It's a Classical Life

Source Have you visited Jane Austen's house before? Classified as a "cottage" in Chawton, Hampshire, it is a Grade 1 listed building kept in the original condition of the house Jane lived in. The cottage is open to the public and offers guided tours, lectures and other Austen-inspired activities. And the best news is, you can visit it from the comfort of your own home!  Today I want to share some home decor tips based on the Jane Austen Virtual Tour. If you haven't before, pop over to the website here and have a look around. Then come back and join the discussion on how we can de-clutter and decorate with Jane Austen.  Tip 1: Don't be afraid of blank walls When you step into the Drawing Room the sense of space is magnified by the fact that there are blank walls devoid of both furniture or decoration. Of course, there is artwork on some parts of the wall, but there are swathes of blank wall that contradict the modern notion that all parts of a room must be filled....

Welcome back to It's a Classical Life! Recently I read Jane Austen's  Northanger Abbey  and loved it. I was surprised, however, to see how low it rated on many other classic-lit lovers Jane Austen lists, often trailing behind the widely popular  Pride and Prejudice  or  Emma . The reason I loved the book so much was mostly because of the main character, Catherine Morland, a heroine in her own eyes (and in mine too!) I felt that Catherine really held her own against some of the other more dominating characters, and her love of reading was definitely a bonus for me! Northanger Abbey  has also been referred to as Austen's own tribute to books and reading, and I think the beautiful character of Catherine Morland reflects this. She is the perfect character to bring the books that she reads to life - in turn bringing  Northanger Abbey  to life for us. Her imagination is wondrous, and her young life allows her to experience everything through the lens...

I have something fun and exciting to share with you all today. I love word games, puzzles and riddles and I especially love word searches and crosswords. I thought you might like them too, so I have started creating classic themed word searches for you to download on the first Friday of every month (perfect for the weekend - perhaps whilst watching the Coronation!) The first one is the characters of Jane Austen's novels. Each word search is made with large print and includes a floral picture, hand-painted by me. I love water painting and I love word searches - a match made in heaven! You can either copy the image above, or you can download the PDF from the google drive here.   Jane Austen Word Search I have also made an answer sheet. If you would like one, please email me and I will send it to you. I don't think the puzzles are too hard, but if enough people email then next month I will add the link to the answers in the post. If you have any ideas for word searches that you wo...

Last week I spoke about beginning the new year with a journey towards simplicity . One of the key points of which I spoke, was continuing with something that is good for you or that brings you benefit before starting something new. As many of us are looking to improve our health as a new year's resolution (myself included), I thought now would be a good time to consider a gentle way to get moving. Last year I was experiencing a lot of trouble with my back and shoulder, so I saw a physiotherapist. He gave me some simple stretches to do at home and began working on bringing some flexibility and movement to my otherwise stiff spine. I'm not alone. This sort of upper back stiffness is a by-product of the sedentary lifestyle that so many of us are living at the moment. Additionally, sitting or lying too much can contribute to other health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular issues . Mental health issues are also linked to an over-sedentary lifestyle. Well, if this ...

    "Here's harmony!" said she, "Here's repose! Here's what may leave all painting and music behind, and what poetry only can attempt to describe. Here's what may tranquilize every care, and lift the heart to rapture! When I look out on such a night as this, I feel as if there could be neither wickedness nor sorrow in the world; and there certainly would be less of both if the sublimity of Nature were more attended to, and people were carried more out of themselves by contemplating such a scene."                                                                                                                        Mansfield Park ...

  It's not as strange as it sounds looking to Jane Austen for health and wellbeing tips. Her books are littered with references to "health and happiness", "glowing health", "cheerful dispositions" and "blooms full of health." And her tips and tricks for a healthy and happy life aren't as wild as you might think. There is no sweating it out at a gym or counting calories. People ate as well as they could afford to, although mostly in moderation (those who were known to 'pig out' were often gently mocked or criticised). The tips I have included here will not surprise you. There are, for the most part, common sense. General regard for one's wellbeing was common and the necessary care was taken to ensure that people were able to return to their full health, if unwell.  Take the time to recover properly “Jane caught a bad cold, poor thing! so long ago as the 7th of November, (as I am going to read to you,) and has never been well si...

I consider myself lucky to have a number of older women in my life who are my mentors, my confidantes and my friends. These include my mother, my stepmother, my mother-in-law and two close friends I have made through teaching. All have been in my life for a number of years and seen me through good times and bad. I have only recently come to appreciate the role that they have played in my life: accepting me as I am, offering advice and guidance when asked, sharing values, ideals and interests (especially in literature and history), amongst other things. Not all of them fulfil each of these roles, but as a whole, they keep me on a good path. It got me thinking about the role of older women in literature, well in recent literature anyway. I thought the role of older women in ancient literature would probably be another post all of its own! I know that many Christian women look to the Scripture Titus 2 for guidance on how to graciously mentor younger women, but there are some wome...

 I recently posted on Instagram that after reading George Orwell's rather chilling yet devastating classic Nineteen Eighty-Four I retreated back to Agatha Christie for some comfort reading. There were a few comments from fellow readers about the authors or series that they classify as 'comfort reading.' What is it about certain books that whisk us away to a place of comfort and familiarity? Why do we return to these books time and again; whether it be during times of hardship, adversity, loneliness or general need to escape? For me, I particularly like books where the characters maintain a positive and courageous outlook whilst facing adversity. This, in turn, brings me comfort and as all classics tend to do, remind me that many have suffered before and it all depends on how we face this suffering. My comfort reads are not usually heavy, intense reads, but rather ones that relax my mind and uplift my mood. Here is a list of some of my favourite comfort reads: Little Women -...