Five Famous Love Stories
The act of writing itself is like an act of love. There is contact. There is exchange too. We no longer know whether the words come out of the ink onto the page, or whether they emerge from the page itself where they were sleeping, the ink merely giving them colour. —Georges Rodenbach, The Bells of Bruges (1855 – 1898)
A Tradition of Tea
In an era when the life expectancy was short, and the child mortality rate was high, the passing of time was keenly felt. Even the ordinary days were cause for celebration, and the little rituals of everyday life became a festivity in their own rite. Teatime was one such ritual…greatly anticipated and acknowledged religiously. Continue reading “A Tradition of Tea”
A Victorian’s Grand Tour
The itinerary was culture.
A debutante need be immersed. Her manners, tested. Her status, presented. In the Victorian era, young women traveled Europe to broaden their education. . . and marital prospects.
Follow our fictional friend Johanna on her Grand Tour.
The History of Osborne House
“It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot,” Queen Victoria once wrote of her holiday home, Osborne House. Continue reading “The History of Osborne House”
The History of Auld Lang Syne
Synonymous with New Year’s Eve, Auld Lang Syne imbues nostalgia while evoking a sense of belonging and fellowship.