Lights, Camera, Action! -Bleak House

Fellow Bloggers and readers, here's a new post....way overdue!!


Those of you who already know me know that I am crazy for old-fashioned things and am a huge reading fanatic. Here are a couple book/movie reviews for some amazing works that are some of my old favorites and new !




Bleak House
(the BBC movie)
Written By: Charles Dickens


This is a thrilling story with a plot that is always keeping you guessing. While watching this recently with my mother and sis, we had to stop ourselves many times before we'd watch all through the night!

Dickens very cleverly brought his characters to life in this story, there were so many people -all with an important role in the plot. It twists and turns from one scene to the next, leaving much suspense and intriguing puzzles to ponder.

I highly recommend this film to all Dickens, Jane Austen, BBC, and suspense fans!

In the story it shows the differences in the lower and higher classes in England at the time and how the people were effected by simple misunderstandings and deep kept secrets in their lives. All of the characters are unique in their own way-being very intricately made-up, some of them being: Mr. Guppy, Mr. Smallweed, Lady Deadlock, Ester Summerson, and many, many more!

I highly recommend this film to all Dickens, Jane Austen, BBC, and suspense or mystery fans!

I would tell you more, but I'd be afraid I'd give something away so just trust me and watch it! You'll love it!

(*And although I did watch the movie before actually reading the book, you may want to because it will help with the complex plot.*Either way it's awesome!!*)
;0)

Poetry

I love poetry and sharing it with others, so here is a favorite poem of mine:

The Lucky Horseshoe
By: J. T. Fields

A farmer travelling with his load
Picked up a horseshoe on the road,
And nailed it fast to his barn door,
That luck might down upon him pour,
That every blessing known in life
Might crown his homestead and his wife,
And never any kind of harm
Descend upon his growing farm.


But dire-il fortune soon began
To visit the astonished man.
His hens declined to lay their eggs;
His bacon tumbled from the pegs;
And rats devoured the falledn legs;
His corn, that never failed before,
Mildewed and rotted onthe floor;
His grass refused to end in hay;
His cattle died, or went astray;
In short, al moved the crooked way.

Next Spring a great drought baked the sod
And roasted every pea in pod;
The beans declared they could not grow
So long as nature acted so;
Redundant insects reared their brood
To starve for lack of juicy food;
The staves from barrel sides went off
As if they had the hooping-cough,
And nothing of the useful kind
To hold together felt inclined:
In short, it was no use to try
While all the land was in a fry.


One morn, demoralized with grief,
The farmer clamored in relie;
Andprayed right hard to understand
What witshcrast mow possesed his land;
Why house and farm in misery grew
Since he nailed up that "lucky" shoe.


While thus dismayed o'er matters wrong,
An old man chanced to trudge along,
To whom ho told, with wormwood tears,
How his affairs were in arrears,
And what a desperate state of things
A picked-up[ horseshoe sometimes brings.


The stranger asked to see the shoe;
The farmer brought it into view;
But when the old man raised his head,
He laughed outright, and quickly said;
"No wonder skies upon you frown;
You've nailed the horseshoe upside down!
Just turn it round, and soon you'll see
How you and Fortune will agree."


The farmer turned the horseshoe round,
And showers began to swell the ground;
The sunshine laughed among his grain,
And heaps on heaps piled up the wain;
The loft his hay could barely hold;
His cattle did as they were told;
His fruit trees needed sturdy props
To hold the gathering apple crops;
His turnip and potato fields
Astonished all men by their yields;
Folks never saw such ears of corn
As in his smiling hills were born;
His barn was full of bursting bins-
His wife presented him with twins;
His neighbors marvelled more and more
To see the increase in his store;
And now the merry farmer sings,
"There are two ways of doing things;
And when for good luck you would pray,
Nail up your horseshoe the right way."

I'm still here!

Hello everyone!
My blog isn't dormant anymore, here I am!

