Happy New Year 2011!

Up and Down

The wreath above the mantelpiece is covered with dust. The chandelier is almost suffocated by cobwebs. Then a key turns in the lock – and a handsome and elegant gentleman walks in, with the woman he loves in his arms… This is British television’s most famous address – 165 Eaton Place – in a new series of Upstairs Downstairs.

Set in 1936, this lavish three-part serial sees diplomat Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard) move into the iconic townhouse along with his wife, Lady Agnes (Keeley Hawes). With the help of former parlourmaid Rose Buck (Jean Marsh) and the eccentric Grande Dame of the house, Lady Maude Holland (Eileen Atkins), they launch a new whole new era for the sumptuous home at the heart of Upstairs Downstairs.

As Lady Agnes remarks: “This house is going to see such life!”

But storm clouds are gathering in Europe, and servants are no longer biddable and cheap. The Hollands’ first year at Eaton Place does not unfold as either Lady Agnes or Rose anticipates.
The drama that results sets exquisite domestic detail against a sweeping historical backdrop.

There may be two families living in 165 – one upstairs and one down – but their fates are intimately linked. Touching, funny, romantic and savage, the revived Upstairs Downstairs is set to enrapture a whole new audience. The last episode was aired tonight and what a TV treat it was. So sumptuous and delightful that it left me wanting for more.


The original series of Upstairs Downstairs was a worldwide sensation. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975 and was set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and Inter-War Belgravia in London, depicting the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs".

In the summer of 1930, the Bellamy family left its home in London’s Belgravia forever. In the empty house, loyal parlourmaid Rose Buck reflected on its ghosts, its history, the loves and lives it had contained. Closing the door for the final time, she walked away – and left a piece of her heart behind her. In 1936, a twist of fate brings Rose back to 165 Eaton Place, as a housekeeper to its new owners, the Hollands. Not to be missed then and not to be missed now.

Merry Christmas to Everyone

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, Love Divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and Angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,

Love Incarnate, Love Divine;

Worship we our Jesus:

But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

(Christina Rossetti)

Silent Sunday ...with the Angels

Skipping Christmas

A few years ago I read a book by John Grisham which was a good diversion from his heavy legal bound usual writings, Skipping Christmas. In a good way that book made me cringe. Why? Because I suspect that we have all been there at Christmas time. The stress of the planning, the cost of it all. So as we have all thought at times, the characters in this book decide to escape and instead of spending all their hard earned money on gifts and food they want to escape on a cruise. The cringe moments come when the whole street is decorating their houses and theirs is the only one without so much as a bit of tinsel. It is typical of how we are always looking at what the neighbours are doing and what they will think if we don’t celebrate Christmas the traditional way. The pressure is piled on to them to conform and as the stress levels increase, the scenes become more hilarious. All in all an enjoyable book.

I have been thinking about this possibility every year since. And every year I feel like a modern Scrooge. But my point is that the older I get the more I realize that the true spirit of Christmas is dead and buried. How many kids (not to mention adults) around the world know why we are celebrating Christmas, what is its real meaning? Very few. And how much do we really do for fun and enthusiasm or just because we are supposed to go along with it? I wish I could be strong enough and say no, this year there is no usual Christmas, we send the money for presents to Oxfam or Unicef, we eat what we usually eat all over the year and we don't get stuffed with turkey, chocolate, booze watching Coronation Street Christmas special....But I know it won't be like that. I’m weak and tired and on my own on this …and I will succumb to it again and again…Humbug!

Silent Sunday ...snowed under!

Rafi's Spicebox

Before coming to live in England I’d never tried Indian food in my life and for quite a while I didn’t dare to eat anything else than mild kormas fearing that all the other recipes were too spicy for my delicate Italian stomach. Then some Indian friends introduce me to REAL Indian food and I fell in love with it. Unfortunately I am not too keen on takeaways and our visits to Indian restaurants can become very expensive, given the quantity of food than my husband and son can consume. This was before discovering Rafi's Spicebox.

