Emma Lion Heroine

I'm on book two of this series. Very Jane Eyre-like, very Austenique. One heroine chooses her man, collects books, and tries to keep her home in 1800's London - {the series has only been written to book 8 / 25 so far, so we don't know who she chooses yet... A Vicar? A Duke? A Byron?}. It's on Amazon as a Kindle or paperback. Your welcome.

Thornfield Hall, Home of Edward Rochester, Country Gentleman

I found this artwork by Stewart Platt of a place called, "North Lees Hall," in Derbyshire. Charlotte Bronte had visited the area with her friend Ellen Nussey to help prepare the vicarage for Ellen's brother who was the new vicar, to be arriving after his honeymoon. Charlotte and Ellen visited North Lees Hall. 

by Stewart Platt

Research into the name "North Lees Hall" translates "north" to "thorn" and "lees" to "field." This is fascinating. We can see the inspiration that Charlotte Bronte would have gotten from visiting the place which she then turned into "Thornfield Hall" the home of Edward Rochester, country gentleman.

Just for comparison, here are some photographs of North Lees Hall.

 

Wouldn't you like to walk the grounds and wander inside as Jane would have done? Jane Eyre has come to life. 

(Inspired by this post)

Bronte Parsonage Donations

We did it for Jane, now it's time for the Brontes. To keep this amazing place open into the coming year, they need our help. If you love Emily, Charlotte, Anne, and Branwell, their books, art, poetry, etc. Please consider donating!

DONATE TO THE PARSONAGE

Little Books

The British Library is encouraging children to make little books like the Bronte sisters did!
https://www.bl.uk/childrens-books/activities/make-a-miniature-book

Walk the Streets

Here is the Main Street of Haworth, Yorkshire where the Bronte family lived. Walk the streets with me, if you will, and have a Merry Merry Christmas.

 Photo from Wikipedia

In Vintage Form

The new old books have started to arrive. I'm loving what's been popping up in the mailbox. This will definitely be a process that will take months, but the plan is to choose and find all of my favorite classic books in vintage (antique) hardback form for my library, biographies of my favorite authors, as well as old beauties that I love for one reason or another. 

For reference, here is my list of favorites, (this list is old).

The books shown in the pictures are Poems of Emily Dickinson, America and England, Certain English Towns, a science book with a gorgeous cabin/tree image, a biography of Charlotte and Emily (poor Anne is left out again). Lest you think I'm leaving out the vintage paperbacks, no worries there. They still have a place in my heart, as does Anne.

Emily's Words

Fall Leaves Fall

by Emily Brontë

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; 

Lengthen night and shorten day; 

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, 

Fluttering from the autumn tree. 

I shall smile when wreaths of snow 

Blossom where the rose should grow; 

I shall sing when night’s decay 

Ushers in a drearier day.

 Photo - Van Gogh's Autumn

I Am Emily

“{Nowhere did seem to be home}

And I broke my heart with weeping 

To come back to {the moors}; 

And the angels were so angry 

That they flung me out into 

The middle of the heath 

On the top of {the moors}; 

Where I woke sobbing for joy.”
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

{words changed by me} 

Emily in Mind

My calendar this year is THE READING WOMAN. The month of September showed this picture of a girl with her dog, and when I first saw it, it reminded me so much of Emily B. Alone, content to be with her dog Keeper, quietly reading or writing in her little corner, stealing her reverie when she could after the days chores were done. Charlotte and Anne talking of the day nearby. I think it represents her very well, indeed.

Fritz von Uhde (German, 1848-1911) "The Artist's Daughters in the Garden, 1901."

If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.
Emily Bronte
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/emily_bronte.html#bTLwH1FtKJvw8BE3.99

If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.
Emily Bronte
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/emily_bronte.html#bTLwH1FtKJvw8BE3.99

 "IF I COULD, 

I WOULD ALWAYS WORK 

IN SILENCE AND OBSCURITY,

AND LET MY EFFORTS BE KNOWN 

BY THEIR RESULTS."

"A SENSIBLE MAN OUGHT TO FIND 

SUFFICIENT COMPANY IN HIMSELF."

