Word Wenches

A Little Bit of Switzerland in Regency England!

Nicola here. When I was a student in London, I lived near the Finchley Road. This was one of the main roads that led North out of the centre of London and it was often very busy with traffic. At one large roundabout there was a sight that always struck me as very odd: A Swiss chalet in the middle of the road. It was a pub and it was called, perhaps unsurprisingly, “Swiss Cottage.” The roundabout and the nearby underground station were named after it, and for such a busy and modern place it looked total incongruous.

I didn’t realise then that when the original “Swiss Tavern” was built there in 1804, it was part of a
larger fashion for recreating Swiss landscapes in England and elsewhere as part of the Romantic movement. Yes, as is often the case, the poet William Wordsworth had a hand in bringing back the idea of “Swissness” as something that represented freedom and beautiful scenery. In 1790 he and a friend took a walking tour of Switzerland and he was awestruck by the landscape and also by a scale model he saw of Lake Lucerne, the mountains and the alpine cottages. He brought home the idea of creating little Switzerlands in the English countryside.

Trials and Tribulations of Writing

Pat here: Unlike my psychic heroines, I have nothing insightful to tell you as we dive into the new year. I’m still trying to figure out what day of the week it is after the holidays, and almost missed my blog date because I haven’t updated my calendar yet. I have accounting worksheets piling up all over my desk for my personal taxes and those of an organization I work with. Who can write a book with all this new stuff spinning in the brain? Maybe I need that crystal ball!

Yet I continue to wade into the fray of writing mysteries. I’ve written characters for forty years now, savoring their romances and conflicts, and I still learn something new every day in how to depict their personalities. But mysteries. . . require actual plotting.

AAW—what we're watching

Anne here, and today, because so many of us have been spending more time indoors than usual, the wenches are answering the question: Seen any good TV shows or movies lately?

Christina says – I’m afraid the answer to that is no - and not for lack of trying! I managed several visits to the cinema in the run up to Christmas but was sadly disappointed each time. First, I saw the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, which was OK but I absolutely hated the ending!

Soon after, I was seriously underwhelmed by that the new Marvel film, Eternals. Then I watched the new version of Dune. Admittedly this was beautifully made and perfectly captured the book IMO, but sadly it was part one of two (where the second hasn’t even been made yet!). Why? That’s like selling me half a book and saying I should be happy with that because it’s good so far.  And don’t get me started on A Castle for Christmas with Cary Elwes (doing a bad Scottish accent) and Brooke Shields. Although the setting was stunning, I wish I’d just watched The Princess Bride instead for the umpteenth time – at least Cary was perfect in that! Finally, I will grudgingly admit to enjoying the new Disney movie Jungle Cruise, although it tries a bit too hard to be like Pirates of the Caribbean. Still, a lot of fun!

Really, I think the only saving grace was my discovery of the TV series Endeavour (the Young Morse).  This is a prequel to the Inspector Morse series, set in Oxford and based on the books by Colin Dexter. One night I happened to catch an episode of this, which is all about the start of his career. He’s a young detective, quiet and introverted, but incredibly intelligent. Of course he always solves the murders and shows up his superiors (who don’t appreciate that for obvious reasons). And he’s just a really likeable character who you can’t help but root for. If you like crime drama that’s not too gory and you haven’t seen it yet I’d recommend it.

Pat says: While waiting for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel  to return from break, we’ve been watching a lot of old detective shows, mostly on Britbox, I think, although some can be found on Netflix.

Traveling to St. Petersburg

Andrea here, The new year is bringing—huff, puff—not one but TWO new books from me! I’m excited to announce that A Swirl of Shadows, the latest Lady Arianna adventure is finally finished and will release on March 22! (You can pre-order here.) The story was particularly fun for me to write as a good deal of the action takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia.

I took a number of Russian history courses in college and have always found the country and its history fascinating. And I was lucky enough to visit during grad school and spend some time in St Petersburg—in the dead of winter, I might add, which seemed only fitting, as snow and cold weather seem a part of the Russian soul!

That Russian history intertwines so closely with Britain during the Regency era gave me the perfect opportunity to weave a plotline that would take Lady Arianna and Saybrook to the Imperial Court of Alexander I, which was a hotbed of international intrigue and scheming right after Napoleon’s exile as the rulers of Europe jockeyed for power and influence.

Coffee Table Books

Christina here. During the Christmas holidays I’ve had a chance to relax a bit and do things I don’t normally have time for. One of them is to leaf through some of the many coffee table books I own – and I have to admit there are rather a lot of them!

I’m not sure why I have so many. They’re not exactly necessary and yet seem to accrue of their own accord. Many of them are from exhibitions I’ve attended, especially those of my favourite artists, while others are on subjects close to my heart. I’m never quite sure why I buy them as I don’t usually read them – I’ll only flick through the pages to look at the photos. Admittedly, most of them do have gorgeous pictures!

