Linda Martin was back in Paris after an absence of nine years. With an English father and a French mother, she had grown up in France during the Second World War. When she was fourteen both of her parents were killed in a plane crash and she was sent to an orphanage in England where … Continue reading Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (1958)
Poetry
On the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Early last week my daughter, Miss 17 and her friend Miss 15 decided they'd each write a poem about the same topic. And then Russia invaded the Ukraine and that became their theme. Miss 15's Poem The ambers blow an Autumn windThat whispers of Wintry changeThe inevitable repetition of usFour seasons ago the sameSomething stirs … Continue reading On the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (1908)
Orthodoxy is Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s ((1874 -1936) spiritual biography. His purpose in writing this book was to ‘attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it.’ It was not meant to be an ecclesiastical discourse but a ‘slovenly autobiography.’ For me, Orthodoxy … Continue reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (1908)
November Notes
Next month Brona @ This Reading Life will be hosting a Rumer Godden Reading Week to mark the author's birthday. It will take place from Saturday 4th December to Sunday 12th December 2021. Two of her books I'm thinking of reading are 'China Court' and 'The Black Narcissus.' I especially liked her novel In This … Continue reading November Notes
'A gauntlet with a gift in 't.'
‘God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face, A gauntlet with a gift in 't.’ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) I think we’d all agree that we are in challenging times. I remembered this poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning the … Continue reading 'A gauntlet with a gift in 't.'
Home Ed Highlights From the Month of June
'I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds … Continue reading Home Ed Highlights From the Month of June
Review of The Art of Poetry: Classical Academic Press
My daughter turned 14 years of age earlier this year and as with many students in the high school years, her days are very full. Besides her lessons at home, she is studying the cello at a level which requires about 6 hours of practice per week and she swims in a competition … Continue reading Review of The Art of Poetry: Classical Academic Press
Between Midnight and Dawn: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide
Between Midnight and Dawn: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide is a rich and beautiful resource compiled by Sarah Arthur and published by Paraclete Press in 2016. This exceptional anthology includes selections from classic and contemporary literature by writers as diverse as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, G.K. Chesterton, George Eliot, … Continue reading Between Midnight and Dawn: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide
Picture Books for Art & Book Lovers
These are some of our favourite picture books because they are either beautiful and/or unique. I only realised as I was putting this post together that three of these books have some connection with France. Poetry for Kids: Emily Dickinson - Illustrated by Christine Davenier; edited by Susan Snively Emily Dickinson is a … Continue reading Picture Books for Art & Book Lovers
Nature Poetry: Poetry Month Celebration
The author of the beloved children's book, Charlotte's Web, was not surprisingly, also a poet. I love this poem which he wrote for his wife in 1929... Natural History The spider, dropping down from twig Unwinds a thread of her devising: A thin, premeditated rig To use in rising. And all the … Continue reading Nature Poetry: Poetry Month Celebration
journey & destination 