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Today is Victoria Day. Yes, each year Canada celebrates Queen Victoria's birthday with a long week end and fireworks. We also have Canada Day for fireworks, and if I had my way we would have Guy Fawkes day as well!

Our baby bird is doing well, he/she is called Terradactyl, because that is what he/she looks like. The other eggs have not hatched, but at least one baby has survived so far. We are still using our back door and creeping around, but the mother bird is quite used to us, and spends quite a bit of time searching for food. We are thinking there is no daddy bird, but it is really hard to tell, because they look alike.

Big news, I have a cover for my next book. Always exciting and of course you will be hearing lots about it over the coming months as we move to release day.

We will continue our roam around Sherborne Castle on Thursday. Until then Happy Rambles.

Sherbourne Castle, Dorset

Robin update.
It looks as if we will only have one baby. The rest of the eggs are still sitting in the nest while our Mothers Day baby grows apace. He has a few straggly feathers and
we can still see right through his skin, but he is getting big. I have a feeling we only have a mommy bird, and not a pair. But we will see. I am going to try to sneak a picture next time she leaves the nest.

I apologize for being late today, but my internet was down first thing this morning and thus I got engrossed in my next project--yes the book after The Lady Flees Her Lord is already going full steam ahead, and by the time I looked up, here we were, nearly midnight and I had wanted to tell you all about our next stop after Kent.


We went to Dorset, Thomas Hardy country, and also once the home of Sir Walter Raleigh.

This house deserved more time than the afternoon we spent there, first because it has been in the Digby family since poor old Raleigh lost his head and secondly it has furniture from all down the ages.
So I am going to talk about some of it now, and again after my next visit, next year.The town of Sherborne itself is another place on my list
I know, already planning to go again, but there is just so much to see.

While it is called a castle, it is a manor house, originally a hunting lodge. In this second picture, you can see the face of the original lodge across the courtyard and one of the wings which was added later. but added in keeping with the original building, so it is hard to tell it is an addition.

Because we are focussing on the Regency, I am not going to get into much detail about poor old Sir Walter, who was beloved of Elizabeth the first - she gave him this lodge -- and charged with treason by King James I. He was int the Tower from 1603 to 1618 when he was beheaded and he forfeited his house to the crown, who then sold it to the family who owns it now.

Breathtaking history.

This house was a deer park, and still has deer in the park.

This is a view of the park, taken by me. As you can see, the weather while cool has improved dramatically from our snowy Easter weekend. Imagine having a view like that from your bedroom window.

I am going to stop here, because we will get to the Regency part of the house next day.

Until then, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency England IV

I am excited and nervous. My robin hatched a chick sometime overnight - didn't quite make Mothers Day. I do hope you all had a wonderful day. We spent the day at home, very much a family time. Now we are once more trying to think of ways not to use the front door.

Otford is another of those English villages in Kent that reminds us how rural England was in the Regency. Otford is a Kent village on the river Darent two miles north of Sevenoaks and twenty-five miles south east of London. The Pilgrim's Way passes through the village and its centre is the spring-filled duck pond. The pond is in fact in the middle of a modern day roundabout, when I am sure originally it would have been the village green.

One of the buildings facing the pond is chantry cottage dating back to 1150. Pilgrim's Way by the way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent.


Another feature of English villages in Kent around Sevenoaks is the oast house. They are farm buildings used for drying hops in preparation for the brewing process. They consist of two or three storeys on which the hops were spread out to be dried by hot air from a wood or charcoal-fired kiln at the bottom. The drying floors were thin and perforated to permit the heat to pass through and it escaped through a cowl in the roof which turned with the wind. The freshly picked hops from the fields were raked in to dry and then raked out to cool before being bagged up and sent to the brewery.


The earliest surviving oast house is that at Cranbrook near Tunbridge Wells which dates to 1750 but the process is documented from soon after the introduction of hops into England in the early 16th century. Early oast houses were simply adapted barns but, by the early 19th century, the distinctive circular buildings with conical roofs had been developed in response to the increased demand for beer. So very much a Regency era building for a very popular form of entertainment. Beer Drinking.

Hop picking by hand is a most labour intensive business and once the acreage began to grow it was necessary to bring in pickers from outside the immediate area. Oh, and while the hops were grown in fields they were called hop gardens.

The migration of town to country to pick hops continued for more than two and a half centuries – it is first mentioned in an Act of 1710. Ellis in his Modern Husbandman 1750 refers to a Kent grower who was providing a small hut or shed for his pickers furnishing it with wheat straw for bedding, and a cask of small beer ‘so that they may not lose time in a quest for drink’. Each morning he gave each picker a quartern (1/6 of a pint) of gin which he thought to be a preservative against the Kentish Ague that generally has the greatest power to seize those who live the poorest. Another Mr Ellis, a grower from Barming, the largest grower in Kent in the 1830s, employed between 3,000 and 4,000 pickers each year. Kentish Ague was in fact Cholera. Gypsies, who were migrant workers, also picked hops during Regency times.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency England III

We arrived in England just before Easter, and on Easter Sunday we went for a drive. I actually went to take photographs of primroses, but they were covered in snow. Still, it was a lovely day to drive around and the roads were quiet. We took the biways along the Dart valley.



