Fashion for July

I have a couple of July Fashions to share, one this week one next.  I am not being stingy, but all this takes a bit of time to get in shape, and I am supposed to be writing the next Gilvry's of Dunross story.  You did realize that Book 2 is out now I hope. Ahem, just a little reminder.



Oldenburgh Dinner Dress.

            French white satin slip, decorated round the bottom with a rich blond lace, and headed with a superb pearl trimming: a wreath of laurel leaves formed of pearls, in an angle in the front of the slip. The trimming is perfectly novel, and the effect of it is more elegant than can be conceived from the engraving which we have given. Over the slip is a short Russian robe of white crape, open front, edged round with a rich pearl trimming to correspond with the slip; the wreaths which ornament the robe is formed of pearls also, to correspond. The front of the dress is formed in a most novel and tasteful style, peculiar to the inventress, Mrs. Bell.
The back continues full, and the waist very short. Crape long sleeve, trimmed with pearl bands at regular distances. Small lace cap, superbly decorated with pearls, and finished with tassels to correspond; a fancy flower is placed to the side. The form of this cap is extremely elegant, exquisitely tasteful, and becoming. A white satin Chapeau Bras, ornamented with a spread eagle on the crown, worked in chenille, is indispensable. The hair is worn up a-la-Grecque on the left side, where it is fastened in a full knot.
Gloves and slippers of white kid. Plain ivory fan.


 This really is a pretty gown. Hope you enjoy, until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 6

 Our next room at Saltram is the piece de resistance for entertaining.  The Salon. I should mention that the ballroom did not have the chandeliers during the Regency era. Instead when they were having a ball they put up lamps over the windows and candles over the doors and concealed them with wreaths and festoons of leaves and flowers.  Health and Safety would definitely not approve it seems to me. Talk about a fire hazard.  I still wonder how they managed to light the middle of the room if they were only lighting the perimeter. But this is what happened in 1810, so a nice description of a real event.

Other neat bits of information, the band played in a tent outside of the great window and playeddances all right. The floor was "chalked" in a design by the hostess by a celebrated artist from Plymouth and they had two rows of seats around the edge of the room for about 200 people.  What an amazing image.

By the way that window in the middle there, with two columns and a bit of a portico, is known as a Venetian window.  The concave ceiling is beautiful. I can only capture a bit of it, but hopefully you can get the idea.

The carpet is Axminster. It cost  L126 and was desiged to mirror the ceiling. the reason for the furniture going around the edge of the room is to show it off. And here is the other wall with the fireplace. I just love the these giltwood Chippendale sofas.


Finally, while there are lots of pictures of a collector time, I picked this one, as he is such a regency looking gentleman, though it is dated around 1785, a Baron and neighbour and friend. A very personal touch.  The walls were originally blue damask which over time faded to dove grey according to account.

Clearly there is much more to see and know about in this room, but on we go.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 5

This is the Velvet Drawing room, redecorated as it appeared on 1770, but missing most of its original red silk velvet hangings.

Quite stunning, I must say.  As you can see the walls are covered in pictures, just as they would have been in the late 18th century.

The smaller picture looks in the other direction towards the windows and shows a part of the ornate ceiling. I really like the gilded window seats.


This is a Boulle writing desk in the Louis XIV style.  It was greatly sought after and many pieces left France after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo.  My final piece of furniture is the fascinating scagliola table top decorated with rompe-l'oeil playing cards and a letter dated 1713. It is thought the game being played on this table is piquet.


For all its beauty and columns, there is yet more to come which is even more beautiful and luxurious.

Until Next Time, Happy Rambles.

Goodreads Giveaway Countdown

Count down is on!  

You only have until June 19 to sign up for this giveaway.
If you want to know more about the book you can check it out on Amazon.com or on my website.


Goodreads Book Giveaway

Her Highland Protector by Ann Lethbridge

Her Highland Protector

by Ann Lethbridge

Giveaway ends June 19, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 4



It really is time to look inside the house. The entrance hall is just as pretty as the outside, don't you think?

This is a mid eighteens century space. I was quite fascinated by the pink and white checkered floor and those really uncomfortable hall chairs.

The table is Georgian with a marble top and cabriole legs.  There is a matching one on the opposite wall. The bracket clock is Boulle from the mid 18th century.





The next room is the Morning Room.  It was also occasionally used for small family dinners.

Apparently about two thirds of the pictures in this room are in the same positions as they were in 1819.

The dining table is mahogany as are the Gothick dining-chairs both dating to the middle of the eighteenth century, as well as a set of Chippendale-style dining-chairs.