This isn't your usual kind of take-away. Rafi's Spicebox is a family run Asian delicatessen specialising in hand blended curry mixes. The first Spicebox in Sudbury was originally set up in 1989, by Rafi Fernandez, who after spending many years teaching Indian cooking wanted to supply people with the necessary exotic spices and ingredients that were hard to find. The shop soon evolved and today has become an institution. With 28 different curry mixes to choose from, you just need to add meat and vegetables and you have an authentic curry at home within minutes! The packs are made while you wait to your own specification and the expert staff are on hand to offer advice, recommendations and serving suggestions. The York store, which opened in 2004, is only the second Rafi's Spicebox in the UK. The shop also sells other Asian deli products, and is always popular with locals and visitors.

I've tried several dishes - the 'Ma's Paretal' above is amazing and a little bit different from your usual korma, tikka, balti, jalfrezi, etc. You can also order online on their website www.spicebox.co.uk. Just choose how hot you want the curry to be and P&P is charged per pack. For the cost of the spice pack plus other ingredients you can easily feed 4 people for under a tenner. Highly recommended.

Wordless Wednesday Night

Ramblings

I sometimes wonder if haven’t taken on too much lately. Apart from my usual work, my house seems to have become a hotel or rather a restaurant open at every time of the day (and night!). My husband and kids are already very demanding with regard to food, but now I often end up cooking also for my son’s girlfriend (who is really very nice, but seems to spend more time here than in her own home) and our friend's two boys next door who are in need of all support they can get. I do not mind this at all, but I’m not sure how long I can physically endure all of this. It’s very time-consuming and tiring. The other day we had also some “extra” friends around and I had to prepare for 12 people! And it wasn’t even a Sunday lunch or a dinner party….

I have never taken seriously people devoted to home schooling their children. I used to consider them a bit eccentric and even rather snob. I think kids need to go to school to get to know other children and start living a social life outside the family. Now I realize what a difficult decision home schooling is. There must be some serious reasons for these people to do it. It's hard work too. In my case it wasn't my choice. I have to teach my son for his Italian AS Level as his college doesn't have Italian among their subjects and the only school in York that could teach him doesn't accept external pupils for safety (aka administrative) reasons. More work for me.

Show your spots!

BBC Children in Need is an annual British charity organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. In 2009, the last completed event, the charity raised over £20 million on the broadcast evening.


A mascot called 'Pudsey', a yellow teddy bear with a spotty bandage over one eye, was introduced in 1985 and has become a regular feature.

The money contributed to Children in Need is distributed to organisations supporting children in the UK aged 18 and under who have mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, sex abuse or neglect.

The 2010 appeal is taking place today 19th November 2010, with this years theme and slogan being 'Show Your Spots, Let's Raise Lots!'

To highlight this occasion my daughter’s school is having a non-uniform day when children can go to school either wearing something spotty (Show your spots to raise lots!) or dressed in multicoloured outfits to celebrate our differences. Throughout the day children will take part in activities to enhance their understanding of the anti-bullying theme.

In my husband’s school the teachers will dress up in funny costumes and the children will have the chance to throw wet sponges at them. I wonder how heavy will hubby's la grand dame costume will be before the end of the day!

PLEASE DONATE!

0345 7 33 22 33 OR

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/donate

There's Progress now...

It's confession time.

Take That are my guilty pleasure. I had been waiting for this album delivered at home via Amazon for weeks (yes, I'm a real saddo!) and when I finally found it on my doorstep on Monday morning I was overjoyed (it doesn’t take much to make me happy!). Unfortunately the case was cracked (oh dear!) but the CD played without any problems, and the nice people at Amazon are sending me a replacement. I had my reservations about Progress, but was quite impressed after the first listen. It is probably Take That’s must relevant and mature record and definitely a change from the ballads and Gary’s vocals of old, but the stomping anthems of SOS (no, it’s not an Abba cover!) and Kidz make up for that. The quality of lyrics on the album is increasingly mature and even profound - who'd have thought it! The Flood, Pretty Things, Flowerbed and Eight Letters are beautifully written with some rousing piano and strings and the former. What do you want from me, is probably the most surprising track, reminiscent of Marks solo material. All in all a real surprise, I wasn't sure about Robbie Williams coming back into the fold but he adds an extra dimension tonally which somehow completes the sound!

