These rowdy, carnivalesque capers, and all this wild costuming, are about defiant displays of unreason, at odds with the dreary drone of the “voices of authority.”
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The tranquil village of Lower Slaughter and the River Eye that winds through it. Gloucestershire, England
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Since we are in Derbyshire we must stop by Chatsworth House, which is basically impossible to reach by public transport, but possibly worth hiring a car. (jojo77 on flickr) #places I always mean to...
Welcome to the 6th stop of Gaskell blog tour honoring her birth. 29th September 2010 marks the 200th anniversary. This celebration was launched by Laurel Ann at Austenprose and involves several bloggers you find listed at the end of this post. Each blogger is going to review Gaskell's beloved works or their adaptations. Join us on this celebration! Remember that each of us is going to post at midnight in her own timezone so you'll find new posts all day long! Living in Italy I'm one of the first. One lucky commenter will also win a copy of an unabridged edition of North and South by Naxos AudioBooks read by Clare Willie. That’s 18 hours of Margaret Hale and John Thornton sparring and sparking Gaskell’s most acclaimed work. You can visit all the blogs involved in any order and all comments during the contest will count toward your chance to win. Good luck ! Deadline to leave a comment midnight Pacific time on October 7. Winners drawn from names from all the post in the tour on Oct 8. CD Shipment to US and Canada, international download. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS GASKELL!!! NORTH AND SOUTH - TV MINISERIES (MY REVIEW) This task couldn't be more welcome. Laurel Ann asked me to review BBC North and South (2004), one of the best adaptations of a classic novel ever and one of my best favourites. I'm proud and excited, because this period drama is so unique to me! Can a TV series touch your heart and change your life? No? You haven't seen this one. I would have answered no myself before watching it , by chance, a couple of years ago. Unbelievable but true, this is what this miniseries did to thousands of viewers all over the world. If I had only suspected what a turning point BBC NORTH AND SOUTH, would be in my life... I would have watched it earlier! Instead, I saw it only in the summer 2008 and it , incredibly, actually changed my life. Exaggerating? Not a bit. I know the same happened to so many! Which other costume series had such an extraordinary response? Pride and Prejudice 1995, of course. But not many others. Entusiastic fans, hundreds of them, overwhelmed the BBC Drama message boards with messages about the drama and in particular, its hero. Soon the BBC had to set up a separate message board for the discussions. The phenomenon of so many women taking to an Internet message board for the first time because of their love for this programme became the subject of an article by Anne Ashworth in The Times. She wrote: The BBC Drama website contains the outpourings of hundreds of thirty and fortysomething women for this year’s romantic hero. He is John Thornton, the northern millowner in Mrs Gaskell’s North & South, recently serialised on BBC One. Thornton was played smoulderingly by the previously little-known Richard Armitage as a blue-eyed, dark-haired stunner, the Darcy de nos jours. On the messageboard, character and actor merge into one object of desire: RA/JT (from http://www.richardarmitageonline.com/) First of all, being Italian, I'd like to say that it has introduced many Italian people loving costume series to Elizabeth Gaskell's work, which is remarkable , both deep and delightful , but so little known. We don't even have an Italian translation of her North and South yet. It seems it is coming out soon, in 2011. It was definitely time! But let's go on with my task. As The Times wrote at the time of its broadcasting, North and South is "an intelligent, moving, thought -provoking and visually striking adaptation" of Elizabeth Gaskell 1855 novel. A passionate tale of love across the social divide with an unforgettable soundtrack by Martin Phipps. The story has been often compared to Pride and Prejudice, it has been defined "P&P with a social conscience". Richard Armitage, who brilliantly played brooding but charming mill owner John Thornton, said in his interview for The Story of Costume Drama (ITV) : "The landscape of N&S is incredibly grey and bleak and deliberately so. And then , in the middle of it , you've got this really beautiful blossoming romance ..." In fact, the dramatic drive of the story hangs on the chemistry between the central couple - privileged southerner, Margaret Hale, and northern practical-minded John Thornton. So casting was crucial. Margaret and Henry Lennox (John Light) By the end of a