I really took a shine to this gilded side table. there are a pair of them. They are English frames and the tops are Florentine, inlaid with specimen marbles and mosaic pastoral scenes.  I have to say that my pictures do not do these rooms justice, but if they give you a sense of what they are like, then I am pleased.


These rooms are laid out in the gallery style. There is no corridor, one simply moves through one room to the next and the next room is something to behold.

More about that next time. Until then, Happy Rambles.


Fashion May 1812

It has been a while since I posted any fashion and I thought it was time.  I have two gowns from two hundred years ago that I thought you might like a a break from our explorations of Saltram where gowns very similar to these would have been worn.

Both of these gowns are from Ackerman's Repository for May 1812.

The descriptions are as follows:

Promenade or Carriage Costume.
    A Round spencer robe of blossom coloured sarsnet, trimmed with tufted Chinese silk fringe; a drapery of deep Vandyke lace, continued round the back and shoulders to the bottom, in the loose Polonaise style; the spencer sitting close to the throat, without a collar, which is supplied by that of the morning robe of white muslin beneath. 
A provincial bonnet of the same material as the spencer, ornamented with two curled white ostrich feathers, placed in adverse directions in the front. Half-boots of blossom-coloured kid; ridicule to correspond; and gloves of lemon-coloured kid, or pale tan colour.

I do like this gown very much. That reticule is teeny tiny isn't it? And such an interesting shape. Not much more in there than a handkerchief I would think.

Domestic or Morning Costume.

    A French frock of fine plain India muslin, with demi-train, and long full bishop’s sleeves. Waggoners’ cuffs, with gaged front, and shoulders to correspond. Tucker of double-rolled muslin, which also finishes the cuffs round the hands. 
    A Parisian mob cap of fine lace, confined round the head, and terminating on one side with a celestial blue or silver grey ribbon. Sash of the same, tied in small bows and ends in front. Hair in waved curls, divided in the center of the forehead.
   Spanish slippers of lemon-coloured kid, and gloves of the same material. 
   The peculiar taste and elegant simplicity of these habiliments are further specimens of the graceful invention of the celebrated Mrs. Gill, of Cork-street, Burlington-gardens, from whom we have obtained them.


This young lady looks very much as if she has the die away down pat. I wonder if the note she is holding is from a beau?  I presume that by domestic, they are referring to the wearing of it at home. I can't say that I like the waggoner's cuffs much. I can imagine them getting in the soup. or at least in my soup. I am sure she would be much better at keeping them under control than I would.  This dress seems to have a bit of everything, a train, a sash, bishop sleeves, a gaged (?) front and shoulders, a tucker of double rolled muslin and something similar on the cuffs beneath those waggoners sleeves.  Remarkable. No wonder she looks so out of sorts. I definitely need to find a character to wear this one.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 3

Saltram House was originally a Tudor House but the Parker family remodelled into a Palladian mansion through the latter half of the 18th century and on into the Regency as we will see.

This is the South front. Its Entrance Porch with the Doric columns and the coat of arms were added in 1820 by the Parker who had become first Earl of Morley in 1815.


This is the House from the East front.

And a view from the house across the ha ha. A drop in the lawn with a wall to keep the deer and other animals roaming the park of the manicured lawns used by the inhabitants.

To me the house looks almost pretty enough to eat. A wedding cake of a house. And there is lots more to see if you care to stick with me.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Saltram Part 2




We started in the stable block.  Horses were so important at this time, so I always like to take a peek inside and here we discovered some other interesting things.

Here we have two examples of early fire pumps, they cannot be called engines since they are manual, the first one, on the right would be carried like a sedan chair. The second one a much larger model is on wheels and would have been pulled by a horse. As you can see, they did not hold very much water. Larger version were used in London.,

Here a view of the stables, and an empty stall. You will have to imagine their equine inhabitants.

 As you can see above and below each stall had the name of the horse who lived there. I liked the bright airy feel of the place.


Well that's all for this time. Until next time, Happy rambles.


Here is the stable block, on the other side of the pond.

Her Highland Protector - Give Away

Isn't this a cool widget?  If you want to know more about the book you can check it out on Amazon.com or on my website.


Goodreads Book Giveaway

Her Highland Protector by Ann Lethbridge

Her Highland Protector

by Ann Lethbridge

Giveaway ends June 19, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

One Night With a Highlander

One Night With The Highlander Out this month, One Night With A Highlander is a short story e-book. The story of a couple who lost each other years before and meet up again.  It also links to the Gilvrys of Dunross stories, though it stands on its own.


Gordon McLaughlin has never forgotten the beautiful Annabelle, or the forbidden kiss they shared. But the innocent girl he once knew has become Edinburgh's wanton black widow. What is the truth behind Lady Annabelle's shocking reputation?

A chance meeting with the handsome Highlander re-ignites long-buried passions, but destitute Annabelle cannot afford the luxury of love. They plan an illicit midnight encounter before they part for good—although one night of sensual pleasure may not be enough…



Exciting News

Lady of Shame has been nominated for a Boosellers' Best Award in the Historical Category. Results won't be known until July, still it is quite a feather in my cap.

If you want to know more about the Castonbury Park Series you can go to my Website











Until Next time Happy Rambles

Saltram, Devonshire Part I

Saltram stands on the outskirts of Plymouth and was created by a family by the name of Parker until 1951 when death duties made it impossible for them, to keep their family home.




The first this we came to when we left the parking lot was this pond. It looks like your typical pond with ducks and moorhens. It stands just outside the stable block. I was delighted to discover that this pond had a whole other purpose. Not one I have really ever thought about.

You can see the purpose in this picture. There is a gate and a cobbled slope down into the water.

Easy access for ducks, did you say?









No. In fact this is where carriages where washed. Naturally, like cars today, they had to be washed. All that lovely English mud.

The would back the carriages into the pond and give them a good wash. They didn't want them to sink into the mud hence the cobbles.

This is the first time I have seen a carriage washing pond, so I thought it deserved a blog post all of its own.

Lots more to see at Salram, so until next time, Happy Rambles.

In the Highlander's Bed

A Time Travel by Ann Lethbridge

Yes I wrote a Scottish Time Travel. It's a short story and it came out this month.  This is the blurb. And I've been posting special extracts on my Facebook page  if you would like to check them out.  https://www.facebook.com/AnnLethbridgeAuthor



Hotel Glencovie, 2013
Researching her family tree brings Moirag McLellan to the Highlands and a foreboding castle-turned-hotel. She goes to sleep alone surrounded by modern amenities, but awakens in a room lit only by candles—and occupied by a gorgeous kilted man. And he's far too real to be just an erotic dream…
Glencovie Castle, 1715
Though Gavin MacIver doesn't know how the lusty wench in barely-there clothing came to be in his bed, he knows he never wants her to leave. But if her story of time-travel is true, how can he stop the only woman he's ever loved from slipping through his fingers once darkness fades into dawn?

I must say it was interesting to try to put myself in the place of a modern lass going back into a very different time.  I hope you'll check it out. It's available at ebooks.Harlequin.com and all the other on-line sites.

I'm at the Romantic Times Convention this week. Do drop by and say hello.

Until next time, Happy Rambles

Battle of York April 27 1813


It is hard to imagine that Canada and the US being at war, but so it was 200 years ago. In those days, Canada was British and America was continuing to press the issue of its independence for a variety of reasons and perhaps grab a bit of Canada too. The Battle of York, which is now Toronto took place on April 27. A battle the Americans won.

Unfortunately tempers ran high after the British destroyed the magazine which resulted in American deaths after the battle was over.  The resulting rampage by the Americans culminating April 30 and resulting in the burning of a good portion town, which, by the way, consisted of about 700 people.  Hard to imagine.

In Toronto, the battle was marked on Saturday with parades and bands and by presence of Prince Philip.

Personally, I'm glad we kissed and made up.

Buckland Abbey IX

Buckland Abbey Great Hall
Interestingly enough it is not until you reach the end of the walk around the house that you reach The Great Hall which is today furnished in sixteenth century style.

I really liked the pink and white tile, which is thought to come from Holland. 

The main feature of the room is the decorative plaster work on the ceiling.

The fireplace is typical of the sixteenth century.


It is not hard to imagine our Regency characters living in a house such as this with its mix of architecture and conveniences.  Of course I have lots more pictures and information, but I only post a few of them here.

The section of the ceiling on the left disguises a squint in the form of a skull. A way to watch the room without being seen. Perhaps a way to keep an eye on both enemies and friends.  I have come across these in other houses and will try to include them as we go along


My last picture is of the north front which still has a strong flavour of the original abbey.

There are quite a few places within the building where the original stonework is incorporated into the design of the building as a house.  I hope you get a chance to visit this building one day.  It was fascinating and certainly I have only skimmed the surface of its history.

Until Next Time, Happy Rambles.

Aloha!

