tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111019502024-03-13T14:32:37.278+00:00Michelle Styles:Warm, Witty and Intimate Historical Romance.<br>
The blog of a Harlequin Mills and Boon Historical Romance Author based in the North East of England -- her ups, downs and in betweens as she juggles life with her fiction.Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.comBlogger1712125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-24600525859636079802024-01-08T12:00:00.002+00:002024-01-08T12:00:33.437+00:00My latest<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF_lp95Ui7z2pBzNwvTsDAtNtI5SIiPhiYQQhPqkJ_Jh_wIYRfpUAUQR6QbaGXiJMrHtFtnL3Nhc6gVXsiGGvScK4HtdS4_cKGKvxH5boaU7boB-HPJMsy_H4N6udrKFKimEB_ymnTWlvJuz4wgsHLia7D2vCtIOSjhp-qTyLZPmpl4aNc3Oh/s1080/M&B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF_lp95Ui7z2pBzNwvTsDAtNtI5SIiPhiYQQhPqkJ_Jh_wIYRfpUAUQR6QbaGXiJMrHtFtnL3Nhc6gVXsiGGvScK4HtdS4_cKGKvxH5boaU7boB-HPJMsy_H4N6udrKFKimEB_ymnTWlvJuz4wgsHLia7D2vCtIOSjhp-qTyLZPmpl4aNc3Oh/s320/M&B.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-15903954949469302292020-10-23T11:37:00.002+01:002020-10-23T11:50:31.894+01:00Cover reveal <p> My latest cover (out March 2021:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6LOCgmk4yo/X5KyNgDunKI/AAAAAAAAGKs/cB5eLT7BCBsJfKeGEyd1ECd4s-wQxjwLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9780263283846.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1277" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6LOCgmk4yo/X5KyNgDunKI/AAAAAAAAGKs/cB5eLT7BCBsJfKeGEyd1ECd4s-wQxjwLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9780263283846.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>Back cover copy: <strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A wounded Viking warrior</strong></p><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></strong><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><em>Must keep his enemies close…<br /><br /></em></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Left for dead by a mysterious attacker, Viking warlord Kal Randrson comes around with a deep head wound and a hazy memory, yet he instantly recognizes his rescuer—captivating Lady Cynehild, whose life he turned upside down years before. Although she’s his enemy, they agree to a fake betrothal to expose his attacker. But is the capable, intriguing Cynehild’s mission to help him, or has she another intention entirely?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.<br /><br />Vows and Vikings<br /><br /></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Book 1: </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A Deal with Her Rebel Viking</em><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Book 2: </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Betrothed to the Enemy Viking</em><p>You can do an online jigsaw of the cover <a href="https://jigex.com/ZL6z">here.</a> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-78423887928364644062020-07-12T11:43:00.000+01:002020-07-12T12:14:37.982+01:00The Sons of Sigurd series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0NGu6V2ZLuc/XwrnpmHznxI/AAAAAAAAGIM/U3BfQDn_tTgmwDTSwMxjPMShcZUVYedYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/shareable%2Bx4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0NGu6V2ZLuc/XwrnpmHznxI/AAAAAAAAGIM/U3BfQDn_tTgmwDTSwMxjPMShcZUVYedYACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/shareable%2Bx4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can find them on A<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085GD7LP3?ref_=series_rw_dp_labf&fbclid=IwAR2B8fUpTNfZCFRntIVhrOQO1VESZZT0nzRjMCoNdGTPavm_DmgrN87irkA" target="_blank">mazon</a> etc</div>
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And this is a jigsaw of the above in case you can something to do:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/online-jigsaw-puzzle-player.html?frm=1&url=aHR0cHM6Ly8yLmJwLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8tME5HdTZWMlpMdWMvWHdybnBtSHpueEkvQUFBQUFBQUFHSU0vVTNCZlFEbl90VGdtd0RUU3dNeGpQTVNoY1pVVlllZFlBQ0xjQkdBc1lIUS9zMzIwL3NoYXJlYWJsZSUyQng0LmpwZw~~&cred=U29ucyBvZiBTaWd1cmQgSGFybGVxdWluIEVudGVycHJpc2VzIDIwMjA~&nop=30&color=teal" style="border-color: #888; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px; height: 600px; max-height: 90vh; width: 100%;" title="Jigsaw Puzzle">Jigsaw Puzzle</iframe>
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Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-19989237175501205192020-06-27T07:06:00.002+01:002020-06-27T07:06:43.723+01:00Conveniently Wed to the Viking is published and so I've created a jigsaw puzzle of the front cover.<br />
