Monthly Archives: December 2012

Celebrating Christmastide

Christmastide (also Christmas or the Christmas season) is one of the seasons of the liturgical year of most Christian churches. It tends to be defined (with slight variations) as the period from Christmas Eve to the Epiphany. This period is also commonly known as the Twelve Days … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Celebrating Christmastide

Regency Era Lexicon – Now For “U” and “V”

union – short for a workhouse; usually built by a union of several individual parishes up – used in referring to moving toward London; used in referring to coaches (and later to trains) up – meant toward Oxford or Cambridge … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged | Comments Off on Regency Era Lexicon – Now For “U” and “V”

Trivia Facts about Christmas

**Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye starred in 1954’s White Christmas. But did you know that the movie was the first one to be made in Vista Vision? **The Philippines celebrated Christmas as long ago as 1280-1320 A.D. That was 200 … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Regency Era Lexicon – And Then There Was “T”

take orders – becoming a clergyman in the Church of England take silks – a barrister would wear a silk gown once he became the King’s Counsel (or the Queen’s Counsel) tallow – fat from oxen or sheep, which was … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, Regency era | Tagged , | Comments Off on Regency Era Lexicon – And Then There Was “T”

A Salute to My Grandfather

Today, December 16, would have been my late grandfather’s birthday. On December 16, 1902, Robert Eustace Miser was born. He passed in October 1984, one month prior to my son’s birth. If one was to ask about those who influenced … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Wimborne Minster’s Grandeur

Known locally as the Minster, Wimborne Minster is the parish church of  Wimborne, Dorset, England. The Minster has existed for over 1300 years and is recognised for its unusual chained library (one of only four surviving chained libraries in the world). The Minster, … Continue reading

Posted in British history, gothic and paranormal, legends and myths, real life tales | Tagged , | Comments Off on Wimborne Minster’s Grandeur

Body Snatching and Resurrectionists

Body Snatching was the removal of bodies from graveyards, usually for the purpose of using the corpses as cadavers for the 19th Century medical schools. Those who practiced body snatching were referred to as resurrectionists or resurrection-men. As opposed to … Continue reading

Posted in British history, gothic and paranormal, legends and myths, real life tales, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Manners in Regency England – How To Behave Like an Aristocrat

Regency Era manners were based on the conduct of the upper crust of Renaissance Italy, as well as 17th Century France. The fashions and the codes of conduct were influenced by both, but the Regency Period carved out a specific … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, Regency era | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

The Rame Head or Cornwall’s “Forgotten Corner”

Rame Head is a coastal headland, southwest of the village of Rame in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. The area plays a prominent role in my Regency romance, The First Wives’ Club, which recently received an honorable mention in SOLA’s Seventh Annual Dixie … Continue reading

Posted in British history, gothic and paranormal, real life tales, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Regency Era Lexicon – Continues with the Letter “S”

s. – the abbreviation for shilling (a shilling is a English silver coin worth twelvepence; 20 shillings = one pound) Sabbatarians – VERY strict observers of the Sabbath sack – a dry white wine from Spain St. Giles – a … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, Regency era | Tagged , , | 3 Comments