Yes, that is right, if you are wondering where I have been, I went on vacation. While I thought I would blog while I was away, I had too good a time to do anything of the sort.

If you have read my bio, you will see that I admit to being any army brat. I spent a good many years following the drum as they used to call it, with my family.  All of our travels were within Britain so I have to say Hawaii was one of those places on my list. It has a strong military presence even now, and a decidedly famous event.  Since I am nowhere near at that stage in my life,  round metal containers with a handle from which it swings, has nothing to do with this list. It is just a list.



One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Honolulu were the State flags. Hey, they have the British Union Jack on them. Much like the Ontario flag. I felt immediately at home.  Another reason I felt at home was the very warm welcome we received from Kim Lowe of SOS Aloha fame. http://sosaloha.blogspot.com . I have to say that Kim personifies what I came to know as the Aloha spirit of Hawaii.

The scenery was beautiful, but I won't bore you with too many holiday snaps. Much of my fascination was with the History of Hawaii as it related to Britain and before.  We visited Queen Emma's Summer Palace, a woman who was friends with Queen Victoria.  Her house there is more a cottage in the hills to escape the heat than a palace and we were blessed with a wonderful tour guide. What she could tell us in the hour we were there, wet my appetite to under stand more of the history of these unique islands, which I hope will end up in a book one day.

Of course, no visit to Hawaii is complete without the perfect sunset and a Luau.  As you can see were were granted both on the same day.

 Again my love of history led us to visit the historic memorial of Pearl Harbour and, as a result of Kim's kindness, many places not easily available to most tourist.  There is no doubt in my mind that no one can stand on that memorial and not be moved. The day we were there, it poured with rain, but in a way it suited our mood.
 I plan to share more of Hawaai's history as it related to the Regency period, but I need to do quite a bit of reading before I would be willing to post anything. In the meantime I hope you enjoy these snippets and pictures of this likely once in a lifetime visit.

Until next time  Aloha!




Buckland Abbey VIII

A few more pictures of the downstairs part of the house.
 
The first view looks upward between the kitchen and sculleries in one direction and the second into a small enclosed courtyard the other way.  And finally the sculleries in a small building opposite the kitchen's back door.

And now for my piece de resistance.  Can you guess what these particular gates are for.  

 Answer, next time. Until then Happy Rambles.











Buckland Abbey VII

Because of my recent foray into the servants' quarters of the English Country House in Castonbury Park: Lady of Shame I found the kitchens and sculleries at Buckland Abbey a real draw.

The fireplace on the left is from the 18th century and has two built in bread ovens.  and was blocked up and replaced by the row of brick charcoal stoves invented by the French and known as stewing stoves which you can see alongside it. More of these later.  The fireplace on the right is from an  earlier era. The brackets above it hold spit rods. You can also see a spit rod inside the hearth along with the handle for turning it.
The windows make this kitchen a nice light airy place to work. Especially on a sunny day, which it was when we were there. And no doubt the windows would be good for letting out the smoke and the smells.

And how about that for a pestle and mortar. That really is a tree trunk.

These are those charcoal stewing ovens I mentioned earlier.


If you look carefully you can see the fire inside this one below the copper pot.

And of course no kitchen is complete without its long plank wood table running down the centre.


Notice the flagstones on the floor.  Those would have been cold underfoot, I would imagine, but easy to keep clean.

Until next time, Happy Rambles



2012 In the Rear View Mirror

It is always a good thing to look back. After all, as someone who loves history, I know the past can help with the future.

I think that 2012 was a bit of a watershed for me. I have begun to feel like a Writer. Oh, yes, I was a writer before, but now I feel as if I have the chops to go with the title. Not that I would ever say I had mastered the craft of writing. It is an ongoing process. A skill that must be practiced, examined and honed. I am always reaching for a better book.

However, I have a little more confidence in my approach to my writing. This year I was a finalist in three important writing contests.  I received some wonderful (and some not so wonderful) reviews from reviewers and from readers. I stretched my wings a little bit. Tried some things that were new for me.

Case in point is the book displayed on the left.  This was a first for me. A story that had to fit in with the stories of seven other authors. Between us we had to create an overarching plot, yet end up with a book that could be read alone or as part of the series.  Particularly interesting was the upstairs downstairs feel of the series.  The conflict and tension that causes.  Needless to say in all the projects I undertook, I tried to make sure I had fun. And hopefully readers had fun right along with me.

During the past twelve months I traveled to some amazing places in England and I will be sharing these with you along with other tidbits about the Regency and what is happening in my author world.