Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

4 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  2. Ryan D. TurnewitschJanuary 1, 2009 at 6:17 PM

    Hello Mrs. Young,

    You most likely can recall to memory my identity but if not, I wil enlighten you. I am the high-school student who inquired of your knowledge concerning the aristocracy's vocations about a month ago. I promised to give you a report on how our Pride & Prejudice Book study went so I am here to tell you. You might not even want a report anymore but I will give one anyway because I said I would.
    It was a splendid success as anticipated. The attire on all eight teens was stupendous and so very attractive. Truly, it turned out to be more of a "Regency immersion" then originally anticipated and I believe that all who participated found a new appreciation and affinity for that wonderful, ephemeral era. Our Regency meal was served by two maids in appropriate attire and was candle-lit only. The formality of that part of the evening was starkly different from normal meals and I appreciated that.

    Our actual time that we discussed the book transpired to be very enlightning in hearing all the different viewpoints and opinions on the book and era. My oral report was excellent and I used lots of your information. Recenly I was given "Jane Austen for Dummies" (I'm not sure if you have that series in Canada or not) but it has opened my eyes further into the society of the Regency.

    The piano exhibitions were played on a vintage pianoforte and the sound it produced was very different than what I'm used to on a baby grand. Just another memorable aspect of the night. In case you are familiar with classical piano music, I played the 1st. movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata Op.13.

    Lastly the five dances have become a hit everywhere. Our group was asked to perfom the dances at two Christmas programs which we did and received great applause. It is potential that my mother might organize a high-school Regency ball in May of this year since everyone loved the dances so much.
    I hope you haven't forgotten the specifics of what our study was, because then you might have been lost in this comment.

    I would love to show you pictures because then you would much better be able to appreciate the study but I don't have a blog of my own to send you to. I could email them to you if you are still interested. The attire and home really were beautiful and I do think you'd like seeing them. The address you can use is yourfriendryan@yahoo.com If you choose not to ask, that is fine with me as well.

    In case this might interest you, I have been seriously considering writing my own novel soon. I very much want to, but find it rather hard to get sufficient time away from school obligations. Hopefully, I will endeavor on that course soon.

    I noticed that you reside in Canada from a recent post. My father is orginally from Hamilton Ontario (now we live in the US) so I frequently have been there to visit relatives. One location that I personally love is the Dundern Castle on the Burlington Bay. If you haven't beeen there, it is beautiful and well worth visiting. It was the home of Canada's first prime minister. I believe that it was constructed around the Regency but I may be mistaken on that.

    Take Care and have a great 2009,
    Ryan

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  3. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you both. I love your blog! Thank you for the wonderful posts and books. Would you be able to post more on Regency food? I'm a bit of a foodie.

    Well thanks you two!

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  4. Gillian,

    Thank you.

    Ryan, thank you for telling us all about your book study. It sounds as if you had a cool time. I can imagine that you found the sound of the piano forte very different. I always think it sounds more like a harp. I would love to see your pictures.

    Anon. Ann and I promise more food in 2009. It is always nice to get requests.

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