You never know what you are gong to discover in England. In Kemsing, a small village, we sighted this house. It is called St Clere and from 1630, modernized in 1700. Much of the garden layout seems to date from early 18th century and features include: orangery, terraces, exotic plants, and a 19th Century kitchen garden. Sir John Sedley, who owned it during Cromwell's time was known at the time as ‘the hottest Parliamentarian in the county’.

This house then looks exactly as it did in the Regency. It is currently a working farm. One can walk on the estate on a prescribed route and if the weather is better next time I go, I certainly plan to do so. However, had we passed by when the trees were in leaf, we would not have seen it. And of course I had to spend quite a long time looking for information on it. This house is definitely going to end up in a story, along with the village.


The village of Kemsing also proved to be interesting. It was the birthplace in AD 961 of Saint Edith of Wilton; and one of the focal points of the village is St. Edith's Well. People used to come to this well for eye problems. The village church, which I picture here, Saxon in origin. I will make sure I visit it next time I am there.

Kemsing is another of those English villages that one cannot resist.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Regency Fashion for May

Fashion is one of my favorite part of this blog and with Spring well underway, we can
start to see the lighter fabrics. This is an evening gown from May 1811. It is so very classical, one could almost see a Roman lady wearing it. The white wrap gown with the gold scroll, or leaf edging is exceedingly simple in style. The cloak is draped from one shoulder and wraps around also. The turban is also typical of this time period. The square neckline would be exceeding difficult to wear I should think, but I do very much like her necklace. I also like the way her hair is curled to frame her face, softening the turban. The train is very long, and if she wanted to dance, she would need to pick it up. I can see this one going to the opera or the theatre.


I could not resist showing this next one with is from May 1812 from the Ladies Monthly Museum.

A real Andalusian dress, formed of a bodice of pink or rose coloured velvet with a puff sleeve of white satin; the rest of the dress being of the same materials and edged at the bottom a la Vandyke, and ornamented with tab fringe; the bodice is terminated in a jacket behind and edged with the same fringe as the dress; the stomacher crossed with white lacing, in braid, fastened at each lacing with a diamond or paste button; ridicule of rose or pink coloured velvet; white gloves and shoes of white with the quarters the colour of the bodice; ear-rings of plain pearl. The Sevigne curl is the most prominent fashion for the head dress.

While this is labelled as an afternoon dress it is described as an evening dress. I think it would do well for either.

In the same article, the Ladies Monthly Museum tells us quite strictly I might add:
"The ridicule is no longer worn except at the evening party; and the demi-botte, with gold fringe, is nearly exploded, from its inconvenience; it catches at the dress and causes the leg to be shown in an indecorous and inelegant manner." This last I believe refers to half-boots.

Well that was fun. More fashion next month, in the meantime we will continue on with some of my discoveries, earlier this spring.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Flora and Fauna of Regency Britain - May

May 1. Spring has sprung. So much so that this morning I was trapped. I could not move out of my front door for fear of disturbing the robins who have made a nest in the flower pot outside my front door-four pretty blue eggs so far-or move around my kitchen for fear of disturbing the cardinals visiting my feeder.

But what of spring in England.

As always, we consult the naturist first. "The goatsucker, orfern-owl (caprimulgus
Europaeus), (nightjar or nighthawk or Jar-owl (old form of nightjar) makes its appearance only in the dusk of the evening, to search for prey, uttering a dull jarring noise caused by wind rushing out of the sides of it's mouth as it hunts.
Okay, who can resist that kind of sentence.The name goatsucker is based on an ancient belief that these birds fed on goats' milk by night, but their presence near such animals was no doubt due to the insects attracted by the goats. The stuff of nightmares here. Another interesting thing about this bird is that it sits along the branch, parrallel to the limb, rather than at rightangles the way most birds do. And as you can see from the picture, it is not really an owl, although it does feed at dusk and during the evening.



Another bird remarked upon by the naturlist is The spotted fly-catcher (muscicapa grisola), the most mute and familiar of all our summer birds, builds in a vine or sweet-briar, against the walls of a house, or on the
end of a beam, and sometimes close to the post of a door. Can you guess what caught my attention about this particular bird?




The horse chestnut comes into flower at this time, these are huge trees covered in conical white blossom. One will often find them planted as avenues on great estates, or even along roads. Sadly they are being devastated by a virulent bacteria at the moment, something like dutch elm desease.


About the commencement of this month, the flowers of the lily of the valley (convallaria maialis)

There are of course lots more. But you will have to wait until next May. Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency England II

And the winner is, Wendy Davis. Wendy, you take home a copy of Brides of the West. I will be in by email touch real soon!


Back to Knole Park. One thing I should mention. Quite often the family lived in simpler apartments just as they do today in fact. This door looks like a secluded entrance. I wonder where it goes.

I often wonder what it must be like to live in one of these great houses.

The rooms we see as visitors are usually State rooms or show rooms, kept specially for important guests. Something like our parlors or best rooms, only used for special guests and containing all the best furniture. That is not to say they did not use them at all. The second floor galleries were great for ladies to walk in in inclement weather, and I shouldn't wonder if they weren't great for children to roller skate in, or for bike riding in more recent times. In fact, I do recall the current Prince of Wales mentioning roller skating in Windsor Castle.

