tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88675290702834763502024-03-12T03:23:01.555+00:00Louise MarleyLouise Marley: Expert procrastinator, rubbish photographer, occasionally writes books.Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-30752548191637502742024-02-08T14:13:00.001+00:002024-02-19T15:06:43.230+00:00New books coming soon!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">I'm thrilled to announce that I have a new series of books coming out this year. Called <i>An English Village Mystery</i>, they will be set in the quirky village of Raven's Edge, which first featured in <i><a href="https://www.louisemarley.co.uk/somethingwicked.html" target="_blank">Something Wicked</a>.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The village of Raven’s Edge was surrounded by a dark, tangled</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">forest. The kind of forest that evoked the wrong sort of fairy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">tale, where you should never stray far from the path...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIIsVUC2L986tKuLoxxdTIGHDddiqgEZvNUYuuYwtQ_uGMrWnh6YCtWfR8LLdEmnmjasyf4w_LSCnxrwLTQZH0vWuNOiEi-GAQ_JbkiYG2HP64kmnevn4AF5x-f4ipkB3l71vu3IVn2QnF7_Ri4zXz4YFqbLXSzS5snmriPE28jFk-SsEyoym6w1w1fdv/s1000/Raven%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIIsVUC2L986tKuLoxxdTIGHDddiqgEZvNUYuuYwtQ_uGMrWnh6YCtWfR8LLdEmnmjasyf4w_LSCnxrwLTQZH0vWuNOiEi-GAQ_JbkiYG2HP64kmnevn4AF5x-f4ipkB3l71vu3IVn2QnF7_Ri4zXz4YFqbLXSzS5snmriPE28jFk-SsEyoym6w1w1fdv/s320/Raven%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">The first two books will be out on the 7th May, with more to follow!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Murder at Raven's Edge</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>(An English Village Mystery #1)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3651; font-family: georgia; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wzK8Eu2GWgKUDVcpMB9wuf0ethgq7EZtt5_ATFLsMiW9tJB_35Q3KWGvHc5ElD_hXpriorSXSqf9uj40SKVODWaflq0uqZ5rWI8nzn_8EWNga6GpWgDNk5_RnByARAxyEGVRfOTtXsDDeAZs5KZa-v5ffRA8RPegxW_LyzNSfUx15IlEm64kQZK1P9h6/s2339/Murder_At_Raven's_Edge_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wzK8Eu2GWgKUDVcpMB9wuf0ethgq7EZtt5_ATFLsMiW9tJB_35Q3KWGvHc5ElD_hXpriorSXSqf9uj40SKVODWaflq0uqZ5rWI8nzn_8EWNga6GpWgDNk5_RnByARAxyEGVRfOTtXsDDeAZs5KZa-v5ffRA8RPegxW_LyzNSfUx15IlEm64kQZK1P9h6/s320/Murder_At_Raven's_Edge_Cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven’s Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages and quaint teashops full of scones and gossip.</div></span><p></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realises this quirky village is guarding some dark secrets.</span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Handsome, grumpy local police detective Ben Taylor doesn’t believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as innocent as she seems. Why is she really here in Raven’s Edge, and how come she keeps turning up at his crime scenes, causing trouble? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself – or his heart – to the rather distracting Miss Graham?</span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect – from the barmaid at the local pub to Milla Graham herself. It seems that in Raven’s Edge, not everybody is as friendly, or as innocent, as they first seem...</span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>**Murder at Raven's Edge was previously published as Trust Me I Lie**</i></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://geni.us/350-ap-web-ch" target="_blank">Pre Order Here!</a></b></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Murder at Ravenswood House</b></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>(An English Village Mystery #2)</b></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTXosjYtDBt-SdD95Z_Xz9c47aQwE4eKO7hbRxZbujehatKAd2sSvNx-492d-O3IdBcdS5qiyLOOaSK0SVFyS4aWupZ32qVAP_qPM13ZDEEK-Aw6ehQddHApNBlMySnlynhdabmextGKuMALi3GmTbSZja-lNfRJocjAzElkIvhT8_lPIP3IoQoEFIbOR/s2339/Murder_At_Ravenswood_House_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTXosjYtDBt-SdD95Z_Xz9c47aQwE4eKO7hbRxZbujehatKAd2sSvNx-492d-O3IdBcdS5qiyLOOaSK0SVFyS4aWupZ32qVAP_qPM13ZDEEK-Aw6ehQddHApNBlMySnlynhdabmextGKuMALi3GmTbSZja-lNfRJocjAzElkIvhT8_lPIP3IoQoEFIbOR/s320/Murder_At_Ravenswood_House_Cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A gruesome murder in charming Raven’s Edge sends Milla Graham sleuthing to catch a killer, win back her detective ex, and dig up a decades-old secret along the way...</span></p><p></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">When a shocking murder rocks the picture-perfect English village of Raven’s Edge, amateur detective Milla Graham finds herself right at the centre of the mystery. Still reeling from her recent breakup with local police officer Ben Taylor, Milla sets her sights on solving the case, hoping to win Ben back.</span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><br /></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;">But when the evidence begins to point to Milla’s old friend and former boyfriend Lorcan Black, she must choose between her loyalties to the past and the possibilities of the future. Meanwhile, Ben is on a different trail – he’s begun to suspect that the murderer could be someone from his own family’s dark history.</span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><br /></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;">Further complicating matters are Milla’s meddling grandmother, Ben’s no-nonsense police partner Harriet, and David the surprisingly young and sexy new vicar. With shocking twists around every cobblestone corner, the truth refuses to stay buried for long in this quaint village, whose picture-postcard façade hides decades of buried grudges, plots, and betrayal.</span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><br /></span></p><p class="Normal-P-P0" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C3" style="color: #2c3651; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;">Will Milla solve the mystery in time to rescue her relationship with Ben? Can Ben face the skeletons in his family’s closet before one of his own relatives meets the same bloody end?</span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="color: #2c3651; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><br /></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><b><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="https://geni.us/386-ap-web-ch" target="_blank">Pre Order Here!</a></span></b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><span class="Normal-C-C2" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.13em;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b>Be the first to find out about my new books!</b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b> </b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b><a href="https://stormpublishing.co/portfolio/louise-marley/" target="_blank">Follow this link* and enter your email address to subscribe.</a></b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="Normal-P" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">(The link will take you to my publisher's website)</span></p>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-75942343477593404292023-09-25T15:46:00.000+01:002023-09-25T15:46:08.897+01:00Lyme<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've wanted to visit Lyme for many years. Last week we had to drive right past the gate on our way to somewhere else, so we grabbed the opportunity! Hopefully, we'll be able to return very soon, because unfortunately we didn't have the time to walk around the gardens, or recreate that iconic photo of the house from the other side of the lake.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-TmWURPL_EJO7spkVqyaY2RhEgIjdg8I2P2eLdCfJYeRpKvtB1ReIViG1IuuKfhPjzjsMbKWZ_pa4Gsc4JAt2g_iHIvoDbz0XtvmsE9Ge9gPVV_xdhzuWbc8kj_R7IcIdDJeOyo3B9vlV03j7-iMjJB3H_aElkW0ok-yZloVfV4yfVSyyt6WdHvaW-Vu/s4896/P1040639.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-TmWURPL_EJO7spkVqyaY2RhEgIjdg8I2P2eLdCfJYeRpKvtB1ReIViG1IuuKfhPjzjsMbKWZ_pa4Gsc4JAt2g_iHIvoDbz0XtvmsE9Ge9gPVV_xdhzuWbc8kj_R7IcIdDJeOyo3B9vlV03j7-iMjJB3H_aElkW0ok-yZloVfV4yfVSyyt6WdHvaW-Vu/s320/P1040639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lyme</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Whenever I go into an old house, I always ensure I look up at the ceilings! This time I was struck by the strange symbol that occurred over and over again - of what appeared to be a severed arm holding a pennant! According to legend, prior to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy" target="_blank">Battle of Crécy</a> in 1346, the English sacked Caen and a French nobleman managed to seize the standard of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Black_Prince" target="_blank">Black Prince</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfteA9g_FZXkb1eIwBev8AnjQy3cjv9X8yQFkFOwdalAeTgox9HXe4qKfim9oHkN9v3rucjfzPf-Cz5pYckt21dEhvUCht6crrTmtE9nXHHIXW5FQOQQt1-ihmmlXUifT6OeB2yKHrVNX6O1GxpWJ4AwRDftgfn9ztT7HekPOMseMQ719GE59N6Qo3AIu/s4896/P1040633.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfteA9g_FZXkb1eIwBev8AnjQy3cjv9X8yQFkFOwdalAeTgox9HXe4qKfim9oHkN9v3rucjfzPf-Cz5pYckt21dEhvUCht6crrTmtE9nXHHIXW5FQOQQt1-ihmmlXUifT6OeB2yKHrVNX6O1GxpWJ4AwRDftgfn9ztT7HekPOMseMQ719GE59N6Qo3AIu/s320/P1040633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To have lost your standard, before a battle had begun, would have been hugely humiliating for the Prince, but fortunately it was retrieved by Sir Thomas Danyers, who was given the lands where Lyme now stands as a reward. The land was inherited by his granddaughter, Margaret, who married Sir Piers Legh. The land and, later, the house, was then in the Legh family until passed to the National Trust in 1946.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCulzc-DFPJdBECx11SXPtImLHu0WeAVxskhteUhyiqip5NXUmmSrGLrRWPzIakXd_tXkAD6YqC7rkAgw_gX9UDMjXVMq1cJO3KKl4BDjCDBLrl_WBeZOC0p_mLa4qwrpTZIwtM7N6E06O3RwqTHDBxN6ft5t7N1DfmFc1N9d0Qs5YjjKxnszecVut_dmQ/s4000/20230921_110506.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCulzc-DFPJdBECx11SXPtImLHu0WeAVxskhteUhyiqip5NXUmmSrGLrRWPzIakXd_tXkAD6YqC7rkAgw_gX9UDMjXVMq1cJO3KKl4BDjCDBLrl_WBeZOC0p_mLa4qwrpTZIwtM7N6E06O3RwqTHDBxN6ft5t7N1DfmFc1N9d0Qs5YjjKxnszecVut_dmQ/s320/20230921_110506.heic" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Entrance Hall</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">The first building on the site was a 15th century hunting lodge. It wasn't until 1570 that a grand Elizabethan house was built. Although that ancient core still exists, in 1725, the house was remodelled in the Italian Renaissance style. <br /></div><div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">My favourite room was the library. After the family left in 1946, it fell into disrepair and has now been restored. The family's books are stamped with a ram's head crest on their spines.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzVSRozZnddIhJWJ-Lbsd8sW890vWHwtqZQ_otvZOD4fW6c1_ofHr6iL241RE3FFiNjqlq4OcmYWZGAklQ-pvj_Xnfxy2ou1vfnaynm7LashZRqqp_JMn8De7wH8clLtVM6kV5CmCPML-YIXVRGEhZf_ITcmm1uNWVwER1n1PAZghmIjf97XGgBNT0T6t/s4000/20230921_110706.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzVSRozZnddIhJWJ-Lbsd8sW890vWHwtqZQ_otvZOD4fW6c1_ofHr6iL241RE3FFiNjqlq4OcmYWZGAklQ-pvj_Xnfxy2ou1vfnaynm7LashZRqqp_JMn8De7wH8clLtVM6kV5CmCPML-YIXVRGEhZf_ITcmm1uNWVwER1n1PAZghmIjf97XGgBNT0T6t/s320/20230921_110706.heic" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Library</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wouldn't this bay make a terrific book nook?</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpF8TtZ-0DfYRCpwEXAdmoFPomIKM5wYGnC5fccE8fq61QpR2wa0PH3r-DkctfXC6hwQO3wQ2oZCoBCSK1q9_L79rK3hA_j86pqexAnua8APlgcfKmHQqn2_lWaX4SynCA8HLWuMsrDpjI-3zlGESZQ95TnKuKQuJ9gcFxxMekY81PNdN3Y0c0FJ2YUlk/s4000/20230921_110852.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpF8TtZ-0DfYRCpwEXAdmoFPomIKM5wYGnC5fccE8fq61QpR2wa0PH3r-DkctfXC6hwQO3wQ2oZCoBCSK1q9_L79rK3hA_j86pqexAnua8APlgcfKmHQqn2_lWaX4SynCA8HLWuMsrDpjI-3zlGESZQ95TnKuKQuJ9gcFxxMekY81PNdN3Y0c0FJ2YUlk/s320/20230921_110852.heic" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Library Bay</span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The Caxton or Sarum Missal is one of the earliest known printed books that bears the stamp of William Caxton, the father of British printing. It was used for daily prayers, weddings, baptisms and funerals. It survived, largely intact, because it was hidden when King Henry VIII banned it. It wasn't rediscovered until 1874.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz52uV0j66bXu3qqj9BBDoaNmgz0YUh8EaYGBxg1ofKgu8yaho-10xS--iZK48-rjePf_YqVw2W788EGMeJlKlCfz6Gh0wZr63IBmiqdX_d40Wj0hgola-OxI60jP8cjyo00VYtHdSQfXOooIsJfBeE860bhk8Agvb8FN4DkNpkSoav0Uwv5dvRa4OwvW/s4624/20230921_111043.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz52uV0j66bXu3qqj9BBDoaNmgz0YUh8EaYGBxg1ofKgu8yaho-10xS--iZK48-rjePf_YqVw2W788EGMeJlKlCfz6Gh0wZr63IBmiqdX_d40Wj0hgola-OxI60jP8cjyo00VYtHdSQfXOooIsJfBeE860bhk8Agvb8FN4DkNpkSoav0Uwv5dvRa4OwvW/s320/20230921_111043.heic" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Caxton or Sarum Missal</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Before we left Lyme, we quickly popped into the garden. There wasn't much time to explore (hopefully, one day we'll come back) but were were able to visit the Orangery, which I loved. In a huge coincidence, the book I'm working on at the moment, has a glass house which looks very similar to this!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Wwd7oNzx7GK1Vf52k1DiYl8CiwaEcIKBByKvTfPlgasVwc9N6Icxg4g04qjpj7cO3WrQllFbiOzfpibZOqTI0Cc5wVpPqvFGRA7ZB5f98WOOh_mp9ZAeywkCbYcQJBpD70fxUONPBYuUQxL-BkbNq0J1EEKRlxZ2ek27q2PyEi-LHq3-vN1-nVL5VpOD/s4896/P1040623.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Wwd7oNzx7GK1Vf52k1DiYl8CiwaEcIKBByKvTfPlgasVwc9N6Icxg4g04qjpj7cO3WrQllFbiOzfpibZOqTI0Cc5wVpPqvFGRA7ZB5f98WOOh_mp9ZAeywkCbYcQJBpD70fxUONPBYuUQxL-BkbNq0J1EEKRlxZ2ek27q2PyEi-LHq3-vN1-nVL5VpOD/s320/P1040623.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The orangery (right) and the Wyatt Garden</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTORA13CsR1j5ZLSx83vZcTpt1juiFA2oX3H5RReiSE1wa5ZbRHM2Z5mbtQfG8uBTgu51fKngdWWaHrbDKe_uQ_fFjiJ0Qsu7INwTkhbaa9mfftUdzUHYTDTd7-oE4sKtF-uN_MnrVQVwcxn4MBasdrzu7Mbyq7D0X-rMXoFv4_xn417rsDU7lHdtsBR_y/s4896/P1040624.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4896" data-original-width="3672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTORA13CsR1j5ZLSx83vZcTpt1juiFA2oX3H5RReiSE1wa5ZbRHM2Z5mbtQfG8uBTgu51fKngdWWaHrbDKe_uQ_fFjiJ0Qsu7INwTkhbaa9mfftUdzUHYTDTd7-oE4sKtF-uN_MnrVQVwcxn4MBasdrzu7Mbyq7D0X-rMXoFv4_xn417rsDU7lHdtsBR_y/s320/P1040624.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Inside the Orangery</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>You may recognise Lyme as Mr Darcy's 'Pemberley' from the BBC's adaptation of Jane Austen's <i><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b009016x/pride-and-prejudice" target="_blank">Pride and Prejudice</a></i>! The exterior scenes were filmed here, while the interior scenes were shot at <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/peak-district-derbyshire/the-childrens-country-house-at-sudbury" target="_blank">Sudbury Hall</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The BBC's <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> inspired my book, <i><a href="https://www.louisemarley.co.uk/fools.html" target="_blank">Why Do Fools Fall in Love</a></i>, which is about the filming of a costume drama, another reason I was keen to visit Lyme! </div><div><br /></div><div>So I couldn't resist picking up this mug in the giftshop, to much eye-rolling from my husband.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5g3l0v5Ozu1IxDIG5AhnkfC28O5jfR17Fvbp2PJl8f4mawbsAW1gX3S_MPPmyEC0Tr4cRtpejC_tTbJB9wztL7QLShipO-WJdHu1Cg_V-zPj7ESXjazzYS3Czie122uteug8xVI8Z9U5oyfquLueJA-TrxamPDJUMSb2ev6Aj947bYvTy5SYgfjZ753b/s4624/20230925_151757.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5g3l0v5Ozu1IxDIG5AhnkfC28O5jfR17Fvbp2PJl8f4mawbsAW1gX3S_MPPmyEC0Tr4cRtpejC_tTbJB9wztL7QLShipO-WJdHu1Cg_V-zPj7ESXjazzYS3Czie122uteug8xVI8Z9U5oyfquLueJA-TrxamPDJUMSb2ev6Aj947bYvTy5SYgfjZ753b/s320/20230925_151757.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Links:</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/lyme" target="_blank">Lyme (National Trust)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Related Posts:</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-do-fools-fall-in-love.html" target="_blank">Inspiration: <i>Why Do Fools Fall in Love</i></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Sources:</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Lyme</i>: National Trust Guidebook</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Making of Price and Prejudice</i>, Sue Birtwistle & Susie Conklin</div></span></div>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-56947306652355173832022-01-09T21:01:00.000+00:002022-01-09T21:01:19.895+00:00Where I (Used to!) Write<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've moved house a lot over the years (I think I'm on my 12th house), so the '<a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-room-of-ones-own.html" target="_blank">where I work</a>' posts on this blog have described several different rooms and views. There was the study that overlooked Snowdonia, the one that looked out over <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/penrhyn-castle" target="_blank">Penrhyn Castle</a>, and then there was the last house, where my study had a lovely view of the bus stop!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In these posts I usually mention the story of how I wrote my first book in a tiny bungalow, with my monitor jammed into a cupboard and my keyboard on my lap.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And then last week I found this photo. Yes, that's me as a teenager, chuffed to bits to have my own desk and my own typewriter, and being A Writer. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixXClWF2T0vXzJV1xaRrohyydU63dmSLDv_yDPlh6j4SwbbBi42cTY2o_WI9HcTC2eV4X45reQujSUEvIQHEet-5E4c4CU8aRwQu5fCV485HWld9jHEyVxmemyFhosA89OKavCmSTkmZc_-kbkRSzhAPmoczIpdh97CBE1kIhgfH1ObtpyFr-zWFwPtA=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="1600" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixXClWF2T0vXzJV1xaRrohyydU63dmSLDv_yDPlh6j4SwbbBi42cTY2o_WI9HcTC2eV4X45reQujSUEvIQHEet-5E4c4CU8aRwQu5fCV485HWld9jHEyVxmemyFhosA89OKavCmSTkmZc_-kbkRSzhAPmoczIpdh97CBE1kIhgfH1ObtpyFr-zWFwPtA=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2020/10/inspiration-you-make-it-feel-like.html" target="_blank">I grew up in a rambling Victorian house</a> that, even shared with my large family, had a room no one else wanted to use. When my parents moved in they decided it would make a great playroom, to keep the kids out of the way of the grown-ups. But my brothers and I convinced ourselves the room was <a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2013/10/things-that-go-bump.html" target="_blank">haunted </a>by the little old lady who'd lived in the house ten years before us. We knew she'd used the room as a bedroom, as she'd been too frail to climb the stairs. So we decided her ghost was the reason the door would open by itself (this often happens in old houses) and we even thought we heard a piano playing in the empty room - it was probably a radio! We ignored the cold spooky 'playroom' and played in the garden instead!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Skip forward fifteen years when we'd all grown up, my mother suggested I could have the room for myself. It would be a fabulous place for me and my friends to hang out away from the adults (I'm noticing a theme here), but I was <i>thrilled</i>. Especially when,</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mum: You can decorate it however you like!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Me: I'm going to paint the walls black!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mum: Absolutely not!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We compromised with grey walls but with my first pay cheque I bought a desk, two bookcases, and a small sofa, all in my favourite black. I probably imagined lying on the sofa and dictating my novel to a secretary, like Barbara Cartland, because that's what writers do, right?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY6mXG2vnRc2o18OSCVP41yZ-Ad4DvOkCuHMsHUaJnhFMkXLwGFa4sO-JOUf8Ow5O0J78uMqfraO7vZEfnLh7L0Ol25NI9pFePDt8q_Iex148wsi8Yi9KcswJ42JebTJOoGyDfRhkgEPCZ8ZsAtbyVdRAnds0Uk1aq6QyplBO9i5akgL6WC_7BVOCqlg=s1592" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1592" data-original-width="1592" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY6mXG2vnRc2o18OSCVP41yZ-Ad4DvOkCuHMsHUaJnhFMkXLwGFa4sO-JOUf8Ow5O0J78uMqfraO7vZEfnLh7L0Ol25NI9pFePDt8q_Iex148wsi8Yi9KcswJ42JebTJOoGyDfRhkgEPCZ8ZsAtbyVdRAnds0Uk1aq6QyplBO9i5akgL6WC_7BVOCqlg=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Thirty-five years later (thirty-five!!!), I still have the two black bookcases but sadly the desk was taken to the dump just before Christmas. Although it did have a second life as my daughter's desk for a good twenty years. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'd completely forgotten this photo had been taken until I found it last week. As my husband said when I showed it to him (after he'd got over laughing at the 80s fashion), what advice would I give my past self?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Apart from 'Don't wear big earrings around small children'? Probably, 'Hang on in there' because it would take another ten years before I was offered a book contract.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And maybe suggest I get over my obsession with the colour black... </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><u>Related Posts</u>:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-room-of-ones-own.html" target="_blank">A Room of One's Own</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/12/where-i-write.html" target="_blank">Where I Write</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/08/writers-write-or-what-i-really-do-all.html" target="_blank">Writers Write (or, what I really do all day)</a></span></div>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-45886901589807892802021-05-03T15:35:00.000+01:002021-05-03T15:35:02.060+01:00Spring Update<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of the things I enjoy about my daily walk around my village, is watching the subtle changes in the seasons. Winter wasn't much fun. There were no flowers or wildlife to look at, and there was more than one occasion where we were caught in a snow flurry! When the weather is like that, it's tempting to stay home with a good book!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd10oPHDgccZvwbxrj3woz0TnfpqNm2zjKLH4D-pM_uW3VzfbK9O_hy7I_T-vcMUY-7LjXqYRFV7qwVvy8awghWnSGgeLdNMsTL3K59rVXv88IzhP4vNaWB8jZDziLaoAmfztUeQyhSNlh/s4896/P1010015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd10oPHDgccZvwbxrj3woz0TnfpqNm2zjKLH4D-pM_uW3VzfbK9O_hy7I_T-vcMUY-7LjXqYRFV7qwVvy8awghWnSGgeLdNMsTL3K59rVXv88IzhP4vNaWB8jZDziLaoAmfztUeQyhSNlh/s320/P1010015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p style="text-align: justify;">By the middle of January we could catch the occasional glimpse of snowdrops in the woods and buds forming on trees, and the blur of a rabbit shooting back into its burrow. (Not the one above, he seems to like posing for photos!)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As we moved into February, those solitary snowdrops multiplied into carpets of pretty white flowers and soon blossom was appearing everywhere, even in my garden!</p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScMT9nT5T8OFI-oHsQsRl3U-zIb0EzyNJFnAllnoq-DPgT5JCnXx2D80c8IQddusyr-iC5bE4osAVaa0Va5IxQSqtPkX4FYrEMOcFV1rGSvPoDuUYBtkKtmqGoa6yXAC2bauQnXzGxDlV/s4896/P1000562.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScMT9nT5T8OFI-oHsQsRl3U-zIb0EzyNJFnAllnoq-DPgT5JCnXx2D80c8IQddusyr-iC5bE4osAVaa0Va5IxQSqtPkX4FYrEMOcFV1rGSvPoDuUYBtkKtmqGoa6yXAC2bauQnXzGxDlV/s320/P1000562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We originally began our daily walks <a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2020/08/what-i-did-during-lockdown.html" target="_blank">during the first Lockdown</a>, a year ago, and have managed to keep it up. My <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> feels like a diary, where I can look back and see what I've been doing, and it has proved a useful tool to work out when the first goslings will appear and when the local churchyard will be full of bluebells. Spring occurs a little later here in the frozen North, so we have a few more days to wait!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sometimes it felt as though the local geese spent most of April nesting, but right on cue the goslings have now begun to appear.</span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV1TtcnfHvj4CVnpQnO2QQFdOM6S6KV1CpRS1K5ZgwMeMufAUguh46Ao5GKs3udnZzsUNb3PlIyR6SESvK-0IJsW86Tqaq5Kyr3RKjgIV-EtSMRbuGUajTG2xMvlpd1gaiWT4eKMKG1ZY/s4896/P1000830.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV1TtcnfHvj4CVnpQnO2QQFdOM6S6KV1CpRS1K5ZgwMeMufAUguh46Ao5GKs3udnZzsUNb3PlIyR6SESvK-0IJsW86Tqaq5Kyr3RKjgIV-EtSMRbuGUajTG2xMvlpd1gaiWT4eKMKG1ZY/s320/P1000830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">They are so sweet, like little balls of yellow fluff, but it won't take long before they grow and will soon be indistinguishable from their parents.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT45grldoDrDpqnecL3bTfCm8ldCTbceGSmVkLUqY3DLeayz0BJEmEr1-Y276ofDCEhe2Ixp6f3MAFZQ6SZAYeQCf54ZtF9_c-U8w9yrv74ghmwCQdTzg-wfzY99HrWhUGFg-PhSYtn70K/s4896/P1000863.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT45grldoDrDpqnecL3bTfCm8ldCTbceGSmVkLUqY3DLeayz0BJEmEr1-Y276ofDCEhe2Ixp6f3MAFZQ6SZAYeQCf54ZtF9_c-U8w9yrv74ghmwCQdTzg-wfzY99HrWhUGFg-PhSYtn70K/s320/P1000863.