7 Period Dramas that have those Spring-vibes

Hello hello hello hello. It's a beautiful, sunny spring Sunday morning. Hello.

I love Spring. Everything bursts into fresh colour, new tints, happy life. Little flowers peep their heads into the sunlight, giving the garden patches of pink and white and yellow. The streets are crowned with pink candy-floss blossom and the mornings actually involve sunlight. It's too hot for winter coats, too cold for short sleeves, it's a time of nature being happy, and us humans being happy alongside it. As much as I love my winter with the cosy stormy days, spring makes me freaking happy. I love the boost it gives. The odd sense of excitement.

SO HELLO THERE SPRING, OL CHAP.

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7 Movies that have those Spring-vibes

(in no particular order)

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1. Emma 2009

Emma has its winter scenes (yes, I am thinking about the adorable one where Mr Knightley teases Emma about her pickety etiquette ideas at the Christmas party) but the whole movie reminds me of sunlight and summer bonnets and dresses with little flowery prints and painting in the garden so BAM SPRING.

2. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

I'll admit, just because of the 'Spring Spring Spring' song. Ha. So original, right, Naomi? Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has quite a lot of snow scenes (*swings axe to the ground*) but you know, it ends with everyone singing about spring and it has those bright dresses and an outside dance so watch this to celebrate spring, okay? Good.

3. Heidi 1993

This movie screams SPRING IS HERE. I have so so many memories of this film. It was one of the only movies I saw as a young girl and aside from being unhealthily petrified of the grandfather and that midnight scene in Frankfurt where Heidi's sleepwalking, I loved it to death. The mountains and the Swiss summer frocks; the goats and the flowers and the birds... Spring heaven.

4. Pride and Prejudice 1995

Let's be real, I'd add this to any list of Period Dramas haha, but no really, this brilliant mini-series is filled with wood walks, pastel regency frocks, chilly weather + sunlight, and Bennet sisters picking flowers while talking about young men they either hate or love. Still the best film ever. I stand firm.

5. Bright Star

Terrible movie in my opinion (no really, I didn't even finish this. The costumes are nauseating and the characters complete weirdos and the couple isn't even cute together despite their extreme sappiness) but I've got to mention it because it's filled with bluebells and butterflies and spring being in the air. So thus the mention. But don't watch it. :-P

6. Cinderella 2015

This is spring in a fairy-tale. Beauty and the Beast is going to be wintery, but Cinderella was spring. The light colours, the horse-back scenes, the yellow curls, the flowers in the garden, the exciting midnight clock in the warm night... it's a springtime fairy-tale and I'll always love it.

7. Anne of Green Gables.

Think about the White way of Delight, the garden party where Anne and Diana saw Josie fall in the pond from their little boat, Anne putting pink flowers on her hat before Church, Gilbert coming to rescue when Anne was 'fishing for lake trout'... both the book and the movie have such spring vibes. I love how Anne loves spring and how she's so in love with the blossom tree in front of her window. Marilla is like, 'blossom fiddlesticks.'

You know, it's been too long since I talked about Period Dramas on this blog. I'm still quite as in love with them as I was when I started blogging, don't you worry. Mama and I are currently watching Season 6 of Call the Midwife and yes Tom and Barbara are engaged yes yes yes they're cute yes yep. Okay, I'll stop saying yes. But yes about Tom and Barbara. They're the CUTEST YES.

Happy spring, everyone.

Not that I'll have time to watch any of these movies or any of your recommendations, but for conversations sake and the to-watch lists' sake:

what are your favourite spring movies?

If Period Drama Characters had Internet Bios

(I had a LOT of fun writing this post, I hope you like it!) (Also, what say you of my new header?)

DOWNTON ABBEY

@LordGranthamofDowntonAbbey Times are changing. We must move with the times.

@Lady_Cora // American mom // Wife of my darling // Blue eyes // ESFJ // Downton is life //

@Mary_Crawley Don't pay attention to the things I say, unless it's about my inheritance

@Edith002 remember that u r good enough no matter what people say. #shakeitoff #hatersgonnahate

@SybilCrawley Woman's rights, nursing and being passionate about the world. Sign this petition!

@Matthew_Crawley I like cycling. Maybe one day I'll get used to cars.

@THE_DOWAGER_COUNTESS whereisthespacebutton?

@Isobel_thegreat I know where the space button is.

@the_Tom_Branson Irish. I'm a cool dude in a uniform. Let's run away together. #RIPtheTsar.

@Carsonthebutler Tradition is the key to stability. If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.

@Mrs_Hughes I'm the one holding the keys.

