Regency Romance Novels

Cari

The Sleeper Has Awaken…

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I spent most of December and the first two weeks of January mentally deep diving. I received emotional whip lash when one of my oldest friends died unexpectedly. I’ve known her since I was twelve. Her death followed a week or so after another friend’s husband died after a year long battle with liver cancer. He was a good man; a true hero! It was very sad. I bought some songs that reminded me of my friend and listened to them on repeat while I sewed frogs. I’ve no idea where the obsession came from, but late November I decided I had to have frogs on my Christmas tree. Using old sweaters and old bedpillow stuffing I covered the tree with frogs and most other flat surfaces in the living room. It felt soothing.

Some of my Christmas frogs...
Some of my Christmas frogs...

All the mental deep diving has had a strange positive side effect on my creative side. It’s as if all these different sides of my artist are waking up all at the same time. Whether it’s feeling mortality’s chill breath or the fact my brain is starting to heal; I’ve had numerous projects and stories churning in my brain at all hours. [Read more…] about The Sleeper Has Awaken…

Christina Rossetti…

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I was researching an old book by E Beresford Chancellor (trying to find if anyone had read it before I spend money buying a copy) when I came across a new book out this year (I’ll have to get) titled “Literary Celebrity, Gender, and Victorian Authorship, 1850–1914” by Alexis Easley about literary tourism in the Victorian age and how that affected the wider culture. The page that popped up mentioned a poet named Christina Rossetti. My brain came to a stop as it tried to compute a female name before Rossetti (the famous painter Dante Gabriel who apparently was also a poet – I missed that somehow, but then he’s not one of my favorite artists). I had no idea he had a sister who was a famous poet. Being a curious wench, I had to look up her work. It’s very Victorian! For all curious people who love glimpses into the forgotten past I highly recommend her poem A Bird’s Eye View. I imagine the author (an aging spinster dressed in black silk – the stiff bombazine sighing with every slight movement) sat in some room made dark by heavy blood red velvet curtains half drawn; her corset holding her so rigidly straight only her head can bend down over the small desk holding her paper and ink well. How could she not write depressing poetry with a neck ache?

I’m now off to read more!

An Ancient Custom…

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Today I’ve been researching England’s Holy Wells (you never know where the curse of curiosity will lead or what insanities it will breed) and I came across a text by a R.R. Rawlins written in the year 1823 titled; On the Ancient Custom of Decorating Wells with Flowers etc. In capturing a custom, Rawlins unwittingly captures a moment in the lives of ordinary people. As I was reading his descriptions of making the floral decorations I stopped and thought about the men and women who, after exhausting daily chores, gathered flowers and constructed these elaborate decorations for their local Holy Wells. The time and energy that went into creating these decorations must have been considerable. Rawlins was some sort of churchman so there’s a religious flavor to his reminisces, but that too is very Regency.

This event was a big deal; his text closes with, “The day concluded by the visitors partaking of the hospitality of the inhabitants, and being gratified with a well-arranged band, playing appropriate pieces of music at each other’s houses; and had the day been more favourable, and free from rain, a greater attendance at Church and the Wells would have been witnessed.”

It’s only three pages long. I highly recommend reading all three pages to get the full flavor (he starts out with a brief history of May Day), but if you just want to read about Holy Wells…start the fifth paragraph down where it reads: “The flowers used on this day…’

If you’re curious and want to read more about Holy Wells I found this page fascinating.

Hello November…

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Morning sunlight is burning through a passing patchy blanket of clouds. My corner of England is forecast rain later today. I haven’t decided whether I should return my library books or wait another day. I suspect in either case it will rain. Hello November! The perfect day for ‘November Skies’ (by the Danish artist Tomas Barfod). I LOVE this song (listen till the lady starts singing before deciding whether you’ll like it or not – there’s something about the layers of sound – it makes me feel like I’m snuggled up inside where it’s warm while the rain lashes the windows. Lovely!

A Regency Haunting…

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What better subject for All Hallow’s Eve than a real Regency murder/ghost story? The following comes from a book titled ‘Haunted Inns’ by Marc Alexander (haunted English inns – published in 1973).

The Voyeur and The Sun.

If you have visited Holland and enjoyed the small canal-side villages, you will recognise something of the same atmosphere at Saxilby in Lincolnshire. The village, which is only about four miles from Lincoln, runs parallel with the Fossdyke, along whose banks in summertime are moored lines of pleasure cruisers. Opposite the canal stands The Sun, an inn which was the subject of a most extraordinary haunting at the beginning of the last century.

On 3rd of November 1805, a certain Thomas Otter got married, evidently much against his will. On the same day a casual labourer by the name of John Dunkerly, after enjoying some drinks with his friends in The Sun bar, decided at six o’clock to return to his own village, Doddington, which was about five miles away. As he neared Drisney Nook on the way to Doddington, he met three friends who said as they passed: “You’ll have company, John,” and told him Tom Otter and hi new wife were walking down the lane. They laughed, knowing that Dunkerly had the reputation for being a peeping Tom.

By now darkness had fallen and the labourer, whose reputation was well deserved, decided to shadow the newly-married couple in the hope of being able to spy upon some amorous activity. Creeping up behind them, he heard Tom Otter say to his wife: “Sit down, you can rest here.” [Read more…] about A Regency Haunting…

Singing A Songwriter…

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Cari’s addendum: A big thanks to all of you who listened to my brother’s song! The contest closed Nov. 9th. He started the contest a month in, but still manged to get 2189 points which I think was brilliant. Who knows what may or may not happen next, but he got lots of lovely feed back so I’m hoping it inspires him to keep writing music and playing his guitar. If you’re curious to hear him there’s a link below. 🙂
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My little brother Jason has entered a singer/songwriter contest on line (with a seriously great prize – which I of course think he deserves – though I am admittedly biased). The first round is judged solely by how many different people listen to the whole song. He only discovered the contest a month in so he’s got a lot of catching up to do. Have a listen and tell me if you think I’m crazy! This is Jason with his guitar (he’s self taught) playing and singing his own songs. I rocked him as a baby for countless hours playing (and singing) Elton John songs hoping it would influence his taste in music, but it didn’t work!