Embracing the Season

Right now many of us are craving coziness and comfort. We want to make our homes warm and welcoming and spend time with our loved ones. November goes by so fast, culminating in everyone's favorite holiday -- Thanksgiving. In the spirit of creating some "comfort and joy," here are twelve things I am most looking forward to in November. It's all about slowing down and savoring the season.

1. The Days Getting Shorter

Believe it or not, I look forward to the days getting shorter. Being from the East coast originally, where the weather was cold and nothing felt better than getting home and warming up in front of the fireplace, I always loved the shorter days of winter. We may not have that cold weather right now, especially where I live, but as the nights arrive earlier it feels cozy to light the candles, set the table with flowers, and have friends over for a weeknight dinner. 

2. Some Really Good Television --

There is so much good television right now. I have been watching "The Crown" which is airing on Netflix. This beautiful new series, created by Peter Morgan, is about the life of Elizabeth II and begins with her accession to the throne at age 25 in 1952. Peter Morgan wrote the film "The Queen" and the play "The Audience;" "The Crown" feels like the natural next step in his work. I have watched the first five episodes and am riveted. I loved the actress Claire Foy as Anne Bolyn in "Wolf Hall" and she is excellent as Queen Elizabeth. And what a sumptuous production. It is filled with so much history, for example the Great Smog of 1952 in London. I didn't know about this. Have you started watching this series? The episode on the coronation is brilliant. Notice what a big role the Duke of Windsor has in this story. Which makes a lot of sense, since Elizabeth wouldn't have become Queen if he hadn't abdicated the throne. He changed history forever. I would love to know what you think!

3. Reading a Classic Novel --

It's the time of year to hunker down with some good classic novels and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is the one I am reading right now. "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers..." And so begins Virginia Woolf's modernist masterpiece which consists of one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. As she goes about her day getting ready for her party, we are in her head as she moves back and forth in time -- recalling her youth, interacting with the people around her and evaluating her life. Her loves, regrets, fears, joys, and general observations of life are all woven throughout this stream-of-consciousness novel. Her character is revealed layer by layer. At the same time we are in the head of another character, a young man named Septimus Smith who is suffering from shell shock after World War I. Through this character Virginia Woolf explored the topic of mental illness, a subject with which she was very familiar. Other characters are vividly portrayed: Peter Walsh, Sally Seton, and Richard Dalloway -- all have played an important role in Clarissa's life. And from their perspective, we learn of the impact she has had on them. Woolf was doing something new with Mrs. Dalloway -- writing a novel that reflects the way people really think. She also wrote some of the most beautiful prose you will ever read.   

4. Travel --

Fall is such a great time to travel, especially to the East Coast to see the glorious fall foliage. We were in New York in October where we saw the amazing exhibition Charlotte Bronte: An Independent Will at the Morgan Library and Museum. If you get to NY before the New Year, be sure to visit the Morgan. The Bronte exhibition will be up until January. This is the kind of exhibition savor. In fact, I will probably go again when I am in NYC in December. If you go, be sure to check out the original manuscript of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which is always on display at The Morgan at this time of the year. The Morgan is a treasure trove and a place to celebrate the written word. It is one of my favorite places to visit and I go every time I am in New York.

5. Pumpkins and Mums

This is the classic combination for fall

6. The color orange

It really makes things pop! Here is our Thanksgiving table, 2015

And the garden, 2010

7. Plaid

Plaid feels tailored and crisp, just like fall.

These candles from Anta in Scotland would be perfect for the holiday season!

8. Cooking 

This weekend I had my family over for dinner and made Ina Garten's "Roasted Italian Meatballs" and "Kale Salad with Pancetta and Pecorino" from her new cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey. They were delicious!


9. Hot Mulled Cider

Tis' the season for hot mulled cider. Go here for my favorite recipe.
Photo via here

10.  A Delivery from Heywood Hill

I can't wait to see what Heywood Hill sends me for November. Go here to read more.

