At last I have a title to the second book I’ve been working on all year. I recently started reading The New York Times to keep up with what’s going on in the States and as I was scanning it the other day for anything interesting or weird (I love the weird and bizarre) I found an article about this man who makes a good living off betting tickets other people have thrown away. Half way through the article I found my title. I swear the four words were practically flashing. My brain came to a full stop and then the light went onĀ I’ve wracked my brains for months, but nothing seemed right. Once Upon a Wager is a perfect title and I’m so excited about getting it finished. May that be soon! If I could have anything for Christmas I’d wake up to find the manuscript finished. [Read more…] about Once Upon a Wager…
History Notes
Garrow’s Law…
If you enjoy watching period drama set in the late 18th century, there’s a new short BBC series running now. I downloaded the first three episodes off itunes…and now I’ll have to wait I don’t know how long before I get to see the fourth and final episode. Heavy sigh! It’s really good!!! It’s based on the life and work of William Garrow, a barrister who pioneered the defence of prisoners in court. It draws on real trials and the script writer/s and the actors (and the costume designer) all do an excellent job. I give it 5 stars!!!
The last few days I’ve been suffering from an infection in my jaw (bad tooth gone long unatended – I know burying one’s head in the sand never makes problems go away, but I keep doing it hoping they will) I’ve been taking antibiotics for three days and finally my jaw is feeling better but the tooth is now throbbing along with my head…go figure. The point of my rambling being, as I was watching these 18th century characters wander past the screen I couldn’t help but feel heartily relieved that I live in the 21st century where I can go to the drugstore and buy painkillers. [Read more…] about Garrow’s Law…
Time travelling for the chocolate lover…
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel back through time to visit a Regency chocolate shop? I have! The Universe has heard my silent wail of longing for the impossible; the other day I read an article in The New York Times that mentioned a chocolate shop in Paris that was built in 1800! The shop is still there with it’s original fittings and still selling hand made chocolate and though I suspect most of their recipes have changed you can buy dark chocolate pistoles (it looks like a chocolate coin without the wrapper) that were made for Marie Antoinette. (The business was running years before they built this particular shop.) I am so excited!!! Cheap it is not! It costs about 200$ for the average box of chocolates.
As I have not yet been to Paris (the Charles de Gaule airport doesn’t count as visiting Paris) I will visit au personne and see if the shop will sell me a piece of chocolate. Can you see me…walking up to equisite counter (looking like I’ve been under a spell, asleep in a bad second hand clothes store for the last twenty years) and smiling at the well groomed individual on the other side of the counter and saying, “Bonjour!” only of course I’d be so excited it would come out sounding like “Banjure”…and then saying in broken French, “I would like one piece of chocolate…” I can see the eyes glaze over in exasperation…surely they must humour weird Americans who want to watch their weight yet taste chocolate heaven? J’espere! So if you’ve ever wanted to travel back in time have a look at their website…I particularly recommend reading the history and the blips about each different kind of boxes of chocolate they sell…the person who wrote the English was French…very charming!!! To see Debouve & Gallais’s shop go here
One day I shall go to Paris and buy a large box of truffles. I shall find a comfortable corner surrounded by beauty and sit there watching the French world pass by to the glorious taste of chocolate. Hmmmmm…yummmm!
A day of treasures…
The Goblin was off work today so we decided to chase the sunshine. Last night the weather report suggested the most likely area to be sunny all day was southwest of London so I mentioned that the ancient yew tree at Runnymede (not far from Old Windsor) was down there and that I really wanted to see it. The word Runnymede should ring a bell…the name John should be coming to mind. Oh yes, him again! Apparently the signing of the original Magna Carta took place under an ancient yew tree that’s now well over two thousand years old. From a nearby flood plain next to the river Thames on a clear day you can see Windsor Castle in the distance, though in 1215 it would have been mainly a roundish looking tower surrounded by fortified walls. My Goblin informs me that Runnymede is AngloSaxon for Meadow of the Runes. This is a magical place…in more ways than one.
It wasn’t easy to find. On the “Welcome to Runnymede” pamphlet at the sight referred to as Runnymede there was no mention of the tree at all, infact the whole sight celebrated as the place where the Magna Carta was signed is on the wrong side of the river…almost opposite where the tree stands. The yew tree is on a piece of land called Ankerwycke, hence its name Ankerwycke Yew…it’s all rather confusing. [Read more…] about A day of treasures…
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered…
I’ve been ill all week with a low grade fever so I’ve been watching a lot of tv shows on youtube again. Miraculously I have written about three thousand words and hopefully I won’t have to delete them. But after accepting that I’d watched ALL the Star Trek episodes I looked up the early sixties show, Bewitched. I remember this show from when I was a child even though we rarely had a television set. If you’re interested in 50’s Americana, it’s fascinating. It was shot in the early sixties, but everything still looks fifties and the characters…well, they’re definiately from the fifties including the rampant misogyny and patronising attitudes towards women…but with a clever twist. Underneath the veneer of typical suburbia the writers are actually mocking the standards of the day. The misogynists and patronising males always end up looking stupid. I never noticed this until I sat here and watched episode after episode. (Social Studies 101)
The show is about a mortal man who marries a witch (who can twitch her nose and make things happen…or cast spells) and the tension is often caused by the fact they come from different worlds. [Read more…] about Bewitched, bothered and bewildered…