Saying that, I can understand why some fans might be disappointed. Take That fans are used to a particular style, a particular sound - upbeat pop, lush sweeping ballads - and those are few and far between on this album. But the title is apt - Take That as a band HAVE progressed, and are still progressing. Their latest mature sound is a lot way from the cheesy pop of their very early days. This album seems very much an attempt to position themselves in a more indie/rock scene, and I for one like it.

The BBC described it as "the strangest, most ambitious and most exciting record its creators have ever been involved in" and I'd say that pretty much sums it up for me.

Here or There?

Coming back home here in the UK after some time spent in my Italian “home” always throws me into a turmoil. It makes me wonder why I bother to come back here when I feel so happy there. But there is not my real home anymore as I live here. But my heart is not here, is it? My heart is where the people I love are. But the people I love are both here and there. So where is actually home? Here and there, everywhere. Or maybe nowhere? It's not a philosophical question, it’s just the way I feel: torn. Since I left Italy to live abroad. Half of my life away from home. Half of my life at home. It will get better. It always does. Eventually.

Remember Me

Have you ever noticed how some people can teach you life lessons about who you are what you hold dear? Have you ever passed a stranger and wondered what tragedy they've endured in their lifetime? Have you ever asked why me...or better yet, why NOT me?Life lessons are often the hardest to learn and you never know who's going to be the instructor. Sometimes it's an actual teacher who fulfills that role. Sometimes it's a friend. Sometimes it's a parent. And while you could argue that we really already know deep down the things these instructors reveal to us, it stands to reason that a reminder now and again about who we are and what we hold dear can and should serve as wake up call or guiding light as we navigate our lives. And this film, well, I think it reinforces that the inner revelations we often try to ignore, deny, suppress, and trivialize should be recognized. And valued.

This movie was quite a shock for me. I watched it because my daughter (a huge Robert Pattinson’s fan) wanted to watch it and I needed to see whether it was suitable for her. I wasn't expecting it to be so good considering some of the critic's reviews I read lately. But it was.
It is really an emotional roller coaster. I don't plan on spoiling it for you, but I will give you my opinion. Though there is the story of love between two broken people, this movie is so much more than that. It's about life in general, and what it means to all of us. The ending is a twist, and it really makes you stop and think about what you're contributing to the world. Not many movies have a message anymore, but this one definitely does. I strongly recommend you don't look up other reviews, though, because they could possibly give away the ending... and trust me, you want to go into this movie without knowing, so you can experience your feelings fully.

Eleven

(Vic and her best friend Sarah)

I don’t remember life before her. Or maybe I do and it wasn’t as good as now with her. Eleven years ago this little wonder came into my life and transformed it totally. She looks after me almost as much as I look after her. She is the joy and love of my life. But time goes quickly and I fear that sooner or later I will have to let her go. I'm proud of her growing so nicely and beautifully but it's going too fast. I'd like to keep her in my cocoon and protect her forever. I know this is not possible but I hope that all the love I’m giving her will show her the right way to go.

Beaucoup de chocolat ...

Organised by the City of York Libraries, York Big City Read is an annual event where everyone comes together to read the same book and the share events celebrating the chosen novel. This we have been asked to read Joanne Harris' Chocolat, a dark and decadent story about chocolatier Vianne Rocher's attempts to set up a chocolaterie in a conservative French town.

The festival programme was a treasure of events based on this famous book including chocolate-making workshop, events related to French art and culture, chocolate testing for adults and kids, guided walks around York looking at the city's chocolaty history. Copies of Chocolat were available free from all libraries, in hard copy, audio format and even in other languages. It was a fantastically interesting summer and the best event of all was the closing one last Tuesday with Joanne Harris returning to York to spend the evening with her readers.

For the very few people who don't know Joanne yet, her third book Chocolat became so famous and celebrated around the world that was made in an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Since then, she has written eight more novels, of which The Lollipop Shoes is a beautiful continuation of Vianne Rocher's story, as well as short stories and two cookbooks. Although I read the book 10 years ago when the film came out, I re-read Chocolat for this occasion as I didn't remember the book very well (old age is approaching!) and enjoyed reading it immensely. I also read The Lollipop Shoes and I liked it even more, as the setting moves to Montmartre in Paris and and the plot gets enriched with more fascinating characters.