11. Listening to podcasts 

Listening to podcasts is another way to slow down and savor the season. Miranda Mills from Miranda's Notebook has just launched her podcast series Tea and Tattle and the first one is about Hygge, the Scandinavian philosophy of togetherness and coziness. Just what we need right now. Go here to listen.

12. Thinking about Christmas

This is the month to order tickets for "The Nutcracker." Going to this ballet in December is a magical holiday tradition.

By the way, I hope you had a fun Halloween. We went trick-or-treating with our little granddaughter who was dressed up as Madeline, the character from the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans.  She was adorable!

Out And About

Winter seems to be coming to an end, at least here in Los Angeles. Hopefully we will get some more rain but this week the temperatures are going to be in the eighties. And everyone wants to be out and about. I was in Sonoma for Valentine's Day weekend and had the opportunity to relax and read some of my favorite magazines, newspapers and websites. So many exciting items caught my eye. As always, there is a lot going on in the spring. I thought it would be fun to compile a list of some cultural happenings that look especially good to me. Here are some of the art, literary, and garden events I've spotted recently. I hope to make it to some of these. They are guaranteed to make the spring season just a little sweeter!

In Southern California...

The Artist's Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement at the Huntington Library in San Marino

Catherine Opie: Portraits at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles

Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV at the Getty Center in Los Angeles

Robinson Gardens 28th Annual Garden Tour in Beverly Hills

Literary Affairs lecture on Love in the Time of Cholera on March 10 at the Hotel Bel-Air

In San Francisco...

Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective at the de Young Museum in San Francisco

In New York...

Vigee Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France at The Metropolitan Museum 

The fourteenth annual Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Gardens. This year's theme is Orhcidelerium: the history of orchid collecting.

In London...

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse at the Royal Academy of Art

Botticelli Reimagined at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Vogue 100 -- A Century of Style at the National Portrait Gallery

And in the world of books...

An unknown story by Beatrix Potter has been discovered and will be published by Penguin

A new garden book:  Oxford College Gardens by Tim Richardson

A new cookbook spotlights 25 female chefs who are redefining cooking in New York

Television...

The last episode of "Downton Abbey" will air on March 6. Oh the sadness...

 "Outlander" will return on April 9

Theater...

A Grammy win for "Hamilton!" This was so well deserved.

And photography...

Stunning photos of Adele by Annie Leibovitz in the March issue of Vogue

The spring arts season is officially in bloom!

"Home Fires"

"Home Fires"
Photo via here

Have you been watching the wonderful television series Home Fires on PBS? If you are getting impatient for the next season of "Downton Abbey" to begin, this one will tide you over. I am crazy about it. The show airs on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm, just before Indian Summers. It begins in 1939, just as Britain is about to enter the war, and is set in a rural English village. It concerns the members of the local Women's Institute, a voluntary organization whose mission is to help with war efforts on the Home Front during World War II. The story centers around several of these women and their personal struggles. Two of the them are strong-willed rivals who want to lead the Institute. They are played by Francesca Annis and Samantha Bond ( she plays Aunt Rosamund in "Downton Abbey"). They butt heads over problems such as what land should be appropriated for farming purposes (the cricket field is one controversial option) and where the official air raid facility should be.

I loved learning about The Women's Institute and the important role it played during the war. It was a community organization that allowed women all over England to connect and support each other as they faced the challenges of World War II. With their sons and husbands gone, women learned new skills through the Institute and became better able to contribute to the war effort in meaningful ways. They helped with food production, education of the public, and social issues during this time of rations and sacrifices. The organization still exists as a social club. The series is based on the book Jambusters by Julie Summers which tells the history of Britain's Women's Institute. It is a fascinating story.

There is enough drama and romance in "Home Fires" to keep any "Downton Abbey" fan happy. The women's personal stories give the series its substance and depth. They concern a young woman who impetuously marries a dashing soldier, a mother devastated when her only child enlists, the local doctor and his family, an abused wife who begins to stand up to her husband, and a conscientious objector who is vilified by the community. If you love period dramas, this one will make you very happy. The cast is predominantly female and you will have fun recognizing many of your favorite actresses from other British television shows. With the days getting shorter and the nights longer, we have another good reason to stay home on Sunday night.