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My Instagram has also proved very useful for working out which plants are out at what time of the year, because the book I am working on at the moment is set during late spring/early summer and the characters are spending a lot of time outdoors to escape from their feuding families!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVEAgHJTptZk5YhyUVIKkip7RaNKgLt_dLEgyRxfbk8PRNSgac2rPyEcidT8pBzBL3Yap8T0dmJ_87z_qKeQtfdEyprz5dfYq1q9l7Gp_SfJN7qU3PrG0CUMlLhNbN0wmnRqE3N4F1iBh/s2048/April+23rd+2021+001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVEAgHJTptZk5YhyUVIKkip7RaNKgLt_dLEgyRxfbk8PRNSgac2rPyEcidT8pBzBL3Yap8T0dmJ_87z_qKeQtfdEyprz5dfYq1q9l7Gp_SfJN7qU3PrG0CUMlLhNbN0wmnRqE3N4F1iBh/s320/April+23rd+2021+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As the weather grows warmer, I've been working in my garden. When I moved into this house three years ago, it was a new build with a square of lawn. Now we have a 'proper' garden. As well as flowers, I'm trying to grow fruit and vegetables. My gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes already have tiny berries and my pear tree is now in blossom.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyIAD3NuH5ULjd6jxik96ws6zmWCJVVvFnftLZJgpNN17q8kkfY8MGk18eXqdUS2_zFruJQIdmS7tf8QHmN3zE0sRf8ViWNUTrRXYyoGK3A2WeKBptazDIo5XV4UGB9tGfUHGgLuNJXmA/s4896/P1000720.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyIAD3NuH5ULjd6jxik96ws6zmWCJVVvFnftLZJgpNN17q8kkfY8MGk18eXqdUS2_zFruJQIdmS7tf8QHmN3zE0sRf8ViWNUTrRXYyoGK3A2WeKBptazDIo5XV4UGB9tGfUHGgLuNJXmA/s320/P1000720.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm also trying to grow strawberries! As both my Dad and my great-grandfather were strawberry growers in Hampshire, it seems strange to be carrying on with the tradition all these years later. Although if my Dad could see my 'suitable for beginners' plants in my hanging baskets, he would think it was a very strange way to grow strawberries!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijw2UgJzY2mRmH2aqoskg5v7Ez53ihcIQbrw_exaR3eYq2elqYkAWdSdF8yI_Gn9Gcz56vRMbpU8BObqhg32kCfP6onCDZra6fG8dqu_BIqSzX1gtuSZtlDuNAW8zb8OqLQ9ox8YD8Y3w/s256/20210502_150131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijw2UgJzY2mRmH2aqoskg5v7Ez53ihcIQbrw_exaR3eYq2elqYkAWdSdF8yI_Gn9Gcz56vRMbpU8BObqhg32kCfP6onCDZra6fG8dqu_BIqSzX1gtuSZtlDuNAW8zb8OqLQ9ox8YD8Y3w/s0/20210502_150131.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><u>Related Posts:</u></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2020/08/what-i-did-during-lockdown.html" target="_blank">What I Did During Lockdown</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://julietgreenwoodauthor.wordpress.com/2020/07/10/louise-marley-five-things-i-learnt-while-writing-through-lockdown/" target="_blank">Five Things I Learned While Writing Through Lockdown</a> (Guest post for Juliet Greenwood)</span></div><p></p></div>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-546876335121809752020-12-02T12:13:00.031+00:002020-12-02T15:04:16.274+00:00O Christmas Tree...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is how I spent my weekend...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-SJ7pfhvkJVgp9RqT__28kH_nzJhFfkwwCZxxxm0Il3hQJr8VQ_RlEzR0TOs7HjK9CQO28o4lrR__C6katvYg8LM_i12wp_NM3Zbjt0k3MrCEqUgUU6PxaHI0mloWLKwr9xQui0pic6b/s4896/P1000345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4896" data-original-width="3672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-SJ7pfhvkJVgp9RqT__28kH_nzJhFfkwwCZxxxm0Il3hQJr8VQ_RlEzR0TOs7HjK9CQO28o4lrR__C6katvYg8LM_i12wp_NM3Zbjt0k3MrCEqUgUU6PxaHI0mloWLKwr9xQui0pic6b/s320/P1000345.JPG" /></a></div><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">I think this is the earliest I've ever put up my Christmas decorations but, judging by my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMarley" target="_blank">Facebook</a> feed, I'm not the only one. There is something about a Christmas tree that is immediately cheering (never underestimate the power of glitter!) particularly after the year we've all had.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our tree is an artificial one but w</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">hen I was growing up my family had always had a real tree. </span><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2020/10/inspiration-you-make-it-feel-like.html" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">Our house</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> had a huge bay window at the front and my parents were determined to fill it with tree, so they would always buy the biggest one they could find - sometimes the top would end up being bent over to fit. My mother tried every method she could think of to keep the tree alive and the needles intact until Christmas. The best solution turned out to be just sticking the tree in a bucket of water like a bunch of flowers. Christmas trees don't much like the heat, but that was never much of a problem living in a Victorian house!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When I was a teenager I decided I wanted my own Christmas tree in my room. I think I must have been heavily influenced by old Hollywood movies because I bought a white one from Woolworths and, copying the Harrods shop window from the previous year, decorated it in baubles of just one colour. Some people loved it, some hated it! I still have the tree but my daughter has claimed it for herself - it's 'vintage'!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4NaEJQgnSs8ADJ3t4tjvUgycivxa0Z-fu5m5MBkzGkIeTHTi8tHVfaxm2F_2Y64l8oZLbs0jVgnh9rqTdkVw1DQaLGrEtyloarTiWpWt5TfhSRxLw1rsImc7XhPWZS1qmCE3ivPVtOc-/s1388/IMG_20151209_222254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1388" data-original-width="1388" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4NaEJQgnSs8ADJ3t4tjvUgycivxa0Z-fu5m5MBkzGkIeTHTi8tHVfaxm2F_2Y64l8oZLbs0jVgnh9rqTdkVw1DQaLGrEtyloarTiWpWt5TfhSRxLw1rsImc7XhPWZS1qmCE3ivPVtOc-/w200-h200/IMG_20151209_222254.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When I left home I tried to recreate my family's Christmas traditions (you can read more about that <a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-grandma-invented-my-family-christmas.html" target="_blank">here</a>) but I eventually learnt that the best thing is to continue the traditions that work for you but not be afraid to create 'new' ones. My mother gave me a few packs of baubles to start me off but over the years I began to collect individual ornaments, a couple each Christmas, mostly from garden centres and high street stores. I can pretty much tell you where each one came from and the story behind it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KmFRx0nzKIvnAKoODSWG1mKH8Kr4dWRPyK0XdqSd1XounifN_ZzmjU55E5a-gzUzLNk2_dPickROvjDE4Ow4E7gRSiuKCwv64sDLeMc3omW_IKnF8d150m8hv2eNFrY3F3o0o8EyLki3/s960/Christmas+Decorations.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KmFRx0nzKIvnAKoODSWG1mKH8Kr4dWRPyK0XdqSd1XounifN_ZzmjU55E5a-gzUzLNk2_dPickROvjDE4Ow4E7gRSiuKCwv64sDLeMc3omW_IKnF8d150m8hv2eNFrY3F3o0o8EyLki3/w200-h200/Christmas+Decorations.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">For many years the most famous ornament on my tree was the 'Harrods' bauble, which (as you can probably tell!) I bought in about 1989. It was hugely expensive at the time and it was a complete pain to get it back to Hampshire without breaking it, but it's still on my tree all these years later!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraMB1Xq8-gXOqOHzQ7WR8TDaeHJwoYtATtwEKKlcjVcKYzPjqv1ZeJPhw5LzdWI9UJ_V-K6lrw8yn7DyRIWeVrkrU-s2jrDO6yEsEGXFJL7slWXbOuaHh0EJnStUsW6xg2Uxk6TZ_qhxQ/s4896/P1000354.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraMB1Xq8-gXOqOHzQ7WR8TDaeHJwoYtATtwEKKlcjVcKYzPjqv1ZeJPhw5LzdWI9UJ_V-K6lrw8yn7DyRIWeVrkrU-s2jrDO6yEsEGXFJL7slWXbOuaHh0EJnStUsW6xg2Uxk6TZ_qhxQ/w200-h150/P1000354.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Several of my ornaments were bought for me by my friend <a href="https://www.trishaworld.com/" target="_blank">Trisha Ashley</a>. We both share a love of traditional glass ornaments. One memorable year we both bought each other typewriter baubles (Trisha bought the red one, I bought the black one) - great minds think alike!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_chIs8NIBtET5fqnBxS66mcg-0XLmyqw_ByzhwZaNSDeDl13T2fbs4JF7Gvrqe_9yVyzI4JO59BNMHdWZlMpqDugS1c5ZH9CerVqKDpqvU1FNg0H8R8ihmX-dT7eq0BBzqKQlE9-cB0Vm/s2048/December+2020+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_chIs8NIBtET5fqnBxS66mcg-0XLmyqw_ByzhwZaNSDeDl13T2fbs4JF7Gvrqe_9yVyzI4JO59BNMHdWZlMpqDugS1c5ZH9CerVqKDpqvU1FNg0H8R8ihmX-dT7eq0BBzqKQlE9-cB0Vm/w150-h200/December+2020+041.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love fairy toadstools and mice and nutcrackers, so there are several of those sprinkled over the tree. I also love the way light shines through glass, so there are lots of glass ornaments too. About five years ago I realised my tree was stuck in the 1980s, so I no longer use tinsel. The poor tree seemed a bit bare until I got used to it but I've realised you can now see the decorations properly!</span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzNQnElAF_tfM6WMEuUFlocruPJHQxw5ukZ8xOkwKi5wALKJqfJQKp_xb-jUwy7beaVG9grqJsKwe7XrAOwzFxwFtqMXZJeQki0k8U-_cGC4vbGLtYU-rHPTm4rwL4WUUtQuYwPXXzDsu/s4896/P1000357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzNQnElAF_tfM6WMEuUFlocruPJHQxw5ukZ8xOkwKi5wALKJqfJQKp_xb-jUwy7beaVG9grqJsKwe7XrAOwzFxwFtqMXZJeQki0k8U-_cGC4vbGLtYU-rHPTm4rwL4WUUtQuYwPXXzDsu/w200-h150/P1000357.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sadly, my mother died earlier this year. When my brother and sister-in-law were sorting through her things they found a mysterious cardboard box with a note attached to the top which said, "For Louise".</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What was inside? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The family box of Christmas decorations...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>If you'd like to know more about my Christmas decorations, my daughter has challenged me to post a festive picture on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/" target="_blank">my Instagram</a> in the days leading up until Christmas.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u style="font-family: georgia;">Related Posts:</u></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-grandma-invented-my-family-christmas.html" target="_blank">How My Grandmother Invented Our Family Christmas</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-very-marley-christmas.html" target="_blank">A Very Marley Christmas</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/12/let-it-snow.html" target="_blank">Let It Snow</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2020/10/inspiration-you-make-it-feel-like.html" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Inspiration Behind </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://heidiswain.blogspot.com/2020/10/welcoming-louise-marley-to-blog.html" target="_blank">My Best 'Worst' Christmas (a guest post for Heidi Swain)</a></span></div>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-79489609393165415992020-11-21T16:44:00.005+00:002020-11-21T20:00:31.714+00:00Guest Post: Hazel Prior: Why Penguins?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>If you follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/LouiseMarley" target="_blank">Twitter</a> you might have noticed that I've been raving about a book called </i>Away with the Penguins<i> by Hazel Prior. It's a fabulous, feel-good book, about an elderly lady who decides to leave all her money to a penguin research facility in Antarctica - on condition they allow her to visit first! Today I am thrilled to welcome Hazel to my blog to explain exactly what it is about penguins that made her want to write about them!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4kSs0fG5sJhXZlAHl948i5xC7v4MYeRAcRtuGFcDRVTFkr2YD0EQ1L89vqBwKinvZuhwzhRUaYys0G3Dw5BxPeutx_qGs1p2paEeSwTwdIySN8VMlHndnfMkh59KqDSM7zK9dJIkdb_P/s2048/High+res+.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4kSs0fG5sJhXZlAHl948i5xC7v4MYeRAcRtuGFcDRVTFkr2YD0EQ1L89vqBwKinvZuhwzhRUaYys0G3Dw5BxPeutx_qGs1p2paEeSwTwdIySN8VMlHndnfMkh59KqDSM7zK9dJIkdb_P/w128-h200/High+res+.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why penguins? This is a question I’ve been asked a lot recently. You don’t get many novels that feature a colony of penguins, and when I first thought of bringing them together with a curmudgeonly eighty-five-year old heroine, I did wonder if I could pull it off. However, I’m a strong believer in writing about what you love—how can you possibly sustain the intense, long-term commitment that you put into a novel otherwise? And the idea just tickled my fancy.</div></span></div></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’d already written my first book ELLIE AND THE HARP MAKER, around my favourite things: Celtic harps, kind and eccentric characters and Exmoor countryside. I was lucky to get a two-book deal with the publishers Penguin Random House, and was so excited and proud that I was namedropping ‘Penguin’ at every opportunity. So when it came to the decision about what book 2 would be about, that little quirky bird hopped into my head.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. I could set the novel in Antarctica—what an opportunity to take my readers to such a wild and magical place! I couldn’t afford to go there myself but I knew I’d enjoy researching it and conjuring up the details in my imagination. What’s more I knew someone who could help…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I happen to have a close friend who is crazy about penguins and she has an inspirational story of her own. Several years ago her husband died very suddenly but she found an unusual strategy for dealing with her grief: She decided to travel around the world and take photos of every species of penguin in its natural habitat. She has now amassed fabulous photos of seventeen species of penguin. Only one more to go! She’s gained enormous joy and solace from her penguin trips, and this made me think about nature as a healer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of my own strategies for dealing with grief, illness or hardship is to turn to books and I know that many people do the same. For this reason I always want my writing to be uplifting in some way, so I show characters who face challenges but manage to overcome them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kH0lfKspevh9K4s9gF6yvGQReTEAD9AxgjHJ4jTdsstMFczsd4mgDao28uPoLMAh7bspTWETw_F_-oz4johiGqILUTGKMAU-Fd9EXN8BTXFJkNTfvOI7mYupRIoVtM6wXAjI-Yng8YgD/s1934/Hazel+and+Penguin+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="1934" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kH0lfKspevh9K4s9gF6yvGQReTEAD9AxgjHJ4jTdsstMFczsd4mgDao28uPoLMAh7bspTWETw_F_-oz4johiGqILUTGKMAU-Fd9EXN8BTXFJkNTfvOI7mYupRIoVtM6wXAjI-Yng8YgD/s320/Hazel+and+Penguin+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I started to research penguins, I realised that I had chosen exactly the right creature for this purpose. Penguins set us a wonderful example. They live in the harshest conditions on the planet and yet face their daily challenges with incredible cheerfulness, determination and gusto. They’re sociable birds, too. As my plot developed I realised they could teach my heroine, Veronica McCreedy, a lesson. Veronica is disillusioned with the human race because of the way she’s been treated in the past, but the penguins show her the importance of community and mutual support.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My job as a writer is to tell a good story and entertain people, not to preach. But I do like to deal with serious issues, wrap them up in a bit of fun and maybe provoke a thought or two. Scientists study the fluctuations in penguin colonies because they indicate key environmental changes, so in writing this book I’ve touched on some of the devastating effects of climate change. The environmental crisis has loomed large in the public psyche recently but this isn’t just me jumping onto a bandwagon; I wrote my novel’s first draft before anyone had even heard of Greta Thunberg. The publication of AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS is timely, though, and I’m glad that my quirky Antarctic story adds another small voice to the clamour for change.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How did I research penguins? As well as quizzing my penguin-obsessed friend and poring over her photographs, I spent many happy hours watching penguin footage on YouTube. I read books about penguins from cover to cover. There are blogs on the British Antarctic Survey website written by scientists who study penguins in the Antarctic South Shetlands, so that was incredibly useful. I went to visit some real penguins, too, at Living Coasts, a sea-life centre in Torquay. The staff there generously shared all sorts of penguin facts and figures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSDYYVB8tlbAsQAemX89c0IRxMlPRF1TAuq6HAe51BAt0-B7OKC_-tQ1fe998bwNrcsyUZjlxvbpGz61WNgC9eto1tAJfLpMkW1FevbzGIEQxr-ZfIpRn602Csjl7B8C9gE43dxZXjdLq/s2048/Hazel+and+Penguin+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSDYYVB8tlbAsQAemX89c0IRxMlPRF1TAuq6HAe51BAt0-B7OKC_-tQ1fe998bwNrcsyUZjlxvbpGz61WNgC9eto1tAJfLpMkW1FevbzGIEQxr-ZfIpRn602Csjl7B8C9gE43dxZXjdLq/s320/Hazel+and+Penguin+2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was thrilled to meet Yoyo, a very friendly penguin who was hand-reared. When the book came out in hardback I went back to show him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He liked it so much he wanted to eat it!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjmOmqpTzmeMnHO8B81FKTPyvKVXwMtF_FXmpzuVP-rx72AbZW8HOWrsDqkHgY_rB2Gw5YH7MFDLFA5mEzOasU7-hgjReW6dT4KUESgwOAKYEi2n3cBirKUVKbFaohA-KS7UThFuPNNat/s2048/Penguin+and+Book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1864" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjmOmqpTzmeMnHO8B81FKTPyvKVXwMtF_FXmpzuVP-rx72AbZW8HOWrsDqkHgY_rB2Gw5YH7MFDLFA5mEzOasU7-hgjReW6dT4KUESgwOAKYEi2n3cBirKUVKbFaohA-KS7UThFuPNNat/s320/Penguin+and+Book.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, this year Living Coasts had to be closed due to the pandemic, but Yoyo and his friends have apparently <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-54937653" target="_blank">settled well in their new home in Wales</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like most people, I find penguins charming and funny. It’s almost impossible to look at a penguin without smiling. For this reason, and to celebrate the book’s recent <a href="https://blog.whsmith.co.uk/richard-judy/" target="_blank">Richard & Judy Book Club</a> success, I ran a penguin drawing competition on Twitter. Do check it out here if you’d like some light relief from this very difficult year. <a href="https://www.hazeltheharpist.co.uk/penguins">https://www.hazeltheharpist.co.uk/penguins</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, a BIG THANK YOU for having me, Louise! And I think it’s appropriate to end with this quote from John Ruskin, which I’ve used at the beginning of my book: "<i>I find penguins at present the only comfort in life… One can’t be angry when one looks at a penguin...</i>"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: medium;">Away With The Penguins</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoDcGgTxPjAuWlWQBsfG8PdVAuwDvW9SybDusFC3KXYePPuRzwQ1lQTGSPMAh0kG8fNuAbeOQjBsvuBLwZ_dJ3gig_iqGXoyAUQMfAGsF0EucWN0LLa8fVZcaF0hxaDDepUv-O9h1yKji/s500/Hazel+Prior+Away+with+the+Penguins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoDcGgTxPjAuWlWQBsfG8PdVAuwDvW9SybDusFC3KXYePPuRzwQ1lQTGSPMAh0kG8fNuAbeOQjBsvuBLwZ_dJ3gig_iqGXoyAUQMfAGsF0EucWN0LLa8fVZcaF0hxaDDepUv-O9h1yKji/w130-h200/Hazel+Prior+Away+with+the+Penguins.jpg" width="130" /></a></i></div><i>Veronica McCreedy is about to have the journey of a lifetime...</i><p></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><i>Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary. And she’s never seen without her ruby-red lipstick.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><i>Although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><i>She can be found either collecting litter from the beach (‘people who litter the countryside should be shot’), trying to locate her glasses (‘someone must have moved them’) or shouting instructions to her assistant, Eileen (‘Eileen, door!’).</i></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><i>Veronica doesn’t have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway... And she has no idea where she’s going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies.</i></p><div style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><i>But today... today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this.</i></div><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Away-Penguins-Hazel-Prior-ebook/dp/B07Y2SJJ34" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></i></p><div style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Penguins-Saved-Veronica-Hazel-Prior/dp/1984803816" target="_blank">Amazon USA</a> </i></div><div style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><i>(published as How the Penguins Saved Veronica)</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: medium;">About Hazel</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidX2Jj-ZFmb4D4ep3sR8-GIxLsITJcprCwGkZE8czh7vYp9VBteVPWCIrQYkDTYtiQkFrTu9uBd-Y2PY7OtkPMKVw3CGQvHeA3_OJ03wX7ZZ_8viDkgDg_60eY0npL1XIufxU1NgnkUEn1/s2048/Hazel+Prior+%2528c%2529+Ursula+Franklin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1435" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidX2Jj-ZFmb4D4ep3sR8-GIxLsITJcprCwGkZE8czh7vYp9VBteVPWCIrQYkDTYtiQkFrTu9uBd-Y2PY7OtkPMKVw3CGQvHeA3_OJ03wX7ZZ_8viDkgDg_60eY0npL1XIufxU1NgnkUEn1/w140-h200/Hazel+Prior+%2528c%2529+Ursula+Franklin.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Hazel Prior was born in Oxford but has lived in many places including the Welsh borders, Scotland, south-west England and Italy. Her jobs have included harp-playing, teaching English as a foreign language and acting. She has won nine prizes in national writing competitions and has had a number of short stories published in literary magazines. Currently working as a freelance harpist, Hazel lives on Exmoor with her husband and a huge ginger cat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.hazeltheharpist.co.uk/" target="_blank">Website</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://twitter.com/HazelPriorBooks" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @HazelPriorBooks</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/hazelpriorbooks/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div></span>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-757331114229122572020-10-12T09:40:00.000+01:002020-10-12T09:40:21.378+01:00Inspiration: You Make It Feel Like Christmas<p><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqxisw7bCxnUPF9QXXmprKPJhOhF4muzQZ7_klHOvoRiNCuJNT7qPEdL4TGpa1J6WayjK1z5FqGkLvZUqsdm7CxS540Z5Xse4ZMMtuQUUBTpu0ABJWrPRNwbveWiZ6veRrZ_0WS3-i8c9/s2292/You+Make+It+Feel+Like+Christmas.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2292" data-original-width="1553" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqxisw7bCxnUPF9QXXmprKPJhOhF4muzQZ7_klHOvoRiNCuJNT7qPEdL4TGpa1J6WayjK1z5FqGkLvZUqsdm7CxS540Z5Xse4ZMMtuQUUBTpu0ABJWrPRNwbveWiZ6veRrZ_0WS3-i8c9/w136-h200/You+Make+It+Feel+Like+Christmas.jpeg" width="136" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I first had the idea for <i><a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/feellikechristmas.html" target="_blank">You Make It Feel Like Christmas</a></i> way back in 2014 while I was at the cinema watching <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_(film)" target="_blank">Guardians of the Galaxy</a>.</i> You can't see the connection between a superhero movie and a Christmas romantic comedy? </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Well, the soundtrack featured an old 70s song called <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5jkAkm4JmM" target="_blank">Hooked on a Feeling</a></i> and the lyrics got me thinking about people who have (for one reason or another) become stuck on a certain way of thinking</span>.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I often have ideas for stories that I <a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/07/getting-noted.html" target="_blank">scribble down in a notebook </a>and then promptly forget about but this one stayed in my mind. A few years later, when the mystery novel I was working on wasn't coming together in the way I wanted (I'll be blogging about that later), I decided to start something completely different. I remembered those characters who'd become 'hooked on a feeling' and <i>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i> began to take shape.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Beth is obsessed with the idea of having a perfect family Christmas and still has feelings for the man that broke her heart seven years ago. Aidan associates Christmas spent at his family home with a tragic period in his life and would happily see the house flattened, whereas his brother Nick remembers his idyllic childhood and will do anything to save it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I didn't realise until I'd finished writing the book that my feelings about the house I'd grown up in had also found their way into the story. This might have been because part of the book was written there while I was visiting my mother. We talked a lot about the 'old days' and the amount of work it had taken to restore the house.