Some funny piccies I have found on the net, for a bit of a giggle untill our Champagne starts flowing!!

It has come to my notice in my junk email that rather a lot of would be comments are being posted.

Please refrain from commenting on this blog. Its a waste of my time and yours!

I DO NOT ALLOW direct commenting!

However, you may email me at:

vixtravels2@hotmail.com

and if I deam your comment suitable and relevent, I may publish it here in the form of a digest.

In the meantime......................

but not sure why.....

Maybe its taking my mind off the torture tha awaits me at the denist this morning!!

Still....this make me giggle!

Yesteday evening I was setting my candles and trimming wicks when Derek came hurring down stairs grinning like a Cheshire Cat!!

"Ive just been looking at tickets for Das Rhiengold at the Royal Opera house and there are just eight left but its going to cost well over £1,000!! So I have been looking at Don Giovanni for spring! Do you fancy it??"

Fancy it!!! I nearly lept on him in pure joy!!
Although Derek and I have been to many Opera's we have never been to Covent Garden, and have never seen Mozart's epic Don Giovanni, so I was extatic!!!...and the next thing I knew he had booked our prime balcony seats! Overjoyed I hurried to my walk in wardobe and pulled out my best ball gown, and held it up to myself in the mirror, while pulling my hair up to see the effect. The only thing is my gown is a size 14 and with my "doctors orders" restrictive diet I have lost a considerable amount of weight.

"Mum may have to take this in!" I called from the bedroom, as Derek printed off the booking form. "And your going to have to wear a proper collor and black bow tie!" Momentarily he looked glum. Derek is not one for formal wear. My gown however is formal wear so I will have to wear a proper foundation corset and stockings! But oh JOY!!!!! we now have somthing to look forward to in the new year besides our Gypsy caravan holiday!!!

Anyway here is a taster of the awesome Don Giovanni!!! Enjoy!!

Basically, exactly what it says on the tin!!

TESCO WINE RIP OFF!!!

Derek orders us a weekly case of a carefully selected fine wine, but recently when he has gone to order a wine at a special offer price (written in red on the website) The system *appaently* crashes, and when he goes back to the wine page the price for the wine we have chosen has magically one up by a couple of quid!!!
Last night he emailed Tesco to ask why was this so and got no answer. No surprizes there!!!

http://www.tesco.com/wine/

This is a BLATENT RIP OFF!!!
They even have the cheeck to say on their website "an extra 25% off Christmas wines and Champagnes"... Yeah!! it may say that but the minuite you go to order on the website the PRICE SUDDENLY JUMPS UP!!
Fortunatly I have already ordered my usuall case of rose Champagne and I am happy to say it was not from tesco!!

So wine lovers BEWARE!!!

Narcissus in Greek mythology was a hunter who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud and cruelly disdained those who loved him. The Goddess Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the waters and fell in love with it, not realizing it was his own. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died. He turned into a flower, which blooms by the side of streams and ponds, but faces downward at the water’s surface!!



Narcissism exists on a continuum from healthy to pathological. Healthy narcissism has to do with a realistic self-respect and self-interest, which does not deny the value of others. Healthy narcissism is associated with good psychological health. Narcissism becomes destructive where a person’s evaluation of self is over-inflated and out of touch with reality, and where other people’s needs, feelings and values are disregarded........
A narcissist has an unrealistic sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy, and a conviction of being special and entitled. They see other people as objects to be used to enhance themselves, and believe feel it’s only natural that others will admire them and want to serve them.
Narcistic traits are:

* An obvious self-focus in conversation
* Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
* A lack of psychological awareness
* Difficulty with empathy
* Problems distinguishing the self from others
* Hypersensitivity to criticism or perceived criticism
* Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
* Haughty body language
* Flattery of people who admire and affirm them
* Hating those who do not admire them
* Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
* Pretending to be more important than they really are
* Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
* Claiming to be an “expert” at many things
* Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
* Denial of remorse and gratitude

Narcissistic people depend on admiration, applause and attention for their sense of wellbeing. This “narcissistic supply” is like a drug for them; if it is lacking, the narcissist will be depressed, his/her sleep patterns will be disrupted, s/he will either eat too much or avoid food altogether. To protect themselves from this, narcissists have several potential sources of supply, so that if one source fails to deliver, there is always a backup plan. Narcissistic people may not be aware that their lives are geared to securing narcissistic supply. They may know they like to be desired, admired, adored and respected but it is unlikely that they have any deep understanding of why they do what they do. They have no need to understand, as long as the sources of supply are plenty.
I suppose we are all guilty of some form of narcissism or another (I know I can be occasionally) but it is recognising this state in ones self that can help to deal with our own narcisstic traits that will appear like ugly stains on our character.
In Masonry we are taught how to mould and build ourselves into better people and I firmly believe part of this process is recognising the less than savory points in our characters, and to turn them into a "something for good!"....We should all indeed take lessons from Narcissus!!
"Keeping it real" really does free us fom the shackles of excessive ego!

