Remembering C. S. Lewis

"'When Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of. But that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which has always been there and always will be there: just as our own world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan's real world. You need not mourn over Narnia, Lucy. All of the old Narnia that mattered, all the dear creatures, have been drawn into the real Narnia through the Door. And of course it is different; as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as waking life is from a dream.'" ~ THE LAST BATTLE, C. S. Lewis, 1956

Lewis died of osteoporosis on November 22, 1963, an inauspicious date which marked the end of life for Aldous Huxley and President Kennedy. http://www.nos.org.uk/ http://www.iofbonehealth.org/ http://www.doctoryourself.com/osteoporosis.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis

History of the (British) Home

O tempora! O mores! Such news, such ups and downs... Jubilee...Libor...Occupy...we sometimes wonder how we will survive. But as our history shows, we shall...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/clarissa_dickson_wright The Forme of Cury online http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/foc http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8102

Terry Gilliam presents '1884 Yesterdays Future'... Animation test With thanks to The Steampunk Empire - http://www.thesteampunkempire.com/ We also like the splendid Professor Elemental.

Eccentric London Tube Maps

We could look at these for hours - delightfully droll!
Silly Tube Maps

Oshea and Ogilvie

We needed a laugh - and we think the Sloaney humour of Oshea and Ogilvie will raise your spirits, too.





The duo OSHEA and OGILVIE, http://www.osheaogilvie.co.uk/ based in Exeter, write and perform their own material - sketches, songs, dances and mockumentaries. Their aim is to raise a laugh amongst the nation with their original new show and generally make the country a brighter, happier place; as they say, if you can't laugh in the middle of a double dip recession, when can you. They are available for festivals and other comedy or music events around the country.

Launch Night! is on the 15th Of December...and catch them on radio online ...
http://www.phonic.fm/2011/dynamic-duo-oshea-and-ogilvie-speak-to-paul-gallagher-on-phonic-fm

Horseworld

The charity Horseworld.org.uk does brilliant work in rehabilitating and rehoming horses. You may decide to help them with a donation - or perhaps you have the time and money to adopt one of their animals. "A Sloaney has a Pony..."

Sloanes at Home: Movies online

PeriodxDrama
a channel dedicated to celebrating all films and series set in an historical period.
We enjoy this collection of videos very much and think you will, too.

Occupy Everywhere

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November...
The Guardian has photos of the Occupy Movement Protests"The Church cannot answer peaceful protest with violence"
St. Paul was a tent maker, and the child Jesus could have been born in a camp like these...

Celebrating... Mervyn Peake's Centenary Year

Fuchsia and Steerpike from Gormenghast

Ever a favourite...something uncanny in time for All Hallow's Eve... http://www.mervynpeake.org/
http://mervynpeake.blogspot.com/2011/10/abiatha-swelter-one-of-best.html
These illustrations and many more are included in Mervyn Peake - The Man and His Art available through your bookseller and at Amazon
An audiobook, The History of Titus Groan, is available here

From The Ancient Mariner

Obituary: The Earl of Harewood

George Henry Hubert Lascelles has died, aged 88. May flights of angels sing him to his rest.
The Guardian
The Telegraph


Soprano Josephine Barstow sings "Pace pace mio Dio" from Verdi's "La forza del destino"
This gala was held in 1985 at the London Coliseum, home of English National Opera, to mark the retirement of George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, retiring Chairman of the Board of English National Opera and author/editor of The New Kobbe's Opera Book.

Busy, busy, busy...

You, too?
Image by Charles Pachter, a Canadian artist

Earl Spencer to Marry Canadian Karen Gordon

Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother,
will marry Canadian Karen Gordon
at a private ceremony on June 18
at Spencer's Northamptonshire home.

We wish them every happiness.


Karen Gordon is a philanthropist and the founder and CEO of Whole Child International
http://www.wholechild.org/

Whole Child International works in existing children’s institutions to improve the quality of care and help prevent the bleak outcomes that await most children raised in the world’s orphanages.
As long as orphanages exist, we are committed to cost-effective interventions to help ensure the children within can develop the basic psychological tools they need to succeed in school, work, relationships, and families of their own.

"The beauty that emerges from woundedness is a beauty infused with feeling; a beauty different from the beauty of landscape and the cold perfect form. This is a beauty that has suffered its way through the ache of desolation until the words or music emerged to equal the hunger and desperation at its heart. It must also be said that not all woundedness succeeds in finding its way through to beauty of form. Most woundedness remains hidden, lost inside forgotten silence. Indeed, in every life there is some wound that continues to weep secretly, even after years of attempted healing. Where woundedness can be refined into beauty a wonderful transfiguration takes place. " 
- John O'Donohue

Happy Valentine's Day

A Valentine's Day greeting to all Sloanes and their friends. and especially to Ann Barr, loved by Sloanes everywhere.
Read Ann Barr's article on the origins of Sloanes here:
http://www.intrepid-fox.co.uk/feature/archive/sloaneorigin.html

