Sherlock Series Three, Episode Three - His Last Vow

 

 

A case of stolen letters leads Sherlock Holmes into a long conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, the Napoleon of blackmail, and the one man he truly hates. But how do you tackle a foe who knows the personal weakness of every person of importance in the Western world?
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

This episode is very dark and has an awful villain in it which gives me the creeps! There are a few surprises about Mary. Enjoy everyone. :) xx  

Bonfire Night 2013

In Great Britain, Bonfire Night is associated with the tradition of celebrating Guy Fawkes' arrest on 5th November. The modern festival is, therefore, on 5th November, although some commercially-driven events are held at a weekend near to the correct date, to maximise attendance. Bonfire night's sectarian significance has generally been lost: it is now usually just a night of revelry with a bonfire and fireworks. Celebrations are held throughout Great Britain, in parts of Northern Ireland, and in some other parts of the Commonwealth.

 

Parkin Cake is a sticky cake containing a mix of oatmeal, ginger, treacle and syrup which is eaten on Bofire Night.  Other foods include marshmallows toasted on the fire.

 

 

 

Have fun, everyone!! :)

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

 

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school...

 

I really like that we took a break from the Voldemort plotline, and got a better look at Harry's parent's past. It added to his character arc in such a unique way, because this is the first book that I have felt like Harry was able to be well and truly happy. Knowing even just these small parts of his past (and things like why his father was nicknamed prongs-- fab!) seemed to add pieces to his own identity, enough to change his entire demeanor. And I was so happy for him, finally having Sirius and Lupin to look to as proper family--people who he knows really care about him. I love that part on the last page where Harry tells the Dursleys about Sirius, saying, "He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of Wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though . . . keep up with my news . . .check if I'm happy . . ."

 

 

 
A few other things I liked are the Marauder's Map--which is fantastic! I want one. I love the time-turner part, it is brilliant and made the latter part of the book into very suspenseful reading.  Enjoy!! :)

 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

 

Sense and Sensibility, the first of Jane Austen's major novels. Sense and Sensibility is a story about Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two very different sisters who experience both love and lost in their lives.

 
Since Elinor is the eldest sister, she tends to be sensible & sober-minded. While Marianne is quite the opposite she is romantic, dreamy and an absolute impulsive young girl. Jane Austen takes us to a very deep journey of both sisters discovering the true meanings of love and marriage.

 

 
 
 I really like this novel because both sisters learn a lot about themselves before they marry the men they love.

Doc Martin (TV Series 2004-)

Doc Martin, now shooting its sixth charming series, is popular in more than 30 countries around the world, including Slovenia and Saudi Arabia. Foreign-language adaptations have aired in Germany, France, Spain, The Netherlands, and Greece -- and Russia may be next.



Martin Clunes and Caroline Catz.

Martin Clunes is Martin Ellingham (his surname’s an anagram for the name of creator Dominic Minghella), a London surgeon who develops a phobia to blood and who relocates to the picturesque Cornish village of Port Wenn, becoming the area’s general practitioner. He is gruff, intolerant, and rude to people, but over time he develops a relationship with and has a child with local headmistress Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz).

The community is full of quirky, amusing characters, including a plumber-turned-restaurateur (Ian McNeice), his son (Joe Absolom), Martin’s aunts (Stephanie Cole, followed by Dame Eileen Atkins), local cops, and a series of three dippy receptionists, among others.



This series is lovely, funny and set in a beautiful Cornish village called Port Isaac which I visited in July and fell in love with it. I highly recommend Doc Martin to everyone! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 





Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier

 

 

This story begins with a very discontented wife fleeing her useless dissipated idle life in London's high society. She packs her children and her children' s nurse into her coach and off they rush to a small country estate in Cornwall. She is disgusted with her former life, she is bored by her dim witted but doting husband. She finds herself gradually relaxing and is intrigued by her rather singular servant.

 

She is paid a visit by the local bigwig Lord Godolphin who tells her that they have been plagued in previous months by a very daring French pirate whom none can seem to catch. Donna gets rid of Lord Godolphin and tells William, her servant to say to any other visitors that she is ill, mad, or out. She really doesn't to want to see anyone. On a walk through the grounds one day she explores the woods nearby and finds a creek so well hidden from view that no one has even suspected it was there. As the creek widens she follows the bank and around the bend she comes across a ship moored. She is captured and is taken on board where she meets the Frenchman. It is the beginning of her romance and adventure.