Being a life long fan of horror, ever since I watched Theater of Blood with my dad when I was 8 years old, I thought I had seen most things, ideas, stories, retellings etc, and although I am not a fan of the slasher genre, I DO turn into a heap of gurly fan gurrl goo at a wonderfully original ghost story. I am very happy to say my faith in modern horror has been restored by "INDIDIOUS". Hand on heart (which is still beating wildly after watching this) I can honestly say this is one of the finest spookfest films I have seen in years!

Chad Brinkmen review over at IMDB perfectly summs up just about all my thoughts on this AWESOME FILM!!!!
So here is his review in full:

I went into this movie confident that it would be a cheesy, campy romp with the same "tried and true tricks of the trade," like when the hero is investigating the creepy music coming from the basement and a cat jumps into frame, but I quickly discovered that this would not be case with Insidious. After watching the move and obsessing on it for about 12 hours now, I can honestly say it's one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. In fact, there were several points during the film where I screamed like a 13-year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. Keep in mind I was consciously trying my hardest to keep my composure, mainly because I was sitting beside my new girlfriend of 2 months. She, incidentally, didn't make a peep; thankfully, I later found out she had her eyes closed the whole time.

I was also expecting to see some blood and guts, especially coming from the guys who made Saw, but there wasn't a drop. Instead, they used just about everything else in their arsenal to scare the bejesus out of me and everyone else in the theater (my girlfriend included). From literally the opening credits, they created an intense, haunting tension that didn't leave my body till several whiskeys and half a Xanax later. And the movie constantly feeds that tension, making even the characters' mundane family life somehow seem utterly terrifying. I was actually exhausted leaving the theater from all of the uncomfortable squirming I was unable to control. I'd say it's the most calories I've ever burned while watching a movie (well, at least a PG-13 movie).

Overall, the movie was great. It was crazy scary, thoroughly entertaining, and even surprisingly funny at times. Having said that, it will be quite some time before I watch another horror movie; I have no desire to be turned into a frazzled bundle of nerves again anytime soon. So, if you plan on seeing this movie, please consider this a cautionary reminder: it's probably best to go with someone who's already witnessed you have a complete physical and mental breakdown, so as to avoid an embarrassing drive home. And maybe bring a Xanax as well.

and here's a trailer tease too!!



....watch this if you dare!!...you have been warned, from a hardened horror nut!!!

This film is SERIOUS "I shat myself!" stuff!!! :) x

*spills wine in fits of giggles*

*sulks*

must call out engineer in the morning!! :(

Yesterday I paniced!!!