lengthy auditioning process, no match had been made! To find the two protagonists was not easy at all for the production. But , in the end, the choice of Richard Armitage as John and Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret was actually perfect. Nicholas Higgins (Brendan Coyle) and Mr Thornton Margaret and John at Marlborough Mills Daniela Denby-Ashe had not originally auditioned for the role of Margaret Hale but for that of Fanny Thornton, and was not sure she would be participating on the project, but the producers had been looking for the right Margaret for a long time and Denby-Ashe's "directness, energy and charm" as well as the chemistry she had with would-be co-star Richard Armitage proved decisive. Armitage himself had been the first actor to read for the role of John Thornton and even though his performance had impressed producer Kate Bartlett and casting director Jill Trevellick, they still had to see many other possible Thorntons. Three weeks after casting had begun, Trevellick decided to recapitulate the first auditions, realising that Armitage was "perfect". To recreate the Victorian era, Edinburgh was chosen as fictional town Milton. Filming also took place in Selkirk, Keighley and weaving shed at Queen Street Mill Museum in Burnley, home to 300 deafening Lancashire looms. The story contrasts the values, customs and traditions of the rural south and booming industrial north. It also explores the relentless search for profit and the suffering of mill work. The north is characterized by a grey smoky atmosphere while Helstone in the South is full of colours and light. Milton is grey and bleak Helstone is colourful and full of light It was adapted for television by brilliant Sandy Welch and directed by Brian Percival. Despite their initially low expectations, the BBC was surprised with the positive audience reception, which compelled them to release the series on DVD on 11 April 2005. Mr Hale (Tim Pigott-Smith) Mrs Hale (Leslie Manville) The plot ( from BBC DVD cover) As the daughter of a middle-class parson, Margaret Hale, has enjoyed a privileged upbringing in rural southern England. But when her fatheruproots the family, she's forcedto adapt to a new lifein Milton - a northern mill town in the throes of the industrial revolution. Margaret is shocked by her new surroundings - the dirt, noise and gruffness of the people of Milton. However, she saves her greatest contempt for the mill-owners. When John Thornton, charismaticproprietor of Marlborough Mills, becomes a "pupil" of her father, she makes her distaste for this vulgar and uneducated new class abundantly clear. Over time, Margaret's attitude towards the mill workers begins to changeand she joins their workplace struggles against poverty and disease. But will she ever change her view of their employers, in particular Mr Thornton who has become her admirer? Mrs Thornton, John's mother (Sinead Cusack) Fanny Thornton, John's sister (Jo Joyner) Some differences between the novel and the TV adaptation - Margaret never enters Mr Thornton's mill in the book and Mr Thornton doesn't hit any of his workers. The two events are instead in the first scenes after the Hales' arrival in Milton in the movie. - Sandy Welch's story, for example, begins and ends with the main character Margaret Hale travelling by train, which are not the starting and ending point of the novel (although Gaskell describes the Hales travelling from the South to the North by train) - some the main characters visit the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the series (not in the book) - after Mr Hale's death Margaret leaves Milton. In the novel Thornton suffers in silence and Margaret doesn't speak any special words to him nor give him any of her father's books (she gives his Bible to Higgins in the book) - Mr Bell's in the book is a different presence respect to the TV series: he doesn't take part in the Thorntons' annual dinner, he takes Margaret on a trip to Helstone but not to propose to her, he helps her to understand her feelings for Mr Thornton. In the book he dies suddenly , leaving Margaret unexpectedly wealthy but doesn't announce his going to Argentina, nor his being fatally ill as in the series. In the book Mr Bell reveals John Thornton the existence of a brother in the Hale family, Frederick, whose secret presence in town when Mrs Hale had been seriously ill had created troubles and misunderstanding in the relationship between Margaret and Thornton. -The final unforgettable scene (see montage above on the left) at the station in the TV series, a symbolical place half-way between Helstone and Milton, the South and the North, actually takes place in a more proper Victorian setting in the book: Margaret makes her business proposition to John Thornton in her cousin's house in London. Henry Lennox , who in the series finale watch the two lovers enviously