In a remote part of North Yorkshire about 13-miles north of York on top of the Howardian Hills there is a turf maze that is the smallest of the eight remaining mizmazes in England. Much about this labyrinth is mysterious, beginning with the location. There it sits, on the side...
The month-of-love is officially past but I was having so much searching out information on my favorite love songs and finding the best YouTube recordings that I could not stop! After today, the series highlights 48 love songs from an assortment of genres and styles and decades. Still a mere...
Today is the third blog of MAZE MONTH, following and concluding (for the most part) the history of mazes and labyrinths. Be sure to read the two previous posts (links below) before this one. This topic expanded beyond what I initially intended when diving into garden mazes —hence a whole...
Pease-pudding hot,Pease-pudding cold,Pease-pudding in the pot,Nine days old;Some like it hot,Some like it cold,Some like it in the pot,Nine days old. Included in James Orchard Halliwell’s 1846 publication The Nursery Rhymes of England as a clapping game, the precise origin of the “Pease Pudding Hot” rhyme is unknown. Whoever wrote...
This blog is a direct continuation of yesterday’s introductory post — History of the Maze — so please click to read that one first. The history behind mazes and labyrinths is surprisingly complex. I am barely scratching the surface in these two posts, which is fine for my main MAZE...
In my never-ending search for fascinating topics, I’ve been collecting data on Georgian garden follies and other landscaping features. I’ve found so many marvels, I now have enough material for multiple months of blogs! I plan to space them out over time, but have decided to devote the month of...
More love songs! Whether silly, pure joy, heartfelt, deep, sappy, or even sad … a great love song will always elicit emotion. I’m back today with another dozen selections of classic, beloved songs about romance. In the previous two blogs (click links below) I briefly explain what constitutes a “love...
Today we would more accurately call these scarf-like fashion items a boa or stole. In the past, however, a “stole” primarily referred to the ecclesiastical garment, and the term “boa” was only used for the snake! Not until 1838 would “boa” begin to supplant the garment known as the tippet....
Henry Kirke White (1785–1806) Henry Kirke White was born in Nottingham, the son of a butcher, a trade for which he was himself intended. After being briefly apprenticed to a stocking-weaver, he was articled to a lawyer. Meanwhile he studied hard, and his master offered to release him from his contract...
For the final fashion plate focus for February, these two ensembles are both from the 1817 issue of Ackermann’s Repository of Arts. Carriage Dress from February 1817— Fashion plate; hand-colored aquatint from Rudolph Ackermann’s “Repository of Arts”, Series 2, Vol. III, Plate 10, No. 14, February 1, 1817. Depicts woman...
The repeating of parts of words to make new forms is called reduplication. There are various categories of reduplication words: rhyming, for example okey-dokey exact, for example wee-wee ablaut (vowel substitution), for example zig-zag The impetus for the coining of these seems to be nothing more than the enjoyment of wordplay....
I am back with another blog sharing love songs I love. If the previous post with 12 randomly selected titles was missed, the link is here: Romantic Love Songs ~ Blog One. As I noted in the prior blog, a comprehensive and definitive list of “best romantic love songs” is...
A nutmeg grater, or nutmeg rasp, is a device used to grate a nutmeg seed. Okay, simple enough, but why were they designed so fancy? And what was the big deal about nutmeg anyway? A common spice today, nutmeg was once a luxury. The Myristica fragrans tree from which the seed is...
A “Georgian Garden” is defined by the UK National Trust as one which dates from 1714 to 1830. In previous blogs I have written about the men and women who designed and maintained these massive parks, and I have also given a historical overview of landscape styles during this period...
For the month of February, I have two Fashion Plates from magazines of the Regency Era. As always, the descriptions are from the magazine itself and from contemporary commentaries, if available. Half Dress from February 1809— Fashion plate; hand-colored aquatint from Rudolph Ackermann’s “Repository of Arts” Series 1, Volume 1,...