<br />
<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 600px; max-height: 90vh; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px; border-color: #888" allowFullScreen="true" src="https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/online-jigsaw-puzzle-player.html?frm=1&url=aHR0cHM6Ly9pLmhhcnBlcmFwcHMuY29tL2hxbmEvY292ZXJzLzk3ODEzMzU1MDU1OTAveTQwNC5qcGc~&cred=Q29udmVuaWVudGx5IFdlZCB0byB0aGUgVmlraW5nIDIwMjAgSGFybGVxdWlu&nop=20" title="Jigsaw Puzzle">Jigsaw Puzzle</iframe>Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-48398500393404900342019-11-20T10:24:00.000+00:002019-11-20T10:24:06.330+00:00A Deal with Her Rebel Viking is publishedMy latest Harlequin Historical, A Deal with Her Rebel Viking has been published!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7xuokik6B4/XdUTPpFj4zI/AAAAAAAAF_4/b9cR0JVZYgkAnK4ODC5It4nEbaC3UJbrACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9781474089623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="998" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7xuokik6B4/XdUTPpFj4zI/AAAAAAAAF_4/b9cR0JVZYgkAnK4ODC5It4nEbaC3UJbrACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/9781474089623.JPG" width="248" /></a></div>
<strong style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: inherit;">Her terms: free her family</strong><br style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;">His terms: seduction?</span><br style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;">Defending her home, Lady Ansithe captures outlaw Viking Moir Mimirson. The prisoner will be the ideal ransom for her father, who’s being held hostage by the Danes. Yet Moir’s flirtatious negotiations exhilarate practical Ansithe as much as they surprise her… Can she be sure that this hardened warrior will work with her and not betray her? And what of his stolen kisses—can she trust those?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;">It is the first book in a planned trilogy (I am hard at work on the second book) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: Poppins, Arial; font-size: 16px;">You can read <a href="https://aerbook.com/books/A_Deal_with_Her_Rebel_Viking-230281.html?identifier=9781488047695" target="_blank">the start of the book for free here.</a></span><br />
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In other news: my part of the exciting Sons of Sigurd saga coming to Harlequin Historical in 2020 has been accepted.<br />
Conveniently Wed to the Viking will be released in July 2020.<br />
This is my unofficial blurb:<br />
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Scotland,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>876 AD<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A resourceful lady<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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To escape her stepmother’s murderous marriage plot, Ceanna
of Dun Olliagh believes she must enter her aunt’s convent with a pretend
vocation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A warrior dedicated to revenge<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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After the raid on his family’s home in Norway, Sandulf
Sigurdson<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lives only to fulfil the quest
his eldest brother gave him — find the assassins who killed his brother’s wife.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A dangerous liaison<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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When her guide goes missing, Ceanna obtains the services of
the mysterious Viking warrior. Confronted with the determined Pictish lady,
Sandulf’s heart is touched. While Sandulf is willing to offer her his name and
a place in his bed, will he be able to keep her safe from the trained killers
who now threaten them both? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Conveniently Wed to the Viking is the third book in the
exciting Sons of Sigurd saga which is coming to Harlequin Historical in 2020. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-91910710585081248062019-08-21T14:52:00.001+01:002019-08-21T14:52:27.617+01:00A blast from the past: A Noble Captive reviewed<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgmMYBkLY1g/SHI6y1E89CI/AAAAAAAAASY/MsZJA8O40aIjQk_n4QNSF6wzeZbl5eeTgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/A%2BNoble%2BCaptive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgmMYBkLY1g/SHI6y1E89CI/AAAAAAAAASY/MsZJA8O40aIjQk_n4QNSF6wzeZbl5eeTgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/A%2BNoble%2BCaptive.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The UK cover for A Noble Captive which<br />I prefer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is often very surreal for me that I have had books in print since 2005 or basically 14 years.<br />