from the train, in the book is the maker of Margaret and John meeting. He suggests to her to meet Mr Thornton for a business proposition but then disappears from the house leaving them alone ... Mr Thornton's mesmerizing look If you have seen it like me more than... once, I'm sure you will be able to understand my foolish passion completely! If you haven't seen it yet, I must warn you, you've missed the best emotions you can ever experience in front of a screen. Now to win a copy of North and South audiobook you should leave your comment and e-mail address : you may tell us either why this adaptation is special to you or, if you haven't seen it yet , if this post has helped you to make up your mind. ( for more details abot the giveaway see the introduction to my review) . Good Luck!!! Frederick Hale, Margaret's brother (Rupert Evans) Bessie Higgins, Margaret's friend (Anna Maxwell Martin) Now follow this link to the next blog on the Elizabeth Gaskell bicentenary blog tour by Stiletto Storytime TOUR SCHEDULE Biography 1.) Elizabeth Gaskell’s life and times: Vic – Jane Austen’s World Novels/Biography 2.) Mary Barton (1848) Book: Kelly – Jane Austen Sequel Examiner 3.) Cranford (2007) Movie: Laura – The Calico Critic 4.) Ruth (1853) Book: Joanna – Regency Romantic 5.) North and South (1854–5) Book: Laurel Ann – Austenprose 6.) North and South (2004) Movie: Maria – Fly High 7.) Sylvia’s Lovers (1863) Book: Courtney – Stiletto Storytime 8.) Wives and Daughters (1865) Book: Katherine – November’s Autumn 9.) Wives and Daughters (1999) Movie: Elaine – Random Jottings 10.) The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) Book & (1973) Movie, The Brontes of Haworth: JaneGS – Reading, Writing, Working, Playing Novellas 11. Mr. Harrison’s Confessions (1851) Book: Alexandra – The Sleepless Reader 12. My Lady Ludlow (1859) Book: Alexandra – The Sleepless Reader 13. Cousin Phillis (1864) Book: Alexandra – The Sleepless Reader Resources 14.) Your Gaskell Library – Links to MP3′s, ebooks, audio books, other downloads and reading resources available online: Janite Deb - Jane Austen in Vermont 15) Plymouth Grove - A Visit to Elizabeth Gaskell’s home in Manchester: Tony Grant – London Calling “Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom.” Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters
View On Black Warwick Castle West Midlands, UK June 2009 All rights reserved ©
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Ely Cathedral from Bishops Garden
There's so much beauty in the world that it's difficult to capture it all, but Bristol-based photographer Martin Turner takes a go at it in his
Home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, since the 15th century, Chatsworth House is a living and working testament to how a major country house can become so much more than just a crumbling pile in which an aristocratic family live. Chatsworth has been lovingly cared for, restored and kept in wonderful condition. It is quite rightly one of the most popular historic houses in the country and any trip to the Peak District would not be complete without a visit. The Chatsworth story began with Bess of Hardwick in Tudor times, who was a forebear of the Devonshires, and continues now with Peregrine, the 12th Duke of Devonshire who inherited the title on the death of his father Andrew in 2004. For most of its life Chatsworth was - in its magnificent way - the physical embodiment of their wealth and status. It has also become a successful Hollywood star in its own right. It figured prominently in the 2005 film of Pride And Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. When Jane Austen needed inspiration for Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy, she had to look no further than Chatsworth which is actually referred to by name in her novel.The house had another Hollywood moment as an unlikely backdrop to The Wolfman, starring Anthony Hopkins. Keira Knightley returned to Chatsworth in 2008 to film The Duchess in which she played the part of Georgiana, the first wife of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. The house, set in expansive parkland and backed by wooded hills rising to heather moorland, contains a unique collection of priceless paintings, furniture, sculptures, books and other artifacts. Chatsworth has been selected as the United Kingdom's favorite country house several times. I hope you enjoy the tour!! Meet the man of the house: The present Duke of Devonshire cradling the fabulous Kniphausen Hawk, a 17th Century statuette made of silver and silver gilt and set with precious gemstones, which has been at Chatsworth since 1819. This extraordinary bird is said to have provided the inspiration for the priceless statuette at the heart of the intrigue in The Maltese Falcon, the 1941 movie which stars Humphrey Bogart. dailymail.co.uk It is arguably England's