Secret History of the Pink Carnation

Summary: The year is 1803, and feisty Amy Balancourt will do anything to join the cause of her hero, the Purple Gentian, and his fellow spies, who once tried to save her father from French revolutionaries. But first she must find the mysterious Purple Gentian - without getting sidetracked by the advances of Lord Richard Selwick, a dashing yet dubious man who by all appearances has defected to the enemy. What Amy doesn't know is that Richard's true goal is to ferret out Napoleon's plans for invading England while keeping his true identity
a secret. But who could concentrate on saving Europe with Amy's decolletage invading this thoughts? Unfortunately, Amy is clearly an impediment to his mission - especially when one of the many lives at stake is her very own... (source - back cover)


Comments: This is really two stories in one. The first is of the historian that is looking to find out who, exactly, is the Pink Carnation, and the second is of the lives of Amiee de Balancourt and Richard Selwick during that tumultous year of 1803. Both stories, I have to say, succeed, though much more print space is given to Amy and Richard, rightfully so.
I have this unconscious habit of coming up with questions during reading. So was the Scarlet Pimpernel real - was Sir Percival Blakeney? Must look this up. Shall do now ... one moment please. Nope not real - I have read Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel, but just had to double check. Too bad, I do love that character. Okay, on the to characters in the book, Lord Richard Selwick, lovely, charming, smart. Uh, not much else to say. And his mother the Marquess of Uppington, I totally love her early in the book and even more so towards the end of the story. She is not one to be taken lightly. Very amusing read. I am looking forward to reading the next book, "The Masque of the Black Tulip"

Food Trends

What's up with whoopie pies? First it was cupcakes, hell, in fact, they are still the rage in some places. Then it was French macaroons, but only for a little while because no matter how many cute colors they could come in, they were difficult to make. Then cake pops which are/were over the top cutesy and now whoopie pies.
What about simple things, like, um, cookies. I'd like to read a food blog or magazine without any of the following:


cupcakes
whoopie pies
cake pops
popsicles
red velvet cake
red velvet whoopie pies...


That would be nice, just simple foods instead of food trends.

Gay Go Up and Gay Go Down

"Gay Go Up, and Gay Go Down" by Anonymous. Public domain. One of my favorite poems with my favorite of all in orange. I guess it's more a child's rhyme, but the last bit is a tad creepy.


Gay go up, and gay go down,
To ring the bells of London town.
Bull's eyes and targets,
Say the bells of St. Marg'ret's.
Brickbats and tiles,
Say the bells of St. Giles'.
Halfpence and farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells of St. Peter's.
Two sticks and an apple,
Say the bells at Whitechapel.
Old Father Baldpate,
Say the slow bells at Aldgate.
You owe me ten shillings,
Say the bells at St. Helen's.
Pokers and tongs,
Say the bells at St. John's.
Kettles and pans,
Say the bells at St. Ann's.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells at Shoreditch.
Pray when will that be?
Say the bells at Stepney.
I am sure I don't know,
Says the great bell at Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

Father's Day

There are times when you forget that you are fortunate. That's happened a good bit of late, but one thing I am fortunate in is my father. Fred is just the best. He's older now and without my mom, but he's resilient. He's happy, learning new hobbies, hanging out with the dog, and likely watching too much TV, but it's great fun to talk to him. He's had and unremarkable, but yet still interesting life. He always told us we could be anything we wanted to be - even though, heaven forbid, we were girls. He taught me how to pour concrete, change brake pads and oil, how to shoot and never failed to threaten any of my high school boyfriends. That's just Fred. I've very fortunate indeed.

Bering

I love you Bering
Oh, yes I do. 
I don't love anyone as much as you.
When you're not with me, I'm blue. 
Oh, Bering, I love you. 

Well ...

It's been a little over a week and I still miss my friend. I miss his woo woo when I came home and his play bow and his sphinx pose and the way he liked ice cubes. I think the MotH may be right. No more dogs. It's just too hard. Now, I'm going to stop dwelling on this and write about something else for a little while. Until missing Bering doesn't hurt as much.

When sorrows come

When sorrows come,
they come not single spies,
But in battalions.
~Shakespeare
~Hamlet

I can't believe the world is this ...

... cruel.
My baby Bering. He just stopped being. I hate everything. I would give almost anything to ... well, there is nothing I can do - nothing anyone could do, but that doesn't make me hate this much less. Fuck it all to hell. 
My poor baby Ber. 
I want to throw things, and strangle anyone around, and I don't know - fuck fuck fuck it. 
My poor baby. What am I going to do? My heart breaks in places I didn't know existed.

My sweet baby - Bering. 

May

Bering

May must be the cruelest month. I know T.S. Eliot said it was April, but he's wrong. I used to think that it was August because it's so damn hot and humid in August, but I have revised my decision and have labeled May as the "winner" in this contest. My poor sweet Siberian Husky went from being perfectly normal (for him) to perfectly blind in less than a week. There was nothing anyone could do to stop it or fix it. 


Now he wanders the house like he's lost and it's just about more than I can take. It's so unfair and so very very sad. I know life isn't fair. I say that all the time, especially to the Boy, but somehow this seems hateful. It's not like we can explain anything to him or to let him know we're going to take care of him. Damn. I'm sad, but I'm also angry. 


He's so stressed right now and running into things and getting stuck in places, not knowing how to get out. We read that this will improve over time, but right now, watching him circle and wander is one of the saddest things I have ever seen. Such beautiful blue eyes, but of no use. 

Spring Garden Update

We're about to go head-long into summer. The fact that we were able to have the windows open last week, was a real shock, but it didn't last long and now it's starting to feel like the end of spring. These were some final spring blooms before the daylilies took off last week. Photos of those and the easter lilies coming up soon. 

bottle brush

Spirea  'Henry Waterer'

And the clematis jackmanii was at its best yet. I've never had this many blooms. It's been in the ground for only two years though. I'm very pleased with the way it looks, esp. in contrast to all the pale pink roses around it.