One of the great things about writing Historical Romance is that sometimes the books last a little longer and don't become as dated.<br />
Basically how I approached a story in 2005 is not necessarily how I would approach a story these days. The themes which interest me are different.<br />
So when Lynn Spencer tagged me that she had read A Noble Captive and reviewed it for her T<a href="https://allaboutromance.com/august-tbr-challenge-random-pick/" target="_blank">BR challenge, random dip for the All About Romance site</a>. I read the review with some trepidation. ANC was my 2nd book for HH and it was a Roman set one.<br />
It came out in January 2007 in the UK but wasn't released in the US until 2010.<br />
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I remember lots about writing it and getting my revisions. I had just had my first cataract removed 20 Dec 2005. It was bought 14 Feb 2006 and I had my 2nd contract -- I wasn't a one book wonder!<br />
I was pleased Lynn got some of the subtleties. She did miss the fact that it takes place on a island a few miles north of Crete and not on Crete itself. It was a far smaller made-up island. A minor quibble.<br />
I was pleased that it still worked for her.<br />
She said <span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">If you love historical fiction but sometimes find yourself wary to take a chance on a book that might not have an HEA, this novel may be right up your alley. The romance is very much central to the novel’s plot, but the backstory is so well-developed and rich with detail that I think it will appeal to readers of historical fiction as much as readers of romance.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: 700;"> </span><br />
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I should point out that ANC does have a HEA. It is a Harlequin Historical after all.<br />
And it is lovely to see a review after all this time.Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-41090501665295645442019-08-15T08:01:00.000+01:002019-08-15T08:52:42.035+01:00A Deal with Her Rebel Viking cover reveal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-12bJzFKo7Go/XVUCQSbg-BI/AAAAAAAAF-M/OWp5NsoZySwsW7uqg9LHZKRgAxCfCDXlwCLcBGAs/s1600/9781335635549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-12bJzFKo7Go/XVUCQSbg-BI/AAAAAAAAF-M/OWp5NsoZySwsW7uqg9LHZKRgAxCfCDXlwCLcBGAs/s640/9781335635549.jpg" width="403" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Her terms: free her family</strong><br />
<em>His terms: seduction?</em></div>
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Defending her home, Lady Ansithe captures outlaw Viking Moir Mimirson. The prisoner will be the ideal ransom for her father, held hostage by the Danes. Yet Moir’s flirtatious negotiations exhilarate practical Ansithe as much as they surprise her… Can she be sure that this hardened warrior will work with her, and not betray her? And what of his stolen kisses…can she trust those?<br />
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Buy info: </div>
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<a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335635549_a-deal-with-her-rebel-viking.html">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335635549_a-deal-with-her-rebel-viking.html</a></div>
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NB The cover model's name is Carson and he is repped by Sutherland Modelling agency so I can tell you that he is 6' 2", blonde and blued eyed with a 31" inch waist. </div>
Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-41631819557870870432019-06-30T10:01:00.003+01:002019-07-02T14:13:59.313+01:00Diversity and High Society in the Regency Period<br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">One of the projects I have had over the last year
was to investigate minorities in the Regency period. It came about because I
was doing my Life in the UK test and read about the man who started up the
first Indian restaurant and who really </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">popularized</span></span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> the taking of waters in Bath
as well as the concept of shampooing (Indian head massage) – Sake Dean Mahomet.
