Day 14 Advent Challenge - rest and be thankful

Yes, that's what I did all day.  I took time off after the exertions of the whole weekend on that 16 hour course. I needed to re charge the batteries so I read my current book by Jenny Uglow, 'A Gambling Man' her work on Charles 2nd. I did study the English Civil War and its aftermath with Professor Austen Woolrych at Lancaster so I have a fair number of academic tomes on the subject. However, I have not dipped my toes into this water for some time and DH had bought this book in the Autumn and enjoyed it so I picked it up last week and became engrossed too. The good thing about studying history now a days is of course the internet. As soon as you come across a new character you can quickly look them up and even Google for images of their portraits. I did spend at least an hour looking at Sir Peter Lely portraits this afternoon which was enchanting. I love the sleepy eyed beauties he painted in the style of Barbara Villiers one of the King's notorious mistresses. The little snowflake candle charm by the way was picked up in Keswick last Christmas and goes round and round for hours when you light a candle under it, rather like I have been doing on the internet today looking up all the characters in the book.

Book Find in Keswick

I was passing the Congregational Church on Saturday with DH and there was a sign saying book sale free entry. Well he always wants to go and peruse.........
This time though we had just been walking Bella and I did not have any money on me so he was quite surprised when I found a book......I think it was a bargain and we knocked the seller down by .50p

Anyway, I had read about Amy a few years ago and so when I saw this on the shelves I knew it was going to be interesting. I have not read it all through yet but my intention is not to follow completely in her footsteps (as if anyone could ever be as good) but to derive an essence of her work and incorporate it into something I make. Not sure what it will be yet.

Easter Break

It was a good Easter as far as I was concerned though not one where I had any chance to pick up a needle in any shape or form. So I decided to rummage around the house until I found something you had not seen before which I made ages ago.  We once went to a fancy dress party and my DH was supposed to be Indiana Jones, and this was his hat. I made the spider's legs with pipe cleaners, and its eyes are red buttons.

Moving swiftly on, as they say, we did enjoy meeting up with an old friend of ours and his new partner, as his wife and he had divorced. It seems to me that quite a few of the couples we used to know are no longer together, that's modern life I suppose. He was as hilarious as usual especially when we swopped anecdotes from the past like the time we were kept waiting for a meal in an Italian Restaurant in Folkestone for well over an hour for our soup course.....Then when it came (despite the fact that the place had filled up with starving expectant customers) the only waiter insisted on ladling each portion out 'silver service style' from a tureen brought to the table. Of course the joke was that by this stage of the proceedings we had drunk all the wine and ordered more so were beyond caring what the soup came in or tasted like. The main course was just a blur in our minds too......But we roared with laughter once we left the place especially as so many customers were still sans dinner!

We also managed to make some new acquaintances of a different culture, namely from Singapore. What an interesting set of people they were with so much to teach us about their lifestyle and habits. I was unaware that they kept the English in such esteem but it was once our colony. Our few days in their company were thought provoking and made me realise how lucky we are to have produced some great Lakeland poets  who are admired around the globe. We also saw something of the new Wordsworth Museum at Grasmere and have vowed to go back and spend some more time there. Is it only when someone else enthuses about our locality that we realise how much we take for granted?

I also found some time to read my latest book acquisition, 'Jane Austen's Letters' edited by R.W. Chapman and published by the Oxford University Press. Some fascinating details about her life are revealed by her letters mainly to her elder sister Cassandra. I have been reading this book for about 3 weeks now but not rushing it as it has to be studied to make sense. I am about half way through it so far. I have been intrigued by her continuous references to fashion and dress of the time and cannot fathom out what she means when she refers to "pink persian". Does anyone know what that was? She mentions that she has just spent all of her money on some as well as some new white gloves.