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Category: Frivolity

Fun posts

valentine_1790

Valentine from 1790

Yes.  I’m a day late, but such are vagaries of group blogging. Today, however, I am once again dipping into my handy Hone’s Every-Day Book.

According to Hone, “Two hundred thousand letters beyond the usual daily average, annually pass through the twopenny post-office in London on St. Valentine’s Day.”  St. Valentine was apparently a popular guy even in early 19th century England.

What was in these letters?  Hone provides us with a nice variety of Valentine sentiment.  How about this one?

Haste, friendly Saint! to my relief,
My heart is stol’n help! Stop the thief!
My rifled breast I sear’d with care,
And found Eliza luking there.

Away she started from my view,
Yet may be caught, if thou pursue;
Nor need I to describe her strive
The fairest, dearest maid alive!

Seize her — yet treat the nymph divine
With gentle usage, Valentine!
Then, tell her, she, for what was done
Must bring my heart and give her own

valentine-1816

Hand made Valentine 1816

Hone goes on to give us several more verses from the time and states that “St. Valentine is the lover’s saint: Not that lovers have more superstition than other people, but their imaginings are more. As it is fabled that Orpheus ‘played so well, he moved old Nick;’ so it is true that Love, ‘cruel tyrant,’ moves the veriest brute. Its influence renders the coarsest nature somewhat interesting.”

How lucky for us that lovers have more imaginings than other people and that Love, cruel tyrant that it may be, renders the coarsest nature somewhat interesting.  I hope your Valentine got his missive in the twopenny post in time.

Having nearly forgotten my day for blogging, I have turned once again to Hone’s The Every-Day Book. Quite a bit of January 11 is devoted to card-playing. Hone tells us that

regency_deck_kingThis diversion resorted to at visitings during the twelve days of Christmas, as of ancient custom, continues without abatement during the prolongation of friendly meetings at this season.  Persons who are opposed to this recreation from religious scruples, do not seem to distinguish between its use and abuse.

He goes on to say that Cards are not here introduced with a view of seducing parents to rear their sons as gamblers and blacklegs or their daughters to a life of scandal, an old age of cards, but to impress upon them the importance of not morosely refusing to participate in that the archdeacon refers to as of the ‘harmless mirth and innocent amusements of society.’

In Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Philips’s evening party includes cards and even gambling. Mrs. Philips keeps a genteel, middle class home, so the gambling in this case probably did not involve money, but it was gambling nonetheless.

gaming-fish

Gaming Fish

The fish Lydia is talking about refers to gaming tokens, frequently made of mother of pearl and not uncommonly used in card games.

Fortunately for us, some of these young men and women were seduced into being blacklegs and scandalous ladies. Where would our stories be without them?  On the other hand, we’re equally entertained by the  ‘harmless mirth and innocent amusements of society.’ It all depends on the plot.

Do you prefer the scandalous ladies and gambling gentleman or are you partial to those indulging in innocent amusement? Or perhaps both?

It’s Thursday. I’m going to be taking my oldest on one last college visit tomorrow and I’m casting about for something to post tomorrow, but my mind is shot.

Here’s a snap of my To Do List for the week. Note how many items are still not crossed off. And they include gems like “Fill out CSS Profile”. For the lucky ones who don’t know, the CSS Profile is a detailed financial aid profile required by some colleges (including my oldest daughter’s #1 school) which makes the FAFSA look like child’s play. I’m half-expecting a line item asking which extra organs we’re willing to sell online in order to afford tuition.

So I’ll take a quick break to fantasize about what I’d put on a Regency To Do List.

Gerard_Lady_Reading“Read a horrid novel”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tatting“Learn to tat”

There’s a nice article on tatting at the Jane Austen Centre website.

 

 

 

“Ride around the beautiful grounds of my country home”

ladylade

Well, that was fun while it lasted. Now I need to go back to financial aid paperwork.

Are any onerous tasks plaguing you this week? What’s on your fantasy Regency To Do List?

And before I go, let me announce the winners of the Lady Dearing’s Masquerade audiobook giveaway.