Today I thought I’d tell you about a few of the ones I love best, the ones I keep returning to and never tire of looking at, and why. Then I’d love for you to tell me about yours! (Even if that means my collection grows larger as you tempt me …)

My absolute favourite is The Duchess of Devonshire’s Ball by Sophia Murphy. On 2^nd July 1897 the then Duchess of Devonshire held a fancy dress ball in her London mansion in Piccadilly, Devonshire House. It was a glittering occasion and a very special ball, but what made it unique is that the duchess had all her guests photographed as they arrived and then had the pictures put into a privately printed album for herself. The costumes are out of this world, and some of them must have cost an absolute fortune. Some of the guests look ridiculous, others uncomfortable, and one can only wonder how they managed to dance all night in their finery. For me, the guest that stood out the most was the Duchess of Portland who was so beautiful, she would have looked regal in a sack. I can readily imagine her as the heroine of a romantic novel as she must have had suitors in droves!

Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkein!

Susan here, with sincere wishes for a happy, prosperous--and very healthy--2022 now that our annual Yuletide celebration has concluded here at Word Wenches. 

This week, J.R.R. Tolkien would have had his 126th birthday on January 3rd, had he lived so long in a Gandalf sort of way, or had he grown as old as Thorin Oakenshield in his prime at nearly 200 -- or even older, like Treebeard, one of the Ents, a race of very old creatures in Middle Earth. If you appreciate the mystery of synchronicity, it's also interesting that January 3rd in the old Celtic calendar is the original Beltane date, later celebrated around February 1st: a magical date for Tolkein's birth. 

So as we set off into another year, it seems appropriate to give Tolkien a nod. It suits the season more than you might think at first -- Tolkien wrote a classic Christmas book, The Father Christmas Letters, which has been a favorite in our house since our boys were little guys. 

 Tolkien wrote and illustrated a wonderful series of letters from Father Christmas to the four Tolkien children beginning in 1925 until they grew older. Each annual letter, carefully handwritten and illustrated by Tolkien himself, was a narrative of Father Christmas' adventures at the North Pole, often featuring his secretary-elf, Ilbereth and several calamities involving a certain polar bear - the letters also detailed the mischief the elves got into, and the trouble with the Goblins who now and then attacked the North Pole sanctuary. Sometimes it was quite a challenge for Father Christmas to get all the toys delivered to boys and girls in England and all around the world! The letters, illustrated by Tolkien with watercolor drawings and illuminated calligraphy, all attributed to Father Christmas himself, are simply magical.

Tolkien was not only a brilliant historian and scholar and a genius who created the gold standard in fantasy literature - and the genre itself. He was also a gifted artist who made over a hundred illustrations, mostly in pen and watercolor, to illustrate his stories. Many of his illustrations established the look and the imagery of the countless editions of his novels and even informed the film versions of his work. 

In honor of Tolkien’s 126th birthday –- and to mark the first week of this very new year -- here are some of Tolkien's paintings and a little of his gentle wisdom -- a few thoughts to take with you as we move forward into what we hope will be a wonderful year. (We all certainly deserve a great year!) If you are interested in more of his work, just give it a google and discover his incredible artworks!

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.  
- The Fellowship of the Ring 

Tolkien's design for The Hobbit cover, with his own notes in pencil.

Twelfth Night!

by Mary Jo

This is the last of the Word Wench Christmastide posts, which celebrate the time between Christmas and Epiphany, so I decided to research the holiday a bit more.  It might be celebrated on either January 5th or January 6th, depending on whether Christmas Day is counted as the first day, or Boxing Day, the 26th, is the first. 

In some parts of the world it's called the Feast of the Three Kings because the holiday celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men as they followed the star to Bethlehem to celebrate the arrival of 'the newborn king.' 

Even as a kid, I wondered about the logistics of this.  They couldn't have been very far away if they reached their goal in twelve days, and how accurate would a star be for guidance?  The traditional pictures usually show the star hovering over the stable like an LED lit drone.  Really?

 

Reasons to Like January

Nicola here. Sometimes I’ve been inclined to think of January as a long, dark, cold month without a lot going for it, but I was talking to a friend the other day and she saw the month in quite a different light.  “I love January,” she said. “I don’t spend much money and I get myself organised for the months ahead.” So as we approach Twelfth Night and the end of the traditional Christmastide, I thought I would muse on all the reasons there are to like January.

According to my Chambers Book of Days, the gemstone for January is the garnet and the birth flower is either the snowdrop or the carnation. At Ashdown Woods the first green shoots of the wild snowdrops are already pushing through the ground. By the end of the month they will be starting to flower. The snowdrop’s Latin name is Galanthus, from the Greek for “milk flower”. In French the snowdrop is known as the “perce-neige” because it pierces the snow, and the Germans call it Schneeglöckchen, little snowbell, which are all such pretty names suiting its delicate beauty. It’s real reminder of spring on the way.

