Thursday, April 13, 2006

Grace La Limace



For all you slug-lovers out there.

(I'm sorry, its not natural
and its just not right)

(no, I'm not sorry at all. It just isn't):




These are taken from a very strange,
indeed surreal and rather disturbing,
French picture book called Grace La Limace,
given to my daughter by some weird good
french friends.

Maybe this is a gallic thing?
Trac has just been in France and finds slugs sexy.
Tat - what is your view on slugs?
But this doesn't account for Betty.
Does it? Hmmm.

I would be hard pressed to think of a less appropriate name for a slug than "Grace".

I am not generally a squeamish person but the only thing which turns my stomach as much as slugs (particularly the really big, brown ones) is the abhorrent spong that collects in the plug-holes in the bathroom.
I can tolerate them in my compost heap (slugs that is, not plug-hole hairs)(feeling quite sick now) where I understand that they fulfil a useful and indeed ecologically admirable function. Anywhere else and I'm afraid they are for it.
(Not BBQ'd though, Meg
thats quite disgusting).

My Nan used to put salt on slugs in her garden which was also pretty disgusting.

I can understand only some of the text but the story involves Grace finding a tiny (Elf?) baby buried head-first in a lettuce. A large vagabond escargot sings to the baby, which then seems to be happily relocated in a rose (I think this is because its bonnet says "Fille"). Does this make sense to anyone?

On to more wholesome matters - pictures of our [mercifully slug-free] day (well, half-day by the time we got out) in London yesterday.

Daffs in St. James Park and along the Mall:




















Most of the trees are still bare and wintry, but the willow and the cherry blossom are bursting out all over, bright and beautiful.




Still in St. James' park, though this picture looks almost rural
















You can tell I'm putting fun before work again today. Thankfully Blogger is less sluggish today (which is where it all started, if I recall rightly). I have marked one essay while waiting in between pictures....















LG (right) and her friend MAG (Most Appreciative Girl in the world)









Shadow pic. - me with camera, MAG, LG and M, heckling the ducks. There were a few of these cute little fellows, which have unfeasibly blue beaks - really car-paint-sky-blue, which unfortunately doesn't show at all in my photo.









And finally Gaby's in Charing Cross Road, where we ate wonderful falafel, once again.
Worth visiting next time you are in London.


Click here and imagine that the pigeon is a slug.
Just don't show this to your children unless you want them driving you nuts by singing it constantly, incessantly, repeatedly, annoyingly, raucously aaaaaaaghhhhh.

14 comments:

Meg said...

What a horrible book. Is Grace barbecued at any point? I don't speak French either but I@m sure Tats or Le Chat would oblige for translation. Urgh! The French are a funny lot.

Lovely photos of St James' park though. Where are you going today?

What exactly is falafel though?

Molly Bloom said...

The slug says:

I look pretty good in that book don't I? I thought it was a particularly good pose, especially in the first picture. Do you like me with Lettuce in my mouth?

Heh heh heh. Ew!

Betty says: Stand up for Slugs has been set up by a group of slug lovers around the world. We regularly meet and write articles for SlugWorld, a quarterly magazine priced 95 whole new pence from selected newsagents. Please contact Cress Publications for details and a subscription.

Gaby's looks good too. I like that stuff on the right. Felafel is a small ball made of vegetable matter and shallow fried. Yum yum. Am I right?

lettuce said...

hahaha Betty. Eeeurgh.

I wont be contacting Cress Publications at this time.

Yes, Gaby's is great.

Falafel is a small fried ball of minced chick peas, garlic and seasoning. Served often with tahini, sometimes with tomato stuff/salsa, and/or chilli sauce, and salady stuff, in pittas.

lettuce said...

Lots of stuff going on there, I'm running out of words.

Onyx said...

I rather like the style of the book. I think the slug is rather adorable. But I'm a twisted individual. :-)

Tanya said...

I 've been quiet about the slug but now I shall speak up! I hate slugs, they really make me want to vomit! Saying that the only time I want to vomit is when I am up the duff as you know and when I see a slug, so there, hahahaha MAG!!!
Sending you an e-mail with your "can I book" response...

grumpy old woman said...

tats - what does MAG mean?
~(:o})=

Tanya said...

Most Appreciative Girl in the world! MAG Lettuce wrote it....

lettuce said...

What Betty? do you mean the wine? ha ha

MAG - yes she is, as soon as she comes through the door she starts saying thankyou for everything. And does clearing and washing up without being asked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're encouraging this friendship.

Jay said...

Fille just means girl.
Of course, those slugs look pretty cute to me. Then again, I've never encountered one in real life.

grumpy old woman said...

MAG ... Oh - right, I need to keep up, don't I?
~(:o})=

Tracie P. said...

yuck. i'm with you lettuce.

that pic of the clouds with the weeping willow is just beautiful!

lettuce said...

Well - i think the NO TO SLUGS party have it, so far

Ethelbert said...

Pretty effective data, thanks for the article.
candy buffets | California contractors license | massage happy ending