Word Wenches

New Beginnings

Christina here, having a quiet first day of the year. As is the custom, I stayed up late last night, but we had fairly low-key celebrations so I’m not too tired. Also, I’m a night owl and going to bed late (or early in the morning depending on how you look at it) is nothing unusual for me.

The first day of the new year signifies a new beginning, a chance to start over or do things differently, but I’m not feeling the need to start right away. I don’t make new year’s resolutions, but I do have some planned changes, such as going on a diet, walking more, and having a good clear-out to make space in my house. It’s nothing that needs to be done immediately, though. Right now I still have family staying for the holidays and real life can take a backseat for a few more days.

This afternoon we’ll probably go for a walk – a relaxing way to start the year. We are lucky enough to live surrounded by fields and a small river. There are sheep in some of the fields, but they’re not too bothered by us. I love watching them mooch around, the bucolic scene is peaceful and calming. In contrast, the little river is fast-flowing this time of year – a combination of meltwater from the nearby Welsh mountains and all the rain we’ve been having recently. I find it soothing and mesmerising to stand on its banks and contemplate it.

New Year's Eve

Anne here, and it's New Year's Eve. This is the third time I've been given the blog for New Year's Eve, so I looked up the old blogs to see what I'd written previously. My 2009 blog was quite interesting, as I was reflecting on how much had changed in the past decade, but now it feels like ancient history—which I suppose it is!

It's hard to believe 2022 is ending — the last few years have been quite extraordinary, with the pandemic — but when I look back on 2022, I can't decide whether it dragged or it whizzed by. Thinking about where I was and what I was doing a year ago, it seems as though it was years ago. But then I think about what has happened to me this year, and its as if only a handful of months have passed in a blur. So I'm confused. But I'm celebrating the coming of the new year anyway.

Do you do anything special on New Year's Eve? I vary. Sometimes I just meet up with a few friends for a quiet night, and we watch the fireworks. I love fireworks, and though there are various local ones, I enjoy the Sydney ones, where the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the reflections on the water make for a brilliant display. (The photo above is by Andreas Dress on Unsplash) 

I have friends who often hold a party on New Year's Eve, with a fire outside — it's summer in Australia, remember, so think warm, balmy nights. And sometimes stinking hot ones. I do love a fire, but we can't have proper big bonfires here because of the danger of bushfires.

I always drink a toast to "Auld Lang Syne." My Scots blood always comes out in me at this time of year, and one day I'd like to be in Edinburgh for Hogmanay (the Scots name for New Year's Eve.) Hogmanay is a big event in Scotland — bigger than Christmas for many — and fire plays a major part. One year they had a "Viking" torchlight procession — I would have loved to be there for that. There are some fabulous photos here. And more Hogmanay photos here.
There are so many rituals and traditions for ushering in the new year. Click here to read about some from other parts of the world.

Do you make resolutions for the new year? I usually reflect on the past year and think about my intentions for the new year, but I don't make resolutions. But if you do, there's a useful guide to sticking to your resolutions here.  

So, what about you? How do you celebrate the New Year — or is it just another day for you? (I also celebrate Chinese New Year. ) Do you love or loathe fireworks, or make resolutions? What are you hoping for next year?
HAPPY NEW YEAR from me, and all the wenches.

Magic Mall Moments!

By Mary Jo

I'm not a great lover of shopping, but every holiday season, I make sure to  visit Kenilworth Bazaar, a small friendly mall near me.  Every year, volunteers create a wonderful train garden with multiple trains and lots of different scenes.

This year's train garden covers all eras from cheery dinosaurs to a cow napping space ship!   The garden is large and there is always a crowd around the plastic walls as people of all ages delight in the whimsy and spectacle.

And watching the people is as much fun as watching the trains!  Have you ever seen a train garden?  If not, would you like to?

Mary Jo

 

Wondrous Memories

2022 is hurtling into history, and given events, will no doubt make a huge splash in future history books. My life wasn’t quite so momentous as world events, but our trip to Israel and Egypt is definitely one for my books, both fictional and real. What are your year’s wondrous memories? Do you have plans for more in 2023?

Here’s to peace, love, and joy for all in the new year!

It's Christmas!—Or is it?

Andrea here. Well, for those of us who celebrate the holiday, Christmas is over . . . or is it? I don’t know about you, but over the last few years, with family all having different plans for how to spend the holidays, it’s not always easy to meet up on the 25th. So for me, “Christmas” has become rather fluid, sort of like the “parlay” in Pirates of the Caribbean—a guideline rather than an etched-in-stone gathering.
 
