Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Bettina Graziani

 Simone Micheline Bodin (1925 – March 2, 2015), known professionally as Bettina or Bettina Graziani, was a French fashion model of the 1940s and 1950s and an early muse to the fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy. She also has been a designer of knitwear and, later, a poet and composer.                                      




Bettina wearing a blouse by Givenchy


                                                     Bettina & Prince Aly Khan

In the mid-'50s she was persuaded by Prince Aly Khan, ex-husband of Rita Haworth to

retire from modelling and settle down to a quiet, albeit luxurious, domestic life.

In 1960 disaster strikes when Aly Khan is killed in a car accident, which Bettina survives,

though she’ll suffer a miscarriage. She inherits Khan’s Chantilly château, Green Lodge

(which she will later sell to Khan’s son, Karim).

In 1967 Bettina, “the green-eyed railway worker’s daughter” goes back to modeling at

the age of 42.

And all because she’s bored. Bettina works for Coco Chanel, but she has a problem,

for as the couturier says of her, “She needs to lose a little weight. I have told her to follow

my example and don’t eat at weekends.”  After presenting Chanel’s collection in July,

Bettina says, “It was fun to do it once. I never will again.”



                                              Bettina in Jacques Fath, 1950






                                        Bettina in Givenchy winter dress, 1955



Graziani wrote poetry, composed music and appeared in two French films (Bete Balanço,
1984, and La folie douce,1994). But fashion remained her great passion. In 2010, she was
appointed a commander of France's Order of Arts and Letters.In later life she attended the
Paris fashion shows each season, promoting the work of the designers Azzedine Alaia and
Yohji Yamomoto. She noted how the models had changed. "They are so young, and
they all look the same." 
- ©The Daily Telegraph, London



Spanish Bar Cake


Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling time for water raisin mixture. 2 hours
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12 or more servings
Calories 346 kcal
Author Barry C. Parsons

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cups raisins
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

For the Frosting

  • 2 1/4 cups icing sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk more if needed

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
  2. Add the water and raisins to a saucepan.  Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the shortening to the boiled mixture. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
  4. Sift together the sugar, soda, flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.
  5. Add the sifted ingredients to the cooled raisin mixture, along with the beaten egg and the nuts, if you are adding them.

  6. Fold gently until the flour is just incorporated into the batter. Do not over mix.
  7. Turn into the prepared pans and Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool completely and ice with frosting if you like

To prepare the frosting

  1. Beat together the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and a tablespoon of milk until smooth.
  2. If necessary, add more milk until the frosting is a good spreadable consistency.
  3. Cut the cake in half, frost the first layer then top with the second layer and frost again. To get the characteristic lines on top, run the back of a fork over the top frosting in straight lines.

  4. This recipe also makes about a dozen cupcakes if you prefer.


 www.rockrecipes.com

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

MAS DE 10 MINUTOS CON - ( NANA MOUSKOURI )

"Minha avó disse: - ′′ My grandmother said:

 

"Minha avó disse:

Não deixe suas panelas brilharem mais do que você. Não leve tão a sério a limpeza da casa.
A vida é curta, divirta-se!
Tire o pó, se necessário. Mas reserve um tempo para pintar um quadro ou escrever um poema, passear ou visitar um amigo, cozinhar o que quiser, regar suas plantas...
Tenha um tempo livre para tomar uma cerveja, nadar na praia (ou piscina), escalar montanhas, brincar com cães, ouvir música, ler livros, cultivar seus amigos e curtir a vida.
Tire o pó, se necessário, mas a vida continua lá fora. Você sabe que esse dia nunca mais voltará.
Tire o pó, se necessário, mas não esqueça que você envelhecerá e que muitas coisas que você pode fazer agora não serão tão fáceis de fazer na velhice. E quando você sair, já que todos iremos embora um dia, você também se tornará pó.
E ninguém se lembrará de quantas contas você pagou, nem de sua casa limpa, mas eles se lembrarão de sua amizade, sua alegria e o que você ensinou."
′′ My grandmother said:
Don't let your pots and pans shine brighter than you. Don't take house cleaning so seriously.
Life is short, have fun!
Dust off if needed But take time to paint a painting or write a poem, walk or visit a friend, cook whatever you want, water your plants...
Have a free time to have a beer, swim at the beach (or pool), climb mountains, play with dogs, listen to music, read books, enjoy your friends and enjoy life.
Dust off if needed but life goes on outside. You know this day will never come back.
Dust off if necessary but don't forget that you will age and that many things you can do now won't be as easy to do in old age. And when you leave, since we will all leave one day, you will also become dust.
And no one will remember how many bills you paid, not even your clean house, but they will remember your friendship, your joy and what you taught."

Beautiful Country Shabby Home

 















THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE;
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME;
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.

--REINHOLD NIEBUHR