On the topic of furniture and fittings, Knole is a treasure trove. Knole was mostly unoccupied since the end of the seventeenth century and the furniture remained as was, under dust covers. Unfortunately one cannot take pictures.

Most of the rooms have dark wood paneling. The great hall's floor is black and white tile laid in a diamond pattern, pretty much as you will find in Hugo's great hall, in my new book, The Lady Flees Her Lord, out in October 2008. It still has its screen, the wooden wall which blocked the view to the kitchens, and a dais, where the lord and lady would eat in early times. It would only have been used for parties in the Regency era, and if you have read No Regrets, you will know that Lucas rode his horse through the great hall.

This bedroom dates back to the 1620's and gives you a sense of the quality of what you can see at Knole House. One fascinating piece of equipment is the hundred-eye-lantern. They are cylinders pierced with holes in which candles were stood to prevent accidents, throwing a patten on the walls and ceilings which give rise to their name. The tapestries are mid 17th century Flemish verdure and the capet is English turkey-work, so now you know what is referred to in a book that cites a Turkey carpet. The chairs look quite uncomfortable with those heavily carved strings, but I expect they used cushions, don't you. I also really like that little table with the washing bowl. Reminds one of the lack of running water. Although that was becoming more prevalent in our era.

There were also examples of x-frame chairs, and early couches or setees, both terms are ancient. Stools were also much in evidence in the bedrooms. Beechwood was commonly used for furniture

One also finds early nineteenth century Worcester china in the house, though much of the porcelain is French, Sevres and Vincennes acquired in the late eighteenth century.

Another room of interest was the billiard room on the second floor off one of the long galleries. The ivory tipped cues are a curved stick, called maces, something like a hockey stick, and the balls were pushed through a hoop rather than struck.

Straight cues came into being in 1800. So it might be not be rare to find this old game at a country house, as well as the newer version.

The table has an oak base, making it not exactly flat! The next picture is of the nineteenth centurey version. Just look at that huge table!

A sad story -- the balls were made of wood or of ivory. Only female elephant tusks could be used because of their smooth grain, and it took one elephant to make six balls. I must say I did not feel too happy about that one. I'm pet crazy. Right now we can't use our front door, because a robin has built a nest in the flower planter on the wall right next to the door.

I hope some of these artifacts give you an idea of Knole and if you ever have a chance to visit, please do. You will not be disappointed.

Well, Thursday is May 1, and we will start the month with our usual articles on fashion and flora and fauna. Then we will return to our search for Regency England.

I will be putting out my newsletter in a few days. If you are not subscribed and would like to be so, now might be a good time. this link is on the side bar.

Until next time. Happy rambles.

Searching for Regency England

Well RT was fun. I had a sign up for a draw for a free book and I will be posting the winner's name on Monday. In the meantime, I want to start sharing all the sights I collected on my last research trip to England, Wales and Jersey.

Before we start, one piece of big news. I have seen my cover for my next book! And it's gorgeous. The moment I am allowed to give you a sneak peek, I will.


Let's get ready to ramble!! (couldn't resist): The first place we visited, after the snow, was Knoll House. This house is in Seven Oaks, in Kent, not very far from where I grew up. This was not my first visit, I went there with my now husband when we were courting. I think this time it made a much greater impression.

This first picture is from 1880, but as I compare it to my picture from a similar angle, the only thing missing is the cars! The house belongs to the Sackville family, who still live there, with the National Trust owning the house itself, and the family still owning the estate and gardens. The estate is a 1000 acre deer park. And although many trees were lost in 1987 in a great storm, it is still beautiful. Here is a picture of some of the deer.


Knole house is pretty well as it was in the seventeenth century. Yes, I do mean the 1600's. This means it is very rare and very beautiful. It also means that it looks the way it did during the Regency.

Reading the history of the house and it's inhabitants, one comes to realize that the Regency era was the least auspicious for the family and the house. The 3rd Duke of Dorset, a true Georgian era rake, and well worth a story one of these days, married and had a son only nine years before his death. His son, the 4th Duke and our Regency Duke, died months after he came of age in a hunting accident in Ireland. Accounts of his youth, make it sound very lonely and unhappy.

This is him, George, his father died when he was eight in 1799 and he had only just come of age when he died in 1815. So much for the glamorous life. Still, I bet he had fun as a teenager.



This sketch gives a good idea of the layout of the house itself, which is magnificent, and the following picture of a section of the Green Court, which is surrounded by low buildings on two sides and entered through the magnificent archway. It is just so seventeenth century, one can almost imagine Elizabeth the first arriving here -- or Prinny for that matter. The house is a series of courtyards, all leading towards the great hall.




One of the things I noticed on the inside of the house, was the thickness of the internal walls. When you move from one room to the next, that wall thickness creates a short passageway, only a step or two, but way grander than our doorways which are only a few inches thick. They are usually lined with ornate oak paneling and of course there are doors at both ends. Quite often they are very low and one has to duck.

Much of the furniture dates back to the seventeenth century and I will try to describe some of it in my next blog.


One of the custodians pointed out a building outside of the house, and said it was a gaol where workers who misbehaved - stealing, drunkenness - were kept until the next assizes. Only trouble was, the owner of the house was the judge.

