Welcome to Saturday Snippets where my muse directs me to my one-word prompts that are great fun and sometimes there are many different things which have a connection to that prompt…This week my prompt is “Grace”…it is my dearest and best friend’s name it also means smoothness and elegance of movement, courteous goodwill plus bringing honour or credit to (someone or something) by one’s attendance or participation…not forgetting there are also biblical definitions of the word “Grace”

Cotinus “Grace”…Smokebush …

Smoke bushes are shapely rounded shrubs or small trees. There are green and purple-leafed forms, both of which are covered in summer with a smoky haze of soft open flower plumes. Cotinus ‘Grace’ is a purple-leafed smoke bush, bearing a showy display of pink-purple flowers in summer, followed in September and October by an incendiary change of leaf colour to an increasingly brilliant purple-orange-red.

Gracelands…and Elvis Presley belong in the same sentence it was the home of Elvis and is located in Memphis, Tennesee now it is a shrine, a place where Elvis lovers can go to remember their idol…At Graceland, you will find the largest collection of Elvis merchandise in the world – everything from collectables to apparel, accessories, jewellery, music…Elvis’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley retains 100% sole personal ownership of Graceland Mansion itself and its over 13-acre original grounds and her father’s personal effects – meaning costumes, wardrobe, awards, furniture, cars, etc.. She has made the mansion property and her father’s personal effects permanently available for tours…

Amazing Grace…such a beautiful song…I was going to continue with either the Elvis theme or Il Divo...but the beautiful sound of the bagpipes won hands down…

It was no contest really such a beautiful tune played on bagpipes by ” The Royal Scots Dragoons”

Grace Jones..model/actress who starred in James Bond …A view to Kill… a Jamaican model, singer and actress. In 1999, she ranked 82nd on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2008, she was honoured with a Q Idol Award.

What animal symbolises grace …The Otter…a member of the weasel family, The Otter is found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Though most live in freshwater rivers, lakes, and wetlands, the sea otter and the smaller marine otter are found in the Pacific Ocean.

A group of otters on land is called a romp. A group of otters in the water is called a raft. Otters have webbed feet that make them excellent swimmers…however, they don’t build dams like beavers but do live near water and often take over empty beaver homes.

Grace Kelly…the actress turned princess…Grace Kelly went from Hollywood Royalty to actual Royalty…she married Prince Ranier III of Monaco.

Today, she is remembered as a fashion icon and one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. Many of her films, including “Rear Window” and “To Catch a Thief”, are still regarded as classics in the present day.

The Marigold…brilliant and richly coloured marigolds represent warmth and grace…their meaning: Joy, modesty and grace…many gardeners swear that planting marigolds among their vegetables keeps away the pests…Although it hasn’t been proven, many long-time gardeners claim that marigolds control pests like tomato hornworms, cabbage worms, thrips, squash bugs, whiteflies, and others. Do marigolds keep bugs away? The best way to find out is to experiment in your own garden, and you really can’t go wrong. Marigolds are beautiful, and there’s no doubt that they attract a variety of beneficial insects that prey on bad bugs, which is very positive indeed!