In Love with Georgette Heyer

I was first introduced to the books of Georgette Heyer in my early teens when a teacher read ‘Friday’s Child’ to us.

Over the decades I have read all of her books – Regency and Mystery – several times. I suspect that every teenaged girl read the Regency novels as romances. But after reading them when a bit older you realise that they are a brilliant insight into High Society in that period. Whenever you read them a second – or more – times you begin to see how witty (in some cases – hilarious) they are.

Georgette Heyer researched everything about that period – clothes, food, transport, manners, speech. She became an expert on the period and was a bloody good writer.

In the 1960s I was working for a mining magazine and it turned out that one ‘elderly’ gentleman there had been a mining engineer and was friends with Georgette Heyer’s husband – who had also been a mining engineer. When I told him how much I admired the writer’s work he said he would introduce me. Unfortunately he died before that could happen.

Thanks to Amazon Kindle I am now beginning my own collection of Georgette Heyer books.

Incidentally, Joan Aiken Hodge wrote a superb biography of Georgette Heyer entitled ‘The Private World of Georgette Heyer'. Paperback available on Amazon.

Winter Shopping

Yes, I know it is only autumn but for me any temperature below 16c (61f) is cold!!! I do try to put off switching on any heating (fortunately heaters in each room - don't have central heating!) until absolutely necessary. And, no, not yet into the thermals! Well, got to have something extra put on when it gets really, really, really cold.

Of course - as for most of us - this is the time to start checking the winter clothing. Two pairs of trousers and a jacket from Bon Marche. Unfortunately I seemed to have something wrong with my brain the first time I went in there and bought size 20. Eh????? Obviously took them back and changed them for the smaller size (no not telling you!). Fortunately the jacket was too tight round the armholes so I just changed that. It actually made me look like the Michelin Man (remember him?).

Just ordered a jacket on line. The only colour available in my size was 'ochre' a yellowish colour. Wanted the blue (what I call peacock blue but think it has changed its name these days). Have no idea whether the colour will suit me but we will find out when it is delivered.

Sweaters? Got plenty of them and am currently knitting a twin set - cardi in scarlet and pullover in yellow. Should cheer me up! 

Kissing a dolphin in the waters just off Mexico
(in the Gulf of Mexico).
A reminder of warmer days!