In June 2018, I went to the Black Salt exhibit in Liverpool and discovered Captain Jack
Perkins. There wasn’t much on him at the exhibit as he didn’t fit the narrative
of the exhibit but I became intrigued. He was the first black Naval officer and
was one of the most prize-winning Naval captains during the American
Revolution (therefore of all time). British Naval captains were members of the First Estate and not
members of the working class.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then
discovered Nathaniel Wells who was High Sheriff in Wales in 1818. His first
wife was the daughter of George III’s chaplain and his 2<sup>nd</sup> related
to William Wilberforce’s wife. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was
also Cesar Picton who rose from boy-slave to millionaire coal merchant in Kingston
upon Hull. And of course there was Gustav Vassa who made one fortune in
shipping after buying his freedom as a slave and another as a best selling
author during the Georgian period. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Today I discovered someone else -- a woman. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><i>The Sunday Times</i> are reporting that the new series
of <i>Poldark</i> will carry a strand about the real life adventures of American Revolutionary war hero and British officer Edward (Ned)
Despard and his wife Catherine who had once been his servant. Apparently it was a real love match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">On his return to London, he and his wife for a time cut a swathe through
Regency high society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">So far, so ordinary, so Regency romance.</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">So far, so Poldark -- although Graham's son denies his father knew anything about Despard and his servant wife.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"> Despard however had married
his servant Catherine (Kitty) in what became Belize. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">He was an early campaigner for civil rights of the
freed slaves and was removed from being the Superintendent of the colony
(basically the governor) . Kitty was supposed to be Jamaican (although some
people preferred to call her Spanish Creole).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Despard was a friend of Nelson's but it was Kitty
who prevailed on him to intervene on Despard's behalf during the trial. Despard was hanged in 1803 for his part in the so-called Despard plot. She
also became an activist for prison reform. They had a son James -- no idea what
happened to him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I suspect some viewing the new season of Poldark will say that the BBC are being politically correct to make Kitty a black woman. <massive eye="" roll=""></massive></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">My point is that the notion that somehow black
people (and other minorities) in British society during the Regency period was
all of low class who did not mix with high society is a canard which is often
peddled in Romancelandia as an excuse for not including diverse characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often they
are hiding in plain sight, overlooked because they don't fit the historical
narrative or social construct on many levels. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short more
black men dined with the Prince of Wales than Wellington ever rose from the
ranks to become officers. This is not to say that there wasn’t huge
discrimination. The fact they continued to be overlooked points to that. To do your research, you
must be aware of how people were presented and how things were brushed under
the carpet. A painter visiting Wells for the first time expressed surprise at
his countenance and that he was as dark as any West Indian but of course, he obvious wasn't (Wells was the son of a slave). It puts another interpretation on Mr Rochester's first wife and brother-in-law btw. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">NB I haven’t mentioned the French and what was
going on there – suffice to say, there is much to excite any historical romance
writer who is interested in getting more diversity into their work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">It is time Romancelandia started reflecting what
was actually happening during the Regency period, instead adhering to an Edwardian
view of the period which Heyer developed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The late Victorian and Edwardian periods were
notoriously xenophobic and people’s family history was bleached. But they are there, hiding in plain sight. It is about time they were restored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-6671019454942849762019-06-11T19:37:00.000+01:002019-06-11T19:37:18.924+01:00The Ghost Wood<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mbBEkGmaL2M/XP_vrVChnzI/AAAAAAAAF6Q/KZGC5yjJ1rsm8jJhWR8tFS4xi88KRQIbACLcBGAs/s1600/20190610_102746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mbBEkGmaL2M/XP_vrVChnzI/AAAAAAAAF6Q/KZGC5yjJ1rsm8jJhWR8tFS4xi88KRQIbACLcBGAs/s320/20190610_102746.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the dene from under the very large ash in the<br />farmer's field to the south of the property.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
How old is the dene and what were its possible prior uses?<br />
In order to discover, I have turned detective.
