Oh, Mr Darcy

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."     Pride and Prejudice,  Jane Austen


I feel a little embarrassed to own up to the fact that up to a couple of weeks ago, I had never actually read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  How can I have been so remiss?  

Having made myself a promise to attempt to read some of the classics from a reading list (here), I was prompted to pick up a copy of Miss Austen's masterpiece at my local library, and for several days afterwards, I immersed myself in the love-life of Lizzy and Mr Darcy.  What joy!  What bliss!  What a wonderful read.  I loved the language, the dialogue, the wit and the ins and outs of daily life in the Bennet household.  It was originally published in 1813 - that's 200 years ago (that makes it a pretty old book!) and the language, I will admit, did take a little getting used to, but there was such an elegance in the conversations.  I think I was possibly most impressed by the letters - so, so long (they must have taken ages to write - in ink).  Nowadays we seem to have lost the art of writing interesting letters, it's all text-speak, and being a brief as possible.  

I had, of course, watched the brilliant BBC adaptation of the book, back in the 1990s, with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth (who will even forget the wet shirt as he emerged, dripping, from the lake?) so I was could 'see' the characters as I read, but even if I hadn't seen the television serial, I would have had no difficulty in bringing them to life.  I loved the book and need to acquire my own copy to read again and again.

It is now official - we are entering a 'period of settled weather'.  Hooray, at last, a break from the rain.  N and I enjoyed a lovely walk this morning; signs of Spring all around - flowers out, trees just breaking into leaf, birdsong so clear, woodpeckers drilling in nearby trees.  We passed a big magnolia tree, laden with huge white/pink flower buds - it should look magnificent in a few days time - I must remember to return with my camera, which I forgot today.
But the signs are there in our garden, too.

The paeony is throwing up beautiful red shoots . . . 

                        . . . and the crocuses were drinking in the warm sun all day. 

And I gave in and put the sewing table back up.  All's well with life again.