@CookingPatmore red hair and purple dress. i need to go and cook.

@John_Bates that controversial guy with a black coat and a cane. #FreeBates

@blondemaidAnna Hopelessly in love with @John_Bates // Do what you love and love what you do. // #FreeBates

@Gwen Future secretary    maybe

@Daisy_190 i cant decide about my bio so i guess this is it??

@BlackThomas #dontfreebates #smokingisgoodforyou #lifesucks

@Sarah_o_Brian Playing tricks on people is fun as long as it doesn't involve bars of soap. #smokingisgood

@William_Mason the piano, @Daisy_190, and the war.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

@MrBennet My wife forced me to be online.

@Mamma_Bennet i have 5 single daughters but the oldest is dating a man of large fortune!!!

@Jane_Bennet #blessed to be @CharlesBingley's girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I love anyone any less!

@Lizzy_Bennet Lover of walks, books and good friends. Dislike proud people.

@Marythereader Sesquipedalian //sɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən// a person who uses long words

@Kitty_Bennet Older than my younger sister.

@Lydiaprincess999LOL Denny is the hottest jk love u too Wickham LOL!!§è! Follow4follow?

@Fitzwilliam_Darcy I often sit in my library.

@CharlesBingley I love my life, parties, birds, London and @Jane_Bennet

@Caroline_B Intelligent modern woman & warning: I will stalk you.

@MrCollinsthejust Honoured to work for @LadytheBough i'm single and ready to mingle.

@Charlotte_Lucas 27 years old and still haven't paid my student loans.

@LadytheBough I am very particular about the way people address me and talk to me. Once I was horrified.

@Ann_theBough

@Georgiana_Darcy "Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." - Conficius

@Wickhamiscool Hey there. Once I was rich but something happened so now I rely on my looks. Follow4follow. 

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

@Elinor_Dashwood "There is nothing more uncommon than common sense" - Frank Lloyd Wright

@Mariannethepassionate2 Follow yr heart! Green hills, poetry, music + @Whilloughby_yeah make me burst with joy

@Margaretthecurly3 I'm actually to young for Instagram shhh don't tell Elinor.

@Mama_Dashwood i agree with marianne

@Edward_F Interested in books, Church and kind people. Facing consequences of past mistakes is inevitable.

@Whilloughby_yeah i believe in living the now, seizing the moment, marianne, and love.

@Colonel_Brandon Patience is a virtue; Music is happiness; Love is loyalty.

@JENNINGS_themrs Olives r life! Matchmaker since the crib! Comment if u have any ideas about mysterious Mr F!

@JohnMiddleton I TELL REALLY FUNNY JOKES.

@AdorableLucySteele Engaged to a Ferras! Life is good!

@I_am_Fanny Want nothing but the best for my son and husband. Norland is home.

@JohnDashwood I tried my best.

@Mr_Palmer Shut up.

@Charlotte_Palmer_hi Hi I'm Charlotte call me Lot i have a hilarious husband and i'm preggers and i hate rain and newspapers but not really ha! #lifeisgood #sometimesbad #mostlygood

The Official Guide: How to be a real fan.

Hello, dear people of the interwebs.

Have you just discovered your new favourite movie? Have you decided you really looove this and that film star? Say you just read The Book Thief and decide it's your favourite book EVER. Or say you just started to watch Downton Abbey and decide you are a FAN FOR LIFE. Or that you just discovered Carrie Underwood and decide that there is no other human being on earth with a better voice than her. Or than you very strongly believe no-one on earth is better than Jennifer Lawrence.... congratulations, you are a FAN!

Now... being a fan is a large, pressing responsibility. According to Google Dictionaries, a fan is (no, not the wind-blowing machine) "a person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular person or thing." This is what boring people define fans as. What dictionaries don't tell you is that there is a price to pay; and there are duties you must fulfill in order to be a real, true, loving fan. Being a fan takes time, money and a huge place in your heart. Not to mention energy. Now I realise that as an early-born fan, it will be hard for you to know where to start. Your heart is probably bursting with love for The Hunger Games, Taylor Swift or whatever you are fan-ing about; you probably have no idea how to do this!

Don't worry, not to worry, I am here to help you out. As a very experienced fan I am proud to announce:

The official guide to how to be a real fan.

Number one - BUY ALL THE THINGS.

Let's take an example. For instance, Downton Abbey. You discover it; maybe via a friend or via the peer pressure of society. Then you get hooked; as of course one would.