The first bit was to do a brief survey of the trees in the dene – starting at
the kissing gate to the footpath and moving upwards towards my section. Below
the kissing gate is farm land, mostly run to sheep or occasionally cows. There
are some remnants of trees by the stream but I decided it would not offer any
real clues. The ash tree is huge there and must have stood the test of time, rough guess it has about 400 inch girth or so and at one point was heavily coppiced but hasn't been for a long time.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9M-ElrRPErY/XP_v_4D-ShI/AAAAAAAAF6g/zyVl_4ggVPQTpPfXip0dz9GyqZYtjuUUACLcBGAs/s1600/20190610_102520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9M-ElrRPErY/XP_v_4D-ShI/AAAAAAAAF6g/zyVl_4ggVPQTpPfXip0dz9GyqZYtjuUUACLcBGAs/s320/20190610_102520.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banked earth by the kissing gate's dry stone wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, by the kissing gate, I can detect banked earth – in
other words, as Rackham predicted there is a bank separating the woods from the
arable field. There is also a stone wall which marks out the wooded area enclosing it to the west,
including the footpath and seperating it from the arable field (and houses). Again Rackham
suggested that this is entirely what one would expect with an older wood which
may have been exploited at certain points. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So it would seem to be the ghost of an ancient wood which
developed into a boundary or hedge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was not profitable to farm down the dene,
but I suspect the trees were exploited in some fashion and many show signs of
coppicing which ceased many years ago. Most woods used to be exploited in some fashion, according to Rackham.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61q2ie3ZK-8/XP_vxYIWI_I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/kOHyccLQlTkiSUpu9oacTZjd1v51CyLGACLcBGAs/s1600/20190610_102456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61q2ie3ZK-8/XP_vxYIWI_I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/kOHyccLQlTkiSUpu9oacTZjd1v51CyLGACLcBGAs/s320/20190610_102456.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kissing gate leading into the footpath.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the house side of the dene are the remains of a hedge –
the hawthorn, and several holly bushes. To see if my guess was accurate,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned to the 1862 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OS Map of Haydon Bridge: <a href="https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346473">https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346473</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In common with older OS every feature is
shown and this is before the house was built in 1908 so it gives some
indication of land use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dene is
clearly marked as a wood and there is clearly a footpath marked through it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking at the deeds, the house side of the dene belonged to
Broom Hill farm at this time and was used as farm land ( I presume livestock).
The land to the east and west was owned by the Greenwich Hospital. As an aside,
this means it was the Earls of Derwentwater land which was sequestered after
the failed Jacobite Rebellion. The Earl of Derwentwater supported Bonnie Prince
Charlie and became the last noble to be executed for treason by the crown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no idea when Broom Hill farm became
separate from the Earls of Derwentwater land. However it was long enough ago
for a footpath to develop and to demarcated by a stone wall on one side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The name of the house to the south of us which was built in 1902 is Hedgeley and that probably indicates that the dene and its trees were indeed used as a hedge. the suffix -ley normally means a glade within a wood in Anglo Saxon. Going from the OS map, I assume it was named when built and the owners were creating a glade within the hedge. The Dene, the name of my house is self-explanatory and again features the land.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The trees are mixed – Scot’s pine, sycamore, oak, ash,
hazel, willow, holly and lime. The Scots pine was probably plant/wind blown
sometime in the Victorian era. Sycamore again is mostly likely 18th century or later. The lime is interesting as there appears to be
three types – small leafed (pry) in the oldest part of the wood on the
footpath. Pry is nearly always an indicator of an ancient wood. There is also a
medium sized leaf lime (assuming common lime) – this is within Hedgeley
boundaries. And there is the large leaf limes in my section. As there used to
be an outcrop of limestone (assume there still is), it could explain the
presence of the trees. Alternatively persons unknown planted them awhile ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYyv1cp-JOw/XP_wcbtlfII/AAAAAAAAF6w/wTvSfHoM7GYv4WZu71PG1DfkiSX_EW1fwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190610_103513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYyv1cp-JOw/XP_wcbtlfII/AAAAAAAAF6w/wTvSfHoM7GYv4WZu71PG1DfkiSX_EW1fwCLcBGAs/s320/20190610_103513.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Footpath </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Near to the limes in my part of the dene, in early spring
there are white wood anemones. White wood anemones notoriously only grow in
ancient woods. They grow through underground runners and advance very slowly.