The other thing that is beautiful about this house are the galleries. Most houses dating back to this period have them. They were used as connecting corridors from one major part of the house to the other, usually a side wing of the courtyard. They were also great inclement weather and exhibiting family portraits. This particular gallery is known as the Brown gallery, is Jacobean and is in one of the earliest parts of the house.


There you have it. A glimpse, a very small glimpse of a very grand house. Until next time, happy rambles.

Romantic Times Conference 2008

I just returned from the Romantic Times conference last night. I found Pittsburg, what I saw of it, a very beautiful city downtown. The river ran right past the hotel and the opposite bank is so high the locals call it a mountain.

The highlight of this conference for me was of course the booksigning and meeting old and new friends whereever I went. I signed No Regrets, which you all know was my American Title finalling book for the 2006 contest. I sold out!!!! squeeee!!!!

I was especially grateful to the ladies who bought my book including booksellers and those who brought my book from home, what a humbling experience. I am also grateful to Rebecca York, a very gracious lady, who was my only signing companion, since I was the last person on the list, and we chatted throughout the four hours of the signing.

I severely damaged my car while driving around Pittsburg looking for the hotel, losing the bottom door panel of the car when I made a tight turn and hit a very high curb. I heard it go clunk, but there was no stopping in the middle of such a busy city. It wasn't until I got to valet parking that I saw what I had done. A huge strip of skirting gone from my beautiful grand prix.

As you can imagine, I was so mad at me. And kept thinking about that big piece. Maybe I should find it. But I didn't have a clue where it had happened by the time we had driven around the down town twice. But I couldn't let it rest. So I put on my running shoes and walked the nearby streets.

Well I finally found it. Some kind person had picked out of the road and put it against a building on the sidewalk. It was at least six foot long, but made of fibreglass, so I picked it up and marched back through the fancy downtown core of Pittsburg with it under my arm, trying to look as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Lord knows what the valet guys thought when I calmly asked them to put it in my car, which of course had disappeared to who knows where valeted cars go. But he smiled sweetly, and said yes ma'am and leaned it against his booth.

And I marched into the hotel with cheeks blazing. Anyway when I told my husband what I'd done, I was able to announce with some pride that I had the missing piece. No, I'm not going to tell you what he said. lol. Actually he was much calmer about it than me.

After such an inauspicious start, the rest of the conference was great. Busy. But very enjoyable. I met lots of old friends and made some new ones who I hope to meet again, either here or on line.


I had lunch with writers I admire very much, Gaelen Foley and Barbara Pierce. Both historical writers and both of them were getting awards and I met them in the line up for lunch and they asked me to join them.



My critique partner Molly O'Keefe received an award for best superromance of the year, so that was a thrill and thoroughly deserved might I add. Here she is making her acceptance speech.



There was so much packed into four days, I can't really begin to tell it all in such a short space. But I did want to share the flavor of it all with you. I guess I will leave you with one more image, the blue fairies! This is me and Helen Scott Taylor the latest American Title winner at the Fairy Ball. Who said writers are introverts?

I will announce the winners of my draw for a copy of Brides of the West on Thursday. Until then, Happy Rambles.

Flora and Fauna of Regency Britain - April

One thing it does in England in April, it snows. It snowed over Easter at the end of March and again on the day we left in April. So that is one thing to keep in mind, while the grass is green and the fruit trees were in blossom, they were covered in snow.

The Naturist from 1817 has this to say about April.

Many and lovely are the flowers which are showered, in profusion, from
the lap of April which adorn our fields, at this time:Among them are the checquered daffodil (fritillaria meleagris); the primrose; the cowslip (primula veris); the cuckoo flower (cardamine pratrensis); and the hare-bell
(hyacinthus non scriptus). The yellow star of Bethlehem (ornithogatum
luteum) in woods; the vernal squill (scilla verna) among maritime
rocks; and the wood sorrel (oxalis acetosella), are now in full flower.

I certainly saw primroses on all the banks. They are a protected flower. I also saw cowslips and daffodils aplenty.

Indeed the first picture through the window, is of daffodils in the snow. And the second a bank on the roadside covered in primroses. I realize as I type this, that both of these flowers are yellow.




So to complete the picture for April, I will show you a cowslip. Now it is an odd name for a wild flower, but it is a pretty flower and a countrified name. Perhaps more importantly are its herbal qualities. It is used medicinally as a diuretic, an expectorant, and an antispasmodic, as well as for the treatment of headaches, whooping cough, tremors, and other conditions. However it can have irritant effects in people who are allergic to it. It was also made into wine.

Willow trees start to show their green leaves, as do birch trees at the beginning of the month. The larger trees come into leaf by the end of April when wild violets also appear.

And that is it for this week, except to show you what Toronto looked like when we left for England. Teaser was not impressed when he tried to go for a walk.

Until next time, when I will be sharing some of the sights I visited on this last trip, Happy Rambles.

Regency Fashions for April

I had a wonderful time in England and Wales searching for signs of Regency England, to share. I will be at Romantic Times next week. I will sign No Regrets. I do hope you will drop by. Now we need to take a peek at what our Regency lady would be wearing in April. By the way, we had snow in the south of England! Yes, and enough for the folks to drag out their toboggans. Not that they got more than a slide or two before they hit mud. Anyway, more of that later.