At 4pm I switched my spa on to heat for the evening session and when I went to check on it 2 hours later, I was horrified to find it had not heated a single degree since I turned it on!!
The digital moniter still read a very stubborn 29 degrees!! So inbetween getting Dereks dinner ready, faffing about making home-made candles and giving Sirius his tea, I began frantically messing about with my tub, with a deep frown and a sinking heart. When Derek came home while all this was going on he naturally asked me what was up and when I told him his face dropped too!! It dopped even further when I told him a relacement heater would cost £500!!!
Many expleatives filled the air at Vicky Towers, I can tell you!!
Anyway I turned it off and turned it on again, gently tapping the engine aea of the spa to see if that would help, and miracliously the moniter went up a degree...and then another, a short while later. Briefly, I breathed a sigh of relife, just to have another horror filled my mind...my spa would not be hot enough for my usual 9pm session!! So as it tuned out I had a very brief and if albeit cooler spa at 10pm when the heat had only risen to 37 degees (my normal heat is 42 degrees) ...even Sirius looked perplexed!!!
Us humans really can be a very stupid species!!...When we panic, all our logic vanishes!!! a bit like the scenario of lost car keys when your late for work. ..As I sat in my marginally cooler tub I started to think. "Vicky, what time of year is it? and how warm?" Well its mid October and at night about 8 degrees! and thus was my answer!! My tub was simply not heating as quickly as it would in the warm summer evenings!! and a little knowledge of how a hot tub works comes into play here too. When the heater is switched on, the tub filtre comes on automatically so the filtered water that blows out into the tub, passes the heating element and so heating the water. When the tub is running in full bubble mode the air outside the tub is drawn in to make the bubbles and if the outside air in cooler this will in turn make the tub cooler and in a half hour session the heat can crop by 3 degrees or more, if its cold enough! I have memories of using my tub last winter when the temp dropped to an arctic -20 and my tub session were cut to 10 mins and I had to cover the lid of my tub with blankets to keep the heat in...I kid you not!!!!
I am cetainly not looking to have a repeat of last winter!!
Solution!!!! Turn my spa on to heat earlier and keep the lid covered. A little extra work, but its worth it!!
In other news...
Over the last weekend I had a vey powerfull compulsion to buy a crystal ball....I have no idea where this feeling came from or what prompted it, but the urge was irrisistable! So the day before yesterday I took delivery of a large, beautiful crystal ball. But as I know next to nothing about them I began to do a lot of research on the intenet. I do have some brief knowledge of Pagan and Wiccan beliefs and I have been using the Tarot for nearly 20 years, but this is an entirely different ball game, if you pardon the pun.

Thought I woud resurect this seeing as someone has already done it for me

http://vixtravels2.freeforums.org/index.php

HAHAhahahahahaha!!! and more to follow!!

Back in the spring of 1994 I was still settling into managing my new pub, The Wheatsheaf in Dallington, with Linda and my blossoming relationship with Derek was growing stronger by the day! Linda and I had a very cosey working routine which suited us both. I woked the mornings and early afternoons as well as re-opening early doors at 5.30pm. Linda worked the evenings, so I had the added benifit of having almost every night off, which I would spend with Derek in our livng space upstairs. Lunchtimes were very routine. Linda would come down to take over fom me at 3pm and I would hurry upstairs with my lunch and a newspaper tucked under my arm...it was here that I was to begin reading the unravelling horrors that had taken place at 25 Cromwell street.
"the House of Horrors!"
At the same time Derek had leant me a book called Peking. A huge, bulky mother of a read...and although I love horror movies and fiction, I do find it very difficult to read about "real" horrors. This was certainly the case with the newspaper reports of the gruesome finds and now and again I found myself unable to read about them as it was so horrible! This was where Dereks book came in handy. So I would fold my paper on the tiny round, formicka table, folding away the nightmare horrors contained within its pages, and resume to the comfort of my borrorwed book. However, there was no escaping what was going on and everytime I heard about it I wanted to be sick....
Earlier this year I had heard that ITV had made a 2 part drama series about the investigation into the "house of Horrors!" and I was absolutly livid!!!! People making money out of other peoples misery is very abhorrant to me, and I thought this notion was an utter insult to the poor souls who had lost their lives at the cruel hands of the West's...Now this drama was due to be screened at 9pm (my hot tub time) so I was rather pleased with myself as this was a good excuse not to watch it! So I dident. But the next day my curiosity got the better of me and I watched part one on demand, the following aftenoon, freely expecting to turn it off as I thought this was just going to be some sensationalist garbage!
Oh I was so wrong!!!!!!
Appropriate Adult tells the story of an ordinary housewife who is training to become a social worker, but is unexpectidly called on by the police investigating the West murders. Janet Leach's character takes this challange in her stride but as the story panns out, her work with Fred West as his appropriate adult begins to take strain on her personal life and indeed her very sanity!
This drama written by Niel McKay (todays Dr Who writers could do with a few lessons from this chap!!!) was handled very sensitivly and played with BAFTA worthy performances by Emily Watson (Leach) Dominic West (Fred West) and Monica Dolan as a seriously ceepy Rose West...and from the begining which takes us to the two very different housholds of Mrs Leach and Rose West, shuffling about in her slippers and dressing gown...well I was practically glued to my chaise lounge!!!
Now in todays tv world of endless, equally mindless, celebrity/reality/dance/talent shows, I have, over a space of a few years become very put off watching TV simply because of these idiotic and very cheeply done shows and I can honestly say if it wasen't for little gems like Coronation street and Waterloo road (which I love!) I would have given up watching tv alltogether!!! So I found it so refreshing to actually find wonderfully put together drama that has shown that TV does have some hope afterall. Simply put (and in my opinion) Appropriate Adult is AWESOME!! Its dark, almost grimm even...its sinister and takes us on a reluctant but compelling ride on the shoulders of poor Ms Leach as she tries her very hardest to bridge the gap between the investigating police and the mind of an evil serial killer. Believe it or not there is even some humour in here!!! Monica Dolan plays a very sinister Rose West. Her very screen presence just oozed evil and although she only had a few small parts I actually felt very scared of her character as well I should!! She was playing the UK's most evil and sadistic murderess, ever. Saying his though, all the perfomances were amazing. The muisc was minimalistic, dark and moody and the camera works, some of which where hand held shots just added to the authenticty and the utter drama!! It honestly made my flesh creep!!!
Below is just a snippit...but if you haven't seen this yet, its worth every second!!
Just dont watch it late at night, or if you are of a nervous dissposition........YES! It really is THAT good!!

"Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it."

Rene Descartes

Got a bit of a surprize when I got this, this eveing...it sounds beautifull!!

The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. The High Priestess: A pure, exalted and gracious influence. Education, knowledge, wisdom, and esoteric teachings. The forces of nature. Intuition, foresight, and spiritual revelation of the most mysterious and arcane sort.



love and h.g.w. to all x

Unfortunatly the town where I was born and bred (Warrington) has been in the news this week, for all the wrong reasons!

The Showbar in Warrington has been selling drinks for just 10p in a promotion they call "2 bob Tuesdays!" and young revellers are flocking from far and wide to take advantage to get "smashed" very cheaply....at best this is a very irrisponsibe promotion, but at worse this is down right bloody dangerous!!!!!!
When I was in my early 20's (before I moved to Northampton and became a manager for Scottish and Newcastle) I worked at the Postern Gate pub, as I have mentioned before on this blog. I worked an average 40 hour week, and I worked damn hard. As a result I would chill out several times a week at Mr Smiths club and loved every moment of it....However, there is a dark side to Warringtons nightlife, and I must say a very ugly one it is, and one that I thank God on my bended knees that I have not partaken in, in years!
Its all to do with the geography of Warrington (although *myself included* Warrington seems to breed nutters!!!LOL...Appologies to fellow Warringtonions who are not nutters!!) and the fact that its slap bang inbetween Liverpool and Manchester. So come the weekend most of the northwest appear to converge on Warrington, get pissed, and have a veritable tribe war!!! Fights, brawles, slanging matches, glassings and gang culture! All very commen in the Warrington I left behind in 1993! Sometimes I breath a deep sigh of relife for this, but I still have memories of these events taking place under my very nose, and they are not nice to recall!!
Now some utter gonk somewhere thinks it would be a fun idea to sell drinks for just 10p!!!!!
My first thought is the manager must either have an IQ of an amoeba or have a masters degree from fairy-land!!!
In my day as a trainee manager I had licensing law written in stone and engraved on my very crainium...but when I read someting like this I somtimes think the licensing law must have had a clause written into it, so managers can and do have the right to act with childish iresponsibillity!!!...maybe I live on another planet........
This breaks the law on several levels and I am mightly surprized that nothing appears to have been done!!!
And the main one is serving a person or person who appear to be intoxicated!!! YES!! its is ILEGAL TO SERVE ANYONE WHO IS DRUNK!!!
Photos fom the news show drunk bodies piled up covered in sick...so how the heck are they getting away with this??? and how on earth (or what ever planet these folks live on) can they be having a good time!!!??? Is the defination of having a good time include collapsing in a pool of ones own vomit, in the gutter??? If this is so, I hope to never ever have a "good time" again!!
My opionion??
Haul the pratt who is responsible for the Show Bar, before the courts so him/her can explain their actions and be given a very hefty fine. And have the liscence revoked for the club!
And for those of you who think I am pulling a mother Theresa act! I too have been drunk (sometimes very drunk) in my youth! I have also been thrown out of pubs for being drunk in my 20's and I have even ended up in A&E, drunk!!!! and you know what??? I hated every moment of it!!!! Being drunk has taught me a valuble lesson.
"DONT GET DRUNK!"
So these days I dont.
I still drink, and a love my chilled wine in my hot tub of an evening...but I have seen others, and personally been though hell because of drink. So I have learned to respect it too. This dosen't mean I am a party pooping stick in the mud!!! That I am most certainly not, as my close friends who know me personally will know! But the most valuable lesson I have learned as far as drink is concerned, is this:
"Excess WITHIN control!!!"
Its my wish that others would learn this lesson too................

