In Search of Jane

In the UK this week there was the discovery of a possible 'lost portrait' of Jane Austen found. This opens up a world of possible interpretations of who Jane really was, both physically and mentally. The cult of Jane is going strong, with new biographies being published next year, as well as several mystery novels that seek to solve the question of how Austen died. One novel suggests that Austen may have been the victim of arsenic poisoning, and wants to cast new light on the mystery of her death.

One thing is clear, Jane Austen and her novels are still in the public eye, as they should be.

Saying goodbye is never easy.....

I will soon say goodbye to two people who have shown me the way to live life is to grab on to it with both hands and take the plunge. Both are moving to the UK, fulfilling the dream and starting out on a new adventure. I am so sad to see them go, especially since they are the ones who pulled me out of my shell and were never afraid to give me a swift kick up the backside if I needed it! They accepted me, warts and all, always there to laugh or cry with. I hope that I gave as much to them as they have given to me. In honor of the event here is a poem:

CIRCLE

A circle joins us together

here as we stand

at the crossroads

of life

Once the circle is broken

Can it be repaired?

And if not will there

Always be your

face in the break

or as we go down the

roads of life

towards our goals

we will join again

because

A circle can never be

broken

Goodbye, Farewell my

Friends

Join again soon.

Wish I could do this......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2067119/Lyn-Marie-Cunliffe-Mum-lives-modern-life-dressed-Charlotte-Bronte.html

Truly outrageous and I must say I am envious!! Does that make me a little mad?

As you wish.....

Best. Article. Ever! I could quote this film all day

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/nov/09/favourite-film-princess-bride

BBC Heaven

For anyone who is looking to listen to some fabulous radio, check out the BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

You can listen to great music and news programmes as well as book readings, comedies and full cast dramatizations of books, both classic and modern bestsellers. I listen to it at work and it makes the workday fly by. Plus the accents are totally wizard, y'all.

Broken, but Unbowed

12 UK banks were downgraded as the Eurozone crisis hits Britain. Everytime I read these stories I get so scared for the future. Both the US and the UK have been circling the drain financially for almost 4 years now and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Now we have Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston movements popping up but will this change anything? Will it make things better, provide us with some hope and belief in the future? I don't know and that is becoming the new normal for us all.

12 Uk Banks Downgraded - Dailymail

The Doctor Is In.....the TARDIS

Doctor Who is the world’s longest running Sci-Fi show. From its first broadcast in 1963, the Doctor and his companions have captured the imagination of both adults & children. The series tells the tale of a strange alien being called simply “The Doctor” He is the last of the Time Lords, a race of beings who can travel through time and space.

The Doctor has the ability to cheat death by being able to regenerate, to change every cell in his body. The end result is the same Doctor in with a new face! In his ship The T.A.R.D.I.S. (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) the Doctor explores different planets and alien races while battling the evil races of Daleks and Cybermen. In the latest incarnation from the BBC the Doctor travels with his newest companion Amelia Pond and her daughter, a Time Traveling Assassin who is also the Doctor's wife! It gets all timey wimey wibbly wobbly but that is what makes the show so entertaining and enduring. Here is the latest trailer for the 6th series

The character of the Doctor shares the basic concepts outlined in one of my favorite novels The Alchemist. Like the Boy in the novel, the Doctor is seeking his “personal legend” by traveling to distant planets. He wonders the universe alone, helping people who are oppressed and afraid because he is the last of his kind. He is both the young boy seeking to find himself and the old king, who has already found wisdom.  He literally remakes himself into a new form, shedding his old personality, allowing himself to change and grow over eons. He is in a word, simply Fantasic!!

Mermaid Quay

 I stand in a place that has always been a dream, never real. Bloodless before its reality set in, a fabled land of sea and sun that I would never get to see before the clock runs out.  The outlying mass of crafted green and stone, surrounded by choppy dark blue waves that cradle and slowly destroy over time my new found land, stand in front of me like a shield, a promise fulfilled. 

Yet where can I go after this, what dream will replace the one that I have left behind? As I walk down the stone streets, gazing back at the sea, will I be replaced by some new version of myself, stronger, more in tune with the world now that I have tasted the reality of dreams? Or will I become harder, bitter, mourning the loss of what sustained me thru hardships untold and dangers unnumbered to at last become one with grief and give in to time?

I turn back and walk to the end of the quay, to the end of my world and stare into the depths of blue blackness. I look deep, my tears dropping into the water, white moving shapes in the foam, dancing and circling my doom. I gaze at the sky and at last I am content to let the world pass by as I fade and let my new self be born. Who am I? The question must never be answered, must remain as fathomless as the sea, for when we answer, we die and a new one takes our place. I sit and gaze, feel the sun, smell the air and let all happiness and pain come as they must as I smile and grieve for the dream that came true.

Reflections in a London Eye

Walking towards the Eye

One of my favorite memories of London is soaring above the city on the London Eye. The eye is the world's largest Ferris wheels with pods that can hold at least 15 people. The pods are fully transparent, giving you a complete 360 degree view of one of the most beautiful cities of the world.

 You can see all the way from Westminster Bridge to the Tower of London along with gorgeous views of the sky and Thames river. I felt as if I was flying, looking down on the city that I had dreamed of visiting since I was a little girl. I put my iPod on, played the Doctor Who theme and had a lovely adventure.

Stated Purpose

Finally decided what to write on the blog, after much deliberation and doubt. Since I am an anglophile (admirer of all things British) this blog will highlight the goings on in the UK, from political debates to what's on the telly and who's on the Tube. My hope is to show that we really aren't that different from our overseas cousins, we face the same hardships and joys. We just have different accents. First up, if you want to check up on the news and events in the UK here are some links to my favorite papers and television sites:

The Guardian
BBC

and my favorite gulity pleasure

The Dailymail. 

First entry into a new world

This is my first foray into the blogging world, so here it goes. This blog is hopefully to be a place where the random thoughts that run through my head constantly can find a resting place and won't be too painful or uninteresting to the world at large. Are we sitting comfortably? Good let's begin at the beginning. This is meant to be a collection of all things inane, cherished bits of information that people will like to read. If not, then at the least it can be a sort of monument to a forgotten dream, garnished with a lot of really bad poetry written as a teen...we shall see. More to come.