Paula Deen’s pot turns her broth sour. A shared Annus Horribilis with Nigella Lawson In part 1 of this post, I examined recent events that have so badly affected Nigella Lawson in an annus horribilis. However, during the same time frame across the Atlantic, another home cook who had raised herself to the level of a domestic goddess in the American market; self styled ‘Queen of southern cuisine’ Paula Deen was also embroiled in a very unpleasant scandal. Deen had for years been cooking up a storm with all the old fashioned fat, salt and sugar laden foods from the Deep South; all the while accruing fame, riches and it has to be said notoriety for the food she glamorised. Just like Nigella Lawson, Deen has frequently been criticised for the extravagance of her food. However, where Lawson seems to have got away with the indulgence, Deen has been pilloried…

Nigella Lawson cooks with more than one pot as 2013 turns into her Annus Horribilis A tearful Nigella Lawson – her large protruding ears indicate her strong water nature and need for deep inner resources. For Nigella Lawson, 2013 has certainly proved to be an Annus Horribilis. One of my feng shui teachers likes to explain that the rich and famous may well have great wealth and fame, by which they rise to dizzying heights, but when they fall, they fall far and fast indeed! The British self-styled domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson is no stranger to controversy. In early 2002 she attracted criticism for moving in with multi-millionaire Charles Saatchi, a wealthy and renowned businessman, just nine months after the death of her first husband, journalist John Diamond; too soon her critics cried. Nevertheless, the couple seemed to lead an idyllic life, in spite of the disparity in their ages;…

The recent tragic death of movie star Paul Walker on Saturday 30th November 2013 in a spectacular and fiery car crash just north of Los Angeles makes for an interesting study from the perspective of the Chinese Four Pillars of Destiny. When such unexpected deaths occur, especially with the famous, it’s natural to wonder just what influences might be contributing to their deaths. In the image at left of Paul Walker, note what appears to be a blemish on his right eyebrow at the spot of age 40 in Chinese Face Reading. The ancient Chinese system known as the Four Pillars of Destiny is just such a method for analysing these unseen influences. The system is based on the unique traditional Chinese calendar known as the Xia Calendar which has a distinctive way of calculating time. In this system the passage of time is marked by two separate, but inter-connected…

An artist’s impression of the proposed waterway in the new Wynyard Quarter, as shown in the New Zealand Herald 21st November 2013 (*1) According to a recent article in the New Zealand Herald, “A touch of Venice is going to be coming to Auckland as plans are progressed for a new canal to be dug through the centre of Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter.” Just a very little touch indeed, when one considers that all that’s actually being proposed is one small 150m – 200m canal running east to west off Halsey St; parallel with Madden St to the North and Pakenham St to the South. The paths on either side of the proposed canal will be purely pedestrian according to the article and the artist’s impression presents an attractive, relaxed urban scene albeit one that does not quite fit good feng shui guidelines in the buildings shown. Planners say the development…