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Showing posts from 2011

Poll Results: Social interaction tops Jane Austen fascination

The result of the polls are here. Well, we all knew that Jane Austen's gentlemen are bound to win out, but in fact the poll reveals that the gentlemen have competition. In answer to the question: What do you think is so appealing about Jane Austen's world? The top choice is split two ways, with an even 50% each The gentlemanly behavior of the heroes and The rules of social interaction In answer to the question: What do you like most about Jane Austen? The top choice with an overwhelming 75% was Her characters Followed by 50% Her sense of humor Thanks to those of you who participated. What do you think of the results?

Merry Christmas, and to all good cheer

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Hope your Christmas is full of joy

Jane Austen Lives! Happy Birthday!

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Think about it. How many people – men or women – have birthday celebrations 236 years after they were born?? Yet today blogs all over the Blogosphere are celebrating Jane Austen’s Birthday. For Jane Austen’s Birthday, and to remember the wonderful joy she has given us, here are a couple of polls for you to vote on.

Dinner with the Indomitable Dominique Raccah

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Dominique The exclusive world of Gentlemen’s Clubs was invaded by a most wonderful group last night – the Sourcebooks British Book Brigade, which was almost exclusively female. Of course the Reform Club is no longer exclusively male, but looking around, with Henry James and Thackeray’s portraits – to name just two former members -- staring down at us, we could be excused for thinking so. During the Victorian period it would have been sacrilege to pass through these doors, yet here we were, with the Indomitable Dominique Raccah as our fearless leader. It’s a fitting image for the publishing world itself – with pioneers like Dominique heading publishing companies that have traditionally been male-dominated. Being at the Reform club inevitably brings up snippets from the past. Virginia Woolf wrote about “so audaciously trespassing” as a woman on university turf, and being stopped by a Beadle : “he was a Beadle; I was a woman. This was the turf; there was the path. Only the Fellows an

The End of Spooks

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Was so upset at the idea that we had reached the last-ever Spooks episode that I actually relinquished my Sunday evening date with Downton Abbey to watch Spooks instead. Imagine that! Those of you who know me are probably quite surprised at this  since I'm not at all into spy films, and generally don't go for the James Bond type action drama if I can choose something else. Yet the end (and ending) of Spooks left me heartbroken. Even the much-awaited (re)appearance of Matthew Macfadyen as Quinn failed to compensate for the fact that it was all over. The only consolation is that since I didn't see the first four seasons, which I am told were the best, I will now be watching the whole thing from the beginning on DVD. That way I will get the opportunity to relish the wonderful cast -- and period drama favorites -- that take turns to play MI5 agents.  Apart from Matthew Macfadyen, I'm looking forward to seeing  Rupert Penry-Jones and Richard Armitage (although I did see

Official Launch of Jane Austen Made Me Do It Tomorrow!

It’s finally happening! Tomorrow is the official launch of Jane Austen Made Me Do It! “Nothing Less Than Fairy-land,” by Monica Fairview In this gently humorous story inspired by Jane Austen’s novel Emma , the day has come for Mr. Knightley to move into Hartfield, but Mr. Woodhouse is still not reconciled to the marriage. Trouble looms on the horizon, unless Emma can quickly come up with a way to convince her papa to accept Mr. Knightley’s presence.

A Unexpected Encounter with a Victorian Gentleman

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Sometimes a visit to a park can have unexpected consequences. So imagine my surprise when I went to an Apple Day at Morden Hall Park and – quite literally – bumped into an exceedingly fashionable young gentleman! My mind reeled as I tried to work out if he was real or the ghost of Mr.Gilliat Hatfeild, owner of the Park in the 1800s. Then my young daughter shouted out “Mr. Darcy! Take a picture, quick!” and I am happy to say I obeyed. Morden Hall does have an intriguing history. It’s a National Trust property that used to be a former snuff mill, complete with waterwheel, picturesque canals and a mulberry tree that reportedly was planted by Huguenots.   I won’t go into it now, but I promise a future episode on this lovely historical park. Isn't he a handsome specimen? It just shows. You never know when (or where) you could run into your Mr. Darcy!