Now, the first duty you must take into practise as a fan is to own ALL the fan-material. In the case of Downton Abbey, this would be: Buy all the DVD's - aka, the entire box set. Then buy the 'official guide to Downton Abbey' by Julian Fellowes' daughter. Then that behind-the-scenes book with the gorgeous full-colour pictures; then the 'entire Downton Abbey scripts.' But we don't stop there; oh no. You still need the posters; the cushions, the bed-spread, and the Downton Abbey cookbook. And then find out if someone made Downton Abbey bookmarks or necklaces on Etsy and buy them too. Oh, and these tea-cups. DUHH.

What the haters do is they say it isn't worth all the money. We must do everything in our power to prove to those haters that that is not true. At all.

Oh, and DON'T FORGET T-SHIRTS.

Number Two - Go to places

So, your bedroom is all whatever-you're-obsessing-about-themed? You have four Tom Hiddleston-T-shirts? You have ALL the cd's in which Jeremy Jordan is featured? You own every single Hamilton keychain avaliable on Amazon, Etsy and Ebay? Great. Good job. Your fan points are rising.

However, in order to call yourself a real fan, I'm afraid you'll have to redig your purse. All in good cause, of course, because as a fan you should only be dying to go and visit allll the places. That museum - that exhibition - that movie location - that concert... as a fan you should be able to tell you friends, 'Oh yeah, I went to two Willis Clan concerts' or, 'Oh yeah, I've been inside Highclere Castle several times' or, 'I've been to all the seven Florence Nightingale museums in Britain.' (I have no idea if there are seven - just invented it for the sake of creativity.)

This one will make you a Very Important Sounding Fan. High fan scores.

Number Three - Watch ALL the videos

Whatever your fandom is, there are videos on Youtube to watch - there are ALWAYS videos to watch. Interviews, documentaries, trailers, behind the scenes-stuff, q&a's... watch all the videos.

A prime example in this situation is Newsies - the fun-loving, rythmic musical of newspapers boys going on a strike while singing ridiculously amazing songs and striking ridiculously impressive dance moves. There are loads of behind-the-scenes Newsies videos ("Hi, I'm Andrew Keenan-Bolger and I play Crutchie in Newsies" - tell me that rings a bell.) on Youtube and as a fansie it is thy honourable duty to WATCH THEM ALL. Your life is NOT complete if you haven't see them ALL.

(Also, one needs to get and understand allll the fandom's inside jokes, ammirite?)

Number four - Fan accounts

This is for when your fandom is so near and dear to your heart that you want to do something even more. It shows true sense of devotion and seriousness and people will truly see you as a real fan of whatever it is. Create a fan account: a fan blog / a fan tumblr / a fan instagram account... I mean, the list of possible fan accounts and websites and blogspots and webspots are endless.

The fact that you'll probably get sick of it and stop posting on it after a while has nothing to do with the matter. And of course you have TIME to run these accounts... time is love and you LOVE YOUR FANDOMS RIGHT?!!

(PROVE IT THEN. You NEED to PROVE your LOVE. In fan accounts. Now.)

Number five - Be creative

Examples are indicated in the following list:

a) Fan sketches. You like to doodle around and have fun with the pencil? Sketch your favourite actor! Or your favourite Anne of Green Gables character. Sketch Lizzie from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Show your love for these people and fandoms through the magic of sketch. (If you cannot sketch you can i) try or  ii) just don't do it because it might be terribly embarrassing.)

b) Fan hashtags. This is one you could start if you're on Instagram or Twitter - start a fan hashtag! Make it go trending. #elizabethanddarcyforthewin #elinorlovesedward #iamafansie #Hamiltonforthewin #DowntonAbbeyisthebest #WHYDIDMATTHEWDIE.

c) Fan videos. Here's how you make fan videos. In five short steps: i) Just take some clips of your favourite fandom couple. ii) Put it in slowmotion. iii) Use a cool filter to make it look unique. iiii) put a love pop song on the background. iiiii) Post it on Youtube and share it on Google+. EASY.

d) Create shipnames. Dr Turner + Sister Bernadette = Turnadette. Darcy + Lizzie = Dizzy. Emma Woodhouse + Mr Knightley = Knighthouse. All the couples need a shipname.

e) Make gifs. And scatter them all over the interwebs.

f) Fan pictures. They're all over pinterest. MAKE THEM yourSELF. We need MORE. (Easiest way to make it look like you're an excellent fan by creating cool, creative pictures? Put a filter over a picture and put a quote or an overused sentiment on it. In a nice font. Aaaand you're done.) Example:

(In all seriousness, this is a cute picture.)

