Wellies in the Mail

My Wellington Boots, ordered through Victorian Trading Company, arrived today!

They are comfortable, fashionable, and waterproof.

Sigh... how wonderful.

A Brief History of the Wellington Boot

The Wellington boot was first made of leather for the Duke of Wellington, a famous Prime Minister and war hero.

  

Durable for battle and comfortable for the evening; the boots were dubbed Wellington after the man for whom they were made. 

The boots were later manufactured out of rubber; and by the end of WWII, Wellington boots became the boot of choice for many people around the world.

In Britain, there is even a sport called Wellie Wanging. The contestants throw a Wellington boot as far as possible within the boundary lines, with either a standing or running start.

The Wellington Boot have a variety of names. The boots are known as "gumboots" in New Zealand; and in Ireland they are called "Wellies." In Australia, they are called "gumboots," "gummies," and "Blucher Boot." Blucher was a colleague of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo.

In honour of my new Wellies (as they say in Ireland),

 I decided to drink Irish Breakfast Tea from Twinings.

With just a bit of milk.

What a wonderful day this has turned out to be!

She has dancing eyes and ruby lips

Delightful boots-and away she skips.

-Frederick Locker-Lampson

Bright Star

Last night I had the opportunity to watch Bright Star for the first time.

It was simply beautiful.

The cinematography and art direction of the film was visually stunning.

The colours and costumes were beautiful.

The music breathtaking;

With John Keats' poetry sprinkled throughout.

Being somewhat of a dancer, I also enjoyed the ballet lesson in the movie.

I also appreciated the idea of Fanny making her own clothes. 

It rekindles the desire within me to start sewing again. 

Before I watched the movie, I was sure that I was going to cry.

I knew Keats was going to die.

Then I reached the last thirty minutes of the film; and a strange thing happened:

I thought I would cry, I wished I could cry; but no tears came.

The film touched my soul, and I mourned inwardly.

Deeper than tears can show.

Fanny Brawne: "I still don't know how to work out a poem."

John Keats: "A poem needs understanding through the senses. The point of diving into a lake is not immediately to swim to the shore but to be in the lake, to luxuriate in the sensation of water. You do not work the lake out, it is an experience beyond thought."

All the Elves in Christendom

"In the name of all the elves in Christendom, is that Jane Eyre?" -Mr. Rochester

I must confess; I have been absorbed in the world of Jane Eyre for the past week.

It began after finishing the 1983 version of Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke.

I received this movie from my aunt last summer and sadly, I watched about half and it was forgotten.

And then one cold day in January I decided to pick it back up.

It has become the theme of my week.

I decided to order the book online last Monday from Walmart, and it arrived last Saturday.

The novel is one of my absolute favourites; and previously I did not own a copy.

I am now about three-fourths of the way finished; half the book being read over various cups of tea.

I then proceeded to buy four songs off the Jane Eyre The Musical Soundtrack.

To finish off this indulgence, I decided to purchase the 2006 version of Jane Eyre. 

Thank you Lord for showing me the $20 hidden in an obscure corner of my room in order to buy this!

I am excited to see how it compares to the original novel and the 1983 adaptation.

Is not God wonderful? :)

Having few opportunities to pamper myself; when an opportunity does arise,

I relish in it.

So I may quote without reproach:

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will!" -Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre and Tea

After a morning of errands in the bitter cold; only two thoughts can occupy my mind:

Jane Eyre.

Tea.

I am a little over half-way done with this lovely book; which pains me greatly.

In the novel, Jane Eyre's hard-hearted aunt has just died; and Jane is about to return to Thornfield.

To savour the delights of a such wonderful novel, four things must be done:

Put the kettle on for tea.

See that the fire has a good blaze.

Locate some leftover scones, 

and

find the extra-special-dark-chocolate-that-is-only-to-be-used-for-extra-special-occasions.

Once that has been achieved, and the tea steeped and poured; there is only one thing left to do:

Savour and Enjoy.

"And a tray was soon brought. How pretty, to my eyes, did the china cups and bright teapot look, placed on the little round table near the fire! How fragrant was the steam of the beverage, and the scent of the toast!"

 -Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Lembas Bread

It has been snowing for quite some time now, and today I decided to give this new recipe a try:

 Lembas Bread.

Lembas bread, of course, comes from the book and movie trilogy "The Lord of the Rings."

After I finished watching the movies a few weeks ago, the thought occurred to look for the recipe. After some searching; I found two recipes. One sounded like an exact copy of shortbread, which I did not use. The other recipe, which seemed more interesting, I found at http://www.haldiroflorien.com/lembas.php. The recipe is as follows:

Lembas Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

8 tablespoons of cold butter (1 stick)

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup/honey

2/3 cup milk/heavy cream (or more, if necessary)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 C.)

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt into large bowl.

3. Add butter and mix with pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine granules.

4. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon, mix thoroughly.

5. Add the milk/cream, vanilla, and maple syrup; stir until nice, thick dough forms.

6. Roll the dough out about 1/2 in. thickness.

7. Cut out 3 in. squares; transfer to cookie sheet.

8. Criss-cross (do not cut all the way through) each square from corner to corner with a knife.

9. Bake for about 12 minutes or more, until bread is set and lightly golden.

Here is how they turned out:

The first batch (the square ones) turned out slightly harder and drier than the second (circle).

The reason being is that I forgot to add the maple syrup.

In my defense, the site that had the recipe forgot to label "add maple syrup" in the instructions.

They still tasted fine. I then kneaded the maple syrup into the second batch, and made Lembas cookies.

If you want your Lembas bread to be drier, omit the syrup. 

This allows for a stronger taste of cinnamon, and a drier bread.

If you want them to taste more "complete", use the syrup.

This results in a moist bread.

Be forewarned, one bite of this Lembas Bread will NOT fill the stomach of a grown man.

Or a Hobbit.

Nevertheless, it was quite enjoyable to make, and it went wonderful with tea.