THE #QUEEN'S HOUSES...

The Queen's Houses is an outstanding book written by Alan Titchmarsh. In the book, Alan takes us on a tour of the royal residences, where he examines the personal stories behind these magnificent buildings.

The Queen has dedicated her life to the public - every move is scrutinsed, every word noted. But her homes are havens where peace can be found,  and away from watchful eyes.

Through personal reflections, interviews with royal staff and meticulous historic research. Alan looks beyond the formal grandeur of Buckingham Palace, the imposing structure of Windsor Castle and the private escape offered by Balmoral and others. 

It has illustrations with intimate family photographs and evocative memorabilia and offers a glimpse of life behind the state banquets and sovereign duties.

A unique book that any royalist would love to enjoy and keep on their bookshelf. Available from Amazon and other good book shops. 

APRIL AND THE #GREEK GODDESS APHRODITE...

Did you know that in the initial Roman Calendar April was the 2nd month of the year until January and February were added in 700BC.

It is thought that the name April comes from the Latin word "to open" and describes the trees opening at Springtime.

It could also be that the name came from the Greek Goddess Aphrodite.

#ALEXANDER McQUEEN ON BRITISH FASHION...

'British fashion is self confident and fearless. It refuses to bow to commerce, thus generating a constant flow of new ideas whilst drawing in British heritage'...

Alexander McQueen  Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier.^[2] He is known for having worked as chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 and for founding his own Alexander McQueen label.^[2] 

His achievements in fashion earned him four British Designer of the Year awards (1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003), as well as the CFDA'sInternational Designer of the Year award in 2003.^[2] McQueen committed suicide in 2010 at the age of forty.

NATIONAL #PET MONTH - APRIL 1st - MAY 2nd...

We Brits LOVE our pets ( well, most of us do). My gorgeous little Bess (above) was with us for 15 fantastic years until she passed away last year. I miss her sooooooo much.

National Pet Month 2016 is running from 1st April - 2nd May. Two leading businesses are joining forces with National Pet Month to help promote responsible pet ownership and encourage pet fans to raise vital funds for UK charities.

Their Facebook page has all the information you need to get involved with National Pet Month/ Another Facebook page with details is Scratching Post  which is mainly cat related but lots of stories and great pictures to look at.

You can become a supporter of National Pet Month at their website and get help with your fund raising event.