On Sunday I zoomed with my nephew, niece-in-law and their newborn in Wyoming, then with my younger brother who came down with covid and was in quarantine, then face-timed with my niece who was walking on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific, and then texted with my nephew, who was surfing in Costa Rica.
 
Tomorrow, I am driving to Massachusetts to visit with my older brother and his wife, who are both fabulous cooks. I love to cook too, so we will crack open a good bottle of wine, spend a fun evening in the kitchen whipping up some wonderful dishes, and then sit down for a splendid candlelit dinner,
 
And today, a dear friend stopped by for tea and cookies—and brought me a delightful candle carousel as a gift, which we decided was exactly what a Regency man of science would have created to keep his friends and family amused!
 
So, this year Christmas has turned into a week-long party. What about you? What with modern life, do you find yourself having multiple celebrations? Whenever and however your celebrate Christmas, I hope it was full of warmth and love!

Christmas Cookies

Christina here, relaxing with a cookie and a glass of milk after all the seasonal festivities. The day after Boxing Day always feels like a chilling kind of day, when you can just sit down and take it easy. And what better way than with a cookie and some milk/tea/coffee (whatever is your preference)?

I’m sure that many of you bake special treats for Christmas and in our house that’s gingerbread. Or more specifically, Swedish pepparkakor, which are less spicy than their UK counterparts. Every family has their own recipe handed down through the generations, and in my case it’s very special because my great-grandfather owned a bakery. So the cookies I make each year are the same ones he would have sold from 1901 onwards – I love that I’m carrying on that tradition!

December 26 - Happy Boxing Day!

Happy Boxing Day!  Susan here. Traditionally, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, the day after Christmas, December 26th, was a day to acknowledge servants and tradesmen with gifts, sometimes with money or presents, and - especially for household servants - a gift of boxed leftovers and a day off to visit their families. The day's celebration changed over decades from charitable giving to a bank holiday, then eventually to a day of watching football . . . today it is often seen as a shopping day, perhaps to use a gift certificate or return a gift for refund or exchange.

Whether you're boxing up leftovers for others, boxing a gift for someone, or boxing up an online return ... here's wishing you the brightest and the best of holidays!   

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Nicola here, wishing you a very Happy Christmas to those who celebrate the festival and happy holidays to everyone celebrating their traditions. Today is the first day of Word Wenches’ annual tradition of short daily blogs over the Twelve Days of Christmas.

This year for the first time in as long as I can remember, and possibly the first time ever, I’m spending Christmas in a hotel. Every year for the past forever we’ve either been at home, hosting family and friends, or visiting them as their guests. This year, though, my mother-in-law went into a care home near my sister-in-law’s home in the North of England so we are staying nearby in order to see everyone over the festive season. I’m writing this before we go and I’m wondering what it will be like. The hotel promises all manner of wonderful treats: delicious food including the full Christmas dinner, festive afternoon tea, carols and other live music and the chance to work off all the food in the gym and pool. It sounds great. But even at Christmas I find I still think about writing – will it be the sort of hotel that would be a good setting for a murder mystery? What will our fellow guests be like? Will there be rows – or romances? (I’ll be taking note!) Will it snow??? All will no doubt be revealed as our Christmas trip progresses! Wherever you are in the world and however you celebrate, the Wenches wish everyone peace and joy in the year ahead.

How are you spending the holiday season? Will you be at home, or away? Are there any special holiday traditions you enjoy with family and friends? 

Cats and Christmas Trees!

Cats and Christmas trees

By Mary Jo

Cats have been around since time immemorial and Christmas trees became popular in the mid-19th century, when Victoria and Albert introduced the German custom of decorating trees into the British royal palaces and from there to most of the English speaking world. (In other words, they went viral. <G>)

And if Victoria had a cat, it probably climbed her tree.  But cameras, especially easy to use cell phone cameras, have really helped cats in Christmas trees become a true internet meme. (The image of the black and fallen tree is from Facebook and I think of it as "My work here is done. <G>)

At least a couple of times when I was a kid in our farmhouse, cats brought down our tree  and very messy it was. That hasn't happened in many years because tree stands are much more stable now.

I've had a few cats who were Christmas tree climbers, and many of them enthusiastically bat at low hanging ornaments.  ("Look, they hung all these nice play toys just for me!")

The cat below, right, is the Mayhem Consultant's cat, Reggie the Rascal.  Don't believe that innocent look.  He has climbed trees and he loves scooting up tree decorating ladders, then prowling the valances.

