ASHLEY FURNITURE DISCOUNT COUPONS

Winsome Wood CD/DVD Cabinet with Glass Doors, Antique Walnut

Elegantly styled with traditional profiled trim and deep stain.5 adjustable shelves offer storage for up to 135 DVDs, 205 CDs or 75 videocassettes.With glass door inserts and satin nickel-finish metal hardware.Warm walnut finish.

The family entertainment area can look just as handsome as the rest of the house with the help Winsome Wood's CD/DVD cabinet. Featuring a stained Antique Walnut wood finish and double glass doors, this classically styled unit presents itself as an attractive furniture piece rather than simple storage. Yet it's really a hard worker--inside, five adjustable shelves safely and efficiently hold large collections of movies, video games, and music. Simply pull the satin nickel door handles and everything is displayed with no need to shuffle through or dig in the back for a long-lost favorite. The cabinet measures 22 inches wide by 9-1/4 inches deep by 44-1/4 inches high. Assembly is required. --Kara Karll

PART 4 DAKOTA

John was a war child born during the Second World War. "The bombing was
going on over our heads when I was born." he used to say. In his heart,
he never grew up from being a boy in England in the times of Noel Coward.
Tessie O'Shea and BBC Radio. His cynicism was only skin deep, an armor
to hide his vulnerable self. Family birthdays and Xmas's were very big
on his list. Around my birthday in 1979. John and I went to a Madison
Avenue antique shop to try a sofa and a few other things. I wasn't aware
that John was also frantically looking for a birthday gift for me at the
time. I use the expression "frantically" not because there was any reason
for him to be frantic. He was just that way... an emotionally charged
person. The sofa was a genuine art deco period piece. It was beautiful.
But it turned out that the one in the shop was actually not for sale.
"If you like it, we'll make the exact same thing for you." It sounded
like a con to me. "So he's gonna make a new antique sofa for me? ...nice",
I thought. "But I like this one", I said. "No, this is not for sale."
"I see." I delicately bounced up and down on the sofa. half hoping that
one of the legs might give in so he would have to sell that one to me.

I heard later from John that, while I was bouncing on the sofa, he
quickly took the man aside and asked to have a White Chess Set (my
artwork) made out of 18th century Indian Ivory Chess Sets. "And this is
the inscription I want." John whispered to the guy and scribbled the
message on a piece of paper. "Happy Birthday love xxx From the King to
the Queen." The man, however, read, "Happy Birthday love xxx From the
Kids to the Queen," and ordered the inscription accordingly. When John
saw that on the Chess Set, he was not a very happy man. John: "Kids,
what kids?" The man: “Wasn’t it supposed to be from you and your son?"
John would have chopped the guy's head off... if only he was back in
England in the Elizabethan Times. "It's from the King, silly!" "Oh, the
King..."

Both of us were either too busy or together too much to find a time to
secretly go shopping for a surprise gift. So many times we relied on
people around us to get us things. After that incident of walking into
that antique shop, we both started to rely on that silly man to get
things for each other. I got John a 1950's Jukebox for his birthday.
He loved it. Xmas came. This would be the last Xmas we would spend
together. The Jukebox was set up in one of the rooms in our apartment.
It was a totally empty room with no furniture. But the brightly lit
Jukebox instantly made the whole room look like a happening disco.
Elliot Mints, the only friend we had left by then, and John made an
elegant invitation card for the Xmas Ball. John delivered the card to me
and a box of gardenias. "Madam..." "Oh, how beautiful!" I was impressed.
John gave me an elegant kiss, like in the movies. He wore a suit. I
dressed up for the occasion, too, wearing a long, black velvet dress
John got for me when we were in England. John and I danced and Elliot
looked on. Nobody else was invited. John called it the world's most
exclusive club. He was very, very, very happy. We were about to enter
1980, our last year together.

The intrigues surrounding us were getting thicker as we stepped into
1980. We felt it. "But the eye of the storm is very quiet" John said.
We had great laughs together. We were partners at work and family at home.
We loved working together and we loved our son, Sean. We understood each
other in such a way, that no elaborate explaining was ever necessary...
though we liked discussing our ideas and plans for the near and distant
future. There was an acute sense that time was accelerating, and that we
were caught in a spiral that was moving at the speed of light.

Looking back, it was the happiest and therefore the most tragic period of
our lives. As John said in his song, "You don't know what you got, until
you lose it." We thought we knew... but we really didn't.

Yoko Ono Lennon
NYC 1998

Illustration by John Lennon, colored by Yoko Ono Lennon.

from John Lennon Anthology CD box set booklet.

This beautiful home was our accommodation on our first stay in Rouen (we had one more night in the city at the end of our holiday).

The house dates back to 1840 and was once the home of the Mayor of Rouen. This is possibly the most beautiful home I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. It's filled with antiques, beautiful furniture and soft furnishings. The owner has exquisite taste and prides herself in making sure her guests enjoy their stay.

The large garden, even in the middle of summer was filled with white hydrangeas, lavender and pale pink roses.

Our room and ensuite were huge (the 3 middle rooms of the top floor). Hotel rooms can be tiny in Europe. This was luxury and one reason why we found B&Bs far more comfortable and better value than hotels. The view from our windows looked out across the garden and down to the city with it's towering steeples.

The special touches in our bedroom such as fresh flowers and vintage white linen sheets (oh, how I loved those sheets - perhaps a little more than I should) made our stay pretty special.

We arrived early in the morning and Catherine made us a much needed coffee and told us a little about the city, where to have lunch and the important sights to see. Le Clos Jouvenet is situated on a hill overlooking the city - only a 20 minute walk from its centre. Mind you, that evening at about 11, after a three course meal and wine AND a long and very hot day it took us about 40 minutes to walk back up the hill. "Let's catch a cab," said David. "What? Are you joking??? Here we are in this beautiful French city and you want to catch a cab?" I always like to walk when we're away otherwise you miss too much. The walk was a nice way to end the day and made me feel less guilty about the amount of French cheese I'd been eating.