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmcdjbBEhVSPQPmXlVA6sGCB-xM4OOvsT5Zc5pgFJt5VxhUAigPJVwLMqLQ5Rr_70hIEXtaAtkt2dRQ-FrL7TCATJxVJVN1OJ4XJAusurOHApF1zh2gCeb4sP-LZhvZUHlG6a7xEoFKOM/s1600/Parents+House+June+2017+3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmcdjbBEhVSPQPmXlVA6sGCB-xM4OOvsT5Zc5pgFJt5VxhUAigPJVwLMqLQ5Rr_70hIEXtaAtkt2dRQ-FrL7TCATJxVJVN1OJ4XJAusurOHApF1zh2gCeb4sP-LZhvZUHlG6a7xEoFKOM/w320-h240/Parents+House+June+2017+3.JPG" title="The house I grew up in" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><i>My childhood home</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My parents bought their house back in the 1970s. It was their dream house and restoring it became their hobby - except they didn't restore it in a traditional way! Instead, they trawled reclamation sites buying quirky fittings from old houses that had been demolished. Although the house was Victorian they added oak beams to the sitting room ceiling (original 300-year-old ship's timbers!) along with a huge Tudor fireplace.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I asked my mother why they'd chosen to do this and she explained that they had loved visiting old houses, with all their history, and wanted to recreate a little bit of that in their own home.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The appearance of the Abbey in my story was influenced by much bigger real-life houses, including </span><a href="https://lyndhurst.org/" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">Lyndhurst Mansion</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> in Tarrytown, New York (also the location for the 1970s horror film </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Dark_Shadows" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">House of Dark Shadows</a><span style="font-family: georgia;">) and </span><a href="https://newsteadabbey.org.uk/" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">Newstead Abbey</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> in Nottinghamshire (once home to Lord Byron - who also gets a mention!).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89_eCH1SkQIsSKN-yhxy4gU8Ca3Tw9dlxrgTpRopALBQuIj9OCpNGpkMWPJGCL7e0pfRCscRvdhtePED0iV6LLQ6eLk1o_KaajXyZbY2jsM7LcxttlWEY5eT0RALhNzEMq36eZcUx3ii8/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89_eCH1SkQIsSKN-yhxy4gU8Ca3Tw9dlxrgTpRopALBQuIj9OCpNGpkMWPJGCL7e0pfRCscRvdhtePED0iV6LLQ6eLk1o_KaajXyZbY2jsM7LcxttlWEY5eT0RALhNzEMq36eZcUx3ii8/w320-h240/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Newstead Abbey</i></div></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p style="text-align: justify;">When I wrote the book, I'd recently moved into one of the first houses on a new estate and for the next year I effectively lived on a building site. This probably influenced my decision to make Aidan a builder!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Like Agatha in <i>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i>, my grandmother was heavily into crafting. I remember her making me jewellery out of rose hips, and jack-'o-lanterns out of turnips - they were super-scary! - and Christmas decorations out of real holly, ivy and fir cones, which she'd sprinkle with glitter or spray gold (this was the 80s!). My grandmother also told me the stories behind the traditions of decorating our houses with greenery, and the legend of Balder and Loki.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvIcUzfSG0e4ppA-nZADluyRJM_TtrxeiFQbbKbNir_ZG-S1TYeD97P3k3cOI0H23ij0Fi3CPy-nwDJP953tsHhr-M8mxRIQGDkAzzapTneu0thi-5Z3tMns0HoEXynQZVDlBES4rXwaR/s960/Christmas+Decorations.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvIcUzfSG0e4ppA-nZADluyRJM_TtrxeiFQbbKbNir_ZG-S1TYeD97P3k3cOI0H23ij0Fi3CPy-nwDJP953tsHhr-M8mxRIQGDkAzzapTneu0thi-5Z3tMns0HoEXynQZVDlBES4rXwaR/w200-h200/Christmas+Decorations.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In <i>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i> the Holly family have an heirloom box of decorations going back to the 1960s - so did my mother. Earlier in the story, when Nick decorates his tree with some <i>very</i> unusual baubles, he explains to Beth how much they mean to him. This is something that is also important to me. I've collected the decorations for my own tree over many years and every one has a story behind it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lucy's experience of driving through a snowstorm happened to me! Hearing the sound of compacted ice scrape the underside of my car is not one I'd care to repeat! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ophelia's fabulous high fruit, low sugar mince pies are <a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2013/12/marleys-marvelous-mincemeat.html" target="_blank">based on my own recipe</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And the Holly family's usual Christmas - dinner at lunchtime, an afternoon spent watching the Christmas movie on TV, eating leftovers and Quality Street, and playing Death-by-Scrabble?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I wonder where I got that idea <a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-very-marley-christmas.html" target="_blank">from</a>?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8tfRC0EG-hqzCUHiGRc_XKHg0IIcXva-X-FRhWLdsWuHJ9jjdXeAYFS7kBhJ0BabnN3OCHhT9BMugxvhBPH7AvUjlsBTqTPS4xE-5yH4CvZjFiefBARdh2sCjSM_8-quqE3igIjr2NoV/s2204/IMG_20151226_114906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2204" data-original-width="2204" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8tfRC0EG-hqzCUHiGRc_XKHg0IIcXva-X-FRhWLdsWuHJ9jjdXeAYFS7kBhJ0BabnN3OCHhT9BMugxvhBPH7AvUjlsBTqTPS4xE-5yH4CvZjFiefBARdh2sCjSM_8-quqE3igIjr2NoV/w200-h200/IMG_20151226_114906.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Related Posts</u>:</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-very-marley-christmas.html" target="_blank">A Very Marley Christmas</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-grandma-invented-my-family-christmas.html" target="_blank">How Grandma Invented my Family's Christmas</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2013/12/marleys-marvelous-mincemeat.html" target="_blank">Marley's Marvellous Mincemeat</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2017/11/newstead-abbey-lords-behaving-badly.html" target="_blank">Newstead Abbey: Lords Behaving Badly</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/07/getting-noted.html" target="_blank">Get Noted</a></div></span>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-3371028916924143842020-10-07T20:51:00.000+01:002020-10-07T20:51:23.303+01:00Guest Post: Heidi Swain: Feeling Festive in Nightingale Square<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>This week I'm thrilled to welcome </i>Sunday Times<i> bestselling author Heidi Swain to my blog. Heidi is famous for her heart-warming, feel-good stories set in Norfolk and today she's going to tell us about her latest novel, </i>The Winter Garden...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8Z5mBwPQHvo4yi9TKKpGn-0Qu7nVbSvLDCJpZkkz0cXEx5gGEZAEdKJIe96pIOyd6a_7Re8gjOguQbVaYuaZXaRoRwww8y1uYpVozDit4HFbJ2FBtKEjiKvJUKoIAWr5iadXGVgEg2tg/s1534/Author+pic+-+2020.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8Z5mBwPQHvo4yi9TKKpGn-0Qu7nVbSvLDCJpZkkz0cXEx5gGEZAEdKJIe96pIOyd6a_7Re8gjOguQbVaYuaZXaRoRwww8y1uYpVozDit4HFbJ2FBtKEjiKvJUKoIAWr5iadXGVgEg2tg/w134-h200/Author+pic+-+2020.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>Hello everyone! Thank you so much for finding your way to this post and thank you to Louise for kindly offering me a spot on her blog. It’s now a week since </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">The Winter Garden</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> was published and I thought it might be the ideal opportunity to share with you a little of the inspiration behind this first festive trip to Nightingale Square. </span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As some of you probably already know, I write two books a year and have done practically since I was first published in 2015. Broadly speaking, one is a summer book and one is a winter, or Christmas book. When I settled down to plan the winter 2020 release, I glanced at my pile of books and realised that the four festive titles I had written so far were all set in the same place – the much-loved fictitious Fenland town of Wynbridge. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two things occurred to me as I admired the foil enhanced covers. Firstly, I realised that I would rather like to visit Wynbridge in the summer for a change (<i>A Taste of Home</i> set in the Fenland countryside will be released next April. Yay!) and secondly, I was pretty certain that the neighbours in Nightingale Square would very much like to show us how they prepare for and celebrate Christmas in the fine city of Norwich.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQH8jnmyVS_YnVV8UBiH7hsraGJtYAb3wi1wvwdi16SPPU2Uw6KPe-N2-hc7htVoBhk7bBDylryt8go71pNbZu1rGeVpX0eJmeXvcwcBeNQ7sAaYmRX2yb-esYpctr6aO7brtSE4R7DHV/s978/TWG+Graphic+-+escape+real+life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="978" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQH8jnmyVS_YnVV8UBiH7hsraGJtYAb3wi1wvwdi16SPPU2Uw6KPe-N2-hc7htVoBhk7bBDylryt8go71pNbZu1rGeVpX0eJmeXvcwcBeNQ7sAaYmRX2yb-esYpctr6aO7brtSE4R7DHV/w320-h168/TWG+Graphic+-+escape+real+life.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Much like moving to a brand-new setting when your readers are so invested in the familiar one, it was a scary prospect, changing the festive location, but one I was willing to embrace. The vibrant city of Norwich, the pretty Square with its central green, the community garden across the road at Prosperous Place, along with the gardens attached to the house, all proved to be ideal for showcasing festive events and communal gatherings as the plotting and planning developed, but ultimately, I wanted the book to be about so much more than that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The short, dark days take their toll on many of us and I wanted to use the garden to show that even in the depths of winter there is still some light to be enjoyed along with many horticultural highlights, irrespective of whether your heart belongs in the country or the city. Hence, the arrival of a new face in the Square, gardener Freya, and her nervy but lovable rescue dog, Nell. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiVSHA7xY3YrmJkyqsrtqQlYFTw31fjkDbH1pMpCkOIa2SF6-a8Qs3-OjmKJztDXGPcpDcY095RIL9Yg6YOCSYJhV7PqUDyWi_n3ylMs_yvQi57vxHwzIsSt6MQAcoDBz-T6gkyR4ISeY/s1350/The+Winter+Garden+-+paperback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiVSHA7xY3YrmJkyqsrtqQlYFTw31fjkDbH1pMpCkOIa2SF6-a8Qs3-OjmKJztDXGPcpDcY095RIL9Yg6YOCSYJhV7PqUDyWi_n3ylMs_yvQi57vxHwzIsSt6MQAcoDBz-T6gkyR4ISeY/w160-h200/The+Winter+Garden+-+paperback.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Freya’s timely advent (no pun intended) led to the birth of the Winter Garden which quickly formed a surprising seasonal treat for the senses and became packed full of highly scented shrubs, vibrant flowers and some surprisingly tactile textures. Throw artist, Norse god lookalike, Finn into the mix for a romantic twist and I’d created some pretty spectacular fireworks too! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two of the characters in <i>The Winter Garden</i> suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and one creates something rather wonderful alongside the garden to put a stop to it getting the upper hand. I’m not going to reveal what it is, in the hope that you might decide to pick up or download the book yourself, and if you do, I hope you will give some of the things the Nightingale Square neighbours delight in, a go yourself. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have a feeling that during the next few months we are all going to need more distractions than ever and continuing to build our connections to nature and getting outside at every opportunity will be a sure-fire way to ensure that we keep those happy chemicals fizzing away and fired up in our brains. And so, all that remains for me to do now is to wish you a wonderful winter season packed full of outdoor adventures. I very much hope to meet you in <i>The Winter Garden</i>! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With love </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Heidi x</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: medium;"><b>About Heidi...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXASOrdH0LShD8OYYTJKZknrqkvyoSTEHKPzeWOF2-YhRRk3jjH1Ppb9yJS1GBeUNgseJ6dVtp2yfOHfug5-lN1RbQ9oeP1xYf5TFWR9Ec93ffx4wK4di_XTgP_vlvhdt4WyWUitN9cQk/s500/Heidi+Swain+The+Winter+Garden.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: georgia; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXASOrdH0LShD8OYYTJKZknrqkvyoSTEHKPzeWOF2-YhRRk3jjH1Ppb9yJS1GBeUNgseJ6dVtp2yfOHfug5-lN1RbQ9oeP1xYf5TFWR9Ec93ffx4wK4di_XTgP_vlvhdt4WyWUitN9cQk/w132-h200/Heidi+Swain+The+Winter+Garden.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk19023404;">A lover of vintage
paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes feel good fiction with
heart for Simon and Schuster.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her debut novel, <i>The
Chery Tree Café</i> was published in July 2015 and since then she has had a further
ten books published, becoming a Sunday Times Bestseller in 2017. She is
currently celebrating the release of her 2020 festive title, <i>The Winter Garden</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk19023404;">Heidi is represented
by Amanda Preston and lives in Norfolk with her family and a mischievous cat
called Storm.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.heidiswain.co.uk/" target="_blank">Website</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/Heidi_Swain" target="_blank">Twitter</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WriterHeidiJoSwain" target="_blank">Facebook</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heidi-Swain/e/B00YNN3LDI" name="_Hlk19023433" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Publisher: <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon & Schuster UK</a> <a href="http://booksandthecity.co.uk/" target="_blank">Books and the City</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Winter Garden</i>: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winter-Garden-Heidi-Swain/dp/1471185729" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Garden-Heidi-Swain-ebook/dp/B083JK2JRC" target="_blank">Amazon USA</a></p></div></span>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-3678468748139104022020-09-04T08:00:00.001+01:002020-09-08T16:46:02.305+01:00New Book, Coming Soon...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After four years (yes, I know!) you might have wondered if you were ever going to see a new book from me (and that's the subject of a whole other blog post!).<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So today I am thrilled to show you the cover of my new book, <i>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i>, which will be out on 22nd September 2020. Isn't it beautiful? </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZn_tqqOsX1p0K3IObbw06d-nlo-nj_3n5d1fh5ndGaUjOiMd7iw9M_GZRpgAS-GpAG0urueNI0VFI8fR_ean-wAKqasQJbgHsFw5ufkeLqjukS5rfYbykDYgI5vmXJ2Trn3KHXo_AUGyC/s2048/You+Make+It+Feel+Like+Christmas+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZn_tqqOsX1p0K3IObbw06d-nlo-nj_3n5d1fh5ndGaUjOiMd7iw9M_GZRpgAS-GpAG0urueNI0VFI8fR_ean-wAKqasQJbgHsFw5ufkeLqjukS5rfYbykDYgI5vmXJ2Trn3KHXo_AUGyC/s320/You+Make+It+Feel+Like+Christmas+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">If you follow me on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMarley" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"> you might have already had a sneak preview because I couldn't resist posting the cover when I heard </span><a href="https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2020-08-27/itv-confirms-2020-series-of-im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here-will-take-place-at-gwrych-castle-in-north-wales" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">the news that ITV will be filming their new series of <i>I'm A Celebrity</i> here in North Wales</a><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">, at Gwrych Castle - just down the road from where I used to live. I love watching </span><i style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">I'm a Celebrity</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"> and Gwrych Castle is one of my favourite Welsh castles.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What does that have to do with my new book? Well...</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">For twenty years </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">the Holly family have used </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">their television show </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">to claim that anyone </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">can have a perfectly </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">organised Christmas.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Now they've been asked </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">to prove it - from</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> a tumbledown castle in the middle of nowhere...</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Well, at least no one will be eating bugs in my book!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you'd like to know more about <i>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</i>, all the details are on my <a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/feellikechristmas.html" target="_blank">website</a>, along with a short extract.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And if you're a book blogger, maybe you'd be interested in joining the book tour organised by the lovely Rachel over at <a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/you-make-it-feel-like-christmas" target="_blank">Rachel's Random Resources</a>?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnORyTmfKu0eQUkTHBivl7uYmeFMrbOJ1oqXoe_EVrqDoKdgoR3g-u0fHuZFTzcZ_-wG_O-opSjKB7KV7GgdmU5LXs83sO5frdcx4no9qvXclFd77askOUcRR_YVf4Xjc1QftLmDUwSe8i/s680/Blog+Tour+Banner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnORyTmfKu0eQUkTHBivl7uYmeFMrbOJ1oqXoe_EVrqDoKdgoR3g-u0fHuZFTzcZ_-wG_O-opSjKB7KV7GgdmU5LXs83sO5frdcx4no9qvXclFd77askOUcRR_YVf4Xjc1QftLmDUwSe8i/s320/Blog+Tour+Banner.png" width="320" /></a></div></div>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-71114662406457094042020-08-02T11:52:00.001+01:002020-09-01T11:45:13.560+01:00What I Did During Lockdown<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you've read <a href="https://julietgreenwoodauthor.wordpress.com/2020/07/10/louise-marley-five-things-i-learnt-while-writing-through-lockdown/" target="_blank">the recent blog post I wrote for Juliet Greenwood</a> you'll already know how I spent lockdown - and it didn't involve baking banana bread! Cooking, cleaning, and food shopping for a houseful of people (like every one else!)</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> didn't leave much time for writing but I've finished the edits for my most recent book <a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/feellikechristmas.html" target="_blank">You Make it Feel Like Christmas</a> and I'm now a third of the way into a sequel to </span><i style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/trustme.html" target="_blank">Trust Me I Lie</a></i><span style="font-family: georgia;">. (You can read more about these books </span><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/p/what-im-working-on.html" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: georgia;">).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">One thing that helped keep me sane during lockdown was my evening walks with my family. We were lucky enough move to a village on the Wales/Cheshire border two years ago but hadn't had the time to explore. Unable to go further than five miles from our home, we now had plenty of opportunity to explore!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-s8Yw36GfYtaIQzFlQHDiE9gkW_1d172J51MIeri6ktfyCJZ1VbPePd0G6MOomsSiekIFAREcmDjPjf_FZmomvhMXHFDLbTe5iRShnuL7MMftSc6hf7TP3yBAf6XFYJBsmnPXrCfEsep/s960/Field+at+Sunset+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-s8Yw36GfYtaIQzFlQHDiE9gkW_1d172J51MIeri6ktfyCJZ1VbPePd0G6MOomsSiekIFAREcmDjPjf_FZmomvhMXHFDLbTe5iRShnuL7MMftSc6hf7TP3yBAf6XFYJBsmnPXrCfEsep/w256-h256/Field+at+Sunset+1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">We started by checking out the footpaths we knew about. They often led to the strangest places. Some we hadn't even known existed. I thought this path would take us to the local school, instead it was a back route into the churchyard, complete with fairy tale lychgate.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79OhhnBAuTMazLyCyqlRBDvpCTzsCHWrVo4aV6h6gIuXciPnNsy8D6VwbtPNKp_QwYG88Rj9Eoi3mAGndxv60EOixKO6yAH8MZc6u4zz4ZSqkoHAZ-r5K77_c31uAw_IrKzxvwbynWjKM/s960/Lych+Gate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79OhhnBAuTMazLyCyqlRBDvpCTzsCHWrVo4aV6h6gIuXciPnNsy8D6VwbtPNKp_QwYG88Rj9Eoi3mAGndxv60EOixKO6yAH8MZc6u4zz4ZSqkoHAZ-r5K77_c31uAw_IrKzxvwbynWjKM/w262-h262/Lych+Gate.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Although we knew the church was there, we hadn't appreciated how huge the graveyard was or how old some of the graves were.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikldhE18D8A1XcuJ8KxJ-mGB3wRmOKapxoE-Cyvq5_cs5uuBSdJsHomr52fJZG3g_Ct2jdntxRLRtE0B57rIrBjs3dt4s-sRQnGRnZOGHtJpalxTzj-iBQBXQk-qcJvAI9r42S9fMTuhOD/s960/Tomb+with+Wildflowers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikldhE18D8A1XcuJ8KxJ-mGB3wRmOKapxoE-Cyvq5_cs5uuBSdJsHomr52fJZG3g_Ct2jdntxRLRtE0B57rIrBjs3dt4s-sRQnGRnZOGHtJpalxTzj-iBQBXQk-qcJvAI9r42S9fMTuhOD/w262-h262/Tomb+with+Wildflowers.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We found the grave of a soldier who survived the Charge of the Light Brigade (living to be 88!), a row of war graves commemorating the pilots who died during training at the local airfield, and lots and lots of bluebells.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2Ldbkjwi0rQADbAXVbWJsZx3bKhCSjMsAhm_rmHHrFAvCe6aDU1HWnFiuG119OQCy7s1Z6-jx4mJD8QSevVJAT3uT7McrtSE_Tx9xZRoFhg7wpUZgDhEKQeXgQHuh9aNNzRr6vBuKfg0/s960/Bluebells+Graveyard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2Ldbkjwi0rQADbAXVbWJsZx3bKhCSjMsAhm_rmHHrFAvCe6aDU1HWnFiuG119OQCy7s1Z6-jx4mJD8QSevVJAT3uT7McrtSE_Tx9xZRoFhg7wpUZgDhEKQeXgQHuh9aNNzRr6vBuKfg0/w262-h262/Bluebells+Graveyard.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">I got into the habit of taking my phone with me. I tried to take a photo each day and post it on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. I went through a phase of taking moody shots of sunsets through trees</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gLF4HiljXC7xSjNtS6JRJ0woSiN_vKf8MhkJTkYWy0f3lAiXlpZ-cR0vWffO91KJZgysB7ZYUoWRldqu6FA2pnIWS8SjKOZvL971-Wz5oMH1heBQeBgSVEdIlKrgTR3y_ZNZp_MoL8Tz/s960/Sunset+Through+Trees+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gLF4HiljXC7xSjNtS6JRJ0woSiN_vKf8MhkJTkYWy0f3lAiXlpZ-cR0vWffO91KJZgysB7ZYUoWRldqu6FA2pnIWS8SjKOZvL971-Wz5oMH1heBQeBgSVEdIlKrgTR3y_ZNZp_MoL8Tz/w256-h256/Sunset+Through+Trees+1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">and found that by playing around with camera angles, I could make them look gothic.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIYm7MHLLURPzLmx4-IU0RN2YuzBtlrAsL-xNzBqAewqjIMBdz1ZbAKJnhtp5voCbgn1DEqnXNpHvZ306hQzTbxSJVMTkOEHotVFpHNfuc6JY2fbuq5lYgYqYeFjWy6z7mnZfLmFH8z1b/s960/Sunset+Through+Trees+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIYm7MHLLURPzLmx4-IU0RN2YuzBtlrAsL-xNzBqAewqjIMBdz1ZbAKJnhtp5voCbgn1DEqnXNpHvZ306hQzTbxSJVMTkOEHotVFpHNfuc6JY2fbuq5lYgYqYeFjWy6z7mnZfLmFH8z1b/w262-h262/Sunset+Through+Trees+3.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">We chose a different walk each evening and, as we became fitter, joined the walks together until we were doing a two-mile walk every evening. My favourite (obviously) was to the local castle.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQF-5gesDeCpzBWQCe6KOcaMcBVHG3gRQZ3nxFMmRblOwR3o3Sq_On3aOjrS9SOg_8nhSKUskTb6AbuHy_n52m1WsaJTmhmrpYM6f4w-DUI7Eez3QQ_RgAlHKh48Ml2wRv20I44lwFvcV/s960/Castle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQF-5gesDeCpzBWQCe6KOcaMcBVHG3gRQZ3nxFMmRblOwR3o3Sq_On3aOjrS9SOg_8nhSKUskTb6AbuHy_n52m1WsaJTmhmrpYM6f4w-DUI7Eez3QQ_RgAlHKh48Ml2wRv20I44lwFvcV/w262-h262/Castle.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">Because there were hardly any people or traffic about, we saw a lot more of the local wildlife</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOI6JFj9c7VF-2KjoBEfjVx1LfBmOThLDn_xHCZUS5VvudPAl7_MDND_673APvCvKoZDK_p5mhUgxxv0JysbH-hDhTwcNl-SjNNEc9zuQ3pPGpXNXns8bxm98vDZFGt9Macp0LNstnWKu/s960/Bunny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOI6JFj9c7VF-2KjoBEfjVx1LfBmOThLDn_xHCZUS5VvudPAl7_MDND_673APvCvKoZDK_p5mhUgxxv0JysbH-hDhTwcNl-SjNNEc9zuQ3pPGpXNXns8bxm98vDZFGt9Macp0LNstnWKu/w263-h263/Bunny.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">and discovered a pond where we got to know all the geese (Canada and Greylag) and watched their offspring grow up. (This is why my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> feed was full of blurry photos of goslings.)</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbyzDX0nSnnRTelBQDDgPpm4me4piS7cQi3V0FsEVjGwlJkcfrkYtNSh2wl09FVlssNvrfGYcB4dS3eUjr_oXjETcFZDd9mASALoUI1ZVWCJc4pv5pNjqUzqrRgImwSLb847yi3qgWc7k/s960/Greylag+Geese+and+Goslings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbyzDX0nSnnRTelBQDDgPpm4me4piS7cQi3V0FsEVjGwlJkcfrkYtNSh2wl09FVlssNvrfGYcB4dS3eUjr_oXjETcFZDd9mASALoUI1ZVWCJc4pv5pNjqUzqrRgImwSLb847yi3qgWc7k/w263-h263/Greylag+Geese+and+Goslings.jpg" width="263" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">It turns out that our village is almost entirely surrounded by farmland and is one of the few places in this area that grows barley. (Yes, I did have to Google that. I'm such a city girl I had to Google that it <i>was</i> barley!)