This brings me to the weather. You may know the saying: “There’s no bad weather only bad clothing choices.” In my part of Northern Hemisphere it’s a time for scarves, gloves and hats and also waterproof layers. The rain may feel cold and raw but it’s also refreshing. And I love the sound the wind makes blowing through the bare branches of the trees. Darkness still arrives during the afternoon but the light lasts a little longer each day. My morning and evening walks give stormy skies and great views of the weather blowing across the Vale of the White Horse.

An old Celtic name for January was “the dead month” whilst the Anglo Saxons called it “Wolfmonath” which does send a shiver down the spine. It’s easy to see how January got its bad reputation. But there is so much pleasure in returning from a cold walk to a hot cup of tea, sitting down with a book whilst darkness falls outside, and enjoying the sense of new beginnings whether they are eagerly-anticipated TV shows or films, or a new course to join or a new interest to pursue.

What do you like – or even love - about January?

New Year’s Day and the New York Times

Pat here:

 Were you one of the billion people to stay up New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop over Times Square? Do you know who started this idiocy? The New York Times, that’s who.

At the turn of the 20^th century, the NYT bought property in what was then called Long Acre Square (after London’s carriage district). Originally, the square was a large open horse market with dreary tenements surrounding it. But once electricity and public transit were installed, the area became a hot market. In 1903, the New York Times started building the second largest tower in the city at the time. Once it was complete, it apparently took very little arm twisting for the newspaper to persuade the city to rename the square after itself, and Times Square came into existence. In celebration, in 1904, the Times threw a huge block party on New Year’s Eve, well, huge for back then, anyway. The theater district consisted of maybe one theater, but they celebrated with music and fireworks every New Year’s Eve—until the city banned fireworks in 1907. In their place, an engineer built a 700 lb wood and iron ball illuminated by a hundred lights to drop from a flagpole at midnight. And the tradition began!

Within a decade, the Times outgrew its skyscraper. That towering, skinny NYT office building offered prime real estate for advertising, especially for the theaters crowding into the area. A giant news ticker went up in 1928, and ultimately, the huge sides of the building started the trend of Times Square flashing advertisements. Today the building is mostly empty but the party and the crystal ball drop have become world famous. Nothing like a good party for creating a tourist attraction!

Did you watch the ball drop? If not, how did you celebrate the new year?

Image: Bernt Rostad from Oslo, Norway

Ninth day of Christmas

Anne here and that's the tree from which I'll be picking some peaches any day now.

It's the 2nd of January, and I'm feeling very lazy. Christmas is over, the New Year has been ushered in, and many good and hopeful wishes exchanged. But it's the ninth day of Christmastide, and I'm watching the front door warily. Thankfully nobody has yet sent me large numbers of birds and people, but if eight lords a'leaping or nine gyrating ladies came knocking on my door, frankly, I just wouldn't answer.

It's a kind of an in-between time. My friends who are Orthodox/Eastern Catholic Christians are preparing for their Christmas Celebrations which will start on or around 6th January. Some start with a Christmas Eve gathering, and others have their big day on the 7th January.  (The 6th January was Christmas Day before 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII adjusted the "Julian Calendar" (named after Julius Caesar who had made July his own special month) to make it more accurate.  The new calendar then became known as the Gregorian calendar. This caused a change that had many people feeling that somehow extra days had been "stolen" from them. (Thanks to Mike for pointing out the scrambled way I explained this the first time.) The Julian Calendar is still used in some parts of the Orthodox church. 

I used to envy my Greek, Macedonian and Ukranian school friends for having two lots of holidays. These days, I envy them less, as they go into a mad frenzy of baking and cooking in the lead-up to the big day. And this is usually in hot weather — the last two days here it was in the high 30'sC (around 100F) which is NOT good baking weather. (In the photo is a Ukranian friend's kitchen where she's making varenyky and that's only a small part of what she cooks up.)

I live in a city with a huge population of Greeks (the biggest Greek city outside of Greece) so we know all about Theofania on 6th January, and the Blessing of the Waters ceremony. It's a lot easier here for the young men to dive for the cross, as it's summer. When I saw it years ago in Greece, they had to break the ice before diving in. Brrr!

And then I have a couple of Chinese friends who are gearing up for Chinese New Year (the Lunar New Year) which this year starts on 1st February. There's a fair bit of preparation involved in that, too.

It's also the time of year people make resolutions, and most years I set about decluttering my house. For some reason, I attract clutter. I tell myself that each time I bring something into the house, I should take an equal-sized or greater thing out. But I don't.

I started with a bang in 2020 — and then, CoVid, and the boxes of Stuff I'd amassed stayed in my house, as the charity shops had closed, due to Lockdown. And when they finally reopened, they only wanted clothing — I guess a lot of people had spent their Lockdown time clearing out cupboards. And the same thing happened in 2021 and so far I've only managed to give away a small proportion of what needs to go. The hardest thing is getting rid of books, but I've run out of space, so it has to be done. Trouble is, even the libraries won't take donated books any more . . . But hope springs eternal, and I'll try again to clear some of my Stuff away this year.

In the meantime though, I'm feeling lazy, so today I might just curl up with a good book. What about you? How are you passing these post-Christmas, post-New Year days?