Images courtesy: movies.yahoo.com The Everett Collection

Emily Blunt is staring in a new movie called "The Young Victoria" which is opening this Friday... in limited engagement, and I'm hoping it will be playing at a theater near me.
Have you heard about it and are you planning to see it?
If so, I'd love to know what you thought.

Here's a little info on her life from Wikipedia:

Victoria ( 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death. Her reign as the Queen lasted 63 years and 7 months, longer than that of any other British monarch before or since, and her reign is the longest of any female monarch in history. The time of her reign is known as the Victorian era, a period of industrial, political, scientific and military progress within the United Kingdom.

Poetry Should Be...

as natural as a leaf falling from a tree."
(A quote from the movie)















There was a movie that came out a few weeks ago by the name of "Bright Star." Have you heard of it? It's a tale about the Romantic Era poet, John Keats and his three year love affair with a woman named Fanny Brawne.

I saw the preview on-line and was instantly intrigued by the costumes and photography so I convinced my darling hubby that we needed to see it. After all, his favorite movie is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin (don't tell him I told).
When the movie began I saw him roll his eyes and mumble under his breathe, "Oh! It's a COSTUME movie!" "Yes dear, it is! And you are going to love it! Trust me."
Whenever I convince him to see "one of these" movies I like to watch him out of the corner of my eye to see how he reacts. During Bright Star he never fell asleep...he never yawned...he stared intently at the screen...and he even laughed. I knew he would like it.

Some of the scenes were visual feasts for the eyes that transported you back to another place in time. There was one scene in particular that had an otherworldly feel about it where Keats character was floating above the trees while he was describing to Fanny his dream. But one of the most surprising parts of the movie was the role of Charles Brown played by Paul Schneider who is one of our favorite characters from the movie Elizabeth Town. His Scottish brogue was so convincing that hubby thought it was real.

Bright Star had a little bit of everything: innocence, passion, love, tragedy, loss, redemption, and above all it was a true story based on one of England's most beloved poets.
If you're in the mood for a period romance that's beautifully filmed and acted, this film won't disappoint! I would most definitely see it again and would highly recommend it.

Both images are stills from the movie

Fridays Fun

I completely forgot that I was going to get together with my friend Kathy today (which was yesterday) so my gardening will have to wait until this afternoon. Instead we went to see the movie Bride Wars with Kate Hudson and Ann Hathaway. When it comes to movie's I have a saying, "if you expect nothing you may not be disappointed." It turned out to be a cute movie with a good moral...there are some bonds that are too strong to be broken, no matter what the situation. In the end it's the friendship that matters and not the peripheral situations in life.

The theater just happened to be down the street from my garden destination so we dropped in for a stroll around the gardens. As many gardens are in winter, it was very bare, but there was a peacefulness as you meandered through the paths and beneath the trellises. We wandered under the warmth of the sun and investigated the statuary until the wind began to howl and whip through the trees tops.

In all the years I've been visiting this little plot of land I don't think I've ever seen it so bare and when I asked the shop keeper if they were closing I think she was offended. Open foot insert mouth...at least I didn't ask her if the bird had died.
She explained to me that they had just taken down their Christmas ornaments and were preparing for a new shipment of plants.

I don't know if you can see the picture above, but there's a huge metal crown in the urn. There were several of them grouped together as you walked down the path.

The garden is filled with bird houses that on hot summer days send out a spray of mist. Something I've wanted to do in my gardens for years.

On our way home we stopped by the Artist Supply Warehouse to pick up new journals for a new year.
Now I'm off to do some gardening of my own.

A must see!

Have you seen this movie? I had completely forgot it was coming to a theater near me until my dear friend Becky over at One Shabby Old House asked me if I'd seen it. Nope... hadn't! Until last night.
Sweet hubby and I met after work and drove straight to the theater not really knowing what to expect. Well, let me tell you, the first 20 minutes of the movie were a bit frightening for me. Let me explain...I'm one of those people who gets along with everyone and is calm by nature, but once every 5 years I explode and it's really ugly.
My mother was the first to notice this and when I was 23 she brought it to my attention. Her first clue of this ugly behavior was when I was 5 years old and she came into my room to find one of her blankets lying on the floor with a pair of scissors and fresh cut holes. When she asked about the holes and how they got there I simply told her that a butterfly had flown into the room and cut them out then I continued to play with what I was playing with . At age 5 I was already shifting the blame.