 

I read this book in July 2013 whilst I was on holiday in Cornwall. I loved every minute of the novel and I kept wistfully looking out to sea imaging the white sails of La Mouette coming towards me and Jean-Benoit Aubéry, the charming and romantic pirate, falling in love with me and whisking me away to France with him. Sigh...

 

 



 

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I'll never forget the first time I read Jane Eyre, I was 11 years old and I think it was in Autumn 2000. We were going away and I got very bored in the car, (still do!) without a book so my mum gave me the paperback copy of Jane Eyre she owned at the time and placed it on my lap. From the first page I loved it! I remember not being keen on Rochester because of the way he deceives Jane but as I got older I understood Rochester more and more and fell head over heels in love with him. In September 2000 I started high school and I was bullied which made me very unhappy so Jane became my best friend and as I thought myself plain I could easily understand what Jane meant when she wishes she was pretty.

Jane Eyre has also distracted me from my disability and has made me believe that a man will love me for who I am, despite my disability like Jane loves Rochester even though he is blind. It also taught me to resist temptation and I was amazed at how strong Jane was in leaving Rochester even though she loved him so much, I remember thinking how hard that must have been.

One of the reasons I love Jane Eyre so much is because Jane stands up for herself and overcomes ever obstacle that people put in her path; I also love her morals too and I also like the fact that she is plain but is such a strong heroine. I love the language in this novel and think it is beautifully written.

Another reason why I love it is because there is a brooding, dark, blunt, rude but a very passionate and gorgeous hero in the novel (what woman doesn't like one of those?!) which is Mr. Rochester who loves Jane for who she is, is very kind to her and treats her like an equal, I know that he has his faults but I can't help but fall for him! I also find him a very sympathetic character because he has a lot of very unfair things to deal with in his life.


My favourite parts of the novel are:

When Jane and Edward first meet
The first conversation they have sat by the fire
After Jane saves Edward from the fire
The conversation they have when Jane leaves the drawing-room
When Jane finds out Edward is the gypsy
When Jane asks Edward's permission to leave Thornfield Hall
When Jane returns to Thornfield Hall
The proposal! (This part is so passionate and romantic!)
When Edward is explaining everything to Jane after their interrupted marriage and is trying to convince her to stay with him (I nearly cry when I read that part!)
The reunion of Jane and Edward

Every time I read Jane Eyre nowadays I still feel like Jane is my friend telling me everything about herself, I love to read it in bed where I can get cosy and fall in love with the novel and Mr. Rochester all over again! I also have Jane Eyre on audio disc as well it's lovely to listen to when I am unwell or the weather is bad. My mum often passes me one of my copies when I'm upset or ill. I often forget my worries when I read it. When I can't sleep I read it, I once read parts of it at 5:00am! I read it many times a year. Edward Fairfax Rochester is my favourite hero in English Literature.

Jane Eyre is my favourite novel. I will love it forever and it will always be a very special novel to me. I recommend everyone read Jane Eyre with a cup of tea, a slice of cake or a bar of chocolate. 

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

One of my favourite children's books is Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. I first read Ballet Shoes in 2011. I was unwell so I grabbed my paperback copy and went to bed. I instantly fell in love with it. It made me feel better, warm and cosy. I loved the story so much that my Mum bought me this beautiful hardback edition by The Folio Society for my 23rd birthday in 2012.

Pauline, Petrova and Posy are orphans, found by Great Uncle Matthew (or Gum) on his travels. Pauline was rescued from a shipwreck, Petrova from a Russian hospital and Posy from a family who could not afford to keep her. Sent to live with Gum’s niece Sylvia in London, the girls choose their own surname – Fossil – vowing to put it ‘into history books’. But with Gum away and money short, their ambitions must take second place to earning a living. Salvation comes in the shape of a free education from Madame Fidolia at the Children’s Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. Posy is a natural dancer and Pauline has a gift for acting, but Petrova would rather be left alone to read about cars and aeroplanes. For all the sisters, being a star isn't as easy as it looks…


I highly recommend this wonderful children's story and you can read it at any age. I hope you love reading this magical book as much as I do! :) xx