Book Spotlight - The Settling Earth by Rebecca Burns

The Settling Earth is a Collection of Short Stories by Rebecca Burns.

Marriage transplants Sarah thousands of miles from home; a failed love affair forces Phoebe to make drastic choices in a new environment; a sudden, shocking discovery brings Mrs Ellis to reconsider her life as an emigrant - The Settling Earth is a collection of ten, interlinked stories, focusing on the British settler experience in colonial New Zealand, and the settlers' attempts to make sense of life in a strange new land.

Sacrifices, conflict, a growing love for the landscape, a recognition of the succour offered by New Zealand to Maori and settler communities - these are themes explored in the book. The final story in the collection, written by Shelly Davies of the Ngātiwai tribe, adds a Maori perspective to the experience of British settlement in their land.

Amazon Links:

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Settling-Earth-Rebecca-Burns/dp/1922200166/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422646537&sr=1-1&keywords=the+settling+earth&pebp=1422646541426&peasin=1922200166

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Settling-Earth-Rebecca-Burns/dp/1922200166/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

The author's website: www.rebecca.burns.co.uk

Throwback Thursday: Aprons

When people learn that I sell vintage treasures, they often ask what I collect.  The answer, truly, is "not much."  The longer I work with vintage items, it seems the less I actually collect myself.  However, there are a few things that will always catch my eye, little vintage treasures that I have to bring home.

Aprons are one of my vintage favorites.  I love them.  They remind me of spending time with my Granny in her kitchen, seeing my Mom wear pretty hostess aprons while entertaining, and making aprons in home economics class.  My mother gave me this little piece about aprons;  it brings back a lot of memories for me.

Grandma's Apron

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath.  Because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears…

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men-folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

* * * * *

Vintage aprons make me happy.  I especially like aprons that are red and white (for my red and white cherry kitchen), Christmas aprons, and aprons with dog motifs.   Here are a few from my house:

Hand appliqued cherries:

Christmas - I love this Mid-Century print:

An embroidered chef carries food in on a tray (is that a plum pudding?):

Cocker Spaniels sit in baskets in this cheerful red print:

One of my personal favorites - cute little pink gingham dogs and rick rack trim:

A red and white Valentine theme apron - how could I possibly resist?

Do you remember aprons from your childhood?  Do you ever still wear an apron?  I would love to hear from you in the comments, below:

Music Monday - "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)

Dave Brubeck is my favorite jazz musician, and Time Out is one of my all time favorite albums (of any genre).   "Blue Rondo a la Turk" appeared on the album Time Out in 1959.  Dave Brubeck was inspired by an unusual song he heard some Turkish street musicians playing.  He asked one of the men about the rhythm, and the musician replied "This rhythm is to us what the blues is to you."  Hence the song title.

This video is fun!  The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays the song on a magic carpet as they fly above a Los Angeles freeway.   Stick around for the motorcycle cop at the end of the video.  This was filmed for "The Lively Ones" television show first broadcast July 25, 1962.   Enjoy!

Downton Abbey: Season 5, Episode 4

What Happened (A Very Short Summary)

This episode highlighted relationships between men and women.  Rose's father came to Downton with news of his upcoming divorce.  Tension built between Robert, Cora, and Simon Bricker, as Bricker continued to flirt with Cora.  Violet looked for her Russian Prince's lost wife.  Edith worried about Michael's disappearance after he was bullied by brownshirts in Germany.  Isabelle received a proposal from Lord Merton, which she is considering.  Mary flirted with Charles just before she tried to turn down Tony's proposal.  Tony refused to accept her rejection.

In other news, Barrow took a mysterious drug, as Baxter worried about him.  Anna visited Piccadilly, where John Green was killed.  Robert had problems with modernization, including a discussion with Tom and Mary about building houses on the property and a conflict with Sarah Bunting.  During the dinner conflict, he called Daisy and Mrs. Patmore to the dining room to quiz Daisy about Sarah's tutoring.

On a happy note, Isis appeared in several scenes.  Downton needs more Isis scenes!
  
Character Of the Week

I am not a great fan of Robert -- I find him stodgy and stubborn.  But he was the focus of a lot of attention and conflict this week, so I will give him the Character of the Week title.

Line of the Week

As part of her search for the lost Russian princess, the Dowager Countess learns that many Russians moved to Hong Kong and worked as servants, taxi drivers, milliners, or prostitutes.  Violet sniffed, “I will not suggest which of those callings the Princess Kuragin was most suited.”

Most Striking Visual

Mary chose a statue of Peter Pan in the park as a meeting place to break off her engagement to Tony.  The juxtaposition of the happy childhood statue and their conversation was striking.

"Oh My" Moment

Tony's refusal to accept Mary's rejection surprised me.  He has been such a little puppy dog with her up to this point.  

What I Hope Will Happen Next (All Speculation - No Spoilers!)

I hope Daisy will continue her education (go, Daisy!).  I hope that Mary will continue to flirt with Charles -- they have great chemistry!   I hope Tom will stay at Downton and turn away from Sarah.  I hope Edith will stop moping and tell the truth about Marigold.

How about you?  What did you think of this episode?   What should happen next?

International Book Giving Day Is Coming February 14th

International Book Giving Day is coming up on February 14th.  I think it is wonderful that this day coincides with Valentine's Day.  What better way to share love than to share a book and the love of reading?   This day is designed to promote childhood literacy and to put the gift of a book into the hands of children around the world.  The website is lovely:  just click here.   You can download a Gus Gordon designed bookplate to print, or an Anna Walker designed bookmark.

Of course, if you are shopping for children's books, I hope you'll visit Birdhouse Books.  I have a lovely collection of books for children -- mostly vintage but some new editions as well.  Birdhouse Books on eBay:  click here for nostalgic children's books.