Number Six - Pin all the Pins

On the subject of pictures and Pinterest... HAVE FANDOM BOARDS. Pin every single lil' pin there is to find on the Thing you Love. Make loooooaaaaads of separate boards. (Say you love Jane Austen? Make a Pride and Prejudice board. A Sense and Sensibility one. A Persuasion one. BE DEVOTED.)

Number Seven - DEFEND IT.

Discussions with the haters - these require sweat and energy and true strength, but as a real fan, this is one of the most important things you have to do. It is a duty and an absolute must - you HAVE to interfere and discuss and defend and rant whenever you hear someone (or see someone) say anything slightly offensive or negative about this and that movie/person/whatevs you love. Use A LOT OF CAPITAL LETTERS TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR POINT, use italics shamelessly, and Why not bold things up. Lines such as 'ur a hater!' and 'go away' and 'ur have NO idea what ur talking about' are great persuasive tools.

There are always occasions to do this - I mean, go to any Youtube fan video/ or trailer/ or documentary/ whatEVER and you'll see mean comments. If you don't, you'll see that there's at least one (probably like, 31, or, if it's a popular video, 49800000) dislikes - which gives you the sublime opportunity to comment: "The 31 people who disliked this do not have a heart." Or SOMETHING icy and defensive.

Basically, as a true fan, you must make other fans - you must tell people the TRUTH and tell it them right in their face - the hard way.

Obviously EVERYTHING in the fandom is PERFECT. Nothing in it is even remotely bad. Nothing your favourite celebrity does is even remotely bad... I mean, everyone makes mistakes sometimes but they are really PERFECT human beings. They are superhuman and amazing and well they are famous and popular and beautiful and that must mean they are perfect. DUH. I mean, the fact that they need defending proves that... um... right?!!


(*insert picture of Big Head Kid and Famous Person to see how many people watch Blimey Cow*)

Number Eight: Identify yourself as a 'fandom name.'

The fandom name. Ahh, they are badges we wear with honour and gratitude and pride. Haniacs (Hunter Hayes Fans), Austenites (Jane Austen fans), Cowmoonity (Blimey Cow fans), Swifties (Taylor Swift fans), Cumberbabes (Benedict Cumberbatch fans.)... the list of titles in the world of fandoms is endless. Be proud and stand tall and wear the fandom name with grace, dear people. Maybe you can wear a T-shirt with the word on... maybe you can hashtag #iamahiddlestoner (if you're a Tom Hiddleston fan) on every single Instagram post. I mean, it's part of your IDENTITY guys. Show it.

I mean... because you need to have a NAME to PROVE that you're a fan, right? To prove that you're part of the family... the fan-family, right? If you don't have that it's like you are ashamed of it and it's like you don't want to be a fan.

Fandom names is also what brings the fans together. Vital. Mary and Lavinia were both Matthewites, and it created a very unique bond between the two of them.

Number nine: Know facts/lyrics by heart.

... DUH.

I should have mentioned this earlier, but... duh. I mean... DUH.

It is EXPECTED of you that you know allll the Hamilton songs word to WORD before you are worthy of the title 'real fan.' You should know all the background information... all the facts... all the lyrics... all the quotes... I mean DUH.

DUH.

Number ten: Tell people you are the BIGGEST fan.

Now you can actually TELL people you're the biggest fan. The fact that you can't in reality really weigh love or obsessions has nothing to do with it - if you feel like the number one fan, that means you ARE the number one fan. You can tell people stuff like: "Oh my gosh! I'm like, her number ONE fan...' and then you can talk about all the stuff you have to prove it. Because obviously, as a real fan, you have a lot of backing up to prove that this fact is true.

If it is an actor or a person you are a huge fan of, you can actually interact (or attempt to) with whoever it is - you can comment stuff like:

"I AM UR NO 1 BIGGEST FAN"
"I LOVE U SO MUCH CHECK MY ACCOUNT PLZ"
"You are my fave I'm like your biggest fan srously I've got all your books."
"i drew u!!! i love you!!! i'm yr BIGGEST fan!!!"
"like if ur a swiftie"
"Like this comment if you are a REAL fan."
"OMG I AM HIS NUMBER ONE FAN."

This will really warm the heart of whoever you are talking too. They will feel enormously flattered.

Now you have it... you know now the road to becoming a real fan. Good luck guys. ;-)

{Okay... for those of you who are confused: This post is STRONGLY emulated with little bits of dry irony and sarcasm. Obviously no-one should be this besotted about anything on this world. That would be rather stupid of you.} (Because um, you can be a fan of something without social media and T-shirts and dvd collections and concert tickets to prove it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.)