most handsome country house - Chatsworth, ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire --which has survived most impressively. In fact, it has not merely survived but has successfully recreated itself as one of the world's most extraordinary tourist attractions. www.hudsonsheritage.com Throughout the house, there are magnificent displays of paintings, furniture, silver, tapestries and porcelain and a gallery of neo-classical sculptures. www.countrylifeimages.co.uk The state drawing room at Chatsworth House with the 1st Duke of Devonshire's portrait, Delft pyramid vases and Mortlake tapestries. www.dailymail.com www.uktripper.co.uk Stunning frescoes in the Painted Hall at Chatsworth house. www.bbc.co.uk www.flickr.com The Chapel at Chatsworth www.timetravel-britain.com www.timetravel-britain.com The Library contains 17,000 volumes. www.flickriver.com The real deal: Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire Keira Knightley starred in the 2008 movie The Duchess www.uktourist.tv www.flickr.com One of the ornate bedrooms of Chatsworth House. www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk www.kto-to.de www.uktourist.tv The Dining Room at Chatsworth House is lovely anytime of the year...... www.bbc.co.uk especially at Christmas. www.kto-to.de www.kto-to.de www.flickr.com One of the fabulous ceilings www.flickr.com State Bedroom at Chatsworth www.places-to-go.org.uk The Sculpture Gallery www.theballroomblog.com Chatsworth House Maze www.flickriver.com The estate has many typical English gardens. www.culture24.org.uk The gardens are also host to a variety of contemporary sculptures. www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk Damien Hirst pieces at the Chatsworth House sculpture exhibition. The Cascade and Cascade House is a set of stone steps over which water flows from a set of fountains at the top. It was built in 1696 and rebuilt on a grander scale in 1701. In 1703 a grand baroque Temple or Cascade House designed by Thomas Archer was added at the top. It has 24 cut steps, each slightly different and with a variety of textures so that each gives a different sound when water runs over and down them. www.uktourist.tv Please visit my website at http://www.lisafarmerdesigns.com/ Click here to see the previous post! http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2013/03/decorating-rose-themed-interiors.html This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer
( The Tomb of the Earl and Countess of Arundel ) The tomb pictured above and referred to in the poem below is now located in Chichester C...
Play the music and enjoy the party. The time is always right for High Tea!! When the table is set and and scrumptious morsels abound, a tea party is ready that all you guests will be MAD about! tumblr Alice's tea party etiquette. A tea party is a great way to lift your spirits if you are feeling small and insignificant! What is a tea party without gorgeous goodies. I love this pretty pink and white tea pot filled with china inspired cake pops. tumblr Nothing can beat biscuits and jam! I love to set a table with mismatched tea cups and saucers. As long as they are well coordinated it works wonderfully and makes the table a bit more interesting. tumblr Well, she is off to paint the roses red ! And he is always forgetting his hat!!! One lump or two my dear. What a great setting for a tea party. tumblr Oh the burden of hosting the perfect tea party!! Tea tastes so much better served in beautiful cups and saucers. tumblr This reminds me of a scene from a Jean-Honor'e Fragonard painting Who doesn't enjoy a sip of tea? tumblr Another lovely spot for tea! tumblr And maybe a little innocent gossip...nothing malicious of course!! Perennial favorite...the silver tea pot! tumblr Wouldn't you love to have been a guest for High Tea at this table? I do wish all my new friends could join me for tea. For now I hope you enjoy the post and please visit again! tumblr Visit my website at www.lisafarmerdesigns.com Click here to see the previous post! http://eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2012/06/multi-talented-iris-aphel.html This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer
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Who doesn’t love a great Irish saying? Here are a few of my favorites: Please share, and visit my Pinterest page for more great Irish sayings! Blessings to you. – Mary Elizabeth
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Elin. INTJ/audiophile/sophisticated luxury&casual esthete “She was '70s in spirit‚ '90s in her frame of mind” 🌊🐚 girl-in-lunar-fields.vsco.co Shoplook.io/p/girl-in-lunar-fields pinterest.com/girlinlunarfields
Ethereal frosty beauty in Puttenham, a village in Surrey, England. Surrey, one of the home counties, sits below Greater London and above Sussex, with Hampshire and Berkshire to the east and Kent...