Although the weather forcasters have promised us a bit of an Indian Summer this week, its true to say Autumn here is well under way! Leaves are turning golden and the carpet of fallen ones grows daily...and so begins my favorite season of the year!
Clearing the garden was mostly hard work, but Derek did mow the lawn for me. I got on with weeding, dead-heading and the tidying up which did indeed give me a bit of back ach...but I suppose now I am 44 I should expect this! ...However the patio was a mess and I had a huge harvest of my tomatoes which I shared with mum, and they were very yummy. After I had tidyed the patio I was struck at just how bare it looks with all my spring and summer flowers gone! So I stood scratching my head thinking of ways to make it more interesting!. Now I have a 3 foot soiled filled wooden tough with a twig trellis above it (which is where my black-eyed Susans climb in summer) and earlier that week I had bought a huge, tin, wiccan looking Jack O' Lantern from TK Maxx...why??? I hear you ask. Basically I liked it, and even though Samhain is a month away I decided to set it on the wooden tough and put a stumpy, but large church candle in it, to light it! The effect was surprizingly good!!...from my hot tub I can watch him flickering and looking menacing, sinister and fun all at the same time! From my bubbling hot steamy tub my TK Maxx Jack looked fantastic! Anyway, this hatched an idea and when I saw Sirius one evening struggling to get around my garden in the dark (as viewed by me in my hot tub) as his eyesight is not very good in the dark...
My Jack and indeed my patio was to become a feature lit by candles and now I have a veritable fairy grotto out there, than any Santa would be proud of!! I have been making my own Jack O'Lanterns using nothing more than old dog food tins (washed ofcourse!) a craft knife, some plastacine and a bit of garden wire!! and on Sunday in a space of an hour I had made 3 of them and hung them on the empty trellis above my Maxx Jack...Derek came and gave his objective opinion.
"Good! but you need to paint them!" he exclaimed
So that afternoon we did a dash to hobbycaft for some orange metal paint! However I did not paint them straight away as evening was drawing on and it was getting dark...eagerly I waited for it to get dark enough so that I could light my tin "Jacks" and Oooohh what a delight!!! I was gobsmacked by the effect, and that night I was quite mesmerised by them winking and glittering at me in my tub. They dident even need paint, I decided, as in the dark all you can see is their candle lit faces, and there is an added bonus of extra light on my patio so Sirius can see better when he decides to have a nightime forage around my garden....but I was delighted with my very own fairy glade, so much so I am planning on making more with moons and stars on!! Now this is what I CALL recycling!!!
Below are pictures and details of how I made them, if you want to have a go...But a word of WARNING!!!! craft knives are as sharp as razorblades, if not shaper, and tin cut with such knives will have edges which are equally as sharp, so NEVER let any children near them. My advice would be if your having a Halloween party make some of these as a surprize for children and hang them well out of reach on trees and bushes in the garden. Also tin with candles in gets very hot so do not touch them!!! Blow them out and leave to cool down.

You will need (as well as a very steady hand!) an old tin, washed and dryed, a craft knife like the one pictured, a lump of plastercine or modling clay which I have used, and some garden wire! (paint and brush optional)



I start with the eyes. Cutting VERY carefully!! By far the simplist shape for the eyes (as well as the nose) is a triangle! The plastacine you hold inside the can so as you cut though the metal, you cut safely into the plastacine...and not your fingers!!!



onto the next eye! again with plastacine in place benith the can! Carefull now!!!



onto the nose and here I show my modeling clay (plastacine) which absorbs the craft knife etches!!



Triangle nose finished with clay in place!



and onto his mouth which is a crescent shape and therefore a little more tricky!!
I have decided to give this guy a single tooth!!



and finally not forgetting two holes at the top of the can on either side. This is where your garden wire hanger goes!



Well this chap is now finished but this is the first one I have painted so although the cutting is done he is still basically a work in progess. My notes on using a craft knife are as follows;
*Alwasy store the knife CLOSED and well away from children. Locked away is even better!
* During use ALWAYS cut away fom your body, and NEVER towards yourself!
*Always use a buffer for the cuts in this case plastercine! and hold firmly in place!
*NEVER use a craft knife after drinking alcohol or taking drugs! Even simple painkillers can have an effect on your judgement!
*ALWAYS keep sharp objects away from children and pets...and anyone under "an influence"...NUFF SAID!!