Weekend Highlight -- "Wolf Hall"

Photo via here

Have you been watching the PBS television series "Wolf Hall"? I just finished episode three. Based on Hilary Mantel's two Booker Prize-winning novels about Thomas Cromwell, this series has been riveting. After seeing the plays in London last fall, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wondered how anything on television could be as good as those plays. (Go here to read more) I was wrong. What I had forgotten to factor in was the time element; with many hours to tell the story, a televised series would be more like reading the novels. Leisurely and detailed, it has the time to build up the story in a thorough and novelistic way. It also manages to feel like a contemporary political thriller. Sunday nights at "Wolf Hall" have become the highlight of the weekend.

With six episodes to sustain the narrative, create a mood, paint each beautiful scene, develop characters and prolong suspense, this television show has created a world that is complex and deep. It doesn't hurt that there is also brilliant acting, stunning medieval Tudor locations, gorgeous costumes, haunting music and masterful direction. Have you noticed how certain scenes look like a painting from the 17th century? There was a recent scene involving the sister of Cromwell's late wife sitting and sewing at a table next to a window. It looked like a painting by Holbein. The cast is fabulous, with Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Damien Lewis as King Henry VIII. And the pivotal female characters are played by some very talented actresses.

Speaking of these actresses, I saw a piece in "Harper's Bazaar UK" a couple of months ago about "Wolf Hall" and its female characters. It was fun to see them looking so glamorous (see photo above). They are Charity Wakefield (Mary Boleyn), Kate Phillips (Jane Seymour) , Claire Foy (Anne Boleyn) and Joanne Whalley (Catherine of Aragon). Here are a few highlights from this fascinating article:


A few years ago Hilary Mantel signed a contract with her publisher to write two books: a modern novel set in Africa, and a Tudor novel set in the court of Henry VIII. She had been working on the African novel when she decided to take a day off and play with the Tudor idea. She wrote a line of dialogue and that was it. She was delighted. She had captured her central character. Not Henry but Thomas Cromwell. He would be her leading man. She had found his voice and she was off. Wolf Hall was born.

After finishing its sequel Bring Up the Bodies, Mantel was anxious to begin the final book in the trilogy and planned to devote 2013 to writing it. However, things didn't quite work out that way. Many good things got in the way. She won the Booker Prize for the second time, the first woman and the first British writer to do so. Then there were the plays, to be followed by the television adaptation. She was in constant demand. Now she is anxious to finish the third and final book and is at peace with letting go of Cromwell. She is confident that he will live on in her readers' imaginations.

Regarding the women of "Wolf Hall," the actress Joanne Whalley, who plays Catherine of Aragon, said "You don't automatically think of them. History has been dominated by the narrative of kings and politicians, but these women had their own kind of power; they were fascinating characters who functioned within such restraints." Anne Boleyn is the most fascinating and seems to be a woman who understands her value and plays it for all it is worth. She is cool and calculating about her goals and Thomas Cromwell seems to admire her for it. They are equals in intelligence and ambition. Go here to read more.

I would love to know:

Are you watching the television series?

Did you see the plays?

Have you read the books?

Aren't we lucky to have such excellent television on PBS!

Scottish Obsession

Actress Caitriona Balfe who plays Claire Randall, the heroine of "Outlander"

I have a confession to make. I spent much of the weekend plunged back into 18th-century Scotland. That is because I discovered Outlander, the television series based on the best-selling books by Diana Gabaldon that take place in the Scottish Highlands. I watched three episodes and am officially hooked. Do you know about this show? It premiered last summer on Starz network here in the U.S. and was a big hit. It's hard to believe it still hasn't aired in the U.K., though I believe it will be starting there this month.

While I should have been outside enjoying the gorgeous spring weather, I was instead glued to the television and happily immersed in the Jacobite uprisings and battles between the rebels and the Redcoats that occurred in the Scottish Highlands over two hundred years ago. I was equally riveted by the growing romance between the beautiful heroine, Claire Randall, a second world war nurse mysteriously transported from England in the 1940's to Scotland in 1743, and the handsome young Scott, Jamie, who rescues her from a sadistic English soldier.

Claire and Jamie in "Outlander"

I wondered if there has ever been such a romantic and swashbuckling television drama. Or one that made you want to travel to its setting more than this. I read that tour companies are training their guides to learn about the series and its locations for the influx of tourists that will visit Scotland because of the show. One other drama with these qualities that comes to mind is Poldark, a television series from many years ago that was set in Cornwall. It centered on Ross Poldark, another dashing war hero who returns home from fighting in the American Revolution to discover that his fiance is engaged to his cousin and his estate is in ruins. He takes in a young street urchin Demelza as his housekeeper and ends up marrying her. I just learned that a new dramatization of "Poldark" has premiered on British television. Definitely looking forward to that one.

Here is the premise of "Outlander":

It opens with Claire nursing a wounded soldier at the end of World War II, a scene that shows her as a woman of courage and fortitude. After the war ends, she is reunited with her husband. They have been separated for five years and try to reconnect on a holiday in Scotland. They both are slightly anxious and unhappy at the beginning of the trip, but finally manage to revive their romance and seem resolved to stay together. Claire's husband is an historian and they spend their days exploring castles and other historic sites in the Highlands for his research.

One night they observe a Druid ceremony amidst some mysterious standing stones. When Claire returns the next day on her own, she is transported in time and lands in the 18th-century in the middle of a battle between the Scots and the English. This is when she is assaulted by the English officer, the evil "Black Jack," who happens to be an ancestor of her husband. Both characters are played by the same actor. She is saved by Jamie and whisked off by his band of Scottish insurgents to their castle. There she is met with great incredulity and is pressured to explain how a wandering Englishwoman came to find herself in the middle of the Scottish Highlands. She does her best and is accepted by the men, mostly because of her healing powers and her gumption. The housekeeper dresses her in proper period clothes and she is transformed into a tartan-clad 18th-century Scottish woman. It looks as if she can keep up the pretense for a while, but it is obvious she must figure out how to return to the present. In the meantime, it is easy to see she is attracted to the brave and handsome Jamie.

This lavish production is filled with stunning visuals. Has tartan plaid ever looked better? Or candlelit castles? Or the Scottish highlands? Not to mention the gorgeous actors who play the romantic leads. It is my new guilty pleasure and I am living for next season to premiere in April. It also has me planning a trip to Scotland this summer to experience the wild and poetic beauty of the Highlands. Looks like the magic has worked. Please let me know if you are a fan.

Delicious News

"Life in Squares," a three part BBC television drama about Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group 

With fall right around the corner, the cultural calendar is heating up and there are so many things to look forward to. Next week I will post some of the events and happenings I am most excited about. But for now, here are some tantalizing pieces of news that have caught my attention. They are all making me smile!

BBC is producing a three-part television drama about Virginia Woolf and her circle called Life in Squares. (See photo above) It will trace the growth of this influential group of artists and writers and their impact on the cultural life of twentieth-century England. Featuring several rising young stars, it is being filmed in London and at Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex. The two actresses Phoebe Fox and Lydia Leonard (pictured above) play sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. The physical resemblance is remarkable! After doing a little research, I learned that the action kicks off in 1901 with the death of Queen Victoria and shows the young writers and artists feeling creative and sexual freedom for the first time. This really seems to be the year for Bloomsbury, with the fashion house Burberry creating an entire collection based on the art at Charleston, as well as the exhibition on Virginia Woolf at the National Portrait Gallery in London. I really hope this BBC drama makes it to American television. Masterpiece Theatre, are you listening?

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock" on Masterpiece Theatre

The next piece of news that caught my eye was about Benedict Cumberbatch who will be starring in a London production of Hamlet one year from now in August 2015. The entire 12-week run sold out in ten minutes. Apparently this is the fastest selling theatrical event in history. Looks like everyone is dying to see this great actor play the most challenging of Shakespeare's leading roles. Fortunately there is some good news for those who couldn't get a ticket: the production is holding back 100 tickets each night that will sell for 10 pounds each. By the way, did you watch the Emmy's last night and see that Benedict and Martin Freeman both won Emmys for their roles on "Sherlock"?!! So happy about that. It's one of the best shows on television and their performances are brilliant.

Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan in "The Trip to Italy"

And speaking of talented Brits, the new film The Trip to Italy has just opened. I saw it the other night and loved it. I thought it was just as funny as the first film,"The Trip,"which was set in England. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon basically play themselves taking a road trip, this time in Italy, to do research for a food column they are writing for The Observer. They travel through some gorgeous Italian scenery in a little Mini-Cooper, eventually arriving at the Amalfi Coast. They eat some incredible meals (you will want Italian food afterwards!), drink some great wines, and stay in some glorious hotels. But mostly they talk endlessly and riff on celebrity voices, especially that of Michael Caine. These movies are very funny. If you haven't seen the original, be sure to rent it before seeing this one. You are in for a treat.

And finally, have you seen any of the "Ice Bucket Challenges"? These involve people getting doused with buckets of ice water on video, posting the video on social media, and then nominating others to do the same. It is all in the cause of raising awareness of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. People can either accept the challenge or make a donation to an ALS charity. Many do both. This campaign has been hugely successful. The ALS Association has received $88.5 million in donations compared to $2.6 million during the same time period last year (July 29 - August 26). Benedict Cumberbatch took the ice bucket challenge. But he does it in his own inimitable style, quite fitting for the actor who plays Sherlock Holmes. Just watch this.

Go here to find out how you can get involved in this worthwhile cause

What has been catching your eye lately? 

I would love to know what books you are reading and which movies you have seen.

Next up:  Fall Preview!

Winter Mornings

How was your weekend? Did you watch the Olympics? I watched a little of the skiing and ice skating, but mostly I read. This weekend was cold in Los Angeles, though mild compared to the rest of the country. And yesterday was one of those mornings a little too chilly to take a walk. With the fireplace lit, staying home sounded awfully good. That walk could wait for later. I pulled out the newspapers, magazines, and books I have been meaning to get to and settled in for a nice day at home. The plan was to catch up with all my reading. Don't you love it when you have all day to read? Here are a few things that caught my eye...

From the February, 2014 issue of "Town and Country:" Starting on March 1 Winterthur Museum and Gardens in Delaware is hosting Costumes of Downton Abbey, an exhibition of 40 looks from the show. It includes the dress Lady Mary wore when Matthew proposed. I have never been to Winterthur and would would love to plan a visit to coincide with this exhibition!

And speaking of "Downton," there is a fashion spread in the January issue of "Vogue" featuring Laura Carmichael who plays Lady Edith. Up until this season her clothes were not very remarkable, but she is now wearing some fabulous costumes from the twenties. In real life, she loves fashion and looks beautiful in this photo shoot.

And in the same issue of "Vogue" there is an article on the three very handsome actors who play new characters this season on "Downton." It was fascinating to learn that Julian Ovenden who plays Charlie Blake (on the left), the man who seems to be falling in love with Lady Mary (see last night's episode), is an acclaimed tenor and will be performing at Carnegie Hall with Michael Feinstein on Valentine's Day!

And what about a real-life Dowager Duchess of Grantham? In the March issue of "Town and Country" there is a gorgeous 12-page spread on Deborah Mitford, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and her granddaughter Stella Tennant. There are some stunning shots of the Dowager's home Chatsworth (a 1000-acre estate in the English countryside) as well as some great shots of her when she was simply Deborah Mitford and of her famous sisters. Have you read her memoir Wait for Me ? It is wonderful.