For Love or War: The Downton Abbey Experience Episode 1

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The drums of war beat, and the drama rolls. The first episode of Downton Abbey begins with a bang as we are treated with an unsentimental view of the First World War. Times are a’changing, but not for the better certainly, as a generation of young men ge ts decimated. Still, Downton Abbey drew the heavy guns as it not only managed to divert viewers’ attention away from Spooks, which was airing at the same time, but also captured four Emmy awards as well, the very same night. What fanfare!! It was wonderful to be back in the world of Downton Abbey. The cruelty of war features heavily in this episode, not only to those who go to fight, but to those who are left behind who are made to feel inadequate because they are not fighting. One of my favourite scenes – nicely underplayed – involved a White Feather Girl who give Branson a white feather (symbolizing cowardice).   Still, this episode of Downton Abbey isn’t just about the havoc wreaked by the WWI. It’s about the same problems and t

Austen Authors Celebration

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AUSTEN  AUTHORS 1  YEAR  ANNIVERSARY On September 6, 2010 Austen Authors officially launched. Our group blog has continued to grow ever since and now we are approaching our first birthday. In the tradition of all great celebrations, we plan to party! Not for one day, not for two or three, but for…. SIX WHOLE DAYS!  From  Monday September 5  all the way through  Saturday September 10  we will be serving up the virtual treats and lighting the virtual fireworks. The itinerary is jam packed with fun blogs and awesome prizes. Don’t miss out on the fun!! Ask others to join in! 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31

The Other Mr Darcy Now available on Kindle UK

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I'm pleased to announce that The Other Mr Darcy is finally available via Amazon.co.uk. I know many of you have been waiting for this moment! This is the Hale edition that has been published through The Faber Factory. I'm thrilled to be part of this project.

More Lavender for your senses

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I wonder if Jane Austen used to wander around as a child in the Surrey lavender fields and hum this melody to herself? Now that both vision and hearing have been stimulated, let's move on to the olfactory buds that are clamoring for attention.   Here's a recipe for Lavender Shortbread Biscuits (Cookies) that someone recommended to me. I've loved shortbread biscuits since I learned how to make them at school. My favorite part of making shortbread was the magical moment when the dough finally turned into breadcrumbs. It gave me a sense of remarkable achievement. I thought of myself as an artist, a creator, transforming clay into something else. Never mind that the "breadcrumbs" themselves weren't much to look at! I like the fact that the recipe calls for both mint and lavender. I love both, which makes the recipe especially appealing.  Let me know if you try them before I do. LAVENDER SHORTBREAD BISCUITS (COOKIES) from  Maryeileen 350g butter, softened

Lavender Fields Forever

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It's the height of the lavender season and what a relief it is to spot a sea of flowing blue-purple on an undulating hillside not too far from Croydon, which achieved notoriety in the news this week as fires raged and looting and rioting became the order of the day.  The Surrey Downs (the foothills, not the real downs) are an ocean of calm after the nervous tension of the week. There is something hypnotic and heady about walking about with lavender surrounding me as far as my eye can see. A magnificent calm descends over me. Sight and aroma combine to cast a much needed soothing spell, smoothing away the jitters. I weave in and out of the neat rows, smiling at others who clearly feel the same.   This is one of the charms of the English countryside (even if this field is more urban than country). A sign points to the field with the words Public Footpath (or it could have been Bridleway, same thing, since I don't ride). This means, ultimately, that you're allowed to ramble

Perspectives on Mr. Darcy

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Click on image above to visit the Extravaganza As part of the month-long Austenesque Extravagnaza over at Austenesque Reviews, I've written a post for Spotlight Saturday along with a small challenge for those of you who like to see Mr. Darcy from different points of view. I'd be very happy to see you there -- I'm sure you can contribute a great deal to the discussion.

Return of the Native -- I'm back!

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There's something to be said about coming home. Of course, I haven't left my wonderful friends at Austen Authors behind. On the contrary. After almost a year together I couldn't do without them. You can still find me there, but I'll be travelling hither and thither, dipping a big toe here, a big toe there (and some little ones, too). Not much of a landscape I haven't chosen my toes metaphor randomly. In fact, toes are rather important to me at the moment, since I broke my leg and had it suspended in a cast right in front of me for a long time. This gave me time to contemplate the universe and the nature of toes. It was the first time I wondered why we have toenails (other than for something to paint), and why they didn't disappear some time during our evolution, since we hardly hang by our toenails any more. Nor do we use them to fight (like claws), to dig the ground for grub, or make holes to bury our cache of nuts. You'd think nature would have done