Margaret Hale Academy of Tea-Pouring & Wallpaper Selection at the University of Milton Northern

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Welcome to our new common room which, as you would expect, is decorated in impeccable taste (despite the limited choice of wallpapers available in Milton Northern). Above the marble mantelpiece hangs a portrait of the Vice-Chancellor of the University. As we recline elegantly on the chaise longue, we partake of tea and ratafia biscuits and discuss the works of Plato, although in the evening the finest wines and Polish cordials may be served.

Yes, so sad that the ringtone site omits my dear Johnnie confirming, a propos father's Plato, that he will treasure it.

So LadyD (I think I have finally grasped that you and LadyVenetia are two separate ladies, although possibly enamoured of the same gentleman) do you recommend that I persevere to the end of Venetia, having managed thus far only to listen to one disc?

Can't load any vids tonight, the phones having none of it.

How are you, Small? Where are your stress levels today?

I have listened to Venetia today as a mater of fact, Maud, and it was great fun. Lightweight, but a consolation in the trials and tribulations of my RL day

Oh dear, has it been a trying day, Massive? Has there been nobody to give you solace?

Evening! How is everyone?

Maud it's definitely worth persevering with Venetia. It took me 3 or 4 attempts to get through the first few chapters - which I found a bit tedious tbh, not to mention the shock of hearing the Man do ladies voices, but all will be well when you reach Chapter 9...promise!

LadyVenetia and I are indeed separate entities - I managed to marry him though .

As for the question of listening to the rest of Venetia, my answer would be an emphatic 'YES'. But I love, love, love Georgette Heyer and Jasper Damerel is my ultimate hero so it's pure indulgence for me, especially with RA reading it! Sylvester might be more up your street though, it has more humour and a wider range of characters.

I spent a happy half hour earlier with ds2 watching the RA CBeebies bedtimes stories on YouTube. I think there is a lot of potential in a seminar discussing the finer points of children literature.

Oh, I do intend to listen to it, I've just been a bit slow to get on with it.

::boots self in backside::

I might do some gardening tomorrow if it's not too hot, so could have The Voice in my ear as I plant my petunias.

Spiro, do you have Sylvester? Sir Nugent Fotherby is pure genius, he makes me chuckle every time I hear him.

Solace, eh? Is that what they're calling it nowadays?

He does look rather...interesting there, I have to admit, Maud

I am going to have to wish you ladies goodnight, now. Sweet dReAms to all

Quite, LadyDamerel. It is most important to introduce infants, even at the tenderest age, to the great and noble history of English literature and the theatre. Sadly, although my own infant quite probably watched that illuminating performance of Flat Stanley at the time, I have no recollection of it. She has, though, developed an abiding interest in Robin Hood and has now, I fear, watched it more often than I have.

Yes Lady D - I have all three Heyers. SNF is very comical although Sylvester himself is probably my least favourite of the three 'heroes'. Not sure why, just thought him a bit lacking in personality compared to the other 2.

I must admit though that I really, really love RA reading Lords of the North - obviously I like a bit of rough!

Night Massive. Sweet dreams to you too.

Good night all!

Sorry Maud, didn't mean to ignore you last night, I got side tracked by waking children. Yes life is still stressful and will be for this week at least, sadly. Hope everyone else is happy and relaxed.

Morning, Small and anyone else who's about. LadyDamerel got me thinking last night about small children and their obsessions.

Hello ladies! Good to hear from you again, LadyDamerel - and thanks for the reminder about that site, I must find myself a spare hour to go through all that :) I am utterly in love with Jasper D too and Maud, Spiro is right when she tells you to persevere. One of the thuddiest scenes that ever thudded :) I am actually re-listening to it now, whenever I'm in the car, and am also reading the book as well - gets a bit confusing when I am reading/hearing the same story at 2 separate points!

Sir Nugent is funny but my absolute favourite for comedy value is Pelham from The Convenient Marriage. The way RA reads his line "he ain't dead, Pom!" cracks me up every time. As does his slurred "iss thish a card party or ish it not?" :)

I am with you on Sylvester, Spiro (fnar fnar). I love how he talks to Tom, calling him Galahad, and he is very masterful and commanding which I do like in my fictional heroes!, but I never quite got over the bit at the beginning where he said that someone wasn't pretty enough for him, the cad.

Right, must get on - I am rubbing 3 things off my to-do list but adding 4 things on every day at the moment!

DS has just got into the CBeebies bedtime stories and I tried to show him some online but they aren't very clear, are they? Does anybody know of any decent-quality ones?

Alas, Twiggy, all the ones on YT look as if they've been done by someone sticking a video camera in front of one of those old tellies that makes everything look like a snowstorm. It might amuse you that after the dinosaur cafe, YT offered me .

And now it's offering me Jonas Armstrong. Arf.

Right. Have a longish drive now to the costermongers. Think I might take Lord Damerel with me.

Well, Heyer heroes are all very well, but I am with Spiro, you can'r beat a bit of Anglo-Saxon rough.

I am still hankering after Beowulf in the original, I love the way he pronounces all the Old English words -- as demonstrated on Lady D's estimable website.

On that subject do you think they would include ''Beg'' ''Fetch'' and ''Get off me!'' among the ringtones, if I e-mailed and asked very nicely? Though on second thoughts, I might have to answer a few awkward questions if I indulged in those little treats for my phone.

I hope you have a successful trip to the coster-mongers, Maud, with no talking potatoes to accost you in the aisles. I hear the peaches are particularly good in your part of the world these days.

I take it you have given up on the petunias for today.

So it looks as if we're going to have to get the August edition of Empire Magazine, too. A report of The Hobbit. No information on precisely what that includes, other than that ''dwarf madness'' is promised. Although that might refer to the Night of the Garden Gnomes...

I must get the Angle-Saxon rough downloaded...

Twiglet , and are better quality - only 3 of the 5 posted though.

I much prefer my heroes in cravats, although a nice suit never goes amiss.

Can I offer a new portrait for the entrance hall?