The Volunteer

The Volunteer is a project that looks to work and volunteer with charities doing specialized projects overseas focusing on a selection of humanitarian issues. The main objective is to raise awareness and funding for the charity while also giving an insight into the life of a volunteer.
The Volunteer aims to televise the experience of volunteering as part of a series aimed at documenting and highlighting the efforts of various charities overseas often operating in difficult and dangerous circumstances.
The Volunteer series will capture the emotions, cultural differences and challenges attached to volunteering on a project overseas while looking to inspire ordinary people to make a difference.
The Volunteer is presented and founded by Hugo Chittenden who having volunteered in Africa decided to change his life and dedicate himself to helping raise awareness and funding for charities and projects overseas.
Volunteering is something that everyone adheres to and yet something that is spoken about as a distant dream rather than an actuality.
The Volunteer aims to highlight the benefits of volunteering while outlining the highs and lows one can expect as a volunteer overseas, so as to educate and inspire those who may like to try something different.
The Volunteer has partnered up with UK volunteering organizations to facilitate the process of volunteering overseas.
A few of the supporters of The Volunteer include
SIR RANULPH FIENNES OBE - GLOBAL EXPLORER
JEREMY HUNT - SECRETARY OF STATE FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
JAMES BLUNT - SINGER
SIR RODNEY SWEETNAM - NEWMAN FOUNDATION
TRUSTEES, HENRY VAN STRAUBENZEE FUND
Video
Site
Facebook
Tweets

Splendid!

The Luttrell Psalter Film

http://www.luttrellpsalter.org.uk/

The Luttrell Psalter Film

"Journey with us into the colourful pages of the Luttrell Psalter and across the fields of Medieval England
The Luttrell Psalter Film is a short film based on the famous images of medieval village life from the 14th c. Luttrell Psalter. The Psalter was made for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham in Lincolnshire and is famous for its depiction of ordinary people. It is a remarkable and precious part of Lincolnshire’s heritage. The film was made to be shown at The Collection, Lincoln’s museum. It is now also available to be viewed free on the internet and is available on DVD."
http://www.theluttrells.com/luttrellpsalter.html
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/luttrellpsalter.html

Orlando

Orlando

Vita Sackville-West | Myspace Video

"Orlando: A Biography is an influential novel by Virginia Woolf, first published on 11 October 1928. A semi-biographical novel based in part on the life of Woolf's lover Vita Sackville-West, it is generally considered one of Woolf's most accessible novels. The novel has been influential stylistically, and is considered important in literature generally, and particularly in the history of women's writing and gender studies. A film adaptation was released in 1992, starring Tilda Swinton as Orlando and Quentin Crisp as Queen Elizabeth I."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando:_A_Biography

Read ORLANDO here
http://gutenberg.net.au/pages/woolf.html

The Queen's Christmas Message

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II delivers her annual Christmas message to the people of the Commonwealth.
Video

Alice in Wonderland in British Stained Glass

This image and our banner (above) are from the the Daniell Chapel in Daresbury, which contains the Lewis Carroll Memorial Window.

"To mark the centenary of his birth, Carroll enthusiasts from all over the world subscribed to a memorial fund, which resulted in a gift to All Saints' of this striking and unusual stained glass window, dedicated in 1935.
The window was designed by the stained glass artist Geoffrey Webb and depicts a Nativity scene, at which both Carroll and Alice are present. Below the Nativity scene are 5 panels illustrated with characters and scenes from Alice in Wonderland including the White Rabbit, the Lizard, the Dodo, the Caterpillar, Fish-Footman, Mad Hatter, Dormouse, March Hare, Duchess, Gryphon, Mock Turtle, Knave and Queen of Hearts. The famous Cheshire Cat can be found in the centre of the fifth panel. The 3 centre panels contain verses from the Lewis Carroll’s poem ‘Christmas Greetings (From a Fairy to a Child)’."

There are magnificent photographs of it - and related links - here:
http://daresburycofe.org.uk/index.php?page=alice-window
http://daresburycofe.org.uk/news/29/15/Lewis-Carroll-Centre/
http://www2.halton.gov.uk/content/tourismandleisure/localhistory/lewiscarroll/
http://www2.halton.gov.uk/yourcouncil/townsandvillages/daresburyvillage/

More links related to Alice
http://www.melaniebenjamin.com/world-of-alice.php
http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/fabled/cheshirecat.html
http://aliceinoxford.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=139
http://www.alice-in-wonderland.biz/backgroundthomson.htm

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11 Alice In Wonderland text online
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/114 Alice In Wonderland - Tenniel's illustrations



Find more magical British stained glass here -
The UK on-line stained glass magazine
and Stained Glass Register in 2010
News, views, and links to stained glass artists and suppliers
http://www.stainedglassnews.co.uk/

Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries

http://templars.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/wallpaper2007_07.jpg

The Monarchist gave Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries glowing reviews...

In one chapter, the reader travels on a mystical journey in search of the temple, ark and holy grail; in another, we are guided through a museum of holy crowns, sacred oil, swords and lances and other totems of antiquity. We begin to recover our lost senses...the question of why we dream of exploring mysterious islands or finding lost treasures; of why we value such hidden relics and attach almost divine significance to mystical regalia; is a curious one. Extrinsically, the Magna Carta of King John, and the Coronation Stone, are almost worthless objects; one is a discoloured old parchment, the other is made of mere sandstone; their value lies in sentiment alone. Destroy sentiment, however, and all that the human race holds dear vanishes with it; one might as well be a cow. One might as well be - dare we repeat it - a completely de-spiritualised republican.

Click the link and begin your pilgrimage!

British Birds Under Threat

http://www.rspb.org.uk/

We can help our birds - and it is so easy and pleasant to do.
British Birds Under Threat - On a wing and a prayer
RSPB - How to help birds on your farm
RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch