Author Archives: vanessa

What are the Stockbridge Colonies?

Posted on May 4, 2014 by vanessa

We live in the Stockbridge Colonies, a delightful area with interesting orgins and characteristics.  People often ask about the name and about how they came to be – in a city centre best known for its cliff-like terraces of Georgian … Continue reading →

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Shelf Notes: Darling Monster by Diana Cooper and John Julius Norwich

Posted on April 11, 2014 by vanessa

“I looked in on Chips in London and found the Duchess of Kent, her sister Countess Toren, the reigning Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein, the Ranee of Kapurthala and the King of Egypt’s sister.  It was like a stamp album.” … Continue reading →

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Shelf Notes: High Rising by Angela Thirkell

Posted on February 27, 2014 by vanessa

Angela Thirkell was hugely successful in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s but rather dropped out of sight in later years.  However, she maintained a stalwart readership who pursued her out-of-print titles vigorously. Although aware of AT, I’d never read any … Continue reading →

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The pleasure of the familiar

Posted on February 6, 2014 by vanessa

There are people who never re-read books.  People who have yards and yards of shelving filled with books that they will never read again, stories that they will never lose themselves in again, characters who will never be greeted as … Continue reading →

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Catching up…

Posted on July 27, 2013 by vanessa

I have a few posts mentally scheduled – what I’ve been reading, how my garden is doing and some of the gorgeous things I’ve cooked among others – but I like to think that I have an excuse for my … Continue reading →

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