2008 was my year to explode and as I sat there watching the big screen some hauntingly familiar words came flying out of Kurt Cameron's mouth. "OUCH! Did I really say that to my darling husband (who by the way did not deserve it) and does he remember?" By the sideways glance I received I could tell he did. Those words cut like a knife!
I've always tried to be so careful with what comes out of my mouth because I know that once they've escaped they can never be taken back. You can ask for forgiveness a million times, but the damage has been done and wounds that may never heal have been inflicted.

Watching the characters move in and out of their daily lives separately was so heart wrenching, but when Caleb took the dare and started "going through the motions" as he put it, the truth became obvious to the damage that had been done. When he realized that he truly loved his wife and wanted to save his marriage that was when it became a bit dicey. His wife responded to nothing, but as human's its only natural to react out of our hurt and suspicions of the other person's motives.

Well, I'm not going to tell you anything more about the movie because I think you should see it yourself. But I will say this... it was such a beautiful story of God's love, redemption, and healing that by the end of it sweet hubby and I were both in tears.

A quote from the movie. "You can't be led by your heart. You have to lead it!"

Photo Source "Into the Wild" Website

downloadable wallpaper

The other night my sweet hubby and I took the puppies out for a drive and on our way home stopped by the video store. He had just finished reading a book titled "Into the Wild" and heard that it had been made into a movie.

It's a true story based on the life of a young man who upon completing his college career sets off on a journey to escape from the often harsh realities of life.

Before he set off on his journey he donated what was left of his college fund ($24,000) to a Hunger Foundation then left without telling his parents. He did not want to be found.

His journey took him from back East out to the West, through Mexico, and up into the wilderness of Alaska. What touched me the most about the movie was the kindness and generosity of the people he came in contact with. Everyone was willing to help him out and they were genuinely concerned for his well being.

It was the story of one young man and yet I wonder how many others lives have paralleled his. Children who run away from home never to be heard from again. What pain and agony it must cause their parents. Living with the guilt that they have failed their child in some way.

There was some nudity and foul language here and there, but in spite of that I felt it was a movie worth watching. It didn't have a happy ending but, then sometimes real life situations don't.

The Other Boleyn Girl

My friend, Janet, and I went to see "The Other Boleyn Girl" this morning and thought it was an absolutely gorgeous film!

The costumes were so beautiful and feminine that it made me sad to think of the clothing available to women in this day and age. But then, who wants to be laced into a corset everyday? I do! I do! Oh to wander through gardens fair in dresses of silk with ribbons so rare! That's why I go see movies like this. To ooh and awe at all the beauty I've been deprived of due to the fashion world. Come on people, let's design something beautiful for a change! But seriously, it was beautifully filmed, the sets were amazing, and it was interesting to see how the two sisters interacted with each other considering their circumstances.

After seeing the film I came home to do a little bit of research. I love to spend hours following "threads through the ages" so I thought it would be fun to see if there really was a Mary Boleyn. I new the whole story about Anne, but had never heard that she had a sister.
Sure enough she did however, it's unclear as to whether she was the eldest of the two or the youngest and it appears that she was also mistress to the king of France before becoming Henry's mistress. So the two sisters were both intimate with the king...disgusting! But then, we all know that monarch's are not known for their virtuous behavior.

Anyway, the information I was reading said that Mary had two children, one boy and one girl, and it is believed that Henry the VIII sired both. The daughter's name was Catherine who was a red head. I know this all sounds strange and you're probably wondering where I'm headed with this thought but, just the other day I was reading a magazine (I don't remember which one as I read so many) and it was an article on Jane Seymour's country Estate in England. I had read an article years ago in Victoria Magazine about the estate and how it had been built for one of Henry the VIII's illegitimate daughter's by the name of Catherine who was a read head.

While Jane Seymour was filming at the particular estate she fell in love with it and inquired as to whether it was for sale. The Estate keeper said that it was not available and if it was it could only be sold to a Catherine with red hair because that had been the way it was for centuries. Jane Seymour just happens to have a red headed daughter named Catherine so she was able to purchase the estate. So, could the Catherine of the king be the same Catherine of Jane Seymour's estate...I wonder?
I know that was long and probably way more information then you wanted but, if you have the opportunity to see the movie please go. You won't be disappointed.