Nov
Historical Inspiration Saturday: Stroll in a Cotswold Village (& a Salute to Veterans)
Happy weekend, everyone! Well, if you find yourself with some time to relax, fix a cuppa your favorite brew and enjoy this virtual stroll through a Cotswold Village. If it does not induce wild cravings to go read Regency novels and/or Jane Austen, then nothing will. It looks like the setting for my next book, and when I came across it, I knew you’d enjoy it as much as I did, so I just had to share.
This is a lovely clip from a longer DVD by Vita Digital Productions. (They have many more that they make freely available on their website, follow link. In fact, I think I’ll be taking a stroll thru an Italian village next..!) ~ Enjoy! (PS–Don’t go away, more below…)
Also, before you go, let’s extend our recent November 11 Veteran’s Day salute to our stalwart British allies, who have been fighting alongside our guys and girls in the military throughout the current wars. Thank you to all the veterans and military families from all the allied countries for their sacrifice. May the upcoming holiday season be a time of peace for us all.
This video is from last year’s Festival of Remembrance held at Royal Albert Hall, an event to honor British veterans, sponsored annually by the Royal British Legion (which is England’s foremost charity for military veterans and familes.) For those unfamiliar with the song, it’s a classic WWI-era, British patriotic hymn called “I Vow To Thee, My Country.” Gives me chills every time…
So, what is everybody up to this weekend? I’m celebrating my birthday, (Nov. 16). Don’t bother asking how old. The answer remains the same: 29. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it–indefinitely, haha. Fortunately, you already know that I write fiction…
Nov 17, 2012
3:45 am
Happy, Happy Birthday Gaelen!! I hope your entire weekend is filled with laughter, joy and lots and lots of love! We love you no matter your age.
Thank you for this post – I loved the journey through the villages and I sooooo want to visit England.
What am I doing? Chores, as usual, but my biggest goal is to hit my NaNoWriMo goal by Sunday (I’m at 41,953 right now) and then finish the story completely by next weekend. Yikes! Still haven’t got a title.
Well, Happy Birthday and have a fabulous weekend.
Happy Saturday Everyone!
Nov 17, 2012
1:22 pm
Amy, that’s fantastic!!! Thank you for the birthday wishes. I’m off to a good start. Hit the spa day yesterday and have the cutest nail color ever on my toes.
Your Nano progress is awesome! Woot! Keep going, keep going!
Gaelen, cheering all the Nano writers on!!!
Nov 17, 2012
4:22 pm
Do we get a peek at your tootsies? : )
Nov 17, 2012
8:37 am
Happy Birthday Gaelen!
I hope you have a great one this year, you certainly deserve to! Your upcoming book sounds amazing-still have to go through a long wait to get! God help us!
Exciting to see your on the 16th of Nov, mine is on the 17th!! Haha
Nov 17, 2012
12:18 pm
Happy Birthday Noor!! : )
Nov 17, 2012
1:23 pm
Happy Birthday, Noor! Wow, what a coincidence! Scorpios rock the house, (in the immortal words of one of the Beasties Boys.) Hope you’re having a grand b-day, too!
Gaelen
Nov 17, 2012
9:26 am
Happy Birthday, Gaelen! Hope your day is filled with sunshine!
Today I am having my day off, so I am relaxing a bit before I go to my Zumba class and then may go have lunch with my nephew’s girlfriend. Hopefully we can go shopping – it depends if my nephew wants to spend some time with her instead of me.
I LOVE “I Vow To Thee, My Country” and other music like that. One of my favorite songs is “Jerusalem”. I heard it first on Chariots of Fire and fell for it. I wonder if I love it so much because of my British heritage or because I am such an Anglophile – most likely both.
Makes me wonder if I am the only American who gets as teary eyed when they play “God Save the Queen” with all the pageantry as they do when they play “Star Stangled Banner” with all the pageantry.
And Gaelen – about the age thing – it is true, you are only as old as you feel and sometimes (like in my case) you never really look your age. I have always looked younger than I am. When I was 21, I looked 16. Now at 50, I look like I am in my 30s. I have always had people never believe my age. You look like you are in your 30s, too. As one of my buds said on my 50th birthday — Happy 32nd Birthday to you! In your case — Happy 29th Birthday! HUGS!!!
Nov 17, 2012
1:25 pm
Thanks, Jamie! I appreciate that. It must have been annoying at 20 to look 16 but you’ve gotta like the payoff now, huh?? *g* Zumba looks like fun, though I’ve never tried that. Ihope you’re having a good weekend, too. Enjoy!
Gaelen
Nov 17, 2012
10:23 am
Happy Birthday, Gaelen! I hope you have a wonderful celebration. These videos were terrific. Thanks for sharing them and for honoring our men and women who donned uniforms for our great country (and England too!).
Nov 17, 2012
1:26 pm
Hi Katharine! And thanks, too. I was very happy to find those videos. You never know what you can find on The Google.
G.
Nov 17, 2012
10:53 am
A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you Gaelen!
Thank you for this post and for sharing the videos with us. My high school choir sang a version of I Vow To Thee My Country, and it got me all choked up again. My utmost thanks, gratitude, respect, and admiration to all men and women who serve to protect us and our freedoms.
My plans this weekend? Cleaning (ugh!) and hopefully writing. It’s so scary how fast my Dec 31st deadline is looming! lol.
Nov 17, 2012
1:29 pm
Thank you, Lisa and ohhhh you have my sympathies with a 12/31 deadline. Nothing worse than being on deadline thru Christmas and missing much of the jollifications. Good luck with it!
Glad you liked the vids! Choir sounds fun. Hope you get your cleaning done as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Gaelen
Nov 17, 2012
10:55 am
Happy birthday, Gaelen! I loved the walking video. It was so peaceful, with the birds chirping. Thanks for sharing that.
This weekend I’ll be doing the same thing I’ve done all week- hanging out with my sick kiddos. They haven’t gone to school all week. I’m on the programming committee for my local RWA chapter and we’re meeting tomorrow AND I CANNOT WAIT. Just to get out of the house…!
Nov 17, 2012
1:31 pm
So sorry to hear the kids are sick, Olivia! What a bummer! I hope they get better soon.
I totally agree with you about the peacefulness of the video. Eric watched it wiht me and he was amazed at how quiet that village seemed. Maybe they filmed it on a Sunday morning or something before everyone started coming out. Not sure!
Have fun at your RWA meeting! What chapter do you belong to?
Nov 18, 2012
5:00 pm
I’m in Katharine’s chapter- Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. Best people around. I love them!
Nov 17, 2012
11:15 am
Happy belated birthday Galen. I was 29 for a long time but when my son turned 30 I had to rethink my age.
I am cleaning my guest room so my son has a place to sleep during his thanksgiving visit.
Back to the guest room. I have been using it as a dumping ground so…..
Nov 17, 2012
1:32 pm
How funny on the age thing! Heehee. Thx Lady Susan. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving visit with your son and enjoy your weekend, my dear!
Gaelen
Nov 17, 2012
1:27 pm
A very Happy Birthday Galen…
I am not up to much this weekend. I had a very busy week. I was away for three days with the gal pals and am just vegging and doing laundry. And of course doing some reading…
Nov 17, 2012
1:38 pm
Thank you, Kathleen! Sounds like you had a nice getaway. Where did you go? I’ve been thinking about starting to plan some small triplet for Eric and me for Jan or Feb or even March. Most northerners are so ready to get out of the snow for a while by then and I’m lusting after the British Colonial Hilton on Nassau, Bahamas.
http://www.bchiltonnassauhotel.com/hotel-information/
Divine! It’s right across from Atlantis, which is also tempting. Never been there but sure would like to try it out!
We’ll see. sigh. I probably shouldn’t hold my breath. My dh is way too committed to his students to take a vacation in the middle of the school year. Unfortunately! He says he can’t justify it when he gets the summer off, but I don’t get the summer off, so that doesn’t help me, ha ha. Oh, well. If nothing else at least I can look at the pictures…
Enjoy your weekend!
Gaelen
Nov 17, 2012
1:43 pm
29, Gael? You don’t look a day over 25.
Happy happy birthday, friend!
I’ve been laid up with the flu all week…still recovering! But we have tickets to an Ani DiFranco show tonight, and I will make it there by hook or by crook!
Nov 17, 2012
1:54 pm
Now you’re laying it on thick, MacLean. LOL. Thx for trying. ha ha. Oh NO you’re sick!!! I hope you are able to bounce back soon–at least enough to be enjoy the show!
Gaelen
Nov 17, 2012
5:44 pm
Happy Birthday, Gaelen! You don’t look a day over 28. (Seriously, folks — Lady Gaelen is a beauty!). Thanks for the videos – made me feel quite nostalgic. There’s nothing like the Albert Hall filled with people belting their hearts out.
Thank you too for the lovely Veteran’s Day reminder. There could be nothing better than to see soldiers of all countries safe at home.
What am I doing? Writing writing writing.