Ugly Period Drama Dresses

My reaction to most of these:

Yes, there are some ugly Period Drama dresses, despite the fact that I seem to insist that 'every dress in this movie is AMAZING', and that, 'Gah I love her wardrobe.' I thought it would be fun to devote an entire post towards the bashing of those ugly dresses that either didn't flatter the character, looked completely comical rather than completely smashing, or just were downright ugly. Let's start - this ought to be fun. :-)

"What an ugly bonnet, Lydia. What possessed you to buy it?"

UGHHH, Cora's wardrobe isn't bad in general, but this dress is extremely unflattering, in my opinion. It highlights her figure in all the bad ways and the colours clash in all the bad ways as well. And then the gold? With the red? I don't like it. (Seriously, O'Brien is the better dressed one in this picture. When in doubt, stick to black - that's solid fashion advice.)

Suit yourself Anne, suit yourself, but I haven't the foggiest idea what you're so enraptured about. In the book, where you got an adorable double-puffed brown gloria dress, I can imagine it - fully imagine it. But in the Period Drama??? With the oversized collar, the Henry-the-Eighth-sleeves, and the unflattering milky blue - you look quite bad. (Please don't smash me over the head with th-- )

Ha. Ha. We alllll know what a fan I am of P&P05, right? (Sarcasm.) One of the reasons why I hate it is Caroline Bingley's Netherfield Ball "GOWN." I like to say that she forgot to put on her dress and that she's dancing around in her underwear because THAT IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. Look - spaghetti straps. She's got spaghetti straps. (I'm going. Bye. Bye guys.)

Yes, this is probably the prettiest dress in this post, but it isn't pretty. Edith's wardrobe in the later series is AMAZINGNESS (Edith looks stellar in 20's clothes), but some of her outfits - mainly this one - have disappointed me. It looks especially vile when she actually stands up in it and walks. It's like someone added some sickly orange old drapes over a clashing blue blouse. I'm not loving it.

Molly, I love you, I love you --- buuuut really? You in a watermelon-sleeved dress and slithery, slinky feathers in your hair? Stick to adorable attires, they flatter you so much more. Yes, you look elegant, but you also look a bit ridiculous. The sleeves. I mean - I know - it's the fashion. Buuuut - it's ugly.

I know these dresses are made to look the sisters ridiculous, but I couldn't not mention one of their absurd matching ensembles in this post! Their clothes are actually hilarious - always over-the-top, always matching, always interesting, always ridiculous. They do prove with their outfits that they're good at sewing though, which is the point, because they own a dress-shop.

HAHAHA. LET US ALL LAUGH. Seriously, Bright Star made me rather queasy because of the moany main character, the odd mushy romance and... YUCK THE COSTUMES. The girl (Abbie, I think?) is supposed to be a seamstress with a sense of creativity, but I think she's a seamstress with a sense of clownish-creation-ridiculous-laughing-stock-creativity. (Or whatever.) Basically, I think her entire wardrobe is dreadful. I mean... just LOOK AT THE COLLAR. (And look at this vile dress.) (AND THIS ONE.) (And this hat!) (I know, ewww.)

And last and probably also least - we have Scarlett's red 'dress.' With tule around the elbows, ostrich feathers tumbling dramatically from the shoulders and a Marylin Monroe-dress bodice. Yes. Haha. You'd find someone wearing this after the Civil War, wouldn't you? ;-P I LOVE most of Scarlett's dresses, even the ones that aren't historically accurate, but OH THIS ONE. It's dreadful! I do not like it, not one little bit. :-P

Why I often like flirty(ish) characters in movies.

This is going to be a hard post to write, because no, I don't approve of flirting. Well, if there's a mutual serious love, then flirting is fine. And one can show signs of affection by mildly-flirting-define-flirting, I think, to a certain extent. But to bat your eyelids at strangers and all that jazz - I see it as shallow and unladylike behaviour. So bear that in mind - I'm not telling you that I approve 150% of what Lydia Bennet and those girls do. No sir.

However, there is a quality in those girls that I very much admire.

Their smiles. Their cheerfulness. The way they make other people smile. The way they make fun of themselves.

That I admire a lot. They're so happy - and genuinely so. Of course, between you and me, they are often happy for a ridiculous reason (Lydia: "Oh look, there's Denny. HAHAHA.") but they smile a lot, they make the best of situations, and they find hilarity in ridiculous things, which I just plain LOVE. Of course, there are times in which one ought to be serious, but there are sooo many time when one should just laugh and dust things over with a cheery spirit - and those 'flirty' girls in movies often possess that quality. And I like that. I love watching it. (Which is why I enjoy watching Lydia Bennet a lot + Julia Sawalha is amazing.)

