Such is the Life of the Retired

We spent half of Sunday trying to remember the name of Mrs. Fawlty Towers, you know Basil's wife in the short lived British series, Fawlty Towers.  We bounced various suggestions back and forth, Priscilla, Prunella, Constance. Two syllables for sure, no, maybe three.  Anyway, we were determined to remember it without google's help.  This is the good thing about living with someone in your own age group...you totally understand each others' references.

My current book on the go.

Longbourn, you may remember, is the home of the famous Bennet family from Pride and Prejudice which chronicles all the upstairs happenings.




 Longbourn, the novel by Jo Baker, follows the lives of the downstairs staff, which is rather scant and definitely overworked.   As well we get to see the Bennet family, with those very engaging daughters, through the eyes of those who are waiting on them hand and foot and it isn't always pretty.  Halfway through now and enjoying it but not wildly, if you know what I mean.

But I must say how much I love the cover. I even love how the word Longbourn is written with the flourishes at the start leading into very plain font.  I'm perhaps reading too much into it to think it is mimicking the diverse lives of the people inside that building embodied in the name.

Here is that lovely masterpiece by Liotard.  This particular image is from the cross stitch kit offered by Keepsake Needlearts and is on reduction right now.  I've looked at it a number of times but I suspect there are too many threads for my brain and fingers to keep straight.  But finished it would be a masterpiece in its own right.

I came across this short clip of Jo talking about her choices of characters and influences in writing Longbourn. I am always interested in hearing authors and artists explain their influences and processes. 

                                       

And on an entirely different matter:-

 These Aussie Bites were being offered at Costco as a sample during one of our visits.  Hubby thought them worth a buy.  All organic, with no preservatives and lots of good ingredients...oats, apricots, honey, coconut, seeds and quinoa.  Anyway, I've frozen them and Hubby enjoys them as his bikky with a cup of tea.  My Australian friends would know if this really is a cookie authentic to Down Under.

And here she is, Sybil Fawlty, a name neither of us remembered.  I'm thinking it's a good thing we are retired.