Rochelle Klieger, Jemma, Victoria Seaman, Louisa Cornell and Jo’s Daughter

I’ll email you the download codes, along with directions. Happy listening!

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

I read somewhere in my time wasting serious research online that the way to improve traffic to a blog was to cover certain topics so I thought I’d give it a try.

First, PETS. Here’s Samuel Johnson’s cat Hodge, of whom Boswell wrote:

362px-Hodgecat_flickrI recollect him one day scrambling up Dr. Johnson’s breast, apparently with much satisfaction, while my friend smiling and half-whistling, rubbed down his back, and pulled him by the tail; and when I observed he was a fine cat, saying, ‘Why yes, Sir, but I have had cats whom I liked better than this;’ and then as if perceiving Hodge to be out of countenance, adding, ‘but he is a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed.’

colin-firth111COLIN FIRTH Picture of Colin Firth with wet shirt for no particular reason.

1814 v11 Ackermann's fashion plate 4 - Promenade DressNext, FASHION. PROMENADE COSTUME. From Ackermann’s January 1814: A Plain cambric robe, with long gathered sleeve and high arched collar, trimmed with net lace or muslin. A Spanish lappelled coat of fine orange Merino cloth; full epaulette ornaments on the shoulders: the whole lined throughout with white sarsnet, and trimmed with a raised border of white velvet or swansdown. A small, provincial bonnet of the same material as the coat, ornamented with a full curled ostrich feather. White spotted ermine or Chinchilli muff. Gloves grey or light blue kid. Half-boots of orange-coloured jean, or velvet. But she still looks cold.

firth2You may not ever have considered that when COLIN FIRTH plunged into that pond he might have encountered certain aquatic life forms. His attitude of discomfort may well have been not because he appeared in a state of undress but because he was anxious to get rid of certain attachments to his person

There is actually a bit of dialogue, struck from the script that goes as follows:

Darcy: Madam (bows). Would you have some salt upon your person?

Elizabeth: Salt, sir?

Darcy: A match, then?

Elizabeth: Oh, certainly. (Takes a matchbook from her reticule)

Darcy: The Meryton Go-Go Swingers’ Club? Ridiculous. Matches haven’t even been invented yet. I suppose I’ll have to wait until I get into the house.

Sucking_leech… Bringing us onto the next hot topic of HEALTH.  I thought this picture spoke for itself. I hope you appreciate that I passed over some truly disgusting pics to find one that showed the business but would not make you lose your lunch.

RichardArmitage05Talking of which, FOOD is always popular too, but I thought that instead, for a change, we’d have RICHARD ARMITAGE. Although I did find several artistic shots of his behind, I hate to tell you that it looked OK but pretty much like anyone else’s. Unless you were on very intimate terms with Mr. Armitage (and someone certainly was) you’d never have known whether it was his or his bottom double’s.

So there you have it, the Big Popular Topics and I expect our numbers will soar.

But seriously, is there anything you’d like to see us blog about here that we haven’t yet covered? Any celebrity bottoms?

I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas. Having had to drive 350 miles through the snow to visit family and dreading the same for the return trip today (I didn’t order this weather!) I’m looking forward to celebrating New Year’s at home.

It’s been a long standing tradition for us to make a special dinner, trying at least one new recipe. This year the new recipes are Chicken Kiev (accompanied by potato puffs and green beans almondine) and chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert. Then we’ll settle in to watch movies. This year it’ll be the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr.

mrdarcyelizabethMy daughters have delighted me by agreeing to a Jane Austen movie marathon on New Year’s Day. So far we’ve agreed on the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle Pride & Prejudice. We’re still discussing which other films we can fit in. I’m thinking the recent Northanger Abbey with Felicity Jones and JJ Feild (whose name is so much fun to write, breaking that “i before e” rule). Maybe Sense & Sensibility, but which one? Maybe the girls would enjoy seeing Professor Snape as a romantic hero.

We’re still thinking about food. Should we go period or would that make things too complicated? The point of this day is to relax. I’m away from my period recipe books so will have to check later today if there’s something easy I can make.

Any suggestions about films and food for our Jane Austen movie marathon? How are you all planning to celebrate the New Year?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

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