Regency Fashions for April


I chose this image because it not only has a lady, but it also has men. We do not often get fashion plates of our Regency gentlemen. Unfortunately, I do not have a description, I only have the year, which is 1809. Just a little before the actual Regency, but noteworthy are the frill on the shirt of the man on the left. Also note, he is wearing a chapeau bras, literally "hat arm", a hat he could flatten and tuck under his arm when indoors. He is very much dressed for the morning call. The other gentleman looks as if he is dressed for riding, with his boots and buskin breeches and of course that wonderful plaid waistcoat peeking out from his coat. Note the pin in his cravat and the fobs hanging from their pockets. The brushed forward hairstyle is typical of this era.

And what of the lady, you might ask. Well I would say, this is an afternoon dress. she is wearing the classic high-waisted white muslin, with just the smallest amount of embroidery around the hem, but the train suggests to me that it would not do well for walking, especially not in rain and wind and snow, although the coat, which is quite short is quite lovely and certainly would get her from the carriage to the house. Her bonnet is very plain, almost more like a cap to be worn under a bonnet. I could certainly see using this as a gown one of my heroines might wear.

These are from 1812 and again we are missing the magazine descriptions, but they are so lush I wanted to show them. This is an afternoon gown and and morning gown. The latter is clearly intended for walking given the length. The heavy shawl and closely buttoned spencer with its warm looking trim indicate that cool weather is to be expected.

The afternoon gown is blatant in its classical origins, right down to the bracelet around her upper arm. The cap sleeves with inserts of lace which make the drape are quite delightful, in my opinion. I do wonder about the hair ornament though. It is supposed to represent a crescent moon, but I think it might poke out an eye if one bowed ones head at just the wrong moment.

That is all from me for this time. We are going to have some flora and Fauna, next Thursday and then we will be back on track and I will start posting my the pictures from my Travel. Until next time, happy rambles.

The Regency English Village - part of the second

Later today I am off to England to gather more pictures and to research more stuff, all of which I will share with you.

Last time I wanted to talk about a little village I pass by on the way to Old Sarum. So little, I didn't find a name. The only sign said "Ford" not suitable for motorized traffic. Needless to say we turned the car down there straight away.

We drove down hill by way of a twisty lane with high hedges, always fearing we might meet a car coming the other way. But my sister is an ace and did very well.

This is a picture of the road ending and then starting again. When we were there the water was high, and we definitely would not put a car through there. But one could imagine a horse and cart slowly making its way through the stream. And you can see the walkway, a bridge, for those travelling on foot these days.

Fords were important during our period. Many of the old medieval towns were built at places where the river could be forded - crossed. Oxford is an example that springs to mind. Mainly because I lived there as a child and had the whole concept explained to me by my mother. Stockbridge, which we saw last day, would have started as a ford, a narrow shallow place where the river could be crossed, but because of the marsh, it quickly became a "bridge".




These next two images show you where the river goes on each side of the ford. My guess is that the building once served as a mill. Or if it did not, then at one time a mill might well have stood here. You can see how fast the water runs out of the building, when the rest of the river looks quite sluggish.

Oh and don't forget - this is January. How green the grass and dotted with mole hills too.

As I say, I love fords, I saw one up by Hadrian's wall and my naughty mind has been playing with a story ever since. I posted a picture of one located in Kent last year, I beleive. I guess to me it is wonderful to see that the car hasn't taken over the lanes and byways in their entirety and we can still get a sense of what it might have been like to travel through the English countryside.

I used a ford in my first book, for a major conflict in the story. I am sure I will find a way to include one again.
This last picture shows a typical view of a stream running down the side of the road, into the river crossed by the ford. I lived in a village that had a stream just like this one, a home to tadpoles and newts and other water loving creatures. Of course, this can create some problems in your house, if the banks overflow! But that is a story for another day as are the pictures of my visit to Abbotts Ann, another wonderful village in Hampshire.

For the next little while I will pop in and tell you about my travels. Then we will get back to normal programing and Flora and Fauna for April and our beloved fashions.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

The Regency English Village

We all love those wonderful stately homes that dot the English countryside. I simply cannot resist them. And more of them will appear on these pages. But they are always set against a backdrop of solid English Yeomanry, the archers who won Crecy, the free men and women who worked the land, and their villages. The people who supported the great landowners, just as much as they were supported by them.

I love to wander around small English villages or Welsh or Scottish ones, depending on where I am. Of course, it is easy to spot the half-timbered medieval cottages and they truly make the countryside seem steeped in history. This past winter I visited a couple of country villages and I thought I would bring you some views of them.

Stockbridge, Hampshire

In case you are wondering why I selected this particular village, my great grandmother came from here, on my mother's side of the family. This is where we held mother's eightieth birthday celebration five years ago.

This view was taken in 1890.

Interestingly enough, Stockbridge was another of those rotten boroughs. But what I really found fascinating was the way the River Test runs through the middle of the village, in a series of five streams, because the area is marshy. It runs along side the main street, where there is a duck pond, and between the houses. It seems that the village was built on top of the river as you walk around it. In fact it was. A very wide bridge, first made of withies, or bundles of sticks, and later made of chalk, perhaps by the Romans lifted the village above the marsh.


