Born in Taunton, UK in 1968. Studied Fine Art at Reading University, then moved from England to Italy in 1994. Now divide my time between Rome and the foothills of the Sibillini Mountains, Le Marche where I've restored several farmhouses and town houses. I also edit the short story pages of The Physik Garden and have published several chapbooks of poetry with dPress and Comrades Press who recently published my fourth collection of poetry Kissing Gate. ... http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Debs Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:43:21 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.squidoo.com/elvismovies Between 1956 when he made his first film Love me Tender and 1969 when he closed his Hollywood career with Change of Habit, Elvis Presley starred in 31 movies! Starting out with James Dean and Marlon Brando as his movie idols the fledgling actor's pre-army movies gave him plenty of scope to snarl and pout. It was with the 1961 release of Blue Hawaii, however, that the prototype of almost all Elvis' subsequent movies was established. This lens is an attempt to reassess Elvis Movies - for years the stuff of critical derision - and argue the case for their collective recognition as a genre in themselves. Agree with me? The please vote for your favourite movies and movie soundtracks on this page! moviesandtv Wed, 28 May 2008 03:00:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/elvisconcerts From 31st July 1969 to 26th of June 1977 Elvis Presley performed a staggering 1,156 shows over 52 tours. The concert documentaries That's The Way It Is and Elvis on Tour with the addition of the recently restored TV special Aloha from Hawaii bear testimony to Elvis' phenomenal stage presence and the electricity of his live performances. His final shows recorded in 1977 for the TV documentary Elvis in Concert are often difficult to watch but are nevertheless a moving tribute to the man's indomitable spirit and extraordinary voice. Fortunately, although only a handful of Elvis' performances were officially recorded by RCA for album releases, many of these shows were either taped by members of the audience or recorded by sound engineers (soundboard recordings). This lens is an introduction to what's out there...I'll add concerts chronologically so keep checking back to see what has been added! music Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:10:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/wateringspikes Global warming has brought long hot summers to many areas of the planet where regular rain showers were the norm during the summer months and where checks on water consumption and the threat of drought were previously unheard of... There are, however, a few solutions to the problem of watering plants responsibly and this lens is designed to introduce a few of them. diy Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:34:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/elvisonstamps The most collected and possibly most controversial postage stamp ever issued by the US Postal Service is its Elvis Presley stamp.  The USPS printed 500 million of them - three times the usual print run for a commemorative stamp - and it has become the biggest selling commemorative postage stamp of all time. music Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:49:39 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/theremins If you love those 1950s eerie movie theme tunes, spooky background effects and incidental music that always seemed to accompany alien invasions, then you've stopped at the right lens! Here are some of my favourite classic movie scores which use the Theremin, as well as some more recent films and television shows which have also used this unusual electronic musical instrument to great effect! music Sat, 24 May 2008 13:25:42 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/livinginitalystore The Living in Italy Online Store offers an exciting range of original Italian-themed T shirts, sweatshirts and gifts for lovers of Italy and everything Italian - Italian food, coffee, nature, art, architecture...and, of course, football! shopping Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:56:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/rouge   Rouge, the 1987 Hong Kong movie, was a multi-award winning picture at the Eighth Annual Hong Kong Film Awards, taking Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Editing, Best Film Score, and Best Song. The opening scenes are set in 1930s Hong Kong, where the courtesan Fleur (Anita Mui) and son of a wealthy family, Master Chen (Leslie Cheung) enter into a passionate affair. Forbidden to marry by his family, they form a suicide pact agreeing to meet in the afterlife and to be together for all eternity. The action then moves to 1988, where the ghost of Fleur, arrives in modern day Hong Kong to place a missing persons ad in a newspaper to find Chen who has yet to join her... Always a lament for lost love and an aesthetically beautiful study of its stars - two of Hong Kong's biggest names Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung – their real-life untimely deaths in 2003 lend the film an additional and inevitable poignancy today. moviesandtv Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:00:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/TraveleBooks A selection of recommended travel and vacation eBooks! Start your research & pre-trip reading with our recommended electronic books - available for immediate download - click on links below! Upload the books to a USB pen, Palm or laptop and take them with you in your backpack! ...Your journey starts