Masquerade de Pari

{All of us girls, glamed up, & masked. From left to right: Hailee, Heather, Shelby, Carly, Me, Natasha, and Sarah!}



{Valery(right,w/ the winning 'most creative' mask) and Grant(left w/ top-hat).}

{So many fun pics taken! :oD }
Hope you enjoyed these, thanks for browsing!

Nicki

Old-fashioned 'funnies'

Here are some adorable little olden-day comics, I found on http://www.sensibility.com/, about the change in fashions and all its hardships;fussings, mendings, hoop-skirts, and *of course* corsets.

Also the text below each of these is very small, and not very readable, so I will write it below too. For you! :o]

-"Arabella Maria. "Only to think, Julia dear, that our Mothers wore such ridiculous fashions as these!

Both. "Ha ha, Ha ha!"-

New contrivance for lady's maids, adapted to the present style of fashions. (He, he! :oD)

Remarkable convenience of hoops for young Mothers in the country.

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I do!

-Nicki

Spot 'o Tea

Nothing like a cup of tea to sooth the soul now and then. My family and I have had many kettles boiling on the stove for tea, this winter...even as the earth is starting to wake up from its long sleep this winter, and as the weather is becoming warmer and warmer-we still enjoy them!
So on a dreary day, when all is still and you don't have a care in the world, make yourself a cup of tea, curl up in a favorite nook; reading a wonderful story or simply dreaming the day away.
I often have a cup while reading in bed, starting my day during bible-study, or at a random time in the middle of my school-day-(and of course after coming in from the bitter-cold, winter/weird-spring weather!).

*Just a little thought* :o)
Nicki

Walk'in in a Springy Winter Wonder Land!

I know it's a little late for posting this, but, this was CRAZY WEATHER!!

-snow, snow, snow!!-

Isn't it a good thing that God made the snow pretty, or else I don't think I'd be as enthusiastic about this unexpected snowy weather!

-Snow, snow, snow!!-

==And this was just the beginning of it!-It's snowing sgain ight now!==

Update Continued...

Here's more...!


My very sweet Grandmother thoughtfully sent me a lovely birthday bouquet of roses!




~*Aren't they just georgeous?!*~

~Birthday skating!~ *Fun,Fun,Fun!*

Fun Friends!...Many memories!

Update!

Here's an update on shat I've been doing. Sorry, but I haven't been very up-to-pace on that!




Here I am before heading off to the
Roaring 20's Dance at my co-op.























Group picture!-The whole '20's gang'.>>>


^p-o-s-e!-Before we set off.^

Proof of Gradual Perfection

Piano, is a lovely instrument where any pianist may express himself freely...



As my teacher once said: "The pianist is at the mercy of their instrument..." this is true because no matter the condition of the piano, the ability of the pianist is what makes it come alive....meaning that if the piano you happen to be playing is one out of tune, a different brand or style that he/she is used to/doesn't like, or just doesn't feel or sound right, the pianist should be able to(or at least try to) still make it sound as wonderful as you can get the instrument to sound. ~What a facinating perspective!
Now to my post topic: Talents are such funny things, when you first start to practice one(such as; piano, dance, etc..)in the beginning you just adore it, then when you have to keep practicing on and on you eventually bore of it, then it beomes only a chore to be done, but, then once you've kept up with it and moved on to a higher level in your ability you sudenly seem to enjoy the daily practice which you have kept up with for so long that it gets to the point to where you just can't stop doing it, you love it.....like me with piano, as a pianist, I have more than once traveled away from home to a place where there happens to be no piano and, I will catch myself l-o-n-g-i-n-g to play though our own dear instrument lays at home. This is proof that practice makes perfect....although I'm far from perfect I can tell you that!
--By the way, this may not be the case for all of you, and was not meant as a criticism but as an encouragment to keep pursuing the things that interest you! When the going(*practicing*) gets tough; try,try agian.--

Lovingly meant,
Nicki