</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TCeeV2F0TyAkfXqm4JeNxPNz8kcL9u8XKJhk4haf1a7lV8Y9gZ3aqje_zjChmUYb24QdoGPUndAF3ZOsGe_eDatudHG1fGjYGE-ByfjgveN60H7wRYuyET_omdpyvkJvikbrGiEY2dXc/s960/Barley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TCeeV2F0TyAkfXqm4JeNxPNz8kcL9u8XKJhk4haf1a7lV8Y9gZ3aqje_zjChmUYb24QdoGPUndAF3ZOsGe_eDatudHG1fGjYGE-ByfjgveN60H7wRYuyET_omdpyvkJvikbrGiEY2dXc/w262-h262/Barley.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">As well as the goslings, we found lambs (who wouldn't stay still long enough for me to focus the camera) </font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqizR4XaoV4fhCP3pq5lPlBRiLqGOyqV1txNe3P7ONUeNArBYUbO8d6hMEoxH3M2AX5TK7qALDoBRmzd-lEeQ-SX0PK3NQ4ClBhgIU0Hg2TrTxqbkSXG_KUun9sWV9RR39Z7jZz35CdUUL/s960/Lamb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqizR4XaoV4fhCP3pq5lPlBRiLqGOyqV1txNe3P7ONUeNArBYUbO8d6hMEoxH3M2AX5TK7qALDoBRmzd-lEeQ-SX0PK3NQ4ClBhgIU0Hg2TrTxqbkSXG_KUun9sWV9RR39Z7jZz35CdUUL/w262-h262/Lamb.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">and curious cows who were happy to pose.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW1djE981RtNc80aZ1dcU5fKqVlS3bSnob-GVBu_bYMoAWCCufNJ6t7K0ccB-oRNj5ygIxlYS0clyhyphenhyphenqOFpBhLJ-5oPT7HX0CqNt-NFt7Sm7kntSyXtN-lsgwxLqlrk0EbdJ2Wad-iIVO/s960/Cows.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW1djE981RtNc80aZ1dcU5fKqVlS3bSnob-GVBu_bYMoAWCCufNJ6t7K0ccB-oRNj5ygIxlYS0clyhyphenhyphenqOFpBhLJ-5oPT7HX0CqNt-NFt7Sm7kntSyXtN-lsgwxLqlrk0EbdJ2Wad-iIVO/w262-h262/Cows.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia">With the change in the weather, I'm still walking but taking less photos. There are only so many pictures of grey skies and blurry goslings that anyone wants to see! I've walked every footpath around my village (once accidentally ending up back at my house when I thought I was going somewhere else). I've learnt all the history and watched the goslings grow up - and fly away.</font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfc1tnD77nUYE8xDuprQsOuhZkXrleScyUvg7KJociyHULDckQKZBET2ClVfjdeNvPjskkoccAhFTKfXTBnZoZ0OqVkEsLboM4lNtPgbWEV-djefrJRGnuBwM2l1yyAB_NMBnQjK25lpJ/s960/Rosebay+Willow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfc1tnD77nUYE8xDuprQsOuhZkXrleScyUvg7KJociyHULDckQKZBET2ClVfjdeNvPjskkoccAhFTKfXTBnZoZ0OqVkEsLboM4lNtPgbWEV-djefrJRGnuBwM2l1yyAB_NMBnQjK25lpJ/w262-h262/Rosebay+Willow.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've photographed the spring flowers in the hedgerows (and learnt their names!) and when I look back at my Instagram it's like flicking through a diary - with lots of good times to counteract the bad ones. So I'm going to keep walking, taking photos, and enjoying nature, and every day being thankful and <i>very </i>grateful for all that I have, and all that I was too busy to slow down and appreciate before.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JlrKEj_5S9twn1-RR1LQr2KFoISHZCEWgGXQy1GYFrfuGRsjW_GyPowPfz1ctPKii51YDEE6RLDzA5tlhtHW5hrRyBPw3NkKVppJumyBb0NOiUhsi3YdYAcTmq9X7MZ8UdCLxqBn1PF4/s960/Clouds+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JlrKEj_5S9twn1-RR1LQr2KFoISHZCEWgGXQy1GYFrfuGRsjW_GyPowPfz1ctPKii51YDEE6RLDzA5tlhtHW5hrRyBPw3NkKVppJumyBb0NOiUhsi3YdYAcTmq9X7MZ8UdCLxqBn1PF4/w262-h262/Clouds+1.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-54263273587636475152020-03-20T20:45:00.002+00:002020-03-20T20:45:16.201+00:00How I Found the 'Write' Inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you ever read a book that you loved so much, that as soon as you finished it you had to go right back to the start and read it all over again? Have you ever read a book so many times that it eventually fell to bits? And when you went to buy a replacement, although the book had been reprinted several times, you had to have the version with the exact same cover as the one that had disintegrated? Reading a book just like that led to me becoming a writer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was 13 years old and on a family holiday to the Isle of Wight. It was the height of summer, so it rained and it rained and it rained. While my brothers disappeared off to the amusement arcade, I found myself in a little café/bookshop on my own, sat next to a carousel stacked with books by an author I’d never heard of: Jilly Cooper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know what you’re thinking: Jilly Cooper writes huge, glitzy, blockbusting novels about horses. But before <i>Riders</i> and <i>Rivals</i>, Jilly wrote a series of romantic comedies with girl’s names as the titles: <i>Emily</i>, <i>Bella</i>, <i>Harriet</i>, <i>Prudence</i>, <i>Octavia</i> and <i>Imogen</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I handed over my pocket money in exchange for Emily and was soon transported to Scotland along with the heroine, who finds herself married to a brooding artist, spends the night in a haunted castle and is caught stealing roses in a see-through nightdress. I quickly handed over the remainder of my pocket money for the other five books and my parents didn’t see me for the rest of the holiday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think the reason I loved Jilly’s books so much was that they were hugely funny and didn’t take themselves too seriously. The heroines made the same mistakes as the rest of us, but rather than whinge about it they just cracked a joke and moved on. My favourite (the one that fell to bits) was <i>Imogen</i>. The heroine falls in love with a bad boy tennis player and is whisked off on holiday to the French Riviera, which at the time seemed a very long way from a rain-lashed Isle of Wight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Three years later, for my English Literature exam, I had to give a presentation on my favourite books. My friends (being complete suck-ups) picked authors like Dickens and Orwell. I chose <i>Bella</i>, <i>Octavia</i> and <i>Imogen</i>. Unfortunately, my passion and enthusiasm for all things Cooper failed to impress the examining board and I passed with only a B+.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I didn’t mind. If you’re the kind of person who loves reading, sooner or later you’ll want to create stories of your own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And that is exactly what I did.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">This post was previously published on the Chick Lit Club blog</i></div>
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<u style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Links</u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you'd like to find out more about Jilly Cooper, click <a href="https://www.jillycooper.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> for her website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Related Posts</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2015/07/ten-authors-who-influenced-me-or-you.html" target="_blank">Ten Authors Who Influenced Me</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/2014/08/five-books-which-influenced-me.html" target="_blank">Five Books That Influenced Me</a></span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-69482184418776020392018-08-05T16:32:00.000+01:002019-01-01T16:38:04.556+00:00Speke Hall, Liverpool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As some of you may already know, I moved house about three months ago, closer to the English border and the cities of Chester and Liverpool. This has opened up a whole new world of stately homes and castles that were always too far for me to visit before!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Speke Hall (front)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Top of my 'wish' list was Speke Hall, just outside Liverpool and run by the National Trust. I've wanted to visit this house for a long time because of the beautiful Tudor facade. Although, as it turns out, appearances can be deceptive!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Speke Hall (rear)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">My favourite room was the Oak Drawing Room. The ornate plaster ceiling dates from the 17th century, and shows flowers and grapevines - and the occasional snake! The carved panelling above the fireplace dates from around 1560 and shows Sir William Norris surrounded by his two wives and nineteen children! But by the 18th century the house had fallen into disrepair, the floor had been used as firewood and ivy was coming in through the walls and windows.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Oak Drawing Room</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The Norris family owned a house on this site since the early 14th century but the building of Speke Hall began in around 1530 for Sir William Norris. The family survived persecution as Catholics, and were on the losing side during the Civil War, but still managed to hold onto their estate until it was sold in 1795 to Richard Watt, who had made his money from sugar plantations in Jamaica.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJuO0UEhovBzEfEJhwPOgNo9bZaA4evAQXfnM-KOREXhUYnyJEM-lIO8MhkdKiUSfP1UGCTizssNpaqsyFq3PAo1sgWqFOHL2wS8mWLmXyMROZeTmx87I6A8_awWCfpWTNCnx5v4HMFix/s1600/Speke+Hall+Jul+2018+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJuO0UEhovBzEfEJhwPOgNo9bZaA4evAQXfnM-KOREXhUYnyJEM-lIO8MhkdKiUSfP1UGCTizssNpaqsyFq3PAo1sgWqFOHL2wS8mWLmXyMROZeTmx87I6A8_awWCfpWTNCnx5v4HMFix/s320/Speke+Hall+Jul+2018+027.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Great Hall</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">But the most fascinating character for me was the last person to own Speke Hall, Adelaide Watt, who inherited the estate at the age of eight, following the deaths of her parents. Brought up by her Great-Uncle in Scotland, he taught her all about estate management and when she came of age, she took over the estate and turned it into a profitable business. She sounds like an amazing lady! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Kitchen</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Links</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/speke-hall-garden-and-estate" target="_blank">Speke Hall, Liverpool (National Trust)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Sources</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Speke Hall, A Souvenir Guide </i>by Richard Dean</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Photographs</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Copyright: Louise Marley 2018</span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-77309212321812846672018-04-04T23:58:00.001+01:002018-04-04T23:58:20.110+01:00A Visit to Llanrwst (or, the Missing Prince and the Empty Coffin)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Llanrwst is an old market town close to where I live. I've often driven through it, mainly on my way to somewhere else, and although <a href="http://www.gwydircastle.co.uk/" target="_blank">Gwydir Castle</a> and <a href="http://www.tuhwntirbont.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tu Hwnt I'r Bont</a> are two of my favourite places, I've never really stopped to explore. So last weekend, when the 'kids' were home for the holidays, we decided to stop for a longer visit.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Pont Fawr and Tu Hwnt I'r Bont</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The view of Llanrwst everyone always recognises is the famous Pont Fawr bridge and the tearooms beside it. The photo above was taken on Saturday and it was pouring with rain, as you can probably tell. Here's one I took a couple of years back, which might make it a little more recognisable!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Tu Hwnt I'r Bont</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pont Fawr was originally built in 1636 and is attributed to Inigo Jones. The Tu Hwnt I'r Bont Tearooms beside it were originally a 17th century courthouse - and they serve the best scones ever! (I've previously blogged about Tu Hwnt I'r Bont </span><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/beyond-bridge.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigB8ECMir2wHCHzjYfeSZ8vSRGkrSgaGKgxniAIo6y678jMtWizEZs5Y8QWmQJkqhCJiyXZe455FDRpL7q_NzVmPXi8TdTnSStiSieGMcH-DpydxJ6m5pZC8RSuV70BA5hqwnmYjdkGvqa/s1600/Llanrwst+March+2018+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigB8ECMir2wHCHzjYfeSZ8vSRGkrSgaGKgxniAIo6y678jMtWizEZs5Y8QWmQJkqhCJiyXZe455FDRpL7q_NzVmPXi8TdTnSStiSieGMcH-DpydxJ6m5pZC8RSuV70BA5hqwnmYjdkGvqa/s320/Llanrwst+March+2018+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Inside Tu Hwnt I'r Bont</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fortified against the weather by coffee and scones, we walked around the town and ended up in Church Street beside the Almshouses. These were built in 1610 by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir Castle, originally to 'shelter twelve poor men', but by the 18th century women were allowed to live here too. The last resident moved out in the 1970s and the buildings became derelict until being restored in 2000.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6REppR2V9uZUWvhkbHE-T6OuekgvkMQkEo7xwxYbzta72-fEM8OSyzfA6j5dYU1p0SZasOvjOdDn39HcdJ_NTowzWKn5-yqvzBmESBhJztVTIwW2MEo2MMmqOztb2DZUHR36Q6WYGk9T/s1600/Llanrwst+March+2018+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6REppR2V9uZUWvhkbHE-T6OuekgvkMQkEo7xwxYbzta72-fEM8OSyzfA6j5dYU1p0SZasOvjOdDn39HcdJ_NTowzWKn5-yqvzBmESBhJztVTIwW2MEo2MMmqOztb2DZUHR36Q6WYGk9T/s320/Llanrwst+March+2018+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Almshouses (on the right)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From the Almshouses we passed beneath an archway into the the graveyard of St Grwst Church, which is right beside the River Conwy. St Grwst was a holy man who lived in the area in the 6th century. The church was built in the late 1400s but burned down during the Wars of the Roses (in revenge for Denbigh Castle being set on fire), before being rebuilt. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Gwydir Chapel was added onto the side by Richard Wynn of Gwydir Castle - see the crenellated roof. Like the bridge, it is also thought to have been designed by Inigo Jones. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Church of St Grwst</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inside the church, the nave and chancel are divided by a medieval rood screen, complete with musician's loft, which is almost as old as the church. This was taken from Maenan Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries. Apologies for the poor quality photo - my camera isn't great and it was a bit dark. You'll have to take my word that it was amazing!</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Rood Screen</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the reasons I was so keen to visit this church was that the Gwydir Chapel contains a stone sarcophagus that supposedly once held the body of Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of Gwynedd). Llywelyn had originally been </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">buried at Aberconwy Abbey in 1240, but when King Edward I built Conwy Castle the Abbey was forced to move to Maenan in the Conwy Valley. The legend says that the monks took Llywelyn's remains with them to the new abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, the now empty sarcophagus ended up in the possession of the Wynn family before being moved to</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> the Gwydir Chapel</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Llywelyn's Sarcophagus</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Beside the sarcophagus is a stone effigy of a knight. This is thought to be </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Howell ap Coetmor, who died in 1538. He was a commander of longbowmen under Edward, the Black Prince, at the Battle of Poitiers</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. He was the first recorded owner of the nearby Gwydir Castle, later sold to the Wynn family, who also have many monuments on the walls of the chapel.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Howell ap Coetmor's effigy</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH68GzIWy5paOR1qseI1jyHBn_10XaVPOQCfB_dhbpJywg42OA682K3u1E0S98gTPDX0seL63uSZRQxVwVYXR4H0HPTKGfMF1n6gGK3EQXLlp5vz7XKoS8Bi7VfogLnwn0NMOeMQY6pn5v/s1600/Llanrwst+March+2018+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH68GzIWy5paOR1qseI1jyHBn_10XaVPOQCfB_dhbpJywg42OA682K3u1E0S98gTPDX0seL63uSZRQxVwVYXR4H0HPTKGfMF1n6gGK3EQXLlp5vz7XKoS8Bi7VfogLnwn0NMOeMQY6pn5v/s320/Llanrwst+March+2018+030.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Monument to the Wynn family</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><u>Related Posts:</u></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-grave-obsession.html" target="_blank">A Grave Obsession</a>: The Church of St Mary's and All Saints, Conwy</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/castles-and-cream-teas-or-what-i-did-on.html" target="_blank">Castles and Cream Teas:</a> (Includes Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/beyond-bridge.html" target="_blank">Beyond the Bridge</a>: Tu Hwnt I'r Bont Tearooms</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><u>Links</u>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://parish.churchinwales.org.uk/a206/churches-en/st-grwst_-en/" target="_blank">St Gwrst Church</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.tuhwntirbont.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tu Hwnt I'r Bont Tearooms</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.gwydircastle.co.uk/" target="_blank">Gwydir Castle</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-35565350125428994312018-03-18T20:11:00.001+00:002018-03-18T20:11:59.164+00:00How to Declutter your Books (without getting the urge to run for the hills...)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It started when I spotted Mary Stewart's classic romantic suspense novels had been reduced to 99p in the Kindle Daily Deal. I promptly downloaded them all. Then it was Elly Griffiths's murder mysteries, then Georgette Heyer's historical romances. All my favourite authors, all books I already owned but was too lazy to unearth them from whatever crate in the garage I'd stored them in. It took a while but I eventually realised that if I kept doing this it was going to get <i>really</i> expensive. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Had I finally reached the point where I would have to</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> choose between ebooks and 'real' books?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEppJn2ncSeP1nkpMvKO-3blwgOcfVD1UA2aF2li0jEVfU4tJSJ6UWSS88YtcC-Vucre_hn3r8XsLYxhwbrakFVXZ4fVy-CSt_sS0boKEBS7ckd6QZFMS5DmFC3bRdNYyfwltLoWoIdPJp/s1600/shutterstock_648893986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEppJn2ncSeP1nkpMvKO-3blwgOcfVD1UA2aF2li0jEVfU4tJSJ6UWSS88YtcC-Vucre_hn3r8XsLYxhwbrakFVXZ4fVy-CSt_sS0boKEBS7ckd6QZFMS5DmFC3bRdNYyfwltLoWoIdPJp/s320/shutterstock_648893986.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Too many books?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No, no, no, no, no; that would be </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">far</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> too drastic! Throw away my </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><i>favourite </i>books</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, my vintage collections, and all those books I'd bought and not yet read? I just couldn't do it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Perhaps instead of shoving books into crates, I could reduce their number and bring my favourites back into the house and onto my bookshelves?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's how I decided which ones to keep and which ones to donate to my local charity shop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. I kept all my <a href="http://oncemoreuntothebookstore.blogspot.co.uk/p/favourite-authors.html" target="_blank">favourites</a>, obviously - mostly romance and crime, including my Agatha Christies with their amazing vintage covers. Some look even scarier than the stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FG0hbzxkbTfKLCjAF-xsFiurnbXAEBymgCKgImPTZ5tC_vrFonQcoyzusgIOFBc_fcYVpyG6Ux3jOA5k1Tn1bZLuTMcEf-3MLPLNqo_6qX91Uq6HcuA19_FNCX4t9yS332g_BTKZlCmw/s1600/Crime+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FG0hbzxkbTfKLCjAF-xsFiurnbXAEBymgCKgImPTZ5tC_vrFonQcoyzusgIOFBc_fcYVpyG6Ux3jOA5k1Tn1bZLuTMcEf-3MLPLNqo_6qX91Uq6HcuA19_FNCX4t9yS332g_BTKZlCmw/s320/Crime+books.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>My favourite crime novels!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Anything falling to bits went into the recycling bin. It was a wrench - but also a good excuse to buy again on Kindle! Although I'm already on my second copy of several Jilly Cooper books; they have literally been read to death, poor things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. I weeded out duplicates. I have a bad habit of accidentally purchasing books I already own but I do like to buy favourites again when they're on offer. Amazon will tell me if I've already bought a book from them but not if I've bought it from Waterstones. I can't think why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. I took out anything I was never likely to read, or read again because I hadn't enjoyed it or my tastes had changed. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Goodbye contemporary romance and 80s bonkbusters. I also had a collection of vintage Mills and Boon (even older than me!), with some <i>very</i> dubious consent scenes between hero and heroine. I'm afraid they had to go, along with the erotica I bought after the success of <i>Fifty Shades</i> and thought 'Hey, that looks easy to write. Maybe I'll have a go?' (Note to self: Don't ever chase a trend that is so far out of your comfort zone!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2x-0ktgXU2HxOEVaHCZfFGCA685gkhdZvKMKAe2Z9_CWgZniMpCjhrAFh9qvNCq90huBfD40zKAlljHChUddk8ie5wGEwW34ntATVpQHP0meDVE1IEN2On35t-pTXNNcjsmsTqd4PVlRP/s1600/glitz+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2x-0ktgXU2HxOEVaHCZfFGCA685gkhdZvKMKAe2Z9_CWgZniMpCjhrAFh9qvNCq90huBfD40zKAlljHChUddk8ie5wGEwW34ntATVpQHP0meDVE1IEN2On35t-pTXNNcjsmsTqd4PVlRP/s320/glitz+books.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>My 80s bonkbuster collection is now halved!</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. The books I had left (not quite half, more like two thirds) I sorted into genres and stacked them back into the crates, now labelled with the authors' names so I can find them again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6. Everything I hadn't read but still wanted to read I sorted into smaller crates, creating possibly the biggest to-be-read pile ever. Or, as my daughter said, 'That's not a to-be-read pile, that's a small library!' I'm keeping them in my study, to shame me into reading them! I did toy with the idea of adding them <i>all</i> to my '<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7388231-louise-marley?shelf=to-read" target="_blank">want to read</a>' list on Goodreads - but I think it would be quicker to get on and read them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So that's my book collection streamlined and waiting for me to buy another bookcase. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Now all I have to do is start reading! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">And in the meantime, make sure I stay out of the bookshop, the library, </span><a href="https://www.netgalley.co.uk/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Netgalley</a><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> ...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV_vVOcQYv2So4UzsaXj-THflf0ydsXeHv0X6hstwRqlfVOKWR4Gdl10QtqGEyMa2-mWUyjETL8YFtk19V1W42xSc5EJ8mg-vFxfgQ9Hq2Qjth7HepgJgI7VgAEL4l7j0u5lQmjJtONxX/s1600/To+Be+Read+Pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1552" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV_vVOcQYv2So4UzsaXj-THflf0ydsXeHv0X6hstwRqlfVOKWR4Gdl10QtqGEyMa2-mWUyjETL8YFtk19V1W42xSc5EJ8mg-vFxfgQ9Hq2Qjth7HepgJgI7VgAEL4l7j0u5lQmjJtONxX/s400/To+Be+Read+Pile.jpg" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Now THIS is a <br />to-be-read pile!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Related posts:</u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/ten-authors-who-influenced-me-or-you.html" target="_blank">Ten Authors Who Influenced Me (or, you are what you read!)</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/ten-slightly-random-ways-to-choose-book.html" target="_blank">Ten (Slightly Random) Ways to Choose a Book</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/why-i-love-my-kindle.html" target="_blank">Why I Love My Kindle</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>And if you want to know more about the books I love reading,</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b> visit my book blog!</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><a href="http://oncemoreuntothebookstore.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Once More Unto The Bookstore</a></b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Image Copyright: Mine, except top and bottom: Shutterstock</i></span></div>
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Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-9655421628478101972017-12-19T16:14:00.000+00:002017-12-19T16:14:31.909+00:00A Very Marley Christmas...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Christmas
for the Marley family starts the night before, when we choose a favourite
Christmas movie to watch, usually <i>Elf</i>.
When the children were younger, I would read them <i>‘Twas the Night Before Christmas</i>, and then we’d look out the window
to try and see the lights on Father Christmas’s sleigh. We would leave a mince
pie out for Father Christmas, and a carrot for his reindeer, and have no
trouble persuading the children to go to bed early. Unfortunately they would wake
up early too, eager to see what Father Christmas had brought, but now they’re
teenagers we get to wake them. I think this is known as ‘payback’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWli8TuMDc0w-QQ2l4YBcK2odlsCXmewBEMtW5bg_7D-UiGnMZuFhz6HEqro5ndvGIKieiD1QwTclAI0Fk3Yx-lHQ-kQr3wotKVBZkIj7_D7tfUN4bD36GuKaMnNQcyV0Nr3gUd1v09ps/s1600/DSCN2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWli8TuMDc0w-QQ2l4YBcK2odlsCXmewBEMtW5bg_7D-UiGnMZuFhz6HEqro5ndvGIKieiD1QwTclAI0Fk3Yx-lHQ-kQr3wotKVBZkIj7_D7tfUN4bD36GuKaMnNQcyV0Nr3gUd1v09ps/s320/DSCN2758.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It snows a lot in Wales...</i></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because
my husband is convinced we’ll be burgled if we leave the presents beneath the
tree, he doesn’t put them out until everyone has gone to bed the night before.
This means when we come downstairs on Christmas morning, the tree lights are on
and it all looks very magical. This is a minor Christmas miracle in itself as
fairy lights hate me and I have to buy new ones every year. As we all believe in
Father Christmas, including the teenagers (they’re not daft!), we all have
Christmas stockings, but we open our main presents after breakfast. While
everyone plays with their new ‘toys’, I cook Christmas dinner – accompanied by
loud, cheesy Christmas music and a glass of champagne.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAkmXh2N6pNbSoQxAL99db5-JJgyfY8Za6Beda325tKXAyNc4O2D6G7CrH09m4zA8FADQd5p4U1Jh-RJsMHU0xPeN5-mT8hNVOaks6qL4bEuJMbSPWMNC7-QojzfZ3dFH0Ff9y23NOUfu/s1600/Christmas+Decorations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAkmXh2N6pNbSoQxAL99db5-JJgyfY8Za6Beda325tKXAyNc4O2D6G7CrH09m4zA8FADQd5p4U1Jh-RJsMHU0xPeN5-mT8hNVOaks6qL4bEuJMbSPWMNC7-QojzfZ3dFH0Ff9y23NOUfu/s320/Christmas+Decorations.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Each decoration tells a story...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We
have a traditional Christmas dinner, which we always eat at lunchtime – I have
no idea why! Afterwards, we force the teenagers to play an old-fashioned board
game, usually </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Simpson’s</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> version
of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cluedo </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">or</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Scrabble,</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and then, if they’ve been </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">really</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> good, we allow them to beat us on
their new video games.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIu6ZzFEE-Tr4LW4aXc7xTpXt0JpmdIkbiRaVb1AQXGWxK3_2cazrL34F718rDgxs8MJ3lIVopWrMe_HH2U_jYh90QDR-6KDhkBKSgaZ1YOZXcPTpjUA53FNPmB2M64o2sgaogMLQOm8J/s1600/IMG_20151226_114906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIu6ZzFEE-Tr4LW4aXc7xTpXt0JpmdIkbiRaVb1AQXGWxK3_2cazrL34F718rDgxs8MJ3lIVopWrMe_HH2U_jYh90QDR-6KDhkBKSgaZ1YOZXcPTpjUA53FNPmB2M64o2sgaogMLQOm8J/s320/IMG_20151226_114906.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Four Marleys with three degrees between us, plus one writer -<br />and </i>this<i> is the best we could come up with...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of
course, Christmas doesn’t <i>always</i> go according
to plan. Actually, it hardly ever goes according to plan, but the most
disastrous one was when we were snowed in. I’d ordered all the presents online
as well as the Christmas groceries to be delivered – and nothing arrived! It
was Christmas Eve before the roads had cleared enough for us to inch our way to
the nearest supermarket, fill a trolley and skid back home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Yes, that's me. On a sledge.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Strangely
enough, that Christmas turned out to be our best one ever. Instead of a
‘traditional’ Christmas, we built snowmen and went sledging – and I made a
start on writing a snow-themed story that turned into </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Something Wicked...</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>This post previously appeared on Becca's Books</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Related Posts:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/how-grandma-invented-my-family-christmas.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/how-grandma-invented-my-family-christmas.html" target="_blank">How Grandma Invented my Family's Christmas</a></span></div>
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Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-40358017259957778832017-11-15T14:55:00.000+00:002017-11-15T14:55:11.668+00:00Newstead Abbey: Lords Behaving Badly <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Confession: I've never read anything by Lord Byron - but (in the immortal words of Captain Jack Sparrow) I <i>have</i> heard of him. As I read an awful lot of historical romances, it's actually hard to <i>avoid</i> hearing about him. And after visiting his ancestral home, and reading about his life, I'm starting to see how his exploits (and those of his ancestors) have probably inspired generations of romance writers - and those exploits certainly sound <i>very</i> entertaining! Unfortunately the guidebook was a bit sketchy on the juiciest stories...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bryon was the first modern celebrity. Or, as he supposedly said himself, 'I woke up one morning and found myself famous'. One of his exes, Caroline Lamb, thought he was 'Mad, bad, and dangerous to know', but from my 21st century viewpoint he did seem a little too 'try hard'. Skull drinking goblets? <i>Really</i>? But I did love his house!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lord Byron spent very little time here at Newstead Abbey. He inherited both the estate and his title from his great-uncle, the fifth Lord Byron - who was nicknamed 'The Wicked Lord' and sounds perfectly horrible. The Wicked Lord spent both his own inheritance and that of his wife, and then let the house fall into ruin just to spite his son, who had married against his wishes. It was a waste of time, because he ended up outliving both his son and grandson, and the estate passed to his great-nephew instead. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1broCX83ynuF_79VxHwINH7XDjkohn8tihPeZiY0p9whyphenhyphenm4Oar07Z2-VDgxaXnclDZ9xuVZqUV6at5kFy94mQLlf2WX4JK_4YaumeDvieKb636BA79_CYHQaJpFK1lh1g9QTxK22SCexR/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1broCX83ynuF_79VxHwINH7XDjkohn8tihPeZiY0p9whyphenhyphenm4Oar07Z2-VDgxaXnclDZ9xuVZqUV6at5kFy94mQLlf2WX4JK_4YaumeDvieKb636BA79_CYHQaJpFK1lh1g9QTxK22SCexR/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+113.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Newstead Abbey</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The house was originally an Augustinian priory, founded in the late 12th century by Henry II. In 1540 the estate was bought by Lord Byron's ancestor, Sir John Byron of Colwick, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. Sir John</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> dismantled much of the church and re-used the stone, but left the very dramatic-looking 13th century west front.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FuoLoXs_o7cnrOMhf45Skz_IAzEl4eUjTN3UonVKMUphCwWKKwvQDZcmcNbD3GEZO05lNK0wUlzNoydMHcKt7xvD_rrwUVPVgivqQJte54TlkJeWtPNFjakd0q2gGBO1eSUV6xYGuY-2/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FuoLoXs_o7cnrOMhf45Skz_IAzEl4eUjTN3UonVKMUphCwWKKwvQDZcmcNbD3GEZO05lNK0wUlzNoydMHcKt7xvD_rrwUVPVgivqQJte54TlkJeWtPNFjakd0q2gGBO1eSUV6xYGuY-2/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Newstead Abbey - the ruined church.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">George Gordon, the sixth Lord Byron (1788-1824), inherited the title and estate at the age of ten but did not move in until shortly before his twenty-first birthday. His great-uncle, 'The Wicked Lord' (I do love writing that), had long since sold off the contents - furniture, silver and a famous collection of paintings - and the house was virtually a ruin.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Newstead Abbey, the East side</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Byron didn't have the money to renovate the whole building, so he only redecorated a few rooms, such as his bedroom and study, and left the others empty. He used the Great Hall (below) for pistol practise and the Salon for boxing and fencing. (The hunting trophies are from a later date - see below.)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Great Hall</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify;">This bed (below) actually did belong to Byron. He brought it with him from his student rooms at Cambridge. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYb4pNpCeVa0_yuypmbdJCAhfY0QR7fjEAxLGZFTEi9ViPVxZSHWAynaLqdmjE3Il8tXZFQmdetRMbqoWoBIntWrbQfqIDyYAJcFx4R6TxyiQcp9QDhcAejZ79lsM0LI5yPHyM8txmq838/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYb4pNpCeVa0_yuypmbdJCAhfY0QR7fjEAxLGZFTEi9ViPVxZSHWAynaLqdmjE3Il8tXZFQmdetRMbqoWoBIntWrbQfqIDyYAJcFx4R6TxyiQcp9QDhcAejZ79lsM0LI5yPHyM8txmq838/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Byron's Bed!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like his great-uncle before him, Bryon excavated the grounds of the Abbey hoping to find the rumoured buried gold belonging to the monks who'd lived here before him. Unfortunately (also like his great-uncle) he only found bones. He decorated his rooms with some of the skulls (the ones on show now are replicas) and sent one off to a Nottingham jeweller to be turned into a silver goblet. This goblet held an entire bottle of claret and was very popular with his guests! (The one shown on the table below is a replica.) The original goblet was laid to rest at a secret location a century later. The screen in his study (below) also belonged to Byron, and shows boxing scenes on one side and theatrical scenes on the other.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfCZX5oyzvdq9NBvykEbR9EkIKwy9Y0CquKj_4mBFAP6fpHDEjmCVEy2XH-9dsOPEmgRWaoofcTxgqf5vUDx-UZ-rJ-CaAdeddOV7F0cZ9y2YRY5a8b8BiT_S0fK6KHOTnQ_3Z76o3NRr/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfCZX5oyzvdq9NBvykEbR9EkIKwy9Y0CquKj_4mBFAP6fpHDEjmCVEy2XH-9dsOPEmgRWaoofcTxgqf5vUDx-UZ-rJ-CaAdeddOV7F0cZ9y2YRY5a8b8BiT_S0fK6KHOTnQ_3Z76o3NRr/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+100.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Byron's Study</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As well as his dogs (there is a monument in the garden to his favourite, Boatswain), Byron kept a tame bear and a wolf. When his friends arrived for parties, he'd get them to wear monks' cowls. They'd all get drunk, release the bear into the garden - and then have a great time trying to find it in the dark!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the cabinets are copies of his books and many of his original belongings, including his boxing gloves, a silver toothpick in the shape of a sword and scabbard, and the sabretache (cavalry officer's satchel) he used while in Greece. I liked this inkstand, made of brass, with amethyst glass bottles.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zd3cozovh0um7HNhgajN9Y2W-3xEKPYYTNMkJInxCKMSUqqbNWkhBFQ04KrOWuUUqPurXhlmI0siyCFMEJLLcb3d5iIdg4JZgnfGVOSbCY4JlrfgZHgQqW54ctf4wvGOYY73ZRnTxDTE/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zd3cozovh0um7HNhgajN9Y2W-3xEKPYYTNMkJInxCKMSUqqbNWkhBFQ04KrOWuUUqPurXhlmI0siyCFMEJLLcb3d5iIdg4JZgnfGVOSbCY4JlrfgZHgQqW54ctf4wvGOYY73ZRnTxDTE/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Byron's Inkstand</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Byron only lived at Newstead Abbey until 1814, before selling it to his old schoolfriend, Colonel Thomas Wildman for £94,000.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Colonel Wildman (1787-1859) spent over £100,00 renovating the abbey, and much of what can be seen now is due to him. He took the medieval theme and ran with it, decorating the rooms with stained glass and ancient armour, and buying tapestries and furniture.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cTx2olqvFrjETykaulTLBfGj71OujPvXI9ekF_IsBb9eLxTeoHwelfbBLbY_jbikdTBwBgp0NanNlIXJJcfYDHtDcSQStSnjr6iPr1QMu4luuH2XkOtNYmedCsjc7dvZMNEf_qsD3D07/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+093.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Salon</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cTx2olqvFrjETykaulTLBfGj71OujPvXI9ekF_IsBb9eLxTeoHwelfbBLbY_jbikdTBwBgp0NanNlIXJJcfYDHtDcSQStSnjr6iPr1QMu4luuH2XkOtNYmedCsjc7dvZMNEf_qsD3D07/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Because so much money had been spent in renovations, after Wildman died his widow was forced to sell the Abbey. The new owner was William Frederick Webb (1829-1899), a wealthy landowner. He installed gas lighting and central heating, and was responsible for the redecoration of the chapel. His many African hunting expeditions provided the 'trophies' on display in the Great Hall. There were once animal skins too, and a enormous rhinoceros head over the fireplace that would be decorated with a wreath of holly at Christmas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is believed the walled gardens at Newstead Abbey were originally created by the fourth Lord Byron. Like the rest of the Abbey, they were renovated by Colonel Wilding.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrILlUyUlMJpX8NqNeCeTZL-BIbFqhRKvrgot0oWFMSOWSJEaTI6TND0srNFX1S0-w59gSys1tRod0W3J-P2BAB_k88Xxazsc6HE9fKHoqq_fF79n1pVa-rlWkGOtoCqr4hQAQw3mcHe9Y/s1600/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrILlUyUlMJpX8NqNeCeTZL-BIbFqhRKvrgot0oWFMSOWSJEaTI6TND0srNFX1S0-w59gSys1tRod0W3J-P2BAB_k88Xxazsc6HE9fKHoqq_fF79n1pVa-rlWkGOtoCqr4hQAQw3mcHe9Y/s320/Newstead+Abbey+12+November+2017+037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Small Walled Garden</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After William Frederick Webb's death, the estate passed onto his children. The Japanese Garden was laid out for Ethel Webb in 1907 by a Japanese landscape architect. Many of the stone ornaments and plants were brought from Japan.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Japanese Garden</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The estate was finally inherited by Webb's grandson, Charles Ian Fraser, who put it up for sale. The Abbey was bought by a local philanthropist, Sir Julien Cahn, who presented it to Nottingham Corporation in 1931.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Detail from the Small Walled Garden</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Newstead Abbey is open to the public and houses a collection of Byron memorabilia. There's even a gift shop, where you can buy any amount of merchandise illustrated with Byron's likeness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What would <i>he</i> have thought about it, I wonder? To know he was still famous, after all these years...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Sources</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Newstead Abbey Guidebook (Nottingham City Council)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Website</u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/" target="_blank">Newstead Abbey</a></span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-14731055833493586452017-11-09T21:24:00.001+00:002017-11-15T14:01:16.904+00:00Erddig: Where Time Stands Still<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A couple of weeks ago I found a guide book for a National Trust property called Erddig. I love reading about old houses so I bought it - and then promptly forgot about it until a week later when my husband suggested going out for the day - and why didn't we visit an old house he'd heard of called Erddig? When I showed him the guide book and said what an amazing coincidence that was, he rolled his eyes and pointed out that Erddig was the only National Trust house in the area we <i>hadn't</i> visited!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebxOMTQ5aZ_jHw48dAcxP2mN6LEI1V1UALV2lOoSG13MBx7dysZYJIuxTLUonU_QSjCLCedmunuVNklr3SCpto2qqezcmFgpR8FwF1oMgPbLW7qkQSLqMnLgk2uVBds193_xDsEjAcAWj/s1600/Erddig+30+October+2017+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebxOMTQ5aZ_jHw48dAcxP2mN6LEI1V1UALV2lOoSG13MBx7dysZYJIuxTLUonU_QSjCLCedmunuVNklr3SCpto2qqezcmFgpR8FwF1oMgPbLW7qkQSLqMnLgk2uVBds193_xDsEjAcAWj/s320/Erddig+30+October+2017+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>East front of Erddig, overlooking the garden</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Erddig Hall was built by Joshua Edisbury between 1684 and 1687, two stories high, with a basement and a central cupola. Unfortunately it wasn't long before Joshua was deeply in debt and, although his brother attempted to bail him out, they both ended up ruined financially. The house was bought in 1714 by a lawyer, John Meller, who added the two wings on either side. When he died he left the estate to his nephew, Simon Yorke, and it remained in the same family for the next two and a half centuries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The estate was supported by coal, but the industry was nationalised in 1947 - and then approval was given to mine beneath the house, causing catastrophic subsidence. Despite all the sacrifices made by the Yorke family to keep the estate going, it was handed over to the National Trust in 1973.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sFk2GkZWG3L_6g6miqzdvLQ7pelsQd5m5tsd7eQb-Ic02CZPC5Ur3DL074ZFhcsDLrlNMAnyjhMHaup0zj9tzcPme_xrAAy_Ezmwdb4InZvglgJSsXvc5XvaNujs8SyUJzfnjfYbmAlo/s1600/Erddig+30+October+2017+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sFk2GkZWG3L_6g6miqzdvLQ7pelsQd5m5tsd7eQb-Ic02CZPC5Ur3DL074ZFhcsDLrlNMAnyjhMHaup0zj9tzcPme_xrAAy_Ezmwdb4InZvglgJSsXvc5XvaNujs8SyUJzfnjfYbmAlo/s320/Erddig+30+October+2017+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>West front of Erddig, overlooking the park</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The front of the house appears different to the back, because it was re-faced in stone in 1772-73. Not due to any particular fashion; exposure to the elements was eroding the brickwork.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Erddig is different to other National Trust houses in that you enter through the outbuildings and servants' quarters, rather than the main entrance. This is to appreciate how the owners of the house were very fond of their servants, treating them almost like members of the family. A collection of portraits and verses on the walls provide a fascinating record of those who worked on the estate - although I do wonder how the servants felt about being immortalised this way! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The outbuildings include the blacksmith's, a saw mill and joiner's shop. There are also stables and carriage houses filled with old bicycles and vintage cars. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Because the house remained in the same family throughout the centuries, nothing was ever thrown away!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>One of the Carriage Houses</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This 1907 Rover was Erddig's first car. It was bought in the 192os from the chimney sweep, who in turn had bought it from the local vicar!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Electricity was never installed at Erddig, and visitors are not allowed to take photos with a flash, so I'm afraid my photos are not of the best quality. But the rooms pictured below were my favourites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was particularly intrigued to see the dining room, which was remodelled by the architect Thomas Hopper in 1826-7. He was also the man responsible for revamping Penrhyn Castle, one of my favourite places to visit, and the inspiration for Hurst Castle in <i><a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/nemesis.html" target="_blank">Nemesis</a></i>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Dining Room -<br />The pillars hold up the floor above!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The library wasn't created until 1775. It had originally been the little parlour. The books came from what had been John Meller's study, and there are more than 1,500 volumes - arranged from right to left! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NesjIA4BjwuuH_cBGZdTpH0z-wkMvl68wVMyxSR2-GFSk_Fp6wXhnql0fvmEcopzmm7f_P3vW_enB-kcvyIvUUrkGZF1OTnX3gvzJzFYft5RTq-TBAGlFjiBFHCph3oGliyHugz1sXSl/s1600/Erddig+30+October+2017+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NesjIA4BjwuuH_cBGZdTpH0z-wkMvl68wVMyxSR2-GFSk_Fp6wXhnql0fvmEcopzmm7f_P3vW_enB-kcvyIvUUrkGZF1OTnX3gvzJzFYft5RTq-TBAGlFjiBFHCph3oGliyHugz1sXSl/s320/Erddig+30+October+2017+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The Library -<br />I would love to work in a room like this, <br />although I'd prefer more interesting books!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chapels always fascinate me but I was particularly interested in this one, because the windows include fragments of 15th century French glass. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudsRLn9YABS9QealulZdu94hyphenhyphenpDQPvaPn9hf2RuCVZgOYnicJMyGQN2iMaR5n1wPc-72x875UzNr9i3Y__gEwjhUyyvzbXVDQ5I-ohBt6f630mzQ7y1Q4D44DcM5vDAyRxtDZOzopufwX/s1600/Erddig+30+October+2017+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudsRLn9YABS9QealulZdu94hyphenhyphenpDQPvaPn9hf2RuCVZgOYnicJMyGQN2iMaR5n1wPc-72x875UzNr9i3Y__gEwjhUyyvzbXVDQ5I-ohBt6f630mzQ7y1Q4D44DcM5vDAyRxtDZOzopufwX/s320/Erddig+30+October+2017+023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Chapel</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we visited Erddig during the 'winter', it meant that some of the rooms weren't open. So that definitely means we'll go back again!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EhENUbGw_Vbt2DpXrxB_6i1ueZopVMAyHF5Dh1ONpNdP91a9dWRnIuBIirMso_t5lfxlS3JcMN1w1yvXmT8ZerDYDXL72ZqoGyv90soLsDADCE7VeJJsyVBYEk1xz8eREkhZ8IMMX9xW/s1600/Erddig+30+October+2017+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EhENUbGw_Vbt2DpXrxB_6i1ueZopVMAyHF5Dh1ONpNdP91a9dWRnIuBIirMso_t5lfxlS3JcMN1w1yvXmT8ZerDYDXL72ZqoGyv90soLsDADCE7VeJJsyVBYEk1xz8eREkhZ8IMMX9xW/s320/Erddig+30+October+2017+040.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Me!</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I found most fascinating about Erddig were the people who used to live here; the Yorke family, who always called their male children either Simon or Philip. There was the first Philip (1743-1804), who had such a fear of fire, he built a new kitchen completely detached from the rest of the house. The second Philip (1849-1922) was bullied into marriage by his father; his bride left him shortly afterwards, cadging a lift on a milk float! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The two Yorkes I admire most were the brothers Simon IV (1903-66) and Philip III (1905-78), who tried so hard to keep the estate going, yet had to admit defeat and pass it over to the National Trust. But as Philip III said to a friend, 'It was probably what my father would have liked - the old place restored to its former glory.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1473" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU47ZbgiLXqlkavE-BcWreG3Ij0oiKlpQr5-ZS5DrxVgiqyQ3ThN_c3TqweWhSM0drbupk4h7Bsp3YOvzHHBqiWt_1TGmiLVlLr9rZct3e1TrPR5Be7ms4Zrj4uO08kn4ugplbiV1VnbON/s200/9+November+2017+041.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="182" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The old and the new</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU47ZbgiLXqlkavE-BcWreG3Ij0oiKlpQr5-ZS5DrxVgiqyQ3ThN_c3TqweWhSM0drbupk4h7Bsp3YOvzHHBqiWt_1TGmiLVlLr9rZct3e1TrPR5Be7ms4Zrj4uO08kn4ugplbiV1VnbON/s1600/9+November+2017+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i></i></span></a></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Sources</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Erddig</i> (Official National Trust guidebook)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/erddig" target="_blank">Website (National Trust)</a></span></div>
