While going through my email I discovered notification that a free online course in making early manuscripts is just starting through Stanford, it actually started January 20 but usually you can start a bit late. https://class.stanford.edu/courses/English/DiggingDeeper1/Winter2015/about. Dd may decide to take it if she isn't too late to earn a certificate. Anyway it goes with our Medieval theme.

Dd was 11 turning 12 when she read Austen. She was coming off her Charles Dicken's marathon and read Agatha Christie exclusively after. One of her best friends at that time loved Austen and knew where all the filming locations in our area. To be honest I am not sure that I had much choice because she had a group of friends that were all reading the same books simultaneously. She started with Pride and Prejude, Sense and Sensibility, then Emma. I picked up a three book set somewhere and had her godmother(who has actually read the books ;) ) put them in a reading order for dd. For the Austen film fans the girls had one really marvellous fall day with heather in bloom on this moor discussing Austen sitting on rock piles that were shown in this or that according to the expert friend.http://www.weekendnotes.co.uk/hathersage-moor/They were supposed to be doing a scientific survey on grouse habitats. :lol:

After reading Lost for Wordshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22067431-lost-for-wordslast year I have become a bit sceptical about how the books are selected for these prizes. I love lists and found a couple i would be happy to try if my library hax them on the premiers list. BTW I am not recommending reading Lost for Words. It wasn't that good. ;)

I love these threads! My first impulses were Perrine's Literature and my Norton Anthologies for literature. A couple of thick math books that neither child has done. My Apologia cd roms. Spielvogel's Western History and dh's study Bible. Whatever room is left math text books....naturally a lap top and kindles. Gardner's Art History would be great too......

I feel like a huge culinary failure due to no grilled cheese for lunch. I actually forgot lunch but have snacked on plain old chocolate carmel Easter Eggs from Galaxy. The dc's went foraging and had left over croissants with nutella which is the latest favorite food, ds wouldn't eat it a month ago now two jumbo jars are empty! I did make a visit to Flufferton Abbey and read Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bedhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13512914-seven-nights-in-a-rogue-s-bedwhich definately had adult content.

The lack of a course bothered my computer geek ds greatly so he went hunting and found thishttp://www.ctdlc.org/remediation/

I was going to suggest code academy because that is what I normally suggest for middle school. :) I know Kahn academy has some stuff but have never looked. I googled and found this linkhttp://activities.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures/stories/teachcls.htmlwhich won't let me in to really look on my fire. Grade levels are young but the topics are what you are looking for.

I know exactly how you felt. Poor you and the waterproof pants. :lol: Then they have fun vocabulary like knackeredhttp://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/knackeredor fun until another friend explained it was a bit strange for me to use because it didn't fit the rest of my vocabulary. The greeting Hiya! Drives me nuts. The kids aren't allowed to use it. I don't care who said it. Edited to finish. I somehow hit post early.

Some words have different meanings in different countries.....fanny means something totally different in British. Blush, someone finally told me. You can google I refuse to link. It could be far worse but I don't use that kind of language. Has anyone heard from Pam? I haven't seen her today. I did finish Foxglove Summer, the latest in the Peter Grant series. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22365955-foxglove-summer. It was a good outing for what appears to be a long series. For some reason I expected many open plot issues to resolve themselves so was a bit disappointed but the storyline was good.

For me it depends a bit on context and the character using the 4 letter words, a soldier fighting a battle can say many 4 letter words before I am bothered but a fluffy shoe designer (read one) gets only a couple before I dislike her a bit even if it is her character to have a potty mouth. A few books are so good I overlook like the Erye Affair. Where I really overlooked and handed it off to dd. Yes, I tend to say them in my head.

I found a book that is sort of perfect for any of us who ever spent several weeks on enforced bedrest while pregnant (both kids). I wouldn't recommend it while on bedrest because the bits of activity the character had would make it harder for me. It was a bit of vicarious what would I have done, honestly I quickly realised that I spent my pregnancies so worried about the babies that I probably would have ignored the mystery. :lol: In The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/laura-lippman/girl-green-raincoat/the main character finds a very Rear Window (the Hitchcock movie) type mystery while looking out her window. It is part of a series but stood alone just fine. I don't think I have read anything else in the series but maybe someday........ Everyone in the path of the storm stay safe and warm. Please check in when you can so we know you are fine. :grouphug:

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Dh made me use the Scottish version of this list when naming our kids. I thought that since the last name is Irish these names might blend nicely with it. http://www.mumsnet.com/baby-names/most-popular-irish-baby-names. As you can see there is a wide variety. I love Evan and Oliver.

I did my reread two years ago. Pretty much the same reaction! I really, really miss multiquotes!

Ali :grouphug: I hope the antibiotics do their job quickly and you are feeling much better soon. :grouphug: to all our other BaWer's who are in some stage of recovering from an illness! Jane, Pitcher's of Pimms are a very fun part of a British summer so glad you got to try it. Jenn and others.....I finally gave in and joined a que for Inspector Rutledge! :lol:

I finished Jane Eyre this afternoon. I actually really enjoyed the last third of the book which I am not sure that I ever really concentrated on before. I read the first portion of Wide Saragasso Sea last summer but handed it off to my out of reading material ;) daughter while on a holiday and never finished. I now really understand how the two books fit together which is nice. I finished Murder Of Crows very early this morning. It was the second in the Anne Bishop series. Once again really good. Dd just started Written in Red...... Not sure what I am currently reading. Planning to read Laura Lippman's Girl in the Green Raincoat but having just read a couple of sentences I could end up with anything in the stack.

Jenn, Glad you are doing so well. I have to admit I put the peal info in my post this morning to entertain my recovering friend. I knew it would be a good distraction if you wanted one! ;) Since you made the long study of posture when bell ringing from what I observe the only time experienced ringers are normally going to be bending knees is when ringing up(getting the bells in position to ring). The better the posture while ringing seems to equate to longer ringing time and heavier bells if wanted. A really good small woman can ring the bigger bells if she wants to sucessfully. I saw it done. Ds pretty much just rings with his arms so can go on forever. dd can finally do a half hour but is exhausted for a few minutes after, her posture is ever so slightly off( even I can see it) but great strides are being made. She has moved to a heavier bell recently so doing great. The Nine Tailors is a wonderful book. Even ds read it for fun!

I just got Anne Elliot so I guess I need to read Persuasion! :lol:

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I did a long London post in thishttp://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/538154-summer-trip-to-europe/threadand can't multiquote unfortunately. May is our best time of the year imo. Beautiful flowers and Yorkshire is gorgeous then. Definately consider a day or two out of the City. York has lots of fun things to do. Jorvik and the Dig can be fun http://jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/ and walking the walls is beautiful in May. My dh loves the rail museum. As I am sure your 14 year old has realized Chesham is close to the Harry Potter Studio which we love. They say it takes 3 hours and we normally finish in 3 hours but we know we can go back anytime so it might be different for you. Lots of film locations scattered around. Just in case you drive up to York, Hardwick Hall right off the M1 is Malfoy Manor.

I am about 30 percent done with the second one and loving it! I will definitely be looking for book 3.....goodreads said coming in 2015? I love The Eyre Affair. I have to admit I foundd it so funny that I let dd read it even though she was about 13 and it is heavy on swear words. If I manage to actually read a few Austen books I will have to reread. I think it was mainly p and p., I read the third in Michael Thomas Ford's series about Jane as a Vampire last year and it was funny. I just checked the first one in this series out in honour of February. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6570140-jane-bites-back?from_search=true When hunting for a review of Jane as a vampire I found this article that I liked about the spin offs.http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/02/jane-austen-pdjames-robert-mccrum Eta I added the link. Ds appears to be feeling better....5 hours symptom free and counting. The peal was completed which is lovely. Certificates can be made so a good memorial. It is one huge pattern with 8 bells which must change order constantly. A full peal takes about 3 hours of nonstop ringing. The ringing master was telling me how someone has a sweater knitted with the pattern of his favourite peal on it. Wasn't sure if that was a hint or not......fyi I take small knitting projects to practice frequently.

I just finished one of Kareni's finds from last week, Written in Red by Anne Bishophttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15711341-written-in-red?from_search=true. It was excellent!!! I thought it started off a bit slow, a bit too much world building for my personal taste but once things started moving I was mesmerized. I read a few blogs that complained about the lack of a strong romance element in the book but have to say I disagree.....the fact that the couple is actually learning about each other slowly is wonderful and very romantic imo. I have the second one and plan to start it as soon as the church bells stop their serenade. The quarter peal in honour of our dear friend is happening now. I had planned to listen in the tower but ds is ill with a stomach bug so I am home with my poor boy who is missing something he really wanted to do -- he isn't skilled enough to ring in today's event but wanted to be there. Dd and dh are in his place. Windows are open and can easily hear from our house. I don't want to listen to youtube while our bells are ringing but this should give you a great idea of what is happening It is from the York Minster which has a great ringing team. Eta. I replaced the first link with a better one.

This is the one I plan to start with also. I plan to read Sense and Sensibility also. Would love to read Pride and Prejudice but am afraid that I have watched and read too many adaptations recently and may stall....it will be the last one no matter where my trail leads me. Northanger Abbey is the only Austen I have actually made it through by reading. I actually really liked it.

FWIW. P and P is the one that dd and all of her friends started with. They all went on to read most if not all of her books. Has your dd tried Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books? Nothing at all to do with the Austen discussion but they might be a successful suggestion. ;)

I seem to be making the transition to reading mainly on ereaders but did actually read a hardcover book last week. I haven't been sleeping well lately but that is due to some upsetting events in my life not ereaders. Ereaders are the distraction that might allow my brain to turn off and sleep. So now for my "scientific observations". :lol: The basic kindle ereader is very easy (perhaps too easy) to fall asleep with. My cover makes it very similar in feel to a book and dh takes it out of my sleeping hands frequently. I prefer to read on it during the day saving the Fires for the dark but yesterday afternoon I had a couple hours in which I had nothing (yeah!!!!) To do so I wanted to read and I kept drifting off with my basic kindle. I swapped over to a fire and was able to stay awake so the light issue may be valid. I do fall asleep with fires so obviously not impossible, just easier to force myself to stay awake with a fire. Hardcovers are books I don't like to sleep with. Too cumbersome to hold in my sleep. Always afraid I will damage them so don't let myself drift off with them often. I generally set them aside when I start to feel tired which is not always in my best interest because then I start thinking about other things before I drift off. Sorry for the ramblings.....basic ereader no difference to sleep in my opinion, actully prefer it for me. I do think the light up screens may hinder sleep slightly but not enough for me to give them up!