I love this photo of Stella at Chatsworth. I am pretty sure that is Nancy Mitford in the background.

Several magazines have articles on the new book My Life in Middlemarch. The author Rebecca Mead has written about her lifelong relationship with the novel Middlemarch by George Eliot. It is getting very good reviews and I can't wait to read it. I understand the idea of returning to favorite books over the years. "Howards End," "Mrs. Dalloway" and "Excellent Women" are books I always seem to take down from the bookshelf and revisit. I get something new from them each time. Hmm...I wonder if I can convince my book club to read "Middlemarch"?

Jude Law in "Henry V"

Photo via here

In the "New York Times" Ben Brantley has written a fabulous article about several Shakespeare plays that are on in London right now, all starring leading film actors: Jude Law in "Henry V", David Tennant in "Richard II," and Tom Hiddleston in "Coriolanus." Oh, to be in England...

Orhan Pamuk in Istanbul

Photo via here

In the same issue of the NY Times there is a fascinating article about Istanbul, the home of Nobel Prize winning author Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk gave Joshua Hammer, the writer of this article, a personal tour of his beloved city. The text and photos are excellent. Many years ago I read Snow by Pamuk and considered it an accomplishment since the book is a challenging read but very worth it. This travel piece is a keeper...

And from a visit to one of my favorite websites...

My copy of this classic

Persephone Books is issuing a new edition of The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield. The beautiful endpapers (which Persephone Books is famous for) will be based on the original Harper & Brothers New York cover of the book from 1931. Just in time for Valentine's Day, Persephone is making the book available prior to its official April release for two weeks only and is offering it at a discount. Go here to learn more and see the lovely endpapers. And go here to read more about this book.

And, finally, staying home can yield all kinds of discoveries...

A Valentine card I gave my husband years ago. Isn't that quote perfect?

I hope you stayed snug and warm this weekend.

A Scottish Castle

Inveraray Castle in Scotland

I have fallen in love with a castle and, if you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you can probably guess which one. It is the romantic Scottish castle featured in the third season of "Downton Abbey." Right out of a fairy tale, it captured my imagination from its very first appearance on the screen. And later when I spent a little time looking at images online, I was truly smitten. This is the castle where the Crawley family go to stay with Lord Grantham's cousins. It is the family home of Lady Rose, the rebellious and spirited young woman who comes to live with the Crawleys at Downton. The episode (A Journey to the Highlands) was filled with iconic Scottish images: breathtaking countryside, bagpipers, highland reels, and lots of tartan. The castle known as Duneagle on the show is Inveraray Castle in real life, the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll. He lives there with his wife and children. If you are a fan of Scotland, take a look at these dreamy images of Inveraray Castle and its grounds in western Scotland. They will have you longing to plan a trip to the Scottish Highlands.

The countryside alone is enough to satisfy any lover of Scotland

But the castle itself is right out of a fairy tale

Covered with snow, it becomes a winter wonderland

And in the spring, it looks lovely and inviting

The running river

A walkway

The Duke and Duchess of Argyll, pictured with their children, have opened the castle to the public

Inside: the Armoury Hall Fireplace that greeted the Crawleys upon their arrival

The saloon

The state dining room

The old kitchen

The MacArthur bedroom

The Aray Bridge

The stunning view from the castle

And speaking of Highland beauty, the clothes worn by Lady Rose in this episode are a dream. The hats, the tweeds, the rich colors. Reflecting the time and place, her clothes are breathtaking!

I love this new "Downton Abbey" character; her independence and rebellious spirit feel like a breath of fresh air.

********

Inveraray Castle is located in the county of Argyll in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne. It has been the seat of the Dukes of Argyll and the Clan Campbell since the 17th century. The castle is open to visitors from April 1 - October 31. Go here to find out more. If you are planning a trip to Scotland, this would be a wonderful place to add to your itinerary.

All photos of Inveraray Castle via here