When you think of pink and green decor, Lilly Pulitzer, Dorothy Draper and Carlton Varney come to mind. Their bold use of these colors have brought them great success. Whether you love bold and bright or prefer it a bit more classic and subdued there is a pink and green room out here with your name on it. I have posted a variety of images to show you how these colors can come together in any form to give you a spectacular interior. There are so many wonderful shades of pink and green to choose from, ballet to fuschia, celadon to emerald .....there is a combination for everyone. Unless you are intentionally decorating in the preppy style, just don't add too many girly elements and you will be fine. The trick to pulling off a pink and green interior is restraint. There is something about this combination that makes women tend to go overboard and can cause the room to lose its elegance and sophistication. athoughtfuleye.wordpress.com I love a room that isn't as much about a color combination as it is just a natural blending of colors. This is not a "pink and green" room yet it has a natural progression of that combination. branca.com buttercupbungalow.blogsp Calm pink's sweet side down with lots of white. lacoloristaisabeldeyzaguirreeng.blogspot.com www.4bildcasa.it Pink and green can benefit from small touches of blue as proven by the effect the paintings create. www.momtoob.com Another perfect pink, green and blue interior. Pink and green rooms crave pattern!! hydrangeahillcottage.blogspo Pink and green fit perfectly into an English style decor. the50milebouquet.com Everyone admires pink and green outdoors....why NOT bring it inside. www.picstopin.com This room definitely has a Dorothy Draper appeal about it. source unknown Pink and green is a great look for the tropical home as well. designersguild.com Pink and green rooms are usually for people that like to have fun. They can be whimsical and energetic. placesinthehome.com Of course you can have fun while being classical as well. The trick to having a successful pink and green room is being able to make it look feminine AND sophisticated! boutique.artinfo.com Even classic antique chairs look wonderful covered in this color combo. Another one of my favorites! elledecor.com Old world pink and green!! It's not always about the Preppy Look!! la-la-la-bonne-vie.tumblr.com picasaweb.google.com If you love this color combination but want to add these colors to your home on a smaller scale, do it in one statement against a white background. pinterest.com Since pink and green is a perennial favorite you won't have a problem finding beautiful accessories in this colorful combo. www.houzz.com There is just something about pink and green that brings out the polka dots in all of us!! source unknown Pink and green take on a dramatic allure when wedded to black. placesinthehome.com Cotton-candy pink and muted greens show the softer side of Preppy’s classic hot pink and kelly green combo. thefoodogatemyhomework.tu A subtle mix of pink and green pattern make this living room cheerful and inviting. pinterest.com Watermelon pink looks best with other fruity colors....think lime when using this shade. And add white!! clivenichols.com homedecorationadvice.blogspot.com A bold way to use pink and green but all the white tones it down and the furniture selection mixes the contemporary with the traditional very well. architecturaldigest.com There is alot going on here and some people like the "more is best" look. zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com You can also keep it real simple and still have your pink and green pops. Flowers and pillows always do the trick!! sohautestyle.com Fun and funky pink and green bedroom. Janie Molster Kristy Lee Interiors Palm Beach style interiors many times feature the pink and green combo. A headboard and pillow is a great give your room an infusion of this color combination without becoming overwhelming. Plum Sykes in her home for Vogue Magazine. ciaonewportbeach.blogspot.com If you're not bold enough to use pink and green in your home, how about your outdoor space? google.com wonderfulpalmettolife.tumblr.co People seem more comfortable with pink and green outside than in. www.lushome.com homegoods.com moredesignplease.com Whichever way you choose, pink and green are very pretty together! For more pink and green interiors, check out Lilly Pulitzer Style Interiors Click here to see the previous post! http://www.eyefordesignlfd.blogspot.com/2013/10/lets-mix-it-updecorating-with-multiple.html This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer