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Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-31908489422489366252017-09-30T10:00:00.000+01:002017-10-01T20:01:02.845+01:00When in Paris ... Again! <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We previously visited Paris in December last year. Beautiful, sunny weather, but a bit chilly! So when we had an unexpected opportunity to visit again this year, we chose late September which, coincidentally, is my birthday!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like last year, we made a list of the places we wanted to visit. I voted for the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">Musée du Louvre</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">, my husband wanted to see the inside of the Notre-Dame Cathedral (we only saw the outside last time). For something quirky, we picked the Conciergerie - a former royal palace, later a prison during the French Revolution. And decided to follow that up with a walk through the Tuileries Garden, and on through into Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHrl3_QlkC1kTtLRBdNhH1_FhYBsI7sjadAWgOAfbqMWZ9lSPuTY4uIOb7jo2X5tSzzt62Nmp7kLv9kJtRt1ED37p8cSBeofk8MUZ3du1ZVtjoJHDSDV9EX7wB-OQJdx4GeMoDrA_HF4D/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHrl3_QlkC1kTtLRBdNhH1_FhYBsI7sjadAWgOAfbqMWZ9lSPuTY4uIOb7jo2X5tSzzt62Nmp7kLv9kJtRt1ED37p8cSBeofk8MUZ3du1ZVtjoJHDSDV9EX7wB-OQJdx4GeMoDrA_HF4D/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+050.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Arc de Triomphe</i></span></td></tr>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Musée du Louvre</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">I could probably have spent all day in the Louvre. Unfortunately, we didn't have all day so we headed for the Denon Wing, mainly to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa. And a glimpse it turned out to be, for the world's most famous painting is hidden behind bullet proof glass and a barrier to prevent anyone getting too close. So if you <i>do</i> want to 'see' the Mona Lisa, be aware that it will be mostly so you can <i>say</i> you've 'seen' it - from a distance!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiO55tQC61KIY7_TaqXoiUEcw0DnYldLuNoxeieNeHiocjrtcvtn3nIwR_y6bdsyXrdNocwgBQ8iJaMWDeBr33_o7HqPCYe-ABK9rFgJGimpPtsDWWO-n6Uj8r2I636AAqc9A2QVO8fApp/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiO55tQC61KIY7_TaqXoiUEcw0DnYldLuNoxeieNeHiocjrtcvtn3nIwR_y6bdsyXrdNocwgBQ8iJaMWDeBr33_o7HqPCYe-ABK9rFgJGimpPtsDWWO-n6Uj8r2I636AAqc9A2QVO8fApp/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+060.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Mona Lisa!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br />We had to queue outside the glass pyramid to get through security but, once inside, the Louvre is so vast we were able to pick up a floor plan (essential!) and pay for our tickets using a machine without queuing again. We also had a very nice lunch in the mostly deserted café. The museum did become busier after lunch though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-wRPdi8R6auKHRedYLclwAFHezD-45ljqp5u6lVKWdFSDaQWKB9Z82Ve20b6W7w3HaJuUVIf6Ao-VkJYwUsDQ4gZ30HEofiiPubuSnA7j2eA44KeqaHF0CHAkpedCYndl5i2odiCUeHQ/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-wRPdi8R6auKHRedYLclwAFHezD-45ljqp5u6lVKWdFSDaQWKB9Z82Ve20b6W7w3HaJuUVIf6Ao-VkJYwUsDQ4gZ30HEofiiPubuSnA7j2eA44KeqaHF0CHAkpedCYndl5i2odiCUeHQ/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+056.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Musée du Louvre</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Before it was a Renaissance palace, the Louvre was a 12th century fortress, and some of the original foundations can still be seen in the basement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-Vnw57pOMO9Jci6di_H1rXm-0NtQ1wQDBqwuZg2hSkRNzClsHGXpM8PhIbkFQm46Ds7YYleYSX-AeCuSRmQpHb3HzqqBs7gnFwaTwfMAqp-wN6tewDJhaPx_h8Sd7Ow5a7K2hydzOPvW/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-Vnw57pOMO9Jci6di_H1rXm-0NtQ1wQDBqwuZg2hSkRNzClsHGXpM8PhIbkFQm46Ds7YYleYSX-AeCuSRmQpHb3HzqqBs7gnFwaTwfMAqp-wN6tewDJhaPx_h8Sd7Ow5a7K2hydzOPvW/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+068.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>The medieval garrison fortress<br />beneath the Louvre!</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Notre-Dame Cathedral</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The two things I always remember about the Notre Dame is that it can hold 9,000 people and <span style="background-color: white;">was one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses (arched exterior supports) after cracks appeared in the walls. It's the quirky stuff that seems to stick in my mind! Also, Napoleon had his coronation here. It's free to get in, but there is a charge to go up the tower or visit the museum.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfncesAYH5qBCOQ4WgO8LV4jqik6wrxbKZ_GjF-YAi-Aj2muSc5OjPhSgMuACOm-zvIlDHO5cTTt9_ryRW_tlj4IUuIFZaY12NiiSpoWaPRUGiXyprvK7De9RBCWz-Jtx3FaAb2gdUqMhd/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfncesAYH5qBCOQ4WgO8LV4jqik6wrxbKZ_GjF-YAi-Aj2muSc5OjPhSgMuACOm-zvIlDHO5cTTt9_ryRW_tlj4IUuIFZaY12NiiSpoWaPRUGiXyprvK7De9RBCWz-Jtx3FaAb2gdUqMhd/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Notre-Dame Cathedral</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdgWhcUsvTIqhYHqSXKPnqCeIUZxVR2fHsUX879She90ajPsadjN7BFojoVL0TYICYdAbI4KLCtlp8z33sGArt9rwuCApeP8crI2H2Pui0WXDrRLc0YlbL_FChPXtHBFhk8ls8cztZm5H/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdgWhcUsvTIqhYHqSXKPnqCeIUZxVR2fHsUX879She90ajPsadjN7BFojoVL0TYICYdAbI4KLCtlp8z33sGArt9rwuCApeP8crI2H2Pui0WXDrRLc0YlbL_FChPXtHBFhk8ls8cztZm5H/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+086.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0KhLk9tpIrcKqmAxsk00cIt0GgLIoeTvGd-yXc60Odt2xjW9YKLNPvlCmCFWkJAl5Dr9KJHtJj5BUhZaksNbFs2THVd1gwgZDfXxCl_TBo26Br7cmuBVfQU4XApwC6W5Hdmjhz7_BK80/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0KhLk9tpIrcKqmAxsk00cIt0GgLIoeTvGd-yXc60Odt2xjW9YKLNPvlCmCFWkJAl5Dr9KJHtJj5BUhZaksNbFs2THVd1gwgZDfXxCl_TBo26Br7cmuBVfQU4XApwC6W5Hdmjhz7_BK80/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+090.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Shakespeare and Company</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This remains my favourite bookshop (sorry, Waterstones!). I just love the maze of rooms, the atmosphere, and all the lovely books. (I've previously blogged about it <a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/when-in-paris.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I've bought rather too many books recently, however, so had to content myself with this pretty notebook instead.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Notebook!</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The Conciergerie </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With its turrets and spires, the Conciergerie looks very much like the royal palace it once was, but during the French Revolution it became a prison. It's most famous prisoner was Marie-Antoinette, who spent her last two months here before her execution in 1793. In 1815, her cell was transformed into an expiatory chapel in her honour, complete with altar and three paintings showing scenes from the last few weeks of her life. A number of objects that supposedly belonged to her have also been carefully preserved in glass cabinets.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoA8GmVS4iQ0txmknSy-JX5aBIZXSu2iMZA9oPJ9mKyaGncQCC26vVv4oz3btpbuK27uYNDq1SegkFzzcSG0anvzLQM-p1NuO47aFHzPPN8TUpWbC1Gwi9ZZRMpwpR5anEgN_74ineKYd/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoA8GmVS4iQ0txmknSy-JX5aBIZXSu2iMZA9oPJ9mKyaGncQCC26vVv4oz3btpbuK27uYNDq1SegkFzzcSG0anvzLQM-p1NuO47aFHzPPN8TUpWbC1Gwi9ZZRMpwpR5anEgN_74ineKYd/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+Phone+100.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Chair once used by<br />Marie-Antoinette - allegedly!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Clothing once worn by<br />Marie Antoinette - allegedly!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>One of the paintings of<br />Marie Antoinette from<br />inside the expiatory chapel</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Place de la Concorde</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After the Conciergerie, it seemed logical to visit the Place de la Concorde - once known as the Place de la Révolution. This was where many victims of the French Revolution died on the guillotine, including King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. It is the largest square in Paris, at one end of the Champs-Élysées.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">The obelisk in the centre is known as The Luxor Obelisk, and was originally located at the entrance to Luxor Temple in Egypt (it's twin is still there!). It is 75 ft high and over 3,000 years old, and was gifted to France in 1831 by Muhammad Ali Pasha.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx2rDNDdZk4VhEmvFqXXnZeC_eHUTdV0xVjW1AqMIfJrOsfONJkPYxy22QBlVqa5-33hcRehjD8zxrOB0fyqYAQ_u5NrIG_zC-gaUUXkeiO9yVvPIVnPzod9RhOmVoJpRoZo5mMwafHOJ/s1600/Paris+Sept+2017+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx2rDNDdZk4VhEmvFqXXnZeC_eHUTdV0xVjW1AqMIfJrOsfONJkPYxy22QBlVqa5-33hcRehjD8zxrOB0fyqYAQ_u5NrIG_zC-gaUUXkeiO9yVvPIVnPzod9RhOmVoJpRoZo5mMwafHOJ/s320/Paris+Sept+2017+045.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Luxor Obelisk</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">There are two monumental fountains in the Place de la Concorde. This one is the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation, and was completed in 1840.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation<br />Place de la Concorde</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Arc de Triomphe</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe in 1806 in honour of his 'great army' and his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz - but it took 30 years to finish it. At the base is the tomb of the unknown soldier, and every evening at 6.30 pm a torch is lit in memory of a French soldier who died in battle during WWI. Until we arrived, we didn't realise that it is possible to view Paris from the top of the building. Unfortunately it was growing dark and, while Paris is beautiful by night, we thought we'd wait until our next visit (hopefully!) to see this fabulous city by daylight!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Arc de Triomphe</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Sources/Links</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.paris-conciergerie.fr/en/" target="_blank">The Conciergerie</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.louvre.fr/en" target="_blank">Musée du Louvre</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.notredamecathedralparis.com/" target="_blank">Notre-Dame Cathedral</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://arcdetriompheparis.com/" target="_blank">The Arc de Triomphe</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://shakespeareandcompany.com/" target="_blank">Shakespeare and Company</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Related Posts</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/when-in-paris.html" target="_blank">When in Paris ... </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/the-italian-blog.html" target="_blank">The Italian Blog (or, what I did on my holidays)</a></span></div>
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Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-43090827862323836752017-08-01T16:03:00.000+01:002017-08-01T16:03:11.420+01:00Gladstone's Library, Hawarden<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you follow me on social media, you'll know that in addition to old houses and castles I also love book shops and libraries. Last week I finally got around to visiting somewhere I'd always wanted to go, <a href="https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/" target="_blank">Gladstone's Library</a> in Hawarden, with two of my friends from <a href="http://novelistasink.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Novelistas Ink</a>: <a href="http://www.valerie-annebaglietto.com/" target="_blank">Valerie-Anne Baglietto</a> and <a href="http://www.sophieclaire.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sophie Claire</a>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gladstone's Library, Hawarden</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a beautiful old building, built in 1906 to replace the original one, and is Grade 1 listed. We arranged our trip on the pretext of calling it a business meeting but although there was lots of talking, and much coffee and cake consumed in the cafe, there wasn't a lot of 'business' discussion!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A statue of Gladstone in the grounds</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm sorry that my photos are a little bit blurry. The library is a place of work and understandably expects visitors to maintain complete silence. I became a little self-conscious about using my camera, which emits a cheerful electronic trill every time I take a picture, so I switched to using my mobile instead!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Reading Rooms</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gladstone's Library is named after William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), who served four terms as Prime Minster - more than any other person. He was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, finally retiring at the age of 84. He had a large personal library and was keen to make it accessible to others not so fortunate, donating over 32,000 of his own books - mainly theology and history.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0u7wZHaS7XokvWIhMldnqXaktDpcmV1wGI_g7-KuE5EZLRpumEmn4IjsHjLnEgf-HO6Sl5zfLXlN0CXfSzVKnAR_JtgRnRkV7nQtNBDny058PPdTcdIi8SL1kCertT-4M3DdA3oZI5rg/s1600/Gladstone+Library+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0u7wZHaS7XokvWIhMldnqXaktDpcmV1wGI_g7-KuE5EZLRpumEmn4IjsHjLnEgf-HO6Sl5zfLXlN0CXfSzVKnAR_JtgRnRkV7nQtNBDny058PPdTcdIi8SL1kCertT-4M3DdA3oZI5rg/s320/Gladstone+Library+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Reading Rooms</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Legend has it that he carried the books between the family home at Hawarden Castle and the library himself, with only the aid of a wheelbarrow, his valet and one of his daughters.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AAOSbEpm7-k2lw2n4dfxgC04fWYInRoXHaJ54sq9fWXavYtIZ46QpD1_OFT4BV1AqkxOdjBYGY9plF2GwwqnNnDTwsfxIgIYehX697Qohvfff6S_-nd6U6Z-jM_rE7UikrH7wRa_KGqY/s1600/Gladstone+Library+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AAOSbEpm7-k2lw2n4dfxgC04fWYInRoXHaJ54sq9fWXavYtIZ46QpD1_OFT4BV1AqkxOdjBYGY9plF2GwwqnNnDTwsfxIgIYehX697Qohvfff6S_-nd6U6Z-jM_rE7UikrH7wRa_KGqY/s320/Gladstone+Library+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Gladstone's personal possessions</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The library is now home to more than 150,000 books, journals and pamphlets. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some are over 400 years old, some are first editions. Some still contain Gladstone's personal notes written in the margins!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeSwq3Og7J-sXeEufGjtn6QVQGqf0IR8DXpbv321x-iqhrIEace0QyLL4DfpQsotxPxnx_2uxzL7eCFn0DzK8neIe4-1AEVi0EmOzBgUNVD4QnjMe3dQxPgb0hzwgK8FrsReo2mC0qosG/s1600/Gladstone+Library+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeSwq3Og7J-sXeEufGjtn6QVQGqf0IR8DXpbv321x-iqhrIEace0QyLL4DfpQsotxPxnx_2uxzL7eCFn0DzK8neIe4-1AEVi0EmOzBgUNVD4QnjMe3dQxPgb0hzwgK8FrsReo2mC0qosG/s320/Gladstone+Library+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The library is also a residential library and has 26 bedrooms available for anyone wanting to 'sleep' with the books! </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyone can visit but only residents and 'readers' can use the library (it is free to join). But there are short tours lasting about ten minutes, known as 'Glimpses', three times a day. The library also hosts various programmes and events, including their annual festival, <a href="https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/events/events-courses-list/gladfest" target="_blank">Gladfest</a>. There is a cafe, <i>Food For Thought</i>, open seven days a week, and conference rooms available for hire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think I feel another Novelistas' 'business meeting' coming on ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4QN67Ghgn_dkobhyrPcKoqDRcHPFtHc1PmBtBc6WGPd3LB0KLl8kD8ok_26dFVLF_GjN5WOwoFg2aTSxIXmOWM8NmhEEgAoTtepwOQ71yCdlJ5NGJSLwOp1QqG1X5s7DvUcVk5dUcmZf/s1600/Val%252C+Louise%252C+Jo+Selfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4QN67Ghgn_dkobhyrPcKoqDRcHPFtHc1PmBtBc6WGPd3LB0KLl8kD8ok_26dFVLF_GjN5WOwoFg2aTSxIXmOWM8NmhEEgAoTtepwOQ71yCdlJ5NGJSLwOp1QqG1X5s7DvUcVk5dUcmZf/s320/Val%252C+Louise%252C+Jo+Selfie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: Valerie-Anne Baglietto<br />
Louise Marley and Sophie Claire<br />
(in the cafe!)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><br />Links:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/" target="_blank">The Gladstone Library</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://novelistasink.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Novelistas Ink</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Photo Credits:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All photos were taken by me, except the group shot © Sophie Claire.</span></div>
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Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-58095969065229060162017-05-29T20:29:00.001+01:002017-05-30T10:36:13.302+01:00The Italian Blog (or, what I did on my holidays...)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You may have noticed I've been a little bit quiet. This is because I've spent the past week in Venice! I did go with my usual intention of keeping up with emails, social media and the rest. I even packed my work-in-progress - but was hampered by packing four chargers and not a single adapter. #EpicFail. And you know how I love my Kindle! As it turned out, we were too busy sight-seeing to miss our phones and Kindles.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheP87XTfcUem6nMKdScjdSnZbmwceNTEXE47C_G-RhpdGAY-ACm1PUMgUbUv8h9wMBwA-1cZO9gkLxks-3uFa4TSOyqRunQvLcrBToAs7pxxIQ9BoLP4uO93aDfhaEqAs55Gd2xhOB3-nC/s1600/Italy+May+2017+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheP87XTfcUem6nMKdScjdSnZbmwceNTEXE47C_G-RhpdGAY-ACm1PUMgUbUv8h9wMBwA-1cZO9gkLxks-3uFa4TSOyqRunQvLcrBToAs7pxxIQ9BoLP4uO93aDfhaEqAs55Gd2xhOB3-nC/s320/Italy+May+2017+024.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Basilica di San Marco</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We got lost three times on the first day, and twice on the second day - and then we lost our map. But we soon realised this was the best way to 'discover' the real Venice, and we stumbled upon several fabulous churches (containing the most incredible art), along with museums, exhibitions and palaces. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So we spent the rest of the holiday happily getting lost!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMc9g4DTl-0Hz1_FAos208gux5829atCnv4bxHu7UqehBupF6x31Lrg58g7eX0N-HRGjmjnWL7AdJM5rfloPnm5YEmmYYth7V9nCmLSWzLS7L6avDGJt45_pyIRiJ4xIcl6oDw8U8TPClB/s1600/Italy+May+2017+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMc9g4DTl-0Hz1_FAos208gux5829atCnv4bxHu7UqehBupF6x31Lrg58g7eX0N-HRGjmjnWL7AdJM5rfloPnm5YEmmYYth7V9nCmLSWzLS7L6avDGJt45_pyIRiJ4xIcl6oDw8U8TPClB/s320/Italy+May+2017+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Lots of shopping!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We had a lovely hotel just two minutes walk from St Mark's Square. It meant we could get up early and explore the city before it grew too busy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ay97zyD0OCFRRH9ajdlwqpK-yySOmxe4RFuwQZJ0bcKFt6YKGrGouTwurz_NHyaTw-9KEmizf3K_7yHtzPpDqag3kwbSBSPeiuFktx-ufN50uIpKMnPq0_iu6C25pARSRatK1zL0U4qv/s1600/Italy+May+2017+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ay97zyD0OCFRRH9ajdlwqpK-yySOmxe4RFuwQZJ0bcKFt6YKGrGouTwurz_NHyaTw-9KEmizf3K_7yHtzPpDqag3kwbSBSPeiuFktx-ufN50uIpKMnPq0_iu6C25pARSRatK1zL0U4qv/s320/Italy+May+2017+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Grand Canal</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I didn't fancy a ride in a gondola but a water taxi was provided as part of our transfer to and from the hotel, and that was fun - although every time we went under one of those little Venetian bridges I was reminded of the video for </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s__rX_WL100" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Madonna's </a><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s__rX_WL100" target="_blank">Like a Virgin</a> </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and instinctively ducked. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprrY0rqCKGglCRydsqNDm6SthP6CVuU5OZb_pX2VTcE1LqoCPdJSu1exWsFHZXCt_asuymE7n9y4OTB-85M21wxaRhVL49n2IaxmHZZZZM86SwuiNlxXQ3_16tshYGvqJqXHgP6f9XBpV/s1600/Mobile+back+up+29+May+2017+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprrY0rqCKGglCRydsqNDm6SthP6CVuU5OZb_pX2VTcE1LqoCPdJSu1exWsFHZXCt_asuymE7n9y4OTB-85M21wxaRhVL49n2IaxmHZZZZM86SwuiNlxXQ3_16tshYGvqJqXHgP6f9XBpV/s320/Mobile+back+up+29+May+2017+025.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The tickets to get into these places<br />were works of art in themselves!