise Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) is known today as one of the great stars of Hollywood's Golden Era and one of the best comedic actresses among her peers. She had perfect timing, loads of quirky charm and beauty, and an ability to captivate audiences as plucky heroines in screwball and slapstick American comedies. Her Career Girl characters often reflected Carole's independent spirit and feminist beliefs. Unlike the sirens and the great beauties who relied on their looks for success, she was clever, had business acumen, knew how to negotiate her contracts, knew what her audiences expected of her, and chose her roles wisely. She is also known for her passionate megawatt marriage to Clark Cable (Brangelina but with better actors and less pretension)and her tragic death in a plane crash at 33.  Carole's birth name was Jane Alice Peters, and she was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to wealthy but unhappily married parents. Carole was six when they finally ...