This picture was taken from the main street up the side of one of the shops.



This next one was from the back of the Three Cups Inn. Every garden had a little channel beside it. And this next one is the duck pond. It is right beside the main road.





By the late 18th century Stockbridge had become a busy market town on one of the South's main east-west roads. This would be our era. It was common to see herds of cattle, perhaps 200 - 300 in size, being driven through on their way from Wales usually to London or to victual ships in Portsmouth or Southampton. Drover's House, with its old Welsh writing on the walls saying 'Seasons Hay, Rich Grass, Good Ale, Sound Sleep',reminds us of those times.


We ate lunch in a 16th century coaching in, the same kind of inn characters in my books might have stopped at.


Well, that is one of our English villages, there are many more. Next time I will show you another of those fascinating fords. I love fords.

Until next time Happy Rambles.

Sights in Regency England - Old Sarum

I know that Old Sarum is not of the Regency era (just in case you were wondering), but it was a sight to be observed during the period.

I have visited the ancient city Salisbury, but never Old Sarum. Orginally a hill fort, then a roman military camp, a principle saxon town, then a Norman castle and later a cathedral it was notorious in Regency times.

By the nineteenth century the village was uninhabited yet still entitled to a member of Parliament, and therefore was the most notorious rotten borough of the period.

The picture is by Constable in 1829, so this is what it would have looked like to a Regency traveler.
This next picture is from 1845 by Charles Knight.
This picture was taken by me, showing some of the excavations undertaken to expose the remains of the walls from the castle that once stood on this site. Of interest is the fact that much of what are called "walls" are in fact the core of the walls, the dress stones having been taken away over the centuries and used for other purposes. The other thing is of course the green green grass.

The last picture and I took many, but basically they are more lumps of stone which don't mean much to anyone but me, is a view north from the top of the hill. It was lovely to look out over the English countryside and feel alone with nature.



So when you are thinking about what people would see during our days of old, don't forget there were these old monuments -- not always excavated, but many known about. They can make an interesting back drop to a story.

Regency Fashion For March

What were they wearing in March during the Regency? Well As usual, I have a couple of treats for you.
I did want to tell you about my exciting news - if you haven't heard already. No Regrets was nominated by Foreword Magazine for the Book of the Year Award. Now we have to wait for the result, but just being nominated is an honor.

Now to our March Fashions, my favorite part of the month, with thanks and acknoledgements to Moonstone Research and Publications. See the link in the sidebar. This bit of elegance is a morning dress or a carriage dress from 1811. It is quite lovely, in my opinion. And very suitable for the blustery winds of March.

LA Belle Assemblee describes it as follows:

"A bias corded muslin dress, a walking length, with long sleeves, made high in the neck, with collar; buttoned down the front of the waist with narrow lilac satin ribband. Sash tied in a bow in front; a border of plain muslin, or lace, round the bottom. A square of lilac satin, with richly embroidered border in white silk, and tassels to correspond, is thrown over the shoulders in the form of a shawl, and is cut down the back to give it a more easy and graceful appearance about the figure. A simple white chip hat, tied round the crown in a bow in front of lilac satin ribband. The hair in full curls over the forehead. Pearl earrings. Gloves and shoes of pale lemon, or lilac coloured kid."




These next two are from the Ladies Monthly Museum. A morning gown and an evening gown as you can see. Very ornate, already losing the classic drapery of the fashions above, they show heavy trim around the hem. The lacy overdress on the evening gown is beautiful, with a lace edging and the wavy hem trimmed with tassles is a lovely effect for the underskirt.

The crown of roses for the evening gown must have made this young lady walk with great trepidation. It would be like having a book on your head I should think. Worse than any up-do we suffer through these days.


This last is from 1810 La Belle Assemblee. To me these almost look like two versions of the same gown using different fabrics.

Evening Full Dress.
A white satin round dress, with half yard train, laced up the back and seams with gold twist, ornamented round the neck with a full twill of frosted stain or white crape, and down the front and at the wrist with gold braiding, and small drop buttons. It is made to sit high on the neck; cut to a point in the centre of the bosom and back: a gold band encircles the waist. A white satin Emsdorf helmet trimmed with gold, ornamented with two white craped ostrich feathers. White satin shoes embroidered with gold; white kid gloves; gold necklace and ear-rings; cornelian brooch. The hair dressed in ringlets on each side of the face, with a long Theresa curl falling over the left shoulder.


Second Evening Dress
An India muslin train over a white satin petticoat. A bodice of green velvet, ornamented at the seams with gold braiding, and trimmed round the neck with a twill of green crape or velvet. A Spanish cap, with green craped ostrich feathers.


Personally, I am not keen on the Emsdorf helmet, but is apparently fashioned after the helmet worn by the 15th light dragoons who defeated the French at Emsdorf in 1760. So I assume it had a patriotic attraction.

Well that's it for my rambling today. Hope to see you next time.

Flora and Fauna of Regency Britain - March

Spring is definitely around the corner for those of us who live in the north part of the northern hemiesphere, but it does seem to be taking its time. Finally, today wehad rain instead of snow, but there is still about afoot of crunchy white stuff on my deck.