Also, they easily make fun of themSELVES. Which boyyy, more people should do. Sometimes one should just laugh at themselves; because we're all such hilarious things, if you think about it. We're bits of skeleton and bits of skin and we all stand and talk and sleep and put things in our mouth??? I mean, that's hilarious. Laugh at that.

Of course, as I said before, there are times to be serious, and to take each other seriously. Like, if your friend comes to you with tears in her eyes and a heavy heart, you shouldn't go, 'HA HA, funny, water droplets coming out of eyes.' I mean, that's plain mean. But there are so many times in our lives when we could make situations so less awkward, or so less boringly serious if we just didn't take ourselves so terribly serious the whole time. (I suddenly realise I'm basically quoting this Mind the Gap episode.)

I like that. Lydia Bennet doesn't take herself seriously ENOUGH (duh, at all) but I do admire her personality to a certain extent. Cynthia Kirkpatrick is a spoilt girl with ridiculous hairstyles, but she doesn't take herself too seriously the whole time ("You know enough of me to know me capable of that!") and I like it. Rose from Downton Abbey is pretty boy-crazy (which is annoying) but she's so happy and cheerful that the whole room laughs with her (well, not always, but you know what I'm trying to say here.) And that, dear people, is an admirable quality to possess.

And Trixie from Call the Midwife - she's flirty ("... how do you know I'm not dazzled by your gaze?") and she's always talking about boys (just... stop) - but I really really love her. She's so happy and colourful, and she has such a warm, warm heart. I love Trixie. (Also, her FASHION sense is just ridiculously gorgeous.)

So lets be cheerful and interesting and lets not take ourselves too seriously the whole time. But lets also keep that sensible-ness and take ourselves serious enough to make good decisions. :-P Basically what I'm trying to say with this post: I often like the flirty-ish characters in movies, and here's why. Explained. The end.

Here's a poem I wrote at the age of 12 on the story of Pride and Prejudice.

I am not a poem person. I think it's pretty and I love the flowery whimsical-ness now and then, but to sit down and read it and enjoy it? No. Unless it's Dr Suess-type-poetry, which isn't really poetry, it's just rhymes and rhythms, but I could read Dr Suess books all day. Anyway, in honour of Hamlette's poetry month celebration, here's a comical kind of ditty I wrote on the story of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, when I was about twelve and my infatuation for the story was blossoming in its early blossoms.

 

____________________________________________________________

There are many books,

About people who are rich and have nice looks,

Pride and Prejudice is one of them,

with only one or two crooks

Lizzie meets Mr Darcy in a ball,

Looking very sad but tall,

He says he never takes a dance,

He stands silent, never listening to a call

Mrs Bennet loves Mr Bingley, a man she meets,

She lets Mary quote him a story by Keats,

But Mr Bingley is not interested,

He only likes Jane's French pleats!

Then Mr Collins comes, a man, very rare,

He is the house's next heir,

Mrs Bennet wants her house forever and says,

"Lizzie, I insist you on marrying him, there!"

Lizzie says no, and Mrs Bennet is upset,

Collins goes away and marries another lady he met.

"Oh Mr Collins!" cries Mrs Bennet,

"Lizzie would be better, that's what I bet!"

Then the youngest, Lydia, very very wild,

She goes away with Wickham, but she's only a child!

Wickham is a bad thief,

Who's not at all mild.

In the meantime, Darcy loves Lizzie, and she back,

Together those two have nothing they lack,

Jane marries Bingley, and Darcy marries Lizzie,

Together they have a lot of love- a whole stack!

____________________________________________________________

"A whole stack. " HA. Ha.

(I know. Absolutely and absurdly ridiculous (and I remember laughing while writing it as a 12-or-something-year-old) but I thought it might provide some shallow entertainment for some of you. You're welcome, and have a good day even if 99% of it is schoolwork, as it is in my case.)

For the P&P05 lovers.

As you all know by now, Pride and Prejudice 2005 is not my favourite movie. In fact, it drives me crazy and it makes me weep and it makes me want to rip some of my hair out. (Wow, talk about dramatic post openers, guys.) I call it Pride and Pyjamas, I bash it, I once wrote a long negative post about it and I know not what. I have learnt that there are many who share my opinion. We will talk about it together in the comments, basking in delicious, malicious mutual dislike. We will laugh about the hairstyles, gossip about The Swing Scene and snort about the pig in the house. And well... not going to lie, I enjoy those conversations.