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Basilica di San Marco</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My favourite place was the Basilica di San Marco, because of the fabulous gold mosaic ceilings. The original basilica was built to house the relics (bones!) of St Mark the Evangelist - stolen from Alexandria by Venetian merchants with the help of two Greek monks (there's definitely a story there!). The mosaic over the entrance shows St Mark being welcomed to the city. The present building dates from about 1093 but has been greatly embellished and those gold mosaic ceilings cover an area of more than 43,000 feet.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwp0t69sZqwSa7XQj45q61XHGPjmb47dQ5aQJzeldC70qNwAOUjKo161RS5yHmYJYQ-wQhp71s50rhxKuyu8zvyA-7uHWy5MwWx9Xnn-IetGI-611aTHDKJGP57rRLlxYm-WWeehoUpir/s1600/Italy+May+2017+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwp0t69sZqwSa7XQj45q61XHGPjmb47dQ5aQJzeldC70qNwAOUjKo161RS5yHmYJYQ-wQhp71s50rhxKuyu8zvyA-7uHWy5MwWx9Xnn-IetGI-611aTHDKJGP57rRLlxYm-WWeehoUpir/s320/Italy+May+2017+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Front Entrance</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Basilica is free to enter (hence the huge queues; once inside, you shuffle around in one long crocodile) but you can access various extras such as the museum, the treasury and the Pala d'Oro for a few Euros. Entry to the museum also gains you entry to the gallery, where you can see the ceiling at close range, the famous bronze horses (the ones outside are replicas), as well as the outside balcony with views of St Mark's Square.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Palazzo Ducale</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Palace was the residence of the Doge - a kind of chief magistrate. The Doge's Palace was in the most part constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries, and some of the greatest painters of the 16th century were responsible for the beautiful ceilings that show scenes from Venetian history.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTtVVdDQKRrGDMtX_puVxyRPD_ONyrM9wwNQCB3LrKlBoP2fkVuNUbPCv0AvsAh-m4j7CPn9hgTZ0eoUk5zhGLkbwOtWXQ-xXVY0J7nwCRi670fwqJegVbqGpQWUHa-gZ8JbLBqNi2LvU/s1600/Italy+May+2017+140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTtVVdDQKRrGDMtX_puVxyRPD_ONyrM9wwNQCB3LrKlBoP2fkVuNUbPCv0AvsAh-m4j7CPn9hgTZ0eoUk5zhGLkbwOtWXQ-xXVY0J7nwCRi670fwqJegVbqGpQWUHa-gZ8JbLBqNi2LvU/s320/Italy+May+2017+140.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Doge's Palace is on the left<br />(photo taken from the Basilica balcony)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Doge's crowning took place at the Scala dei Giganti (The Giant's Stairway), so called because of the huge statues of Mars and Neptune at the top - symbolising the power of Venice over land and sea.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxY7ZhJyr-zSR0hgtqbGKRBX_rONHAFY0mF3e1z6OKuyg2WhyljtmlQAUZ1mDo6y-KLfY6wzTmcyYXyQGYw06JQCe9sLDxm9JHAACSbmjoPPPEHwBcjiYKLYWTWcCzPJ3ekuBN5f3Okwx/s1600/Italy+May+2017+072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxY7ZhJyr-zSR0hgtqbGKRBX_rONHAFY0mF3e1z6OKuyg2WhyljtmlQAUZ1mDo6y-KLfY6wzTmcyYXyQGYw06JQCe9sLDxm9JHAACSbmjoPPPEHwBcjiYKLYWTWcCzPJ3ekuBN5f3Okwx/s320/Italy+May+2017+072.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Scala dei Giganti<br />(The Giant's Stairway)</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx1MAuYvLN_8mpBFsKJYsrUhOcamAP6AYO5MyT4WJ26XczqlkR_D912YWSUfIe78rEXeNI9KJ96K8tYwo4hWZYS-cfM9awp6W5H2vqkgoh7O-NAEhxBQssFGNDIo6rUkIPBV8Zxb2rGCp/s1600/Italy+May+2017+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx1MAuYvLN_8mpBFsKJYsrUhOcamAP6AYO5MyT4WJ26XczqlkR_D912YWSUfIe78rEXeNI9KJ96K8tYwo4hWZYS-cfM9awp6W5H2vqkgoh7O-NAEhxBQssFGNDIo6rUkIPBV8Zxb2rGCp/s320/Italy+May+2017+057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Fabulous ceilings -<br />you'll spend a lot of time looking up!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Bridge of Sighs</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Bridge of Sighs was built in 1600 to connect the prison with the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace with two parallel corridors. While beautiful on the outside, it is fairly grim on the inside! The most famous resident of the prison was Giacomo Casanova, who managed to escape through the roof, re-enter the Palace and then walk out through the porta della carta (the entrance to the court). The bridge was given its name due to the story that prisoners would sigh as they crossed from the palace to the prison and caught sight of the outside world through the windows.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLjTgDbpoRzzV-QhOvspuICRrgWA5KNDGXg5kGahpbVB-59IvdgsLfsXi5bUXim1rgSO417ph5vf7emU9ka4d0DwQUrB4qqLWUMOXy4mODfX_SEEDdCxU7762Jfz2oPLSiEG7Ea5oXwAM/s1600/Italy+May+2017+130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLjTgDbpoRzzV-QhOvspuICRrgWA5KNDGXg5kGahpbVB-59IvdgsLfsXi5bUXim1rgSO417ph5vf7emU9ka4d0DwQUrB4qqLWUMOXy4mODfX_SEEDdCxU7762Jfz2oPLSiEG7Ea5oXwAM/s320/Italy+May+2017+130.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Bridge of Sighs</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsYkVZY9U1WxFhf27338eEvup9etToBJN6NeNTDuefiHJAHbvN1tk6IyhdzV69oznVA291zif1Q-BZc6ei9MOr4VcXcZcifJF72MjKFNG_5xCUh8YiFxGnNLtGmQbBw2ldALHwqScNMUC/s1600/Italy+May+2017+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsYkVZY9U1WxFhf27338eEvup9etToBJN6NeNTDuefiHJAHbvN1tk6IyhdzV69oznVA291zif1Q-BZc6ei9MOr4VcXcZcifJF72MjKFNG_5xCUh8YiFxGnNLtGmQbBw2ldALHwqScNMUC/s320/Italy+May+2017+065.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Not so pretty on the inside!</i></span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The Campanile di San Marco</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you get the chance, you must view Venice from the top of this famous bell tower. Although originally built in the 10th century, it suddenly collapsed in on itself in 1902. It has since been rebuilt using as much of the original stone as possible. The queue is relatively short compared with other sites, there is a lift to the top and you can see the whole of Venice stretched out beneath you.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dm5c-u77H6vJWwB8ZsNi-1Mw-MCff0FxV86_wJSnuKlqw3E5fvsRa8j9fjEzfvtoELNQ4Pj_QDn1RaWMrfIP4ckiVmGAnQLYrd64yfscw4QrOcLqmSXVbLjCE1sGmB6zo8PasC-mmFLa/s1600/Italy+May+2017+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dm5c-u77H6vJWwB8ZsNi-1Mw-MCff0FxV86_wJSnuKlqw3E5fvsRa8j9fjEzfvtoELNQ4Pj_QDn1RaWMrfIP4ckiVmGAnQLYrd64yfscw4QrOcLqmSXVbLjCE1sGmB6zo8PasC-mmFLa/s320/Italy+May+2017+026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Campanile di San Marco<br />(The Bell Tower of St Mark)</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz85g3aDxRkCuRtxq7S3amnquihrxwsq5iXejk3_DUG5Zj4vdg4_V5d8320dk5gmtkgTkjvdNrHq9xk5FQK4_8IS-qUSb2v60pScYKrYr-qTi_74AbF9-SJIDtUBGp6FZyllo2wHMMxppy/s1600/Italy+May+2017+087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz85g3aDxRkCuRtxq7S3amnquihrxwsq5iXejk3_DUG5Zj4vdg4_V5d8320dk5gmtkgTkjvdNrHq9xk5FQK4_8IS-qUSb2v60pScYKrYr-qTi_74AbF9-SJIDtUBGp6FZyllo2wHMMxppy/s320/Italy+May+2017+087.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>The bells, the bells!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL57pVE-AZWZvFR0SHLxPLLl3kS7GFmwqfmutHsehm8hp0tbmXUIDpTIUVRyo3QSvQSEdQdyGB4jLmkTysC7AFRmyFfCn8HIU_F3TXcg4gJKT4Ol0gZbLBFoOymHsxG07Yxe2sv89No9D/s1600/Italy+May+2017+085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL57pVE-AZWZvFR0SHLxPLLl3kS7GFmwqfmutHsehm8hp0tbmXUIDpTIUVRyo3QSvQSEdQdyGB4jLmkTysC7AFRmyFfCn8HIU_F3TXcg4gJKT4Ol0gZbLBFoOymHsxG07Yxe2sv89No9D/s320/Italy+May+2017+085.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>View from the top</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Teatro La Fenice di Venice</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We stumbled upon this theatre by accident. We couldn't arrange to see a performance, as there weren't any during our visit, but for a few euros you can pay to tour the interior, which is pretty spectacular - as you can see from the photo below. The original building (which burned to the ground in 1996) was</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> founded in 1792 and staged a number of world premieres, including operas by Rossini and Bellini. Maria Callas debuted here in 1947 and there are several souvenirs from her performances on display.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9E2_IiFs_bHAD_0ceNGBjlzrGg5nPwHk9CxxEpFiabt8sNnICIKXgaj1Upy_1LETDJnNOy_2zED9DXGsY6GPGUMpQjYlTF7ltqnldDG7iPEgU7e6LdK2cnykMjr6GBivT_yRJjU9qzqS/s1600/Italy+May+2017+102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9E2_IiFs_bHAD_0ceNGBjlzrGg5nPwHk9CxxEpFiabt8sNnICIKXgaj1Upy_1LETDJnNOy_2zED9DXGsY6GPGUMpQjYlTF7ltqnldDG7iPEgU7e6LdK2cnykMjr6GBivT_yRJjU9qzqS/s320/Italy+May+2017+102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Teatro La Fenice di Venice<br />(The Phoenix Theatre of Venice)<br />(interior)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Ca' d'Oro</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is one of the palaces on the Grand Canal. The name means 'golden house', because it was once decorated with gold leaf. It's currently home to Baron Franchelli's art collection. There were lots of famous paintings (van Dyck, Bellini, Titian, etc) but they all went over my head a bit. Because I love old buildings, it was the palace itself which fascinated me!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQpFqesd3FGSIpXt7ZFMLsNIXx3K5PfXkoiUVCyFP1mYEI-Qd4W0X0htGatLyWHuC3xY160UedLyI1yl13pyC1R5lsQv9Aynt75eLwltu8cXzb8Ndf65XbdMnXmZ3NL0OVe2dE08Y8FH6/s1600/Italy+May+2017+175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQpFqesd3FGSIpXt7ZFMLsNIXx3K5PfXkoiUVCyFP1mYEI-Qd4W0X0htGatLyWHuC3xY160UedLyI1yl13pyC1R5lsQv9Aynt75eLwltu8cXzb8Ndf65XbdMnXmZ3NL0OVe2dE08Y8FH6/s320/Italy+May+2017+175.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Ca' d'Oro <br />(Photo taken from the Grand Canal)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFVgM6YthyphenhyphenUFvS10oj9HiRkBOI3hH61-fNwol9UldK6LBLViEWC0I_mHid8XkfRw57A6qaWEQRuxdye5WKm9uzTmyy26_hyphenhyphenVRUReeM800u2vDKyj6Qh_kfAwTqXxRQXBHTvQqQKHUVGud/s1600/Italy+May+2017+147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFVgM6YthyphenhyphenUFvS10oj9HiRkBOI3hH61-fNwol9UldK6LBLViEWC0I_mHid8XkfRw57A6qaWEQRuxdye5WKm9uzTmyy26_hyphenhyphenVRUReeM800u2vDKyj6Qh_kfAwTqXxRQXBHTvQqQKHUVGud/s320/Italy+May+2017+147.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The interior courtyard</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjfLAySvbzME1n-k8ywMQABJDp8i7TbthOhCxi-mLYdhdA3LiedROXXEpUIWykwfpQci-25gbpnFcdzmwoMnev45HAlWFTaT0nHQQj-Uy7ORwCvDXVULcwnkkQAJk-U_fpM7OOtPz8Xxy/s1600/Italy+May+2017+146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjfLAySvbzME1n-k8ywMQABJDp8i7TbthOhCxi-mLYdhdA3LiedROXXEpUIWykwfpQci-25gbpnFcdzmwoMnev45HAlWFTaT0nHQQj-Uy7ORwCvDXVULcwnkkQAJk-U_fpM7OOtPz8Xxy/s320/Italy+May+2017+146.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Amazing tiled floors</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Santa Maria della Salute</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This minor basilica is on the other side of the Grand Canal, almost opposite St Mark's Square. It was built in 1630 to give thanks for deliverance from an outbreak of the Black Death in 1603. Most of the objects of art within the church reference the plague. It's an iconic part of the Venetian skyline and has been painted by many artists, including Turner and Canaletto.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiVcQlkgX3_q5Zd0-72TFQNtSibbe0AlHBKNJRynuR8mUBqvB3SZffwOJfyKkVzeuOt4S8_CVm6H6HY-EWWcNC7g3YCHF9dDJHEdGVkWfvhrDmTFHmmSUDUVmCR1bA6tZAuWElxilVHdF/s1600/Italy+May+2017+114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiVcQlkgX3_q5Zd0-72TFQNtSibbe0AlHBKNJRynuR8mUBqvB3SZffwOJfyKkVzeuOt4S8_CVm6H6HY-EWWcNC7g3YCHF9dDJHEdGVkWfvhrDmTFHmmSUDUVmCR1bA6tZAuWElxilVHdF/s320/Italy+May+2017+114.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Santa Maria della Salute</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5ZwsV4jy1Y0zwb2ivD3APOuYcYRZdEImDOauD66VafL2qjPbtMAfKXjpG91ItHvdu6gGD0LNhA7eGfppOjkPIFsu8zUEdirShxBV7V3qTEjEeec9Uep3yFZfeBBya1-yWSNWIEhAK6gr/s1600/Italy+May+2017+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5ZwsV4jy1Y0zwb2ivD3APOuYcYRZdEImDOauD66VafL2qjPbtMAfKXjpG91ItHvdu6gGD0LNhA7eGfppOjkPIFsu8zUEdirShxBV7V3qTEjEeec9Uep3yFZfeBBya1-yWSNWIEhAK6gr/s320/Italy+May+2017+025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>Iconic view!<br />Santa Maria della Salute</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Websites:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/?lang=en" target="_blank">Basilica di San Marco </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/home/" target="_blank">Palazzo Ducale</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.teatrolafenice.it/site/index.php?&lingua=eng" target="_blank">Teatro La Fenice di Venezia</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.cadoro.org/?lang=en" target="_blank">Ca' d'Oro</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Related Posts:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/a-writers-holiday.html" target="_blank">A Writer's Holiday </a>- in which I visit Tuscany, Florence and Luca</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/when-in-paris.html" target="_blank">When in Paris ... </a></span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Never miss a post! See that little box in the left-hand column, near the top, that says 'Follow by Email'? If you add your email address, you'll receive my latest blog post almost as soon as I've written it.</span></i></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-72872690005562484432017-04-27T11:40:00.002+01:002021-06-23T20:37:56.365+01:00Spring Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I haven't updated this blog since January. What's my excuse? Mostly I've been hard at work on my <a href="http://booksbywomen.org/" target="_blank">new book</a>, which has not left much time for anything else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A good chunk of my blog posts are about places I've visited (I often use them as inspiration for locations in my books). It's not quite so much fun to visit a ruined castle in the middle of winter - atmospheric, but very cold!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now Spring is here, I've been revisiting some old favourites. So, no new blog posts - but plenty of photos!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bodnant Garden</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bodnant is at its best during spring, when the azaleas are out, and I've visited twice this month.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j_UrZCq_VC8/WQGxWYgbYKI/AAAAAAAADx8/ch6VxS_U4SEvug0s5PMQGBxmqYNjprbLwCPcB/s1600/Bodnant%2B23%2BApril%2B2017%2B022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j_UrZCq_VC8/WQGxWYgbYKI/AAAAAAAADx8/ch6VxS_U4SEvug0s5PMQGBxmqYNjprbLwCPcB/s320/Bodnant%2B23%2BApril%2B2017%2B022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You can read <a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-walk-on-not-so-wild-side-bodnant.html" target="_blank">my previous blog post about Bodnant here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gwydir Castle</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've <a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/castles-and-cream-teas-or-what-i-did-on.html" target="_blank">already blogged about Gwydir Castle</a> too, but here are some photos from my most recent visit. It was a bit of a gloomy day but we did receive a warm welcome from the residents!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now I have a new smart phone, I'm more active on Instagram. You can see more of the places I've visited, as well as the books I'm reading, (and gratuitous photos of cake!) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Book Blog</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And if you want to know what books I'm reading, check out my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> feed and my <a href="http://oncemoreuntothebookstore.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">book blog</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PmfReyfO6Bs/WQGwh4rpqQI/AAAAAAAADx8/8m6Zp5r5ua42d0NwCXPOhvMoGAooqRdEACPcB/s1600/Trust%2BMe%2BI%2BLie%2BNew%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PmfReyfO6Bs/WQGwh4rpqQI/AAAAAAAADx8/8m6Zp5r5ua42d0NwCXPOhvMoGAooqRdEACPcB/s200/Trust%2BMe%2BI%2BLie%2BNew%2B2.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you're a writer yourself, you might be interested in this guest post I wrote for <a href="http://booksbywomen.org/" target="_blank">Women Writers</a> about creating characters:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://booksbywomen.org/how-to-prevent-your-characters-from-all-sounding-the-same-by-louise-marley/" target="_blank">How to Prevent Your Characters From All Sounding the Same</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>New Book</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And <i>finally</i>, the reason I'm not quite so active on my blog and social media, is that I'm hard at work on my new book. <i><a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/trustme.html" target="_blank">Trust Me I Lie</a></i> has turned about to be just the first in a new series about Milla and Ben.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I've made the mistake of entering into a word race with my friends <a href="https://www.trishaworld.net/" target="_blank">Trisha Ashley</a> and <a href="http://www.julietgreenwood.co.uk/" target="_blank">Juliet Greenwood</a>. The last one to finish writing their new book buys the others a cream tea! And at the moment I'm the one that's losing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I'll see you later!</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Never miss a post! See that little box in the left-hand column, near the top, that says 'Follow by Email'? If you add your email address, you'll receive my latest blog post almost as soon as I've written it.</span></i></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-8513036715901850472017-01-09T15:07:00.001+00:002017-11-14T20:05:34.060+00:00When in Paris ... <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In which I visit Paris - and </i>still<i> end up in a bookstore and a graveyard... </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I try not to talk about personal stuff on social media, so let's just say 2016 was not a great year for us and leave it at that. By the time it got to December, my husband and I decided we needed a holiday! Holiday destinations in December are pretty limited, but then we had the great idea to combine a visit to Disneyland Paris, where we'd taken the kids when they were (much!) younger, with a trip to the city of Paris.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>My daughter and me - halfway up the Eiffel Tower!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We held a family conference about the 'must see' places to visit. We all voted for the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to go to the Louvre. I was not so bothered about the inside, I just wanted to see the glass pyramid that always features in all the movies. Or as my husband put it, 'You want to visit the Louvre because you once saw it in a Tom Hanks film?' My other vote was for Shakespeare and Company, a very famous bookshop close to Notre-Dame. Fortunately, because it <i>was</i> close to Notre-Dame, and my daughter also cast her vote for it, it was added to the list. My daughter also had a hankering to visit the Catacombs - basically one giant, underground ossuary, but none of us quite fancied being so close to real, er, 'live' bones, so we compromised by visiting Pere Lachaise Cemetery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Eiffel Tower </b>was built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 as part of the Exposition Universelle, to celebrate 100 years of the Revolution. You can buy tickets in advance, online, or just queue up on the day, which is what we did. It was the middle of December and we only waited in line for about 20 minutes. There is also a very good app for smart phones, which acts like a guidebook with lots of facts. We bought tickets for the 1st and 2nd floor, which was cheaper than going right to the top and quite high enough for us! And we took the glass elevator rather than the stairs - there is one in each pillar. Even though it was a misty day, there were great views of Paris. Definitely recommended!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hRbBOU2sYM/WHOUbXFw-HI/AAAAAAAADec/X8B39MpPYNQPWEPztDod7JeM846D4dZ5ACPcB/s1600/Paris%2BDecember%2B2016%2B056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hRbBOU2sYM/WHOUbXFw-HI/AAAAAAAADec/X8B39MpPYNQPWEPztDod7JeM846D4dZ5ACPcB/s320/Paris%2BDecember%2B2016%2B056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>You don't need me to tell you<br />what this is, do you?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'd first visited Paris on a school trip, so one of the places I wanted to see again was <b>Notre-Dame</b>. We didn't go inside, just admired it from the outside - it's pretty impressive, as you can see! It's a gothic cathedral dating back to the 12th century, and was one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses (arched exterior supports) after cracks appeared in the walls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MU1vGBFfx9c/WHOUbdQrMlI/AAAAAAAADec/XcNyc6aw8VMZe4mv6c8zYCNR3uWegQ51gCPcB/s1600/Paris%2BDecember%2B2016%2B062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MU1vGBFfx9c/WHOUbdQrMlI/AAAAAAAADec/XcNyc6aw8VMZe4mv6c8zYCNR3uWegQ51gCPcB/s320/Paris%2BDecember%2B2016%2B062.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Notre-Dame, cunningly angled to cut<br />the tourists' heads off</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Shakespeare and Company </b>is a quirky bookshop I'd first come across on Pinterest. It's an English language bookstore on the banks of the River Seine, just around the corner from Notre-Dame. Built in the early 1600s, the building was originally a monastery but opened as a bookstore in 1951 by an American, George Whitman. In 1964, the name was changed to Shakespeare and Company on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth, and also in honour of another bookseller George admired, Sylvia Beach, who had opened the first Shakespeare and Company in 1919.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wOIzA3XIsMk/WHOVD-TB72I/AAAAAAAADeo/0iZtMYiHDWcdaWef6DYMIGmIjorc5w4EwCPcB/s1600/Shakespeare%2B%2526%2BCo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wOIzA3XIsMk/WHOVD-TB72I/AAAAAAAADeo/0iZtMYiHDWcdaWef6DYMIGmIjorc5w4EwCPcB/s320/Shakespeare%2B%2526%2BCo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Me!