They also do not like being transplanted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only a tiny patch but it is clinging on.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no idea if Hedgeley has white
wood anemones or not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However there are
hedge plants such as stitchwort and green alknet. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also have wild garlic growing in profusion – wild garlic
however can be transplanted. It is certainly though a plant which has gone wild
in the garden.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of our flowers only appeared after we made sure light
was getting into the dene – including the bluebells and the stitchwort. This
accords with Rackman’s assertion that regular coppicing allowed certain species
to colonise. Hedgeley with its closed canopy has slightly different flora. The
footpath is much more open and has a mix of species. The sheer mix of flora through
out the dene (I walked up the footpath, starting near the farm (no livestock in
the field) seems to indicate a longevity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I have nettles (sign of human disturbance), Hedgeley's dene and the footpath are remarkably clear of nettles. According to Rackham, true
wildwood doesn’t have nettles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Further up beyond us is farmland where a disused dam
resides. It occasionally gets blocked with the odd sheep carcass. The
earthworks are huge though and it used to power the gin-gan of Peel Well Farm.
The stream probably always has been here, and they simply blocked it as it was
the best way to provide power. The stream also serves as run off from various
farms (we have had environmental incidents – most recently in April – all I can
do is report to the Environment Agency with photos). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is also clear that my portion of the dene has been a
garden for some years, probably over a hundred years (the house was built in
1908). The nettles give it away and there are remains of paths and retaining
walls. The more formal part of the garden will have been farmland before the
house was built. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no real idea of
how the Victorian plum tree is (around a hundred years?) but I suspect the back
lawn/orchard with wildflowers was at one point a productive orchard. It was
also probably a vegetable patch. We have a much smaller veg patch which is now
fenced to keep out the hens and ducks. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where next? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to find out
about the outcrop of limestone and why it was considered to be of local
geological interest. It was in the late 1990’s that the geologist decided that
it couldn’t be seen. He seemed to think this would be better for us. I assumed
at the time, it would mean that it could not be exploited. But I suspect I need
to do more detective work here but I am starting to get an idea of how the dene
can be managed – get rid of/weaken invasive non-natives (ie ground elder) to
allow the native wild flora to flourish. The sticks do need to be left in situ
as much as possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LcJ4Zkf6Xt0/XP_z7ZsL8wI/AAAAAAAAF7A/YaW8Nyo4SII5SVBR5utk1hcaqsCtfrvfwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20190610_103306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LcJ4Zkf6Xt0/XP_z7ZsL8wI/AAAAAAAAF7A/YaW8Nyo4SII5SVBR5utk1hcaqsCtfrvfwCEwYBhgL/s320/20190610_103306.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The robin on the footpath.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also need to put the measuring tape around some of the
larger trees as that might help indicate when the wood really developed. My
daughter says that I mustn’t put a tape around large ash which is in the field
as it isn’t strictly on the footpath. (At 26, she still gets embarrassed by her
mother). It is a very large tree. However, I think I can find out a lot through
measuring the beech and large leaf lime which are in my portion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is merely to discover if the trees were
here before the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given what I know
about the wood and the surrounding area, it makes no sense for anyone to create
an ornamental wood in the dene. There just were no major country houses in the
area. The nearest was Langley Castle and that was a ruin during the period of
major parkland creation and again it is too far away for that sort of activity
to make any sense.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I have having fun doing the detective work and thinking
about the what used to be here and therefore what do the organisms in the soil
(the roots if you will pardon the pun of the ecosystem) want to support? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On my walk up the dene, I noticed a robin (hopping in front
of me as if to make sure I had filled in all the forms correctly) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as well as specked wood butterflies. It is the
stopping and looking which has me noticing these things and that has to be a
good thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /><br />