Now here are some piccies of my Jack fom Maxx (my big boy!) and my homemade Jacks hanging in my garden!!
As I realised very recently, taking pictures in the dark, only lit by candlelight is very difficult as the pictures of the lanterns on a previous blog shows...so these piccies were taken in daylight, but the effect is lost here! They look so much more effective in the dark!!! I am sure you can imagin it! ;)

Have fun! but for goodness sake take great care if you have a go at these!

love Vix

View Full Version: Dark Tower COFFEE BAR!!
vickyanddoctorwho >>THE DARK TOWER!! >>Dark Tower COFFEE BAR!!

not bad for a forum I closed down 6 years ago!!
Very impressive infact!!

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It appears someone had far to much time on their hands!!

As a woman and a Christian westen woman at that!! I was not allowed into Hindu temples during my many travels and in 7 years of near solid travel in Asia I was only admitted only twice (probably because I was wearing a Sari and showing great respect)...This really should not have happened at all as I am not a Hindu! and unlike other faiths where you can be "converted" to be a Hindu you must be born as a Hindu.
This first time I was allowed into the outer sanctum was in Nepal. The second time was in a tiny temple in Trivandrum (south India) where my third eye was opened while I made an little offeing of flowers to the Deity in the inner sanctum, and my heart could indeed hear the "Om" the very resonence of creation and indeed the universe...Both occasions affected me very deeply. and if the soul has harmonics mine were playing me a veritable lullaby as I learned more and more about this most mystic and spiritual Faith. I found myself carried on a beautiful wave of learning and although my knowledge of Hinduism is very limited I find great peace when I meditate or even think about Lord Shiva!
Shiva is a main Hindu deity and he forms part of the trinity (with Bhrama and Vishnu) which is the very core of the Hindu faith.
His name in Sanskrit is written thus:
शिव
Which means the auspicious one! But Lord Shiva has many names...and is represented in many forms.....
Lord Shiva is often depicted as a beautiful youth while at the same time as a Yogi with the wisdom of ages. Often he is depicted as dancing the Tandava and stamping his feet on the demon of ignorance. In this form he is the Nataraja, dancing the sacred dance of creation and destruction. For as Lord Shiva is indeed the creator he is also, in turn, the destroyer and worshipped as such with very deep reverence. Shiva is also worshipped in his form as a Lingam or Linga. This form is often seen as a stone collum often thought by scholers as being phallic. But if I am honest here the Lingam does not look very phallic, but its symbolism is all important, representing creation, sustinance and passing of all things, fading out of time itself...seen as the end of the Universe.
Lord Shiva has a third eye on his forhead called Tryambakam and this has many meanings which I am only begining to contemplate. When I consider the third eye I find my thoughts drifting back to the Pineal gland, which as humans, we all have buried in the deepest and at the very epicenter of the most ancient part of our brains. (this was covered in a previous blog of mine)
Shiva wears a deer in the left upper hand. He has a Trident in the right lower arm, with a crescent moon on his head. He is said to be fair like camphor or like an ice clad mountain. He has fire and Damaru and Malu or a kind of weapon. He wears five serpents as ornaments. He wears a garland of skulls. He is pressing with his feet the demon Muyalaka, a dwarf holding a cobra.... He faces south.... Panchakshara itself is his body. His body is seen as covered in ashes!
His throte is blue as he drank poison in the waters and oceans of the world... and his hair is often seen as being curly or even matted or dreadlocked. He rides a beauitfull white Bull called Nandi, and this is why bulls and cows are considered very sacred in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka...Shiva is also seen with a great cobra which symbolises his strength over even the most wild animals!
Anyway, you can see for yourself as I have found these utterly beautifull Shiva (gifs or animations) for meditation!

Firstly we see Shiva as "Nataraja" Lord of the cosmic dance of creation and destruction! (my favorite representation!)













It has been much to my great pleasure and priveledge to have visited Varanasi (sometimes called Banares or Kashi, city of light) which is the most holy city in India and Hindu's make pilgrimages here and many hope to be cremated on the Sacred Ghats on the river of the Ganges..
This is me on my visit to Varanasi in 1995!


.....with love, blessings x