The Kings and Queens of England

The Kings and Queens of England by Nigel Cawthorne

My parents bought this book for me awhile ago, and I REALLY like it! I love studying about the Saxon kings, and I love both Queen Elizabeths, but it was also interesting to read about other monarchs that you don't hear about as much.

One thing, though: it's a more mature read (as in, teenaged + up... although I don't think anyone younger will be interested); the immorality of the monarchs + nobles is mentioned. Not inappropriate, just mature.

Anyways, if you love History, kings, queens, and England, go buy this book! :)

Sense and Sensibility 1995

I love this movie! Kate Winslet was perfect for the part of Marianne Dashwood.
It is the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, my favorite novel by Jane Austen. In case you aren't familiar with the story line, here's a summery from IMDb (here's the link):
"When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) in straitened circumstances. They are taken in by a kindly cousin, but their lack of fortune affects the marriageability of both practical Elinor and romantic Marianne. When Elinor forms an attachment for the wealthy Edward Ferrars, his family disapproves and separates them. And though Mrs. Jennings tries to match the worthy (and rich) Colonel Brandon to her, Marianne finds the dashing and fiery Willoughby more to her taste. Both relationships are sorely tried. But this is a romance, and through the hardships and heartbreak, true love and a happy ending will find their way for both the sister who is all sense and the one who is all sensibility." 


Here's my favorite scene:


Marianne is quoting Shakespere, Sonnet 116. Here is the full sonnet:

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved. "


Have a nice Saturday!
Celine

The Lady of Shalott

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot. Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott. "

Just a snippet of "the Lady of Shallot" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. You can read the rest here.

The castle ruins are Tintagel Castle's ruins, by the way. Quite a few folks believe the real King Arthur lived in Tintagel.

The painting is of the Lady of Shallot, the subject of the poem. This painting inspired the costume and row boat in the movie version of "The Lady of Shallot'. The website for the movie is here.

Random thoughts

Sorry to be so...well, random, but these are my favorite pieces of poetry right now.

Give me but one hour of Scotland,
Let me see it ere I die.
William Edmondstoune Aytoun


Now Nature hangs her mantle green
On every blooming tree,
And spreads her sheets o' daises white
Out o'er the grassy lea
Now Pheebus cheers the crystal streams,
And glads the azure skies;
But nought can glad the weary wight
That fast in durance lies.

Now laverocks wake the merry morn
Aloft on dewy wing;
The merle, in his noontide bow'r,
Makes woodland echoes ring;
The mavis wild ai' mony a note,
Sings drowsy day to reast
In love and freedom they rejoice,
Wi' care nor thrall opprest.

Now blooms the lily by the bank,
The primrose down the brae;
The hawthorn's budding in the glen,
And milk-white is the slae:
The meanest hind in fair Scotland
May rove their sweets amang;
But I, the Queen of a' Scotland,
Maun lie in prison strang.
(the first half of Robert Burn's poem "Lament of Mary, Queen of Scots.")

No voice divine the storm allay'd,
No light propitious shone;
When, snatch'd from all effectual aid,
We perish'd, each alone:
But I beneath a rougher sea,
And whelm'd in deeper gulfs than he.
(the last bit of "The Castaway",by William Cowper.)

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
(the first bit of "Light Shining out of the Darkness", by William Cowper.)

Well, I have even more that I love, but I don't wish to bore you. Maybe sometime soon I shall mention some other subject, other than poetry.
Celine

p.s. We put up our Christmas decor yesterday, and got the perfect tree picked out in record time: 5 minutes. I love Christmas, don't you?