March in England. Interestingly enough, I was in my critique group last week and one member said, Oh, you've got a problem here, you have green fields and bare trees. Yes. I said. Thenrealized, that here in Canada, Toronto, our fields are not green in the winter.

I wonder how many readers will be puzzled by that little fact? I don't see how I can go off on a tangent to explain, but I think that this shows why I do these Flora and Fauna columns.

Anyway, the picture above and to the left is the spire of Salisbury Cathedral, taken by me on January 6 2008 across the green fields and showing naked trees. I know, not March, but I think it illustrates the point. I will have some more photos of my January trip later in the month.

As usual, we will take and look and see what our naturalists diary says for March during the Regency period.

One of the thing I recall as a child were the tiny green shoots in the hedgerows in March. The naturist tells us that gooseberry, currant, elder comes into leaf on March 11. My, how precise! But I think this was a one year observation, but you get the general idea.



At the beginning of March, the hedge-sparrow commences its chirping note, as indicative of the approach of the pairing season. A hedge sparrow is different to other sparrows, only in that it has a very tiny beak. It is also known as a dunnock. It looks very much like a house sparrow, but is in fact a completely different family.

And of course March is when we see daffodils. Daffodils were brought to England by the Romans and immortalized by William Wordsworth in 1804. And what better herald of spring with their bright colors.

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

What more can I say, after that. Until next time--Happy Rambles.

Regency Bath - Part VII

Bath is a very hilly city and the higher up the hill you lived the more you were in with the in crowd. Poor Jane Austen. Her family's fortunes slowly went downhill. When they first moved to Bath they lived in Syndney place, a relatively new house. After her father's death they moved down the hill to Gay Street and finally settled in Trim Street. Definitely coming down in the world.
This is Trim Street today. As you can see not one of the beautiful sweeping Terraces, like the Paragon Buildings where the Austens stayed with their relatives.






I thought you might enjoy this view of the colonade, since it includes the Regency gentleman from the Jane Austen center. He hands out leaflets down by the pump room and I couldn't resist taking a picture of him.


And this is a plan of Georgian Bath, as you can see it was much smaller then.

Members of the ton and lots of other people too traveled from London to Bath in this period to take the waters, so I imagine that the population swelled in the summer months.

For the cost of one pound one shilling, one could travel on Mountain's Bristol and Bath and London Post-Coach from the Greyhound (an inn), Market Place Bath to the Saracen's Head, Snow Hill in London. You would leave Bath at 4 pm in the afternoon and arrive at 8am the next morning, well guarded and lighted all the way. It was only fifteen shillings, if you traveled on the roof.

Finally, I wanted to remind you that Bath is a very old city. The wonderful buff-colored sandstone buildings were new in the Regency era. They were Georgian and they were classically styled as we discussed in the very first blog on this topic. However Bath was a Roman City and we saw a little of their baths, and a medieval city. And I was thrilled to find this reminder of that ancient time in the center of the town. The remains of the medieval wall. I could not help but run my hand over it and imagine knights in armor trotting past.




Oh, and we did have supper at Sally Lunds, the home of the Bath bun. The dinner was excellent, I would highly recommend it, and the people were exceeding friendly and made us very welcome. Since it was the last time I went out for dinner with my mum it will always remain close to my heart.

And that is it. No more Bath from me, though I could have gone on for weeks I promise this is the last I will have to say about Bath for sometime to come. Next week will be March and we will begin with Flora and Fauna and Fashion and then move on to a new topic.

Until then, happy rambles.

Big and Beautiful - Musings

To some, until recently that might have seemed like an oxymoron, but more and more we are seeing a change. No more are we satisfied with the catwalk thin models. And that Dove video that showed us a digitally altered perfectly beautiful young woman and how it was impossible for any human to aspire to that image. Some stores are even refusing to carry the very small 'model' sizes any more.

All of this played into my idea for No Regrets and a heroine who was not the slender beauty expected in her day and she worried about it.

Were they worried about weight in the Regency? Was “thin in” then?
Well just look at those gowns. Can you imagine how you would feel if you were well endowed? The beauties of the day...all thin, take Caroline Lamb. The caricatures of the day...happily ridiculed anyone who was overweight—the Prince Regent and his brothers, women falling downstairs. All the women in the fashion plates were pencil slim. You only have to browse through this blog to see it. They had fad diets too! Water biscuits and vinegar. Cold potatoes. Some of the men even wore corsets.

And the Prince of Wales, later King George the fourth rejected his wife because she was fat among other things.

How many of us have wondered, when we are the only person not invited onto the dance floor. What is wrong with me.Are we too fat, or too short, or not pretty. No matter how gifted we are, how kind, or generous, it is all about the packaging. Caro, my heroine, is tormented by the same kind of self-doubts.

I hope my book captures those feelings of insecurity, as well as provides a great read and after some serious trials and tribulations, a satisfying conclusion.