~ emily bronte

If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.
Emily Bronte
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/emily_bronte.html#bTLwH1FtKJvw8BE3.99

If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.
Emily Bronte
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/emily_bronte.html#bTLwH1FtKJvw8BE3.99

A Walk Through Tall Trees

EVERY LEAF SPEAKS BLISS ~ EMILY BRONTE

My Bronte Pen

My Bronte pen came this week and I am thrilled with it. I chose the Emily Bronte Pen and here it is in its black presentation case, along with a certificate of authentication from Haworth Church.

It also comes with a pamphlet that tells a little bit about the pen and the wood it was made from. Mine was made from wood taken from the old schoolroom and also Haworth Church.

It reads, "the lid of this pen is made from wood sourced from the old schoolroom, the teaching place of the Bronte's. The body of the pen is made from wood sourced from Haworth Church, the resting place of Emily and Charlotte Bronte."

There is also a short history included of Emily, the old schoolroom, and Haworth Church.

Here is what my pen looks like. I decided on the light wood since I liked the look of it the best. I love that a little piece of Haworth, Haworth Church, Emily, and the Bronte's in general, is safely tucked away in my home where I can take it out and touch it anytime I want to. It is a connection to the Brontes that is unique and memorable. The wood from the pen surrounded the sisters as they worshipped or taught, and now a very small piece of that is here with me. It's a connection I will cherish for a long time.

Photo by York and Beyond

What's All the Fuss Over a Pen?

The Bronte Blog has posted about some Bronte-related pens that are available for purchase.

So what's all the fuss over some handmade wooden pens, you say? I'll try to explain without jumping out of my seat -- There are three pens available to buy, each one named for one of the sisters. Henceforth, the "Charlotte Bronte Pen" / the "Emily Bronte Pen" / and the "Anne Bronte Pen."

The pens are made with wood taken from either Haworth Parish Church, where Emily and Charlotte are both buried, taken from a church pew, or wood from the schoolroom where the sister's famously taught their pupils (wood taken from a window sill).

I have already secured one of the pens for myself, and I wonder if you can guess which one I chose. It was a hard choice, but I finally decided on one. I wish I could have justified one of each, but I couldn't. When my pen arrives, I'll share with you which one I got. I'll leave comments on if you want to be brave and guess what I chose.

These pens are limited, of course, when they are gone they are gone. If you love the Bronte's and want a connection to their past you might want to check them out before they disappear. You'll find them at YorkandBeyond.

Wild Moor Everywhere

Wish I could just step right into this scene tonight...

Photo by The Bronte Parsonage Museum

"A heaven so clear, 

an earth so calm, 

So sweet, so soft, 

so hushed an air; 

And, deepening still 

the dreamlike charm, 

Wild moor everywhere."

~~Emily Bronte

Bronte Parsonage Remodel...or, This is as close to visiting the Bronte Parsonage As I'll Get

Bronte Likeness?

Are these the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne?

I seriously doubt it. But I do like the mystery of the possibility.

Take a look at Branwell Bronte's paintings of his sisters and compare.

Gun Group Portrait, by Branwell Bronte

Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Bronte, painted by Branwell Bronte

Here are some other portraits of the sisters

Emily Bronte, painted by Branwell Bronte

Anne Bronte, painted by Charlotte Bronte

And this is an actual photograph of Charlotte Bronte

Charlotte Bronte

It's fascinating to ponder.

The Bronte Sisters

A True Likeness?

Are These the Brontes?

The Other Emily

Silhouette of Emily Bronte, by Elizabeth Baverstock

Emily Bronte died on this date in 1848. Her bones lay cold and still, silent and restless in her grave, but I am sure her spirit soars and frequents the moorland she loved so much. Of all the Bronte sister's dispositions and temperaments, I am most like Emily. She is like a kindred sister to me. I think it no coincidence that the other Emily, also a kindred of mine, shared the same name, too.

A DAY DREAM
by: Emily Brontë (1818-1848)

N a sunny brae alone I lay
One summer afternoon;
It was the marriage-time of May,
With her young lover, June.

 

From her mother's heart seemed loath to part
That queen of bridal charms,
But her father smiled on the fairest child
He ever held in his arms.

 

The trees did wave their plumy crests,
The glad birds carolled clear;
And I, of all the wedding guests,
Was only sullen there!

 

There was not one, but wished to shun
My aspect void of cheer;
The very gray rocks, looking on,
Asked, "What do you here?"

 

And I could utter no reply;
In sooth, I did not know
Why I had brought a clouded eye
To greet the general glow.

