Late December 1811 found Lord Wellington in his winter quarters in the town of Frenada, Portugal. He and his officers rode out on fox hunts and dined with friends in their lodgings. Some of the younger officers staged a production … Continue reading →
Mixed in with all the happiness of Christmas are some sad memories, and I couldn’t let Christmas 2014 pass without mentioning the events of seventy years ago, Christmas Eve 1944. It was a wartime Christmas, a hopeful time, as the … Continue reading →
“This is a charming novella with enough twists to keep you guessing.” Starting today and through December 30, 2014, Rosalyn’s Ring is on sale for 99 cents. It is Christmas, 1816, and Rosalyn Montegu sets out on a perilous journey to … Continue reading →
I’ve been busy this month re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Regency Buck and preparing a post for the Beau Monde blog on the book, which happens to be: The First Regency Romance You may be one of those people who think … Continue reading →
Last week I attended the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, a subject I blogged about one year ago here. Nothing has changed in the sentiments I expressed last year, but I do have a few new pictures. You can probably tell that we … Continue reading →
If you are a fan of Bernard Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe books, or have seen Sean Bean’s excellent portrayal of the hero in the series, you are familiar with the battles among the French, British, Spanish and Portuguese in the Iberian peninsula during the Napoleonic era. And if … Continue reading →
Though the Prince Regent of England declared a day of Thanksgiving in January 1816, Thanksgiving as an annual holiday is a new world phenomenon. In the United States, the tireless crusading of Sarah Hale led in 1863 to the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The “Mother of Thanksgiving” was … Continue reading →
Before the vacuum cleaner, before refrigeration, indoor plumbing, radiant heat, electric lights, and washing machines, the world was filled with professional working women, like the very fetching one above. Call it the second oldest profession: servants. It was not only the … Continue reading →
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the international disaster that was World War I officially ended. We continue to observe November 11th in the United States as a day to honor all … Continue reading →
“Good morning, sir,” said one child, on being introduced to the Duke of Sutherland at one Coronation. “No, boy!” hissed his embarrassed father, “Say ‘Your Grace.’” “Beg pardon, father,” rejoined the child, and looking the Duke full in the … Continue reading →