But mostly my cats are content to lounge underneath and possibly check the tags to see who gets what.  (That's PandaMax on the left, doing exactly that.)

 

The number of jokes about cats climbing trees and sometimes pulling trees them over got me to thinking about pets in Christmas trees in general.  Cats are small and agile and have claws designed for climbing.

Probably a ferret would also be a climber, but they aren't that common as pets. Parakeets and other pet birds can fly across a room and land on a branch and perhaps cause some damage if they're larger types like macaws. 

Dogs aren't built for climbing, but a friend of mine assures me that the enthusiastic wagging tail of a Labrador retriever can reap a serious harvest of ornaments!

Thus, the number one rule for pet owners who put up trees it to PUT UNBREAKABLE ORNAMENTS ON THE LOWER BRANCHES.

We have a nice collection of lightweight, hard to break plastic apples that look pretty and have a  high tolerance for being knocked across a room.  (They make a distinctive rattling sound as they roll merrily across a hardwood floor at 2:00 am.

So the bottom line is that with decorating care it's possible to have both pets and trees which is good for those of us who love both.

Do you have experiences with pets and Christmas trees?  Tell us about them!

Mary Jo

Another Christmas Quiz

Anne here, celebrating the onset of the Festive Season with another Christmas Quiz. I usually have 12 questions, but I've extended this one and included several tricky questions from a previous quiz. 

As usual, you will need a pen and paper to jot down your choices, then at the end, click on the link to check your answers. Don't forget to come back and tell us how you went — and remember, it's not a test, it's just a bit of fun. 

1) In the Regency era, the Christmas turkey:—

    a) walked to London wearing special shoes

    b) was shipped to London by boat, to keep them calm.

    c) was brought to London by wagon, in specially constructed willow cages    

    d) wasn't eaten at this time — everyone ate Christmas goose

 

2) In a traditional mummers' Christmas play, a commonly appearing character was:—

    a) the king

    b) Saint George (of dragon fame)

    c) Saint Nicholas

    d) Oliver Cromwell

The Smart TV vs the Luddite—Things Did Not Go Well

Andrea here, channeling my inner Grinch today. Along with shopping for family and friends this holiday season, I decided to give myself a present—a new smart TV! My current TVs are, umm, not very smart. And after yesterday, I’ve decided neither am!
 
A very nice team from the Geek Squad at Best Buy showed up—because I wasn't so dumb as to think I might be able to set it up and program it myself, even though I’m fairly good at figuring certain tech things. They bring in the humongous box and eye the current TV in my living room and ask if I want them to haul it away. I explain that no, would they be kind enough to carry it upstairs to the bedroom, where an even older TV is the one that should be recycled. They smile cheerfully and say “No problem!”
 
Up we go. They regard the older TV. “”Wow, says one of them. “I used to sell TVs, and like that’s one of the first flat screens ever made. It’s from 2004, right?”
 
“Yup,” I reply.
 
They chuckle and switch the sets (and bless them, they program the remote as I upgraded my cable boxes in preparation for their visit.) "Okay, all done."

Old Is Gold

Some of Susan's antique books

Susan here. We've had flu in our house, so we require lots of hot tea, soup, quilts, and endless tissues, as well as comfort reads and doses of TV in between naps. Despite my fluey state, there’s research and writing to do, though I haven't had much energy for it. So I'm going to my own bookshelves, my own library (bookcases all over the house), to further the current project to browse and do some wool-gathering among old books. The older the better suits the project I’m working on. Contrary to a more modern approach, which needs the most up-to-date research to support the goal and prove a point, research for historical fiction benefits from outdated sources, especially those in keeping with the time period. The older the source the better; and if the historian is opinionated, perhaps even fanciful, that's okay. There are lots of ideas in there along with information.

I spent years in academia studying medieval art and history, where old sources are as valued as new ones, with careful footnoting, context, and caveats, though an old unreliable source is to be avoided. But when writing fiction, a gossipy Victorian history, for example, can be a gold mine. I’ve found more juicy tidbits of facts and ideas between tattered covers than in shiny new books with the newest information.

Over the years I've collected a good number of antique and vintage books. I love these old books—the feel and smell of them, the gentle signs of wear and tear, the thought of those who have held them before me. I love the look of them on my shelves, too – embossed, gilded, threadbare, faded and foxed, gone golden over the years. What wonderful stuff is in those old pages!

When I’m writing about 19th-century characters, what better resource than a book the characters might have had on their own shelves–Austen for close and authentic insights into daily life and attitudes, or Sir Walter Scott for juicy bits of historical trivia. His library at Abbotsford is one of my favorite places on earth—I’ve been there more than once, and had to be literally dragged out of there by friends.

