Good day all. It's Sunday morning, and I'm sitting here
browsing through blog land and thinking of what to write
here on my own humble, slightly long winded blog. ;)

First order of business is to up date on my progress on
my currant no name project. The picket fence section
of the design is almost done and I'm moving on to the
next feature of the piece. I'll not say what this will be,
except to hint that there is a bit of the design started
here, and a wee bit of that is even back stitched.

I'm sure everyone is anxiously (rabidly) waiting for
the new releases from Nashville, and will be overloading
systems at online LNS's everywhere by weeks end.
Remember ladies to pace yourselves, take frequent
breaks for rest and fluids, and please make sure that
you are dressed appropriately and give your credit
cards a chance to cool down every once in awhile.

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The weather here was a bit wild on Friday. After
multiple storms over the course of this winter season,
all of which arrived on weekends or holidays when
traveling wasn't as necessary as on work days, our
luck ran out. The brunt of the storm hit just as the
morning rush hour was getting underway and made
for an interesting trip.

We'd had plenty of warning to allow us to prepare for
the worst, and those that had the option wisely chose
to remain at home. The schools here in the Halton
Hills area were closed for the day, as well as in other
areas of the Greater Toronto area.

DH and I left here at 6:45 and arrived at my work in
Mississauga at 7:40, which all things considered
wasn't too bad. Just 20 minutes longer then usual.
After dropping me off DH headed up to Vaughn,
where he works, which is usually a drive of half an
hour. It took him an hour. He got to work at 8:45.
At 9:15 the boss called in from home and told them
to close the place and send everyone home. He got
home from work just before 11:00. Impressed?
Not so much.

I worked a full day and headed home around 3:45.
By that time the worst was over, at least in the
area around work, and I made pretty normal time
getting home. The sidewalks were still a mess, and
boarding the bus whilst clambering over a mound of
snow plowed into hip high mounds was not a pretty
sight. But I was home by 6:00 and glad to be there.

On Tuesday we're going to be 9 degrees Celsius, with
rain. So the 20 cm of snow that we had on Friday will
probably be pretty much gone again by the end of the
week.


Went out shopping on Saturday and picked up a couple
of chick flicks on DVD that were on sale. I look forward
to watching these soon. I also got Mr Bean's Vacation
for DH, which he was pleased with.

This weeks read was another of Philippa Gregory's
Tudor series. I read The Other Boleyn Girl around
this time last year and was ready to move on to another
book in the series.

The story begins when young King Edward is on the
throne, and suffering from the illness which would
soon take his life. Waiting anxiously in exile in the
country is his oldest sister Mary, only child of
Henry and his first wife Katherine of Aragon, and
devoted to the Catholic faith

Living in London with her father, a printer and
seller of books, is 14 year old Hannah Green. Hannah
and her father were originally from Spain, where
their name was Verde. They fled Spain when
Hannah's mother was taken by the Inquisition and
burned at the stake for being a secret Jew, and
therefore a heretic. Her mother's death haunts
the young Hannah who fears discovery of her faith
and someday sharing her fate.

Hannah, dressed as a boy, and her father fled
across Europe, seeking a place to settle under
an alias which would allow them to work, and
live in peace, and secretly worship according to
the laws and traditions of their faith as best
they can. They arrive in London, where Hannah
has been betrothed in marriage to a young man of
their faith named Daniel, who is studying to be a
doctor.

Hannah is a headstrong young girl, who has
spent half her life masquerading as a boy.
She is well educated, speaks and reads many
languages fluently, and has been helping her
father in his printing business as if she truly
were a boy. She fears loosing that freedom as
she grows up and the time of her marriage to
Daniel draws near.

And Hannah has a special gift. She is a seer, given
to visions of which she has no control over and
cannot command or prevent. While standing
outside her father's shop one day she sees
three men approaching, though when
they enter the shop suddenly one of the party,
a glowing figure whose face Hannah cannot see,
suddenly is no longer there.

Thus is Hannah's gift revealed to the two men,
Dr John Dee, a learned man and seeker of further
knowledge in the laws and unknown sciences of
the world, questioner of all that has been taken on
faith for so many years. And Robert Dudley, the
handsome, intelligent and ambitious son
of Lord John Dudley, protector of the King and
the most powerful man in the land.

Hannah is smitten with the handsome, charismatic
Robert, and soon finds herself in service to him and
to his ambitious father. She becomes the King's
Holy Fool, responsible for speaking only the truth,
in a court where lies are the norm.

Shortly after coming to court Lord John Dudley
orders Hannah to travel to the place where Mary
Tudor lives in poverty, disgrace and exile. There
to befriend and spy on the woman who stands to
inherit the throne from her ailing brother before
too long. Threatened with exposure as a Jew
and fearing for the safety of her father, Hannah
reluctantly travels to the 37 year old princesses
residence and becomes a friend and confidant.

Hannah is a witness, and sometimes reluctant
participant in the events which follow the death
of the young King. From her master's attempts
to marry one of his sons to Lady Jane Grey,
a cousin of the King's, and to place her on the
throne of England instead of Mary, to Mary's
triumphant claiming of the crown when the
country chooses to support her against the
ill fated Jane, to the time of Mary's rule when
luck and fate conspire against her.

Torn between her love and loyalty to Queen
Mary, yet fascinated by the charismatic,
witty and intelligently ruthless Protestant
princess Elizabeth, adoring Robert Dudley,
but developing strong feelings for her betrothed
Daniel, and always fearing for her life, and
her freedom at court, Hannah struggles to
do the right thing, for those she loves and
for herself.

I enjoyed this book, and the many well drawn
and colourful characters that the author
introduces us to, both fictional and historical.
Getting to know Mary Tudor, the bloody Mary
of history, and feeling sympathetic to her sad
life and seeing a side (albeit fictional) of the
Queen in waiting Elizabeth, perhaps England's
greatest monarch who flirts and plots her way
to the throne in a not entirely admirable
way, somewhat altered the vision of that era
and those two Queens that I've always held.

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Sandra, the first issue of Victoria magazine
arrived here about a week before Christmas,
amidst great rejoicing and relief. Two days
later the second issue arrived. So now I'm
waiting to see if they can manage to send out
the third issue in a timely fashion. Sorry to
hear about the troubles your distributor's
having getting the second issue. Wonder
what their problem is?? Not an auspicious
beginning for a new magazine.

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Lynn, finding time for my main interests,
reading and stitching, is a problem. But an
hour and a half (at least) trip home from
work each day allows much time for reading.
And much as I love stitching, I'd never give
up my books.

I'd love to explore other hobbies, such as
knitting, scrapbooking and card making, but
limited finances and time make it almost
impossible.

I've spent hours in Chapters at any given
time. And we won't even mention the
World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto.
Time just flies while I'm in a bookstore.

---------------------------------------------

Sue, I'll have to check into Phillip Gulley's
books. I've never heard of him before.
Thanks for the recommendation.

I've got to finish this post. It's too long and I've
got chores to do. So here's another of my Mom's
needlepoint pictures, and a companion to the old
man I posted a picture of previously. What a
sweet face she has.

Take care everyone. Have a great week.

Oh, and our local Ground hog Wiarton Willy did not
see his shadow yesterday, so six more weeks of
winter ahead. Nuts!!! Stupid rodent.