It's a Classical Life

  Hello, there! I'm so glad you're here. Today I'm sharing another fun and free word search; this time on the life and works of the incomparable Charlotte Bront ë. Jane Eyre is one of my all time favourite novels, and the Bront ë sisters are responsible for some of our best loved classics. I really hope you enjoy these word searches. I tried (in vain) to get them out at the same time each month, but that sort fell by the wayside. Instead, I am just aiming to get one out each month.  Take a load off this weekend and relax for a few moments with this fun and free word search. Please let me know if you have any ideas you would like to see in these word searches in the future. Simply click on the image above and then print the jpeg image or click on the link for the PDF.  Charlotte Bront ë  Word Search. All the word searches I create are in large print, with twenty hidden words to find. I also include a water paint image, painted by me. Let me know how you go w...

  This quote by Canadian physician and author Gabor Mat é came up on my meditation app this morning and it spoke to me. I didn't know who  Mat é was, and after a quick bit of internet research learnt that he has spent a lot of his medical career working with people who suffer from addictions and other mental health issues, including psychological trauma. One of the important proponents of this work is his belief in the necessity of social connections and relationships for good health.  Very often we think that we will be safe (or happy, or secure, or comfortable) if we are in charge. We are becoming a society that values individualism and derides communities that are collective, or work for a common good. Like  Mat é I believe that the social connections and relationships we have play an important role in how well and happy we are. We shouldn't believe that we have to do things on  our own, or that we always need to be in charge for a favourable outcome (I'...

  It's been more than a year that I did a round up of some of the best free classic downloads available from Amazon. Sometimes it is hard to find the classics that we want to read, and my library in particular is not very good at stocking copies of true classic literature. I'm not sure if they made a "relevant, contemporary" cull of all their classic books or if they just don't have a need to have multiple (or any) copies of certain older books. Ideally, I always look in the library first because I love paper books. I've been to the library a couple of times this week because I'm doing some research on Australian during the world wars and during the Great Depression, and although there's plenty of books on Australian history, the classic novels I was looking for weren't there. This week I was looking for Villette by Charlotte Bront ë and found the complete collection of  Bront ë's novels (including the unfinished Emma) on Amazon for free. Sadly...

  If you're popping by after my longish hiatus, thanks for coming back! If you're new here, then welcome. I initially set up this blog to document my growing collection of thoughts on how the classics can inspire us to live well; even in times that are troubled, full of uncertainty, sickness, or poverty, and times that make us long to live in a different time! I try very hard not to glamorise the past here, but accept if for the time that it was and use it to learn how to make my modern life comfortable and better.  I think that the wonderful Edith Wharton hits the nail on the head with her quote. She recognises that 'eternal' and 'irrepressible freshness' of a classic, something which I agree with wholeheartedly. They stand the test of time; don't become outdated or stale like others do; and eternally inspire us to do better, to be better, to strive for better. Whether it be music, literature, style or art - the classics know how to endure.  I recently read...