Abbotsford library (photo www.scottsabbotsford.com)

I love the gossipy, sentimental, dramatic Victorians, Andrew Lang and W. F. Skene, whose histories are part fact and part fancy. Going further back, there's the intriguing biases and fictitious details of late medieval historical chroniclers like Froissart and Holinshed. Their slants, prejudices and flat-out fibs are just the thing for understanding history from a historical perspective rather than a modern one. Historical fiction does not always require absolute accuracy - authenticity is more crucial to writing a readable, enjoyable novel. And researching quaint, sometimes downright wacky old histories to find nuggets is pretty enjoyable.

Edouard Mentha, Maid Reading, before 1915

John Stevens, Maid in Library, 1793

One of my novels (Waking the Princess) focused on 19^th c. archaeology and the search for Arthur. In the research, I skipped quickly through current archaeological sources to go straight for Skene, that old intellectual lion and armchair Indiana Jones, whose work on ancient Wales, the Matter of Britain, and the Celts is still rock-solid today, and still has radical aspects. His fascination and immersion with ancient British cultures reflected the interests of his own society in the hidden, the mysterious, the deliciously mystical and enchanted, and his work was a possible inspiration for Tolkein's academic and literary "story soup."

I’ve been researching fairy lore and Celtic myths again, something I often draw on for my stories. With the plethora of sources about fairy lore available, it’s hard to know where to begin. Going back to the oldest studies I can find makes sense, find the origins and the core versions of the magical stories my own fictional characters might have heard.

I’ve found some great antique fairy tale books too, tattered old bookshop discoveries or in lovely reprint versions—Thomas Keightly’s Fairy Mythology, Evans-Wentz’s Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries, W. B. Yeats’ fascination with fairies and Celtic lore; stories, myths, and superstitions collected by Lady Gregory and Lady Wilde; and Andrew Lang, a respected Victorian academic whose red, blue, green, orange, purple, pink fairy tale collections rank right up there with the Brothers Grimm.

When I’ve got real research to do and want to understand an area of history, the oldest books are the best. What great, unique sources for a fiction writer looking for authentic, delicious sources and inspirations for new stories.

Do you also have an obsession for old books, the older the better? Are your bookshelves sagging with beloved, tattered, faded and unique volumes? What is the pull of these beautiful, venerable old volumes? 

AAW: Word for 2023

Choose a Word for 2023:

by Mary Jo

Since 2022 is drawing to a close (already?!), it's time to think ahead about what we'd like in 2023. I've done this before here and in another group, but I think it's an interesting and mindful exercise to choose a word that can be a keyword or inspiration or talisman for the year ahead.

Do you want to EXPERIMENT and try something new? Learn to RELAX and let go of as much stress as you can? How about learning to FOCUS better? (That's a word I've claimed in the past!) Do you want to CLARIFY relationships or other elements in your life? Worth thinking about!

And the Wenches have been thinking about this!  Pat Rice is first:

I fear I very much live in the moment. Thinking or planning for a year doesn’t happen. Worse yet, I’m not inclined to meditation, inspiration, or reflecting on the past or future, possibly because I don’t believe I have much control over the events that most shape our lives. So I am hopeless at questions like these.

At best, I can plan for the events I want, and hope that eventually, the Fates will offer me opportunity. Does that constitute a keyword—opportunity? Once upon a time, I practiced writing, taught myself craft, wrote thousands of pages, and eventually, after years of sending out books, a new publisher decided to start a historical romance line and bought my book. I am not entirely certain opportunity encompasses all that.

 So I’ll simply choose the word ENJOY. While I’m wishing and hoping and plotting, I mean to enjoy the moment I’m in. If an opportunity to go out to lunch with friends interferes with my deadline, I’ll forget the deadline and enjoy the lunch because the chance might not come again.

Nicola on the Grand Tour!

Nicola here. Back in the 18^th century it was considered part of a gentleman’s education to take the “Grand Tour,” a trip through Europe with Italy as the main destination. The young, upper-class man of means and rank would set out, accompanied by a long-suffering tutor or family member, on this educational rite of passage and would return home supposedly with a greater understanding of classical culture and often with some works of art tucked under their arm.  The phrase “bear-leader” that you come across in Georgette Heyer originated with the poor tutor/chaperon/guardian who had to try to keep the youth out of trouble and instill some knowledge in him!