(The lovely Joanne Harris)

The Evening with Joanne Harris was wonderful. She is a very knowledgeable and witty lady, very French and English at the same time (her mother is French and her father from Barnsley, Yorkshire and she lives in Yorkshire) and she managed to sparkle up an audience of usually very quiet English people. We also had the opportunity to sample some delicious chocolates offered by Hotel Chocolat, a wonderful chocolate store that I can only recommend if you are a chocolate lover like myself.

Waiting for Spooks 9 ...

The team at Section D is in mourning following the tragic death of Ros Myers, who was killed in an explosion while trying to save the British Home Secretary, as the award-winning spy drama Spooks returns for its ninth series. After killing off most of its main characters in the past series, I had promised myself not to watch it again, having spent quite a lot of tears mourning Adam (Rupert Penry-Jones), Jo (Miranda raison) and finally Ros, Hermione Norris (Yes, I know, I'm a bit of a saddo!), not to mention the disappearance of Tom, Danny and Zoe a few years ago, but now I know that I won't be able to resist the first episode tonight at 9 o'clock on BBC1! But now, dear BBC, hands off Lucas North (Richard Armitage), my new favourite.

Good-bye, dear Friend

He’s gone. He left us. And our life will be less complete, less happy without him. After a 10-months battle against cancer our wonderful friend Colin was defeated. He fought with bravery and dignity all the time. He never lost his hope, his sense of humour, his dignity. But he lost his life. We all lost. I feel numb and powerless. Devastated. But now we have to try our best for his kids, we have to support them. And we will. He was their rock, their strength. He was our rock too.

Good-bye, dear friend, we will love you forever!

Butterflies

Everyone loves to see butterflies in the spring and summer... colourful jewels which brighten our day... but, although I live in the countryside, I have noticed their number reducing slowly in the last couple of years...

(Peacock)

Butterflies (and moths as well) are key indicators of the state of the natural world because of their short life-spans and complex lifecycles. Their lifecycles (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly) have specific environmental needs to survive each stage, reach adulthood and produce the next generation. Their presence or absence provides a rapid and undeniable indication of the health of the environment.

(Large White)

This summer, however, I have seen many more butterflies around. Does it mean a pollution decrease or simply that they have adapted to our environment changes?

(Small Tortoiseshell)

The Historian

Steve’s comment on my last post made me think back to a great book that I read some time ago, long before the Twilight saga and similar sloppy vampire stories. It’s called the Historian and is Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel. When I bought it I was a little worried as I thought it could be for the lovers of vampire books that drip blood and are full of gore and scantily clad females. But this is a very intelligent book, falling into the genre of great classical literature. Elizabeth Kostova has made Dracula truly terrifying, and more importantly, historically significant, yet again.
It’s about time somebody got Vlad the Impaler right.

(Vlad Tepes/The Impaler)

There have always been two different ways to approach the Dracula legend: through the literature, which is most famous due to Bram Stoker’s classic, or through history and the life and times of Vlad Tepes who lived in Wallachia (part of Romania) and died fighting the Ottoman Turks in 1476. Yes, there really was a Dracula. But the legend, particularly the literary legend, long ago eclipsed the history. Not many people know that Dracula was a warrior, that he led successful fights against Ottoman invasions, that he was religious, or that he served as both a hero and ferocious enemy of his own people.

The legend has always been more appealing and as the vampire cult has grown over the years and pervaded pretty much all aspects of popular culture. Dracula the man has faded into the deep recesses of medieval history. No one stays awake in those classes. Kostova credits her father in the book’s dedication as telling her the stories that grew into this book, and clearly she has always had a different vision of Dracula, a more serious and scholarly vision then the average theatergoer. She knows he was dangerous because he was real, because a man once committed the acts that are credited to a monster. This is something that often eludes people. We want to believe that Hitler was a beast, Stalin inherently evil, that the 9/11 hijackers had to have been demons and never ordinary, average men. What is bad must always have been monstrous and not like us; never like us. Dracula was a vampire, the undead. Dracula as soldier or even a child hostage? How could that be?

(Rennes-les-Bains)

Well, that’s where the book comes in handy. The Historian is a mystery, a thriller, a romance. It is first and foremost a story of a father and daughter who each becomes embroiled in the Dracula legend. It is also though the story of a missing man, a forgotten love, and another daughter who wants the truth. It is the story of men of God who protect a devil and Turks and Romanians and Bulgarians and a lot of monasteries. There are libraries and archives and ancient clues, even an ancient society of warriors. In short, The Historian is all things that make a book compulsively readable and everything that a truly gifted author can produce.

