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

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/

The Lady: Alice and Me

Hugh St Clair tells the real-life story of his greatgrandmother Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland
"My great-grandmother was Alice in Wonderland. When I tell people, they look rather bemused, but it’s true – Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s enigmatic book, beloved by children and adults alike, was my great-grandmother. Indeed, that chance meeting that Carroll had in the quad at Christ Church College, Oxford with the Liddell children in 1856 has certainly benefited our family – my children were privately educated on money from the sale of ‘Alice’ memorabilia.
Since the book’s publication in 1865, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been translated into hundreds of languages and has never been out of print. There have also been countless adaptations in other media, especially theatre and film. The latest, directed by Tim Burton, starts with a young woman who, fearful of the imminent proposal of an eligible (but ridiculous) suitor, escapes into a fantasy world with the mysterious White Rabbit.
Alice was born in 1852, the fourth child of eight surviving children – five girls and three boys. Her father, Henry Liddell, was a distinguished academic, head of Westminster School, then Dean of Christ Church College, Oxford. When the family moved from Westminster to Oxford they got to know the Rev Charles Dodgson (Carroll’s real name) – a shy and stuttering mathematics don, more relaxed in the company of children than adults. An eccentric man, he had an amazing collection of mechanical toys in his rooms and loved dressing up in children’s fancy dress outfits. It was while he was out photographing Christ Church Cathedral that he came across the young Liddell children playing in the Deanery garden. He soon struck up a friendship with the family, becoming a fixture in their lives. He was particularly drawn to Alice...."
Continues at The Lady Magazine
To see a collection of images of ALICE past and present, visit the very smart blog of M.A. Peel or "Emma Peel"

Video: Cold Comfort Farm

"In England in the early 1930's, 20 year old Flora Poste, recently orphaned and left with only 100 pounds a year, goes to stay with distant relatives on Cold Comfort Farm. Everyone on the gloomy farm is completely around the twist, but Flora tries to sort everything out...

This is yet another great adaptation of a great book - and it's so delightfully funny and cleverly-written. Kate (Beckwith) is so lovely in her role as Flora. Her appearance as a penniless heroine reminded me of Emma Woodhouse and Northanger Abbey. Don't miss the hilarity-driven performances by respected actors like Ian McKellen, Eileen Atkins, Rufus Sewell, Stephen Fry, and Rupert Penry-Jones"

Wikipedia

A lovely review of the book is here

Cold Comfort Farm is listed amongst the best books at the Gutenberg Project

Read the book online here

Memories of Love: Lady Antonia Fraser and Harold Pinter

'(Fraser's) new book, which she will be reading on BBC Radio 4 from January 11, is neither autobiography nor biography but a love story, romantic, poignant and very funny, illuminating her husband’s character and creativity. It will show the Pinters on holiday (on Paxos with Simon Gray and Ronald Harwood and their wives, performing each other’s plays) and the Pinters sharing their works in progress'

Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter by Antonia Fraser will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on January 11.
Link

The Camomile Lawn - Ravel's Music

Ravel's String Quartet in F Major - music from the beloved CAMOMILE LAWN series in two different versions. Listen...
you'll find it after some delightful Indian music, here, about 29 minutes in...
and another version is here.