 

So, resting on a heathy bank,
I took my heart to me;
And we together sadly sank
Into a reverie.

 

We thought, "When winter comes again,
Where will these bright things be?
All vanished, like a vision vain,
An unreal mockery!

 

"The birds that now so blithely sing,
Through deserts, frozen dry,
Poor spectres of the perished spring,
In famished troops will fly.

 

"And why should we be glad at all?
The leaf is hardly green,
Before a token of its fall
Is on the surface seen!"

 

Now, whether it were really so,
I never could be sure;
But as in fit of peevish woe,
I stretched me on the moor,

 

A thousand thousand gleaming fires
Seemed kindling in the air;
A thousand thousand silvery lyres
Resounded far and near:

 

Methought, the very breath I breathed
Was full of sparks divine,
And all my heather-couch was wreathed
By that celestial shine!

 

And, while the wide earth echoing rung
To that strange minstrelsy
The little glittering spirits sung,
Or seemed to sing, to me:

 

"O mortal! mortal! let them die;
Let time and tears destroy,
That we may overflow the sky
With universal joy!

 

"Let grief distract the sufferer's breast,
And night obscure his way;
They hasten him to endless rest,
And everlasting day.

 

"To thee the world is like a tomb,
A desert's naked shore;
To us, in unimagined bloom,
It brightens more and more!

 

"And, could we lift the veil, and give
One brief glimpse to thine eye,
Thou wouldst rejoice for those that live,
BECAUSE they live to die."

 

The music ceased; the noonday dream,
Like dream of night, withdrew;
But Fancy, still, will sometimes deem
Her fond creation true.

Bronte Weather Blog

Bronte geeks, take note - this Bronte weather project blog just started here this fall. The Yorkshire weather is all over their writings and in their blood, it's just a part of them, ...almost it's own character in each of their respective books. I am so enamored of the Yorkshire wilderness and environment this will almost see me through not being there in person, at least for now. Link up, readers!

Photo by Rebecca Chesney

A Mouthful of Words and Syllables

Broonhilde. Jane. Earnest. Fitzwilliam. Anne, with an e.

Names. They are stuck with you for life. At least until you change them. They are only words, but important words, at that. Imagine a mouthful of words and syllables dedicated all to you. You want them to be good. So it is with children...and pets.

Naming a pet is like naming a child...well, almost. When we got our kitty almost 2 years ago, he was nearly called, "Winston," after Winston Churchill. Seriously. He had that name for two days, but the syllables just didn't come out right when you said it out loud.
A few other names were tried out before the name "Keeper" stuck. It's not for what you might think, although he is a keeper.

Emily Bronte had a dog named Keeper. A romantic name for a canine companion pet to one of the best writers in the English language - very fitting. I imagine him to be her keeper while she roamed those moors beyond the safety of her parsonage home. I couldn't help myself in copying her. So it went, the name fit, everyone liked it, and it now flows out as naturally as it was meant to. When the words and syllables come out just so, there is pleasure in knowing you got it just right.

Words are meant to be woven together like a beautiful tapestry, one stitch at a time.
If the stitch is not put in properly, it must be undone and tried again. ~Bookish Kind

Post From London

I adore London, there's no getting around it. Walking it's streets on my own was a dream come true. I long to go back one day, but until then, maybe this can tide me over - post from London.

The sender will write you a quote or saying on a postcard, and send it directly from London.

Like Marianne Dashwood, you'll be checking the post every day, wondering if it's arrived yet.

I wonder if she takes quote requests. For instance, a quote by one of the Brontes, or maybe one of the Inklings, would be nice. Either way, what a treat for those of us who long to be across the pond.

update:
Sadly, I never got the postcard I ordered :(
She sent another one and didn't get that one either! 


Photo by Missharry

Crave the Rose

"But he that dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose." ~Anne Bronte

The wisdom of this quote was never more real than this afternoon as I sat on the ground weeding a smallish rose garden. Rather than me grasping it, it grasped me. But I crave the June rose too much to stay away.

Anne's roses were untamed wild-grown moorland blooms, smelling woodsy and sweet. Mine are lovely, and at least partially tame, hybrids. Just like their unbridled cousins, every cultivated rose retains some wildness, wearing their hooky thorns like talons, ready at any moment to tear into any flesh that happens by them, leaving behind a wound that craves time.