The first main storyline follows Helen and Paul in the early 1950s as they try to find Dracula’s grave and the secrets it might hold to the disappearance of Paul’s college adviser and mentor, a man who had also pursued the Dracula legend in the 1930s. The current storyline is that of Paul’s daughter in 1972, who ends up on her own adventure after her father abruptly departs on a business trip that she is convinced is actually a resumption of his Dracula research. Over both time periods the specter of Dracula is everywhere it seems, throughout the historical documents they read; in the places they visit, in the faces of those who try to stop them. Ultimately he proves to be crueler then they could have imagined and his effect on all of their lives is incalculable.

The Historian was a great read and what contributed to make it that way was also my timing. I read most of the book when I was on holiday near Rennes-les-Bains, a small village in the Languedoc, on the borders with the Pyrenees, where a rather disturbing part of the book is set. The gîte where we stayed was a bit isolated and the surrounding country side was very dark and silent at night. One night a terrible thunderstorm infuriated through the area the wind was whipping around the house, it was really scary weather. I was so frightened that I ended up sleeping with all the lights on! All in all, a book and an experience I will never forget.

Dracula's Whitby

Following my newly discovered passion for fossil hunting, a few days ago we decided to go on a trip to Whitby. It is small town on the North Yorkshire coast, about 50 miles from York, reachable by road through the heather-covered beautiful North Yorkshire Moors.

(The ruins if St Hilda's Abbey founded in 657 AD)

Whitby is known for its well preserved ammonite fossils, which can be found on the seashore or purchased from stalls or shops in the town. Whitby's skyline is dominated by the ruins of St. Hilda’s Abbey, high on Whitby's East Cliff. Spreading below Whitby, a maze of alleyways and narrow streets run down to the busy quayside.

(St Mary's Church and its graveyard)

From the old town of Whitby, 199 steps lead up to the parish church of St. Mary, whose churchyard on Whitby's East Cliff gave Bram Stoker the inspiration to write his world famous book, Dracula. Part of the novel was set here, and incorporated various pieces of Whitby folklore, including the beaching of the Russian ship Dmitri, which became the basis of Demeter in the book. Furthermore, it was at the original public library on Marine Parade in Whitby that Stoker discovered the name "Dracula”.

Chapter 6 of Dracula begins with a description of Whitby, recorded by Mina in her journal. Mina has just arrived to join her friend Lucy for a summer holiday, and admires the beauty of the town:

"This is a lovely place. The little river, the Esk, runs through a deep valley, which broadens out as it comes near the harbour … The houses of the old town – the side away from us – are all red-roofed, and seem piled up one over the other anyhow, like the pictures we see of Nuremberg. Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes and which is a scene of part of ‘Marmion’, where the girl is built up in the wall. It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits; there is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows. Between it and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones. This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over the town, and has a full view of the harbour and all up the bay, to where the headland called Kettleness stretches out into the sea"

(The 199 steps)

The church and the graveyard feature prominently in the Whitby chapters of Dracula. It is here that Mina and Lucy spend time sitting on their favourite bench. Here they meet the old fisherman, Mr Swales, who regales them with stories gleaned from inscriptions on the headstones. This is also the spot where Dracula first attacks Lucy. As Mina climbs the 199 steps and approaches the bench she sees “something long and black, bending over the half-reclining white figure” and catches a glimpse of his “white face and red, gleaming eyes.”

Amazingly, many visitors to Whitby ask where Dracula's grave is located, forgetting that he is a work of fiction. The Count's devotees search St Mary's Church graveyard, after scaling the 199 steps, in search of his last resting place!

Quality Time in Lyme

Just a few days holidays but in one of the most beautiful locations in the United Kingdom. Situated in the South West of Dorset, England, Lyme Regis is an historic unspoiled seaside resort and fishing port on the world famous Cobb harbour.



The Cobb is an important feature in Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion (1818) and in the film The French Lieutenant’s Woman, based on the 1969 novel of the same name by local writer John Fowles.