here! travel Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:34:51 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/movingtoitaly When I first moved to Italy from the UK in 1994 I lived in the region of Le Marche so when Living in Italy first appeared in 2001 it was dedicated almost exclusively to that region. Fast forward to 2007 and I'm now based predominantly in Rome, and the site has consequently evolved with me to cover the whole of Italy with advice for anybody thinking of moving or travelling to Italy... or planning to work, study or simply holiday here. travel Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:58:52 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/yearofthefrog AArk (The Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and numerous regional zoo associations, botanical gardens and aquariums around the world will join together in a globally coordinated public awareness campaign 'The Year of the Frog' throughout 2008. The campaign hopes to generate public awareness and understanding of the amphibian extinction crisis currently threatening frogs, toads, newts and salamanders - the World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that at least one-third of known amphibian species are presently threatened with extinction...and as amphibians are an early warning system for the entire planet, the impact on the Earth's delicate ecosystem could be catastrophic if we don't move quickly to save endangered amphibians NOW! Check out the links at the bottom of this lens and become a Frog Friend! animals Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:33:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/ex-libris The collection of ex-libris is becoming increasingly popular with an estimated 10,000 collectors world wide! There are almost 40 international associations of bookplate collectors as well as a vast number of magazines and books published on the subject. arts Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:26:50 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/thematicstamps Keeping today's kids entertained in the electronic age is a potentially costly affair. However, there are hobbies and activities that need not cost the earth and that also stimulate a child's natural curiosity and desire to learn. Far from making a child more insular (a common misconception) collecting thematic stamps tends to make the young person look outside his or her world and start wondering about other countries, cultures and interests. diy Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:33:49 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/deborahswain A selection of poems from chapbooks by Deborah Swain - Kissing Gate - Through the Skylight - About Gravity - Filling the Silence with a Sigh arts Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:38:32 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/spreadshirt..pennyblack1840 T-shirts, sweatshirts and gift items for philatelists and stamp collectors everywhere with an elegant range of striking designs inspired by the world's first postage stamp - The Penny Black.   shopping Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:53:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/adamwilliams Writer, speaker, businessman and novelist Adam Williams is the author of three acclaimed historical novels - The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure, The Emperor’s Bones and The Dragon’s Tail. Twenty years a businessman and banker in Beijing, he is the fourth generation of his family to be living and working in China. arts Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:42:37 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/KarenAndGeorgia Authors Karen Doherty and Georgia Coleridge have found that there are seven simple yet powerful solutions to virtually every parenting problem. With eight children between them, they know how hard it can be, and there aren't many difficulties they haven't encountered. In their book, Seven Secrets of Successful Parenting, they give you practical reassuring sensible advice that really works. They've put together masses of ground-breaking original material, cutting-edge advice from professionals, and dozens of real-life stories from parents who've battled through the toughest of times and survived. Visit the official Website of Karen and Georgia - and discover all about their new book Seven Secrets of Successful Parenting. kids Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:41:56 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/hubbletelescope With the fifth and final servicing mission for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope planned for September 2008, this amazing instrument which has promoted worldwide interest in astronomy through the astounding images it has brought us, could re-enter the world's orbit any time between 2010 and 2032...marking the end of an era. Servicing Mission 4 UPDATE! NASA has selected a crew for the upcoming servicing, and the astronauts are currently training for the mission now scheduled for August 28, 2008. The planned upgrades will improve Hubble's sensitivity at least 10 times keep Hubble functioning well into the next decade! computers Mon, 12 May 2008 02:36:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/signedbyauthor Welcome to Signed by Author a new Website dedicated to the collection of signed first editions and other rare, collectible or unusual books, with an extensive online book store and blog posts about my personal favourite books, writers and poets as well as scans of some of the more interesting book designs & dust jackets from my own collection. arts Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:43:13 -0600