Confound it all! One of the frustrations of writing historical fiction is discovering your character could not do/hear/see/say something because it had not been invented yet! Such is my plight as I just discovered my heroine could not say ‘Confound it!’ as the saying did not exist for nearly another 40 years! A few other things she could not say (and the year in which she could have said them) include: botheration – c. 1835 … Continue reading →
I love old cookbooks, the older the better. With as much time as I spend in the kitchen trying to feed three teen-aged sons, old fashioned cookery fascinated me. When I found these videos, I just had to share them. There are several, but, in true chocoholic fashion, I have to share dessert first! I give you a Georgian chocolate tart. I may just have to try this one!
Continue reading →I have to admit, all the research on the army, officers, militia and war has left me rather down, so I thought I would post something a little more light hearted on the subject today. I am captivated by language and how it relates to a culture. With three teen aged sons living at home with me I get to hear a lot of the slang they encounter and I never cease to be fascinated … Continue reading →
In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice we encounter a military regiment temporarily stationed in Meryton. These men are members of the militia, not the regular army (discussed in the last post.) While at first blush, there may seem little difference between the regular army (the Regulars) and the militia, the differences are striking and significant. What was the Militia? The militia served as a peace keeping force on home soil. History had taught that a … Continue reading →