Surrounded by beautiful coastlines and countryside, the area has now been awarded World Heritage Site Status; famous for its geology and fossil finds.

The cliffs around Lyme Regis constantly crumble and slip into the sea, revealing fossils from the ancient Jurassic past of 180 million years ago. The best experience in Lyme Regis is taking a fossil hunting walk organized by the Museum to discover the fossilised remains of giant ichthyosaur, plesiosaur, belemnites and ammonites that can be found on the beaches.

Families return time and again to search with Paddy Howe, the Museum geologist and his colleague Chris among the sand and rocks for fossils that have been washed-down onto the beach. For adult and children alike it’s an unforgettable experience.

(Paddy at work. But you will get your fingers dirty too, don't worry!)

Your fossil walk ticket gives you free access to the museum where you will be able to see displays of rare fossils, learn all about Mary Anning, the famous early palaeontologist who once lived on the site of the museum and much, much more.

This is Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth, not far from Lyme. It was a film location too. In Nanny McPhee (2005), the children go for a picnic on the beach at Durdle Door. Scenes from the film Wilde (1997) starring Stephen Fry and from the film Far from The Madding Crowd (1967) were shot here.

Going fossil hunting!

I'm going to the Jurassic Coast for a couple of days, precisely to Lyme Regis, a place I've been wanting to visit since I read "Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier. I was so upset about the car that my husband decided to get me this surprise mini-holiday to cheer me up. I will be back next week just in time to find out how much the repair will cost. See you later, friends!

Sob sob!

I’m upset. Nothing really awful happed, but still I’m upset. Someone bumped into my car and scratched it badly. I was not even there, it was parked safely as far as possible from all dangers and still someone managed to bump into it. No note was left, of course not. Is it really too much to ask for some decency in people? I know it’s only a car but it’s almost new and pristine and it will either cost me a few hundred pounds or lose my no-claim bonus. So unjust. Why do I have to pay for other people’s mistakes?

North&South, Austen with social morality

I have to confess that I watched the BBC adaptation before I read the book so I was already in love with the story; it's a lovely tale and the twists and turns in Margret's life, though unfortunate, are not unbelievable.

Basic storyline: Margaret Hale and her family move to the Northern industrial town of Milton from their sweet Southern village. The whole family is uprooted and struggles to settle into the smoky, noisy, dank atmosphere of their new home. Their earliest acquaintances there are the Thorntons - dignified Mrs Thornton, her silly daughter Fanny, and her handsome son John, wealthy master of the Marlborough Mills and a famous name in cotton. Despite Mr Thornton's best efforts, Margaret believes Milton society to be inferior to their status as gentlefolk, and so the scene is set for a 'Pride and Prejudice'-esque story of wounded egos, longing glances, misunderstandings and, finally, true love.

Despite the similarities between this novel and the Austen favourite, there are big differences. This book is much more complex, and much grittier, leaning further towards Dickens in some respects. The poverty of the Milton workers, in which Margaret takes a philanthropic interest, is a major focus of the novel. The misfortunes of the Higgins and Boucher families, and their constant struggles against injustice, illness and uncaring employers, are carefully explored and movingly rendered.



All in all, this is a wonderful novel. It provides a fascinating insight into a time and an existence very different to modern life, while never losing the intimacy that draws the reader into the lives of these characters. I cried several times over the course of the novel, and had the HUGEST smile on my face at the inevitable and well-deserved happy ending. A fantastic read - and if you haven't seen the BBC adaptation with Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe, you should! It's what started my love affair with this story. Never thought I'd love a movie/series better than BBC's P&P, but I must admit North and South went straight to my heart and knocked P&P down.
I’d like to thank the lovely Maria Grazia of FLY HIGH! for inspiring me to read this book and watch the BBC drama. An unforgettable experience.

¡Gracias España!‏

And so the WC2010 circus has finally come to an end with Spain the well deserving winners. Although I stopped watching the matches after Italy and England were eliminated, I still had to hold a torch for Spain. Apart from my big love for the country and everything that’s Spanish (the language and the people above all), I was drawn Spain in our neighbours’ WC sweepstake, so I had to support them. Now they've won their first football world cup and I am £100 better off. What can I say other than ¡Gracias muchachos!‏