With the advent of mass tourism in the nineteenth century, these itineraries were opened up to the rest of us; women, families and those without a title (!) who would take a guide book along rather than a tutor. So, when we (my husband and I, to quote the late Queen) planned a holiday to Italy to see the Roman ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, we decided to take in at least a few other elements of the Grand Tour on our way - a journey through the Alps, some shopping in Milan and a stopover in Paris!

Support Your Local Drug Dealer

I’m pretty sure I’ve started writing a Regency soap opera. I’m not at all sure if this is a marketable direction, but my Muse is temperamental. After the pandemic isolation, she became a ghost of herself—which may be why I ended up writing about ghosts. But I wanted to go back and try my hand at writing straight Regency historicals again—and soap opera is what happened. I’m calling it a mystery, but that was only after I went back in and added clues and eventually came up with a dead body.

On Darkness

Anne here, pondering darkness. But first, a little story from my past. As a teacher, I took many kids away on camp. Many schools these days site their "camps" in warm, comfortable buildings, but some of the schools I worked at couldn't afford that, so we pitched a motley array of borrowed tents on the ground, under the sky. (The photo below was taken by my friend Fiona McArthur.)

Many of those kids had never been out in "the bush" as we call it here, generally meaning untamed country, the wilderness, often national parks, and early on, I discovered something that quite shocked me.

Having grown up in cities, and often on high-rise housing estates, the concept of the dark of night was completely unknown to the students. Wherever they went at home, there were security lights, and even where there weren't any (or they were broken), the general light pollution of the city ensured that they could still see, more or less.

Far from the city, camping out in "the bush" they were away from street lights, there was no light pollution and, if the moon was hidden by cloud, it was dark — completely, utterly dark. And for some of them, that was unexpected and quite frightening.

Fresh from the Oven!

Andrea here. The end-of-year holidays are upon us. And wherever and however family and friends gather, that usually means food. Lots of it! Sumptuous sweets abound (did someone say chocolate?) along with all manner of savory dishes and appetizers to tickle the tastebuds. But whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, one constant that always seems to be on the table, complementing both simple repasts and fancy feasts, is bread, the classic staff of life.

Now, as I happened to see an article this week saying that the classic French baguette had just been given UNESCO World Heritage status, and given that history and bread is a truly scrumptuous combination, I thought it might be fun to take a quick peek at the history of the baguette.

The bread has a simple but sublime elegance. It’s made of four ingredients—flour, water salt and yeast. Stick-shaped loaves were around in the early 18th century, but the baguette as we know it began to take shape around the time of the French Revolution. Bread, or rather the lack of a decent loaf, helped spark the uprising, and after the Republicans seized power, one of the new government’s decrees said, “There will no longer be a bread of wheat for the rich and a bread of bran for the poor. All bakers will be held, under the penalty of imprisonment, to make only one type of bread: The Bread of Equality.”

Making Plans . . .

Hi all, Anne here.

We Word Wenches are currently making plans for the blog in 2023, so let us know what you enjoy about the blog.

And if you have any suggestions, ideas, or thoughts about what you'd like more of in the blog, less of, new features, please make them.

I can't guarantee we'll follow them, but we will certainly seriously consider them.

Thank you.

 

Christmas Movies

Christina here. It’s December and the countdown to Christmas has started in earnest. For my younger daughter and me, that means watching seasonal movies. It’s part of our traditions and we try to fit in at least one a day. Finding them isn’t hard – there are entire channels devoted to them here in the UK (is it the same where you are?), so there’s plenty to choose from. Some of the streaming services have their own offerings too, so the difficulty is usually agreeing which one to watch.

The quality does vary though, I have to say. We started this year’s movie marathon with The Knight Before Christmas, which starred Vanessa Hudgens (of High School Musical fame) and Josh Whitehouse. It’s about an English knight from the 1300s who is magically transported to present-day America. (Why there? Who knows!) There he meets a high school teacher who is disillusioned by love since her ex cheated on her. Their meet-cute is that she almost runs him over, so she thinks he’s hit his head and is therefore imagining himself to be a medieval knight. She takes him in until he regains his memory, and of course, they fall in love. I didn’t have very high hopes for this film, which is just as well because OMG, the anachronisms! Not least of all, the fact that he can speak to a modern woman and they understand each other (apart from the odd “egad!”). As someone who writes time travel stories, I would have liked him to be a little more surprised by some of the things he comes across in the modern world, but he takes everything in his stride. I really hope no children watch this and think it’s based on proper historical details, but apart from that, it’s a bit of harmless fun and quite charming.