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-42449840702572399432019-06-08T09:55:00.000+01:002019-06-08T09:55:46.014+01:00The Liberate Lawn --Wilding at the Dene<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkharKr4ZwI/XPt050Eit-I/AAAAAAAAF5Q/dZZKVWe1JX4lDRLFogAma6_VfcBUh2angCLcBGAs/s1600/20180804_134455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkharKr4ZwI/XPt050Eit-I/AAAAAAAAF5Q/dZZKVWe1JX4lDRLFogAma6_VfcBUh2angCLcBGAs/s200/20180804_134455.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of liberation June 2018<br />note solar powered dryer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kl7SQrfRA1M/XPt1TajfvGI/AAAAAAAAF5g/uW5JhwCc1sg3fLoPn90rXD_MToCi0aSrACLcBGAs/s1600/WP_20170619_13_13_42_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kl7SQrfRA1M/XPt1TajfvGI/AAAAAAAAF5g/uW5JhwCc1sg3fLoPn90rXD_MToCi0aSrACLcBGAs/s200/WP_20170619_13_13_42_Pro.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lawn 2017, complete with buckets<br />where I was trying and failing to capture moles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have at long last found the term to describe the current
state of what was the back lawn – a liberated lawn (i.e. it has been freed from
the tyranny of mowing). Eventually it will become a wildflower orchard but for
right now it is a liberated lawn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Victoria plum has been in for a very long time and has
the reputation of producing the most plums in the neighbourhood. Because it is
right by the road, I know it has been scrumped over the years. The fig tree
which is also by the wall has been in for about 20 years and we do get ripe
figs (much to my surprise).<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gHPpHMy4Tw/XPt1Ceqn8GI/AAAAAAAAF5U/KMGMaCQ9u2QS8YLNbDTYYhVgTApL2IOGACLcBGAs/s1600/20190519_104221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gHPpHMy4Tw/XPt1Ceqn8GI/AAAAAAAAF5U/KMGMaCQ9u2QS8YLNbDTYYhVgTApL2IOGACLcBGAs/s200/20190519_104221.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liberated lawn April 2019<br />no mole hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The apple trees have been in for 10 years and were planted
in honour of Penny and Tuppence, two of our cats who died. The pear tree has
been in for 3 years. It takes time to grow trees. We do get a decent crop of
apples.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9GpfzXzZ2M/XPt1M5SsKcI/AAAAAAAAF5Y/WX9lEJ9uq_wiGpEuhbkPHY-IONQD-GYcwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190523_121523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9GpfzXzZ2M/XPt1M5SsKcI/AAAAAAAAF5Y/WX9lEJ9uq_wiGpEuhbkPHY-IONQD-GYcwCLcBGAs/s200/20190523_121523.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liberated lawn May 2019<br />note no mole hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Prior to this, the lawn was used as a play space. Previous
owners had used it as a vegetable patch (we created a smaller patch by the
green house) and before this, it was used as farm land (presume to run sheep or
cattle). We had to relay the turf in about 2000 and then had to completely
reseed in about 2016 as between the moles and poultry, it was looking worse for
the wear. Last year, I gave up and decided to begin this project of letting it
grow and seeing what comes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have put packets of wildflower seeds on the lawn, but the
hens and ducks are excellent at finding the seed or deciding the bare patch is
good for a dust bath. As there is little point in excluding them, I have tried
plugs with some success and just letting the plants come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband remains dubious that we are
creating anything but a mess. He is being allowed to cut both front lawns.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUjcqkHV_Dw/XPt1f4F146I/AAAAAAAAF5o/4zS9ZI0ADoMcURVp9jozt44mB0HND3-8wCLcBGAs/s1600/20190601_141835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUjcqkHV_Dw/XPt1f4F146I/AAAAAAAAF5o/4zS9ZI0ADoMcURVp9jozt44mB0HND3-8wCLcBGAs/s200/20190601_141835.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First foxgloves of 2019</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Thus far, the ducks and hens appear to be enjoying it more –
it is now their favourite spot for hauling out, particularly in the late
afternoon. The birds in general like the lawn better and visit far more often. As
I write this about 15 blackbirds are feeding. House sparrows are flitting about
and I have just spotted a dunnock. This could be because the poultry food is on
the ground and there is a supply of water. Plus there are perches available.
Jackdaws visit but crows are more wary, partly because Hugo the Buff Orpington
cockerel objects to them and chases them away. He is often seen on parade on
the lawn at the moment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The lawn is a gathering place for the various groupings of
ducks and there are various rituals of bowing and head bobbing which go on when
they enter. There are also the inevitable fights and skirmishes between the
drakes but in general they seem to get along.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The foxgloves have
colonised parts by the fence where we used to strim. I thought we would get
some mulleins but the ducks took a liking to the leaves…One plant remains. The
verbena bonariensis which would never self-seed has set itself well in the
lawn. The ducks do not seem interested