<br />(And my husband, wondering why I'm blocking the door)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could have spent all day in that bookshop! There are several little rooms, all leading off each other, overflowing bookshelves from floor to ceiling, exposed brickwork and wooden beams, and signs saying things like 'You can find Agatha Christie under the stairs'. But you'll have to take my word for that because, understandably, they don't allow photos of the interior and my memory's not great! I bought my son a copy of <i>The Three Body Problem</i> by Cixin Liu and my daughter a copy of <i>In Search of Lost Time</i> (vol 6) by Marcel Proust, because she's mad on him (more of that later!). Each book was stamped with the bookshop logo and came with a bookmark. What did I buy for me? I managed to restrain myself and settled for one of their tote bags (although I don't think George would have been impressed!).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HJ_qkCPtAIs/WHOWD9x2qoI/AAAAAAAADe8/_8hU1SAOA40CjetA8r3yf0Lwb5HUJLHvACPcB/s1600/Shakespeare%2Band%2BCompany%2Bbooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HJ_qkCPtAIs/WHOWD9x2qoI/AAAAAAAADe8/_8hU1SAOA40CjetA8r3yf0Lwb5HUJLHvACPcB/s320/Shakespeare%2Band%2BCompany%2Bbooks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Shopping!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We had lunch and then headed to <b>Pere Lachaise Cemetery</b>, where my daughter was keen to visit Marcel Proust's grave. The cemetery is absolutely huge, like a mini village, complete with little cobbled streets lined with trees. It is essential to have a map, which can be bought at one of the gates or surrounding kiosks. Unfortunately, when we arrived there were none available, probably because it was the middle of December! We got around this by using a smartphone to photograph one of the large maps by the entrance, along with a key to all the 'famous' graves. If you do this, make sure your photograph is not blurred <i>before</i> you set off or you <i>will </i>get lost!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZ9uOKJOtrgvY2oLIwC5BrJ9PTFpeHe3fnQnGIv66owLZAXn2ha-6NH5hy9V1EVpUZQL-lKG6kSbK6t8WU7jjbXVfiTXwh6gBEoui0WXBTlTMFAv0inVQYxk-Xk0hgm0OmGWErJvvxYgg/s1600/Marcel+Proust+grave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZ9uOKJOtrgvY2oLIwC5BrJ9PTFpeHe3fnQnGIv66owLZAXn2ha-6NH5hy9V1EVpUZQL-lKG6kSbK6t8WU7jjbXVfiTXwh6gBEoui0WXBTlTMFAv0inVQYxk-Xk0hgm0OmGWErJvvxYgg/s320/Marcel+Proust+grave.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Marcel Proust's grave</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cemetery is named after Pere Francois de la Chaise (1624-1709) (the confessor to King Louis XIV), who lived in a house on the site. The property was bought by the city in 1804 and the grounds turned into a cemetery. Napoleon, who had been declared Emperor three days previously, declared that 'Every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion'. Unfortunately, because the cemetery was situated so far from the city and had not been blessed by the church, it attracted few funerals. To encourage the purchase of burial plots, the administrators arranged for the remains of Jean de La Fontaine and Moliere to be re-interred here; suddenly everyone wanted to be buried alongside the rich and famous. Today there are over 1 million bodies buried, as well as very moving memorials to the victims of the Holocaust and both world wars.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghJK-q8QlS2d9qnfAOuk30I202A3bGagNK0kPoT3xivih0Im89gXwSGRdZbrNM9Gk0bhyTBVmSuhfScd-hMC4wD8hkixpOz31To_dVx2qTLe_jRWcQwkPa29N9p3ZdkypPjcGXDJrRUg-/s1600/Paris+December+2016+084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghJK-q8QlS2d9qnfAOuk30I202A3bGagNK0kPoT3xivih0Im89gXwSGRdZbrNM9Gk0bhyTBVmSuhfScd-hMC4wD8hkixpOz31To_dVx2qTLe_jRWcQwkPa29N9p3ZdkypPjcGXDJrRUg-/s320/Paris+December+2016+084.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">One of the 'streets' at <br />the Pere Lachaise Cemetery</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the cemetery is mostly famous for being 'home' to celebrities, including Honore de Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Georges Bizet, Frederic Chopin, Colette, Isadora Duncan, Marcel Marceau, Yves Montand, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Camille Pissarro, Marcel Proust, Simone Signoret, Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is sweet to see the fresh flowers and little notes that their fans have left at some of the graves. Not so sweet to see how some of the graves have been scrawled over with lipstick and felt tip pen. Oscar Wilde's grave has now been encased in glass - so his 'fans' write on that instead. Jim Morrison's grave has been so vandalised over the years, apparently it now has its own guard.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VMxaTvbEHqQ/WHOUbXCBGLI/AAAAAAAADec/BlFRvn835UQyJCCKcbZav7L1eDbskoG-ACPcB/s1600/Oscar%2BWilde%2Bgrave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VMxaTvbEHqQ/WHOUbXCBGLI/AAAAAAAADec/BlFRvn835UQyJCCKcbZav7L1eDbskoG-ACPcB/s320/Oscar%2BWilde%2Bgrave.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Oscar Wilde's grave</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most of the tombs are built like mini-mausoleums, with a door at the front, although the bodies (usually more than one) are buried beneath the ground. The idea is the mourner would go inside to pray and leave flowers on one of the shelves inside. The cemetery is definitely worth a visit, not just to see the famous graves. But if you do go, allow a good couple of hours and make sure you have a map!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xfJc5z6Vb1Q/WHOUbVlsHVI/AAAAAAAADec/KK5qABhJSgMheJhu_PsEHuefBFaLXYQZwCPcB/s1600/Paris%2BDecember%2B2016%2B078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xfJc5z6Vb1Q/WHOUbVlsHVI/AAAAAAAADec/KK5qABhJSgMheJhu_PsEHuefBFaLXYQZwCPcB/s320/Paris%2BDecember%2B2016%2B078.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Time to go home ...</span></i></td></tr>
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<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Links</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.toureiffel.paris/" target="_blank">The Eiffel Tower </a>(official website)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.notredamecathedralparis.com/" target="_blank">Notre-Dame</a> (official website)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://shakespeareandcompany.com/" target="_blank">Shakespeare and Company</a> (bookshop) (official website)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Related Posts:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/a-writers-holiday.html" target="_blank">A Writer's Holiday</a> (in which I visit Italy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-grave-obsession.html" target="_blank">A Grave Obsession</a> (why I love churchyards)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/more-ramblings-about-tombs.html" target="_blank">More Ramblings About Tombs</a> (in which I visit an ancient Welsh burial chamber)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Never miss a post! See that little box in the left-hand column, near the top, that says 'Follow by Email'? If you add your email address, you'll receive my latest blog post almost as soon as I've written it.</span></i></span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-62532210544416608942017-01-01T09:28:00.003+00:002021-01-03T16:32:35.595+00:00Happy New Year!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How do you feel about New Year's resolutions? Do you ever make any? Do you stick to them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I was a teenager, I would make three resolutions </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">every year </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">without fail. And every year they would be pretty much the same: (1) Lose weight, (2) Save money, (3) Write a book. Every year I failed to keep them but at least it saved having to think up three more. And if that sounds familiar, I gave the same trait to Marina in </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">my first novel, published fifteen years ago this month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think it's about time my resolutions had an update! So, what is it that I'd really like to change if I could?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvYWr5hOVWYNduuYhXK6PSfcaIUELcF7eeKagANQI4DX1KbS0aIMC8oKZzlxBG74D5s6Nr8sIyTDJkiNKXW5chiJtvJFsSH3Sqro8mrq4gdHXBQthkQgbEPJhpDj5b6KYCxNwNw2LZTBI/s1600/Best+Laid+Plans+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvYWr5hOVWYNduuYhXK6PSfcaIUELcF7eeKagANQI4DX1KbS0aIMC8oKZzlxBG74D5s6Nr8sIyTDJkiNKXW5chiJtvJFsSH3Sqro8mrq4gdHXBQthkQgbEPJhpDj5b6KYCxNwNw2LZTBI/s320/Best+Laid+Plans+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, I'd like to</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Be more organised ...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As you may have noticed, I'm <i>not</i> the world's most organised person - and then last year my phone died, taking all my contacts and my calendar with it! Disaster! But I've learnt from this! I have a new phone - and I've now got back ups! All my contacts have been updated in a proper address book, everyone's birthday is listed in a birthday book and I have a back-up diary. So, fingers crossed!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Write more ... </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm a professional writer, that's what I do all day, right? Yes - along with critiques, reviews, blog posts, guest blog posts and social media for both myself and other authors, somehow the actual book writing is getting very squeezed. JK Rowling talks about how important it is to 'guard' precious writing time, and she is right. What can I do to fix it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My friend, <a href="http://www.trishaworld.net/" target="_blank">Trisha Ashley</a>, belongs to a writers' group called <a href="https://twitter.com/The5HundredClub" target="_blank">The 500 Club </a>with Elizabeth Gill and Leah Fleming. Every day they agree to email each other once they've written 500 words. Isn't that a great idea? It's certainly easier to achieve than 1000 words, and the words soon mount up. I'm going to give it a go - and record my progress in my back-up diary!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Try to leave the house occasionally ...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is easy when you're self-employed to forget to have any 'me' time. A couple of years back I was working from 7.00 am to 9.00 pm, seven days a week, and all I achieved was to make myself ill. Besides, if I don't meet new people, visit new places and have new experiences, how will I find anything new to write about?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTORkTFX9y-GrGU2i96DltPoFUS7Md6qr_NW-sWo6HGK_1L8-i6LR8iMwsCxAK5kNDz4-TNwIJIRZB2mHKpUUASwEQ9KdTMKMbAqucP2rothrmcy_pjNnV11hu0AfusBU3R0OVu1RaEA7k/s1600/Eiffel+Tower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTORkTFX9y-GrGU2i96DltPoFUS7Md6qr_NW-sWo6HGK_1L8-i6LR8iMwsCxAK5kNDz4-TNwIJIRZB2mHKpUUASwEQ9KdTMKMbAqucP2rothrmcy_pjNnV11hu0AfusBU3R0OVu1RaEA7k/s320/Eiffel+Tower.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, that's me, <br />halfway up the Eiffel Tower with my daughter</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So there you have it. Those are my resolutions for this year, how about <i>you</i>?</span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-41764745113996695282016-10-11T16:03:00.003+01:002016-10-17T11:49:54.865+01:00Once More Unto The Bookstore (or, how I accidentally ended up with a book blog)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qSvpwVFK3wg/V_z4Zw6LOjI/AAAAAAAADJ0/M0mRa7E3L_AG38V4osBHMxrB-wGLW_uOgCPcB/s1600/shutterstock_226598713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qSvpwVFK3wg/V_z4Zw6LOjI/AAAAAAAADJ0/M0mRa7E3L_AG38V4osBHMxrB-wGLW_uOgCPcB/s200/shutterstock_226598713.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've always loved books. I started with </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">my mother's Enid Blyton collection and some great big books of fairy tales from the 1920s/30s, which I originally believed had belonged to my father but now I think they were probably my grandmother's. (You can read more about the </span><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/ten-authors-who-influenced-me-or-you.html" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">books which influenced me as a writer here</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I devoured every book I could find, some quite unsuitable for my age; I read Shirley Conran and Jackie Collins while I was still at school. On one occasion I remember borrowing a book from the school library and taking it back the next day, and the teacher refusing to believe I could have possibly read it so quickly. I felt quite offended!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course the thing about reading a good book is that I immediately want to tell everyone about it - how great it was and why they really should read it themselves </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">right now</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. Although the drawback to </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">that </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is I'd end up having to loan out my own precious copy and, as you know, I've never been great at sharing. The other drawback is that most of the people I know in real life don't read the kind of books I like. So here I am, reading all these great books and having no one to tell ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the summer one of my Twitter friends, <a href="http://terrytyler59.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Terry Tyler</a>, told me about her idea to encourage people who would not normally write a book review to post one on Amazon. You didn't need your own book blog, or be any kind of professional or regular reviewer, to take part. To help spread the word, the reviews were hashtagged on Twitter as <a href="https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2016/08/15/readers-all-over-the-world-are-reading-for-august-reviews-are-you-in-mondayblogs/" target="_blank">#August Reviews</a> and promoted by other book bloggers, including <a href="https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Rosie Amber</a>. And I gave Terry a whole load of reasons why I couldn't take part:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(1) I'm a writer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(2) I know too many other writers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(3) I could never give another writer a one star review (which I might be likely to do, as I'm <a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/trust-me-i-lie-or-true-confessions-of.html" target="_blank">far too honest for my own good</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(4) I've never been able to get on with Goodreads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(5) I love reading books and having to write a review afterwards would be too much like doing homework.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ironically, last month I needed to teach myself Wordpress for another project. I had to set up a new blog and blog about something. What could I blog about? Books, obviously!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">September turned into October and I went through my Kindle to dig out all the spooky books I could find, intending to <a href="http://oncemoreuntothebookstore.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/halloween-reads.html" target="_blank">read them in the weeks leading up to Halloween</a>. Mainly because I have a really bad habit of downloading cheap and free books, and then not reading them. (Any author reading this, and thinking of running a free promotion, bear that in mind - people are more like to read your book </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">if they've paid for it!) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I read each book I wrote a review - and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. When the Wordpress project came to an end I was loathe to let my new blog go. So I moved it over to Blogger and carried on for a bit, just to see if I could.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you want to check out the new blog, it's called </span><a href="http://oncemoreuntothebookstore.blogspot.co.uk/" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Once More Unto The Bookstore</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. I'm only reviewing books I've enjoyed and that I've bought myself, because I'm a writer not a book blogger. If you're interested to know what I'm reading, I'd love to see you over there. And if not, this blog will still carry on as usual with me talking about myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some things never change.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Related Posts</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/ten-authors-who-influenced-me-or-you.html" target="_blank">Ten Authors Who Influenced Me</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/five-recommended-reads-for-chocolate.html" target="_blank">Five Recommended Reads for Chocolate Lovers</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/five-books-which-romanced-me.html" target="_blank">Five Books Which Romanced Me</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/five-books-which-chilled-me.html" target="_blank">Five Books Which Chilled Me</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/five-books-which-influenced-me.html" target="_blank">Five Books Which Influenced Me</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/why-i-love-my-kindle.html" target="_blank">Why I Love My Kindle</a></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Never miss a post! See that little box in the left-hand column, near the top, that says 'Follow by Email'? If you add your email address, you'll receive my latest blog post almost as soon as I've written it.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Images Copyright: Shutterstock (girl reading) and Fotolia (book)</span></div>
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Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867529070283476350.post-24317567122756081932016-09-05T08:31:00.001+01:002017-04-27T09:33:45.547+01:00Summer Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">September already? Well, I hope you had a lovely summer! Here's what I've been up to ... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Book Launch for <i>Trust Me I Lie</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My latest novel, <i><a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/trustme.html" target="_blank">Trust Me I Lie</a></i>, came out at the end of June - and a huge thank you to everyone who bought it. I celebrated with <a href="http://novelistasink.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Novelistas Ink</a> in the usual way ...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgps4CshvxdEah69DbVBlQeC43SqCxmWjrahVgB1MlHINt5y8Jj9NkK2bpfrwb7UI-vbOK8mNQaAuyuIQcjGtpbb2WekbkjD2vlv8gidohVecn5tjtVnXqMn5XE2GbrfqVCjqV4k8Zk9PLD/s1600/Louise+Marley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgps4CshvxdEah69DbVBlQeC43SqCxmWjrahVgB1MlHINt5y8Jj9NkK2bpfrwb7UI-vbOK8mNQaAuyuIQcjGtpbb2WekbkjD2vlv8gidohVecn5tjtVnXqMn5XE2GbrfqVCjqV4k8Zk9PLD/s320/Louise+Marley.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKV8VWE-tBQOaGPKNuA3SKlnNToPrqGdbbd6MftYQjzdeyS9CSGbR7iZ1Qv1GuDO-tISDt3xy1HDV6TXpjjVTTz2V2P-KDgHPEF0Z2iSWS8dCFeipdxcLjRW82gGwC6pSZUZHI5-F-pib/s1600/Cake+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKV8VWE-tBQOaGPKNuA3SKlnNToPrqGdbbd6MftYQjzdeyS9CSGbR7iZ1Qv1GuDO-tISDt3xy1HDV6TXpjjVTTz2V2P-KDgHPEF0Z2iSWS8dCFeipdxcLjRW82gGwC6pSZUZHI5-F-pib/s320/Cake+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are more photos on the Novelistas' <a href="http://novelistasink.blogspot.co.uk/p/news.html" target="_blank">News Page</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And you can read an extract from <i>Trust Me I Lie</i> either on my <a href="http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/trustme.html" target="_blank">website</a> or on <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/75963779-trust-me-i-lie-extract" target="_blank">Wattpad</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Guest Blog Posts</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://beinganne.com/2016/08/author-feature-trust-me-i-lie-by-louise-marley-louisemarley-guestpost/" target="_blank">Being Anne</a>: The Enduring Appeal of Fairy Tales</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEm4heJtR49QRyMvkXS_QN2KplmmlKF3CRzTuHbn3Uao6exfrOo3JvJ6hi6CZhj7Tq0GfqGR9N3koUI4LjEHKwxpQZS48CknisKh5qe_94WJoQFGrnjAC2Au5cRsNAx-HS2aihFk8Rl1-/s1600/Fotolia_100003858_S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEm4heJtR49QRyMvkXS_QN2KplmmlKF3CRzTuHbn3Uao6exfrOo3JvJ6hi6CZhj7Tq0GfqGR9N3koUI4LjEHKwxpQZS48CknisKh5qe_94WJoQFGrnjAC2Au5cRsNAx-HS2aihFk8Rl1-/s320/Fotolia_100003858_S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.myreadingcorner.co.uk/2016/08/guest-post-louise-marley-author-trust-i-lie.html" target="_blank">My Reading Corner</a>: Creating an 'Unlikeable' Heroine</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Author Interviews</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://thisisbeccasbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/author-q-louise-marley.html" target="_blank">Becca's Books</a>: Do I base my characters on anyone I know? Are there any particular themes I like to use? How do I choose my settings?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.withloveforbooks.com/2016/07/book-review-trust-me-i-lie-by-louise.html" target="_blank">With Love For Books</a>: Which of my own personal experiences end up in my book? If I could choose to be one of my characters, which one would I be? Where do my stories come from?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://simonascornerofdreams.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/q-with-louise-marley.html" target="_blank">Simona's Corner of Dreams</a>: What was the inspiration behind <i>Trust Me I Lie</i>? Did I always dream of being a writer? Which books have influenced my life most?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Upcoming Promotion</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally, I'll be running a price promotion to celebrate my birthday at the end of September. Keep a look out for <i>A Girl's Best Friend</i>, which will be FREE to download from 20th September to the 24th, inclusive. All details/links <a href="http://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.co.uk/p/freebies.html" target="_blank">here</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Never miss a post! See that little box in the left-hand column, near the top, that says 'Follow by Email'? If you add your email address, you'll receive my latest blog post almost as soon as I've written it.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Photos Copyright: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Trust Me I Lie</i> book launch: Cheryl Lang and Juliet Greenwood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Little Red Riding Hood: Fotolia</span></div>
Louise Marleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09798055811380557773noreply@blogger.com0