Night Owl Book Reviews
As a reader of historical romance I find it hard to give an author a 5, yet some authors get past me and make me believe in them. Michele Ann Young did this for me with No Regrets. I loved that she didn’t go with the usual heroine but created one who had faults and doubts about her beauty. Most of all is that she is not rail thin or with perfect vision. No, Caroline is your slightly overweight heroine who just wants what any good marriage should have and that is love. She is loyal to her friends and has vulnerability in her that only Lucas can help her with. These two characters were great to read Not only are the main characters great, but also the secondary characters were wonderful to read. What I liked most was that love does prevail above everything, making you believe that it still exists whether your thin, beautiful or even an average spirited person. Great job to Michele Young and can’t wait for more of your novels. 5/5

You can buy no Regrets at your local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com. When you have read it, write and let me know what you think at michele@micheleannyoung.com. If you would like a bookmark, or a signed bookplate, please write to me and give me your address.

Until next time, Happy Rambles

Regency Bath - Part VI

I hope that you don't mind me finishing this series. I want to do it while it is fresh in my mind. As I mentioned last time, the next place on our tour was the pump room
The baths in Bath, have been in existence since Roman times. But in the eighteenth and nineteenth century taking the waters, in other words drinking them, was also fashionable. It is very smelly water.

The Grand Pump Room was begun in 1789 by Thomas Baldwin. He resigned in 1791 and John Palmer continued the scheme until its completion in 1799. Today the pump room is a restaurant, and as you can see from my picture, it is just before Christmas. The pump itself is still there and for a nominal fee you can sip the water and cure whatever ails you. Oh, by the way, as I understand it three glasses were required.

Here are a couple of views of the pump room from closer to the Regency that you might find more evocative of the period. Evocative is my word for the week I think. I'm pretty sure I used it somewhere else in the last day or so.



The first picture is from 1798 and the second from 1805. It certainly looks elegant. I expected there to be more places to sit. I really liked the next one because you can see a the couple drinking the water and they are sitting. My picture of the pump as it is today comes next and a shot I took out of the window and down into the Baths, just because I thought it made an interesting view.




Much of the Pump Room now revolves around its modern day function as a restaurant, which of course did not please me at all. I would have much preferred to see people walking around in their long gowns. I really do think I was born in the wrong century.

My next set of pictures are just a few shots of Bath the city, and I will finish those up next time. And we will move on to something else after that.

Until then, Happy Rambles.

Regency Bath Part V -

I hope you all had a happy Valentines Day and are not suffering from chocolate withdrawal. Romance writers love chocolate, but I managed to escape eating more than a couple of pieces.

Last day we took a peek at the evirons for February, but now we are back to Bath. Of course, by now you will realize I am cheating. I use the tags on the blog to keep track of my research and my pictures, as well as pass along what I hope is interesting information. I decided to do Bath in depth as I am planning a story set there. So many stories to write, never enough hours in the day.

Assembly Rooms Cont'd
The rest of the Assembly Rooms, the basement, is =devoted to a fashion museum. On the occasion we visited, it was fashion through the ages, rather than a Regency display, but I did manage to take a couple of pictures you might find of interest.



As you can see, this picture was taken through glass. With permission, I might add. But it is an 1815 muslin gown, so typical of our period I just could not resist. While it has long sleeves it is very light and airy and would have been considered a morning gown. The male navy blue wool coat in the back ground is from the 1830's, so a little bit late, but men's fashions did not change much, except for the trousers, which you can see quite clearly. Men were wearing trousers in the Regency era, but by the 1830's they had replaced pantaloons and breeches almost entirely, except for formal wear.

This light green Woven silk pelisse is from 1807. The curator's notes indicates that a pelisse was the first "coat" and that during this period most people mostly still wore shawls. She also noted that cloaks, capes and mantles were also fashionable during this period. I love cloaks. I adore a man in a cloak, in my imagination, the way it swirls around his body, making him look tall and mysterious. Shiver.
What can I say, I am a romance writer!!

Anyway back to Bath!

The last terrible picture I want to show you is of a coin purse from the 18th century, that would also have been common during the Regency.
Now this is clearly a display of handbags down the ages, or purses or pocketbooks as they are called in North America. But the item that I was interested in was the long black thing hanging over the stand at the front with gold tassels. Sorry for the blurriness but conditions were less than ideal. Anyway how this worked was that there was a slit in the middle of the woven black fabric through which one would insert coins. Then, to stop them falling out one pushed the rings at each end together, so it pretty well looked like the coin rolls we use at the bank today.

Personally, it doesn't look terribly convenient, but with the lack of zippers and other fastenings, I am sure it was helpful in keeping one's change together and handy.
This one is 'very fancy', as my oldest daughter would say, and probably used for evening wear. I am sure there were more everyday types, but it is the fancy ones that are more likely to survive. I mean, my beaded evening bags are all wrapped and put away and dragged out for special occasions, my everyday purses are only fit for the dumpster when I am done with them. So you can imagine which ones will end up being around for future generations to look at. And they will think we all walked around clutching little tiny bags covered in glitter and beading with room for a lipstick and a comb.

Except of course we have so many more records of our day to day lives, they won't be fooled at all.

Well, that's it for the assembly rooms. Moving on to the pump room next time, if you can stand it. And I am going to try to scan a map of Georgian Bath for you. Oh, and by the way, my newsletter went out this week, with a story about Prinny. If you haven't signed up and want to do so, then do it in the next day or so and I will send you this last issue as a bonus.

Until next time, happy rambles.