But there are also those who love P&P05. And yesterday, when I was replying to all the lovely comments on my last post, 6 Period Drama's I do not like, I suddenly realised, 'Wow. Those poor P&P05 lovers. These endless people who bash one of their favourite movies must really kind of hurt their feelings.' I imagined me being in their situation - me reading so many blogs laugh at my favourite movie, and say that it isn't Jane Austen. I don't quickly get upset about stuff like that, but I can really imagine this overload of P&P05-haters being very Tiring for P&P05-lovers.

Well, let me say something I Think. People's brains work very differently. There are many people who love P&P05, and there are many people who hate it. And the people who hate can be a bit harsh, and I try my hardest not to. See, I think it's fine to bash a movie - but when it goes to an extent that the movie-bashers bash the lovers-of-the-movie TOO, then I think it goes too far. I apologise if I ever wrote something like, 'If you like P&P05, you're not a true Janeite.' Or if I wrote, 'If you think P&P05 is a true adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, you're stupid.' I really apologise, because that's just mean.

I  don't see P&P05 as a true adaptation of Pride and Prejudice - I don't see it as Jane-Austen-like. But that doesn't mean that the same goes for other people. People interpret stories and characters differently; that's just the wonderful thing about this world of ours. The colourful diversity of everyone's brains ranges from A to Z, from 1 to a 100. We are all different; our brains all churn and dazzle differently. Some easily overlook historical accuracies, others weep at the mere thought of a regency lady in a Georgian corset and wind-blown hair. Personally, I can't fully understand how some people can love P&P05 so much, but that doesn't mean I have to tell them that they can't, ha. 

So, my dear P&P05 lovers, this post is for you. Keep on loving that Keira Knightley version - keep on falling in love with Matthew Macfayden's Mr Darcy - you can have him. :-P Stick together, you guys, and brush off zee unpleasant comments. I hate P&P05, but I definitely do not hate you guys. Let's do a group hug.

As for my fellow P&P95 lovers - WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. :-P Let's wink and bash the movie together. It's fun.

6 Period Dramas I did not like.

First, a random gif of my darling Amy Dorrit, then the post.

You all know. I adore Period Dramas. You don't need to read any of my posts to know this; you just need to use your eyeballs and look at my header and the pictures/tags in my sidebar. Period-Drama-filled. I am unashamed - I LOVE Period Dramas. (My favourites being Pride and Prejudice 1995, Emma 2009, Downton Abbey, Lark Rise to Candleford, and Testament of Youth, and Little Dorrit, and...)

But there are some that were a disappointment to me. They made me sleep, or weep, or groan in dismay. You might be a fan of these, so yes, I am prepared for fierce-and-angry-comments. Here they are, people; Period Dramas I Did Not Like. (I don't necessarily hate them. I just didn't like them.) (And they are in no particular order, although there are some in this list that annoy me a lot more than others.)

1. Persuasion 2007

Ew. When I watched this, I kind of CRINGED a lot. Everything was just a bit cinge-worthy to me, and I feel very un-Jane-Austen-like to say this in Front Of Everyone, but I didn't like it. I didn't like Anne, to start with - not because she was 'old' or 'quiet', but because she had greasy hair, a creepy smile, and she looked straight AT THE CAMERA and it ANNOYED ME SO MUCH. (Hush, Naomi. Calm down.)

Also... Captain Wentworth. (Pssst. I don't think he's that handsome.)

2. Under the Greenwood Tree

Under the Greenwood Tree was okay - I just about liked it. (It's probably my favourite on this list, too.) But it definitely doesn't rank high on my list of Period Dramas. Heh. Heh. The main thing that annoyed me was Dick Dewy. :-P First of all, he wasn't handsome. (IN MY OPINION.) Secondly, the way he fell in love with Fancy Day was just so ridiculous it makes me want to weep for humanity. Thirdly, the way he invites Fancy to the 'Par-y' by simply SAYING 'Par-y' in front of her face twice makes me criiiinge. (The pastor also annoyed me so so much. And so did the old man with the big sideburns. Just everyone.)

Basically, I didn't really mind watching this movie because we had a lot of fun watching it and laughing at about just about every character.

3. Our Mutual Friend

Okay, so adding this one to the list is KIIIND of unfair, because I only watched one episode and that's it. (Emma says that if I had watched it all, I would have ended up loving it. :-P)

Buuuut, I didn't, and therefore I did not like it at all. It was CREEPY  (I mean... finding dead bodies in a lake??? Thank you for making nice tv-series, BBC.) and all the characters were CREEPY (like, yeah, keeping sculls in a house is normal???) and just... BLEH. I didn't like it. (I do want to give this another go, though. One day.)

4. Pride and Prejudice 2005

BLEHHH. This movie drives me cruuu-ayyy-zee. Click here for zee long, numerous reasons. MWUHAHA. (It's a very long post. And very hefty. Just warning.)

5. Les Miserables

I'm sorry to say that I didn't even finish this one. :-/ I have learnt to love the music and the characters now - and I have learnt to really love the stage musical - But the movie version?! NOPE. Nopeditynope. It was too miserable and gritty and spooky and sad and scary and poor-people-y.

(The music is nice though, and I would like to give this movie another go one day. But in the meanwhile I'll rewatch the dvd's of Emma's Les Mis performance whenever I'm in a Les Mis mood.)

6. The Mill on the Floss

When people ask me, "What is your least favourite Period Drama?" - I usually say, 'Ew, Mill on the Floss - it's awwwwful." And it is awful. :-P All the characters are either really mean or really melancholy, and although I liked the main character in some parts, she disappointed me hugely. Basically, she falls in love with a tolerably nice dude and then SUDDENLY OUT OF THE BLUE kisses someone else.

Like... UM. OKAY. (How did this story get published again?)

But that's not all, because after zee kiss and zee other-man-business, the main character's annoying brother (who I hate) comes along and they both DROWN. AND THAT'S IT. LIKE REALLY. UGHHHHHHHH. BLEHHH.

(Never watch this.)

Okay, ha. I hope you enjoyed this highly negative post. I'm sorry if I offended you, or bashed your very favourite movie once again - please don't take anything personally, and please tell me whether or not you agree with my controversial sentiments. And have a very good day. :-) Keep on smiling and don't watch bad movies. :-)

What are some Period Dramas you didn't like?

What gets said during P&P95

We finished re-watching my beloved Pride and Prejudice (I LOVE IT OKAY IT'S SO SO GOOD), and this time I decided to note down, for you all to see, some of the comical commentary coming from the couch. (Wow, good use of alliteration there, Naomi. Not bad.) (Unfortunately more is said than just the things mentioned in this post - but here are just some of the stuff I can remember from memory.)

Screencaps from this place here.

"They're ruining the crops!"
"Mr Darcy is winning."
"So mean, they're ruining the crops." (Yes, that got said twice. Strong opinions here.)
"So typical that Mr Bingley has the white one and Mr Darcy has the dark one."

"They're a lot of horses in this movie."
"Lizzy really likes horses."
"If I were her, I would stroke them! She just walks past!"
"Yes, she doesn't think they're special."

"Napoleon."
"Why are they wearing Napoleon hats?"
"Mr Bingley wears his hat differently than Mr Darcy."
(My family is really fashionable. A lot of serious fashion critique going on here.)

"This is my favourite scene." (What?!)

(In this scene, the footman tells Lizzy that Mr Bingley is in the drawing room.)
"How does he know that Lizzy wants to see Mr Bingley?"
"Because he's the only nice one."
"Oh yes. He just tells her where the nice one is."
"Maybe his name is Pigeon, too." (If you've seen Sense and Sensibility 95, you should get that.)

"In love."
"Oh LOOK, look. It's the dog."
"The dog Lizzy played with in the garden!"

"What on earth IS so funny about Denny?"
"They really AREN'T poor. Look at all the food!"

"What's so funny about throwing loop rings in a stick?"
"Why are they LAUGHING about that?"
"What a babyish game."

"LADY CATHERINE CAN WALK?!!"
"Wow, she's walking!"
"She's actually quite young."
"SHE'S USING HER FEET."

"He's cycling."

"What's so special about dining nine times at Rosings?"
"Yes, I wouldn't even want to go there. So boring."
"She thinks that's special. NINE times."
"So NOT special."
(We emphasize things in our household. I know.)

"He has three dogs."
"No, two."
"No, I think there were three first."
"No really, come on, there are two."
"Why does he need a candle? It's not THAT dark?"
(I was like, Be QUIET I want to enjoy Darcy being in love and dreamy and cute.)

"She sounds like a chicken."

"Hill is scared."
"Lady Catherine de Bough looks like the child-catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."
"Yes, she DOES!"

"OH MY GOODNESS. I CAN SEE HIS TEETH."
"He's smiling?!!"
"He's actually smiling WITH HIS TEETH."
"Oh no, now there's the kiss. I'm going." (I did not say this. I said practically none of these things.)
(I love how Mr Bennet is looking at Mr Darcy's big smile in this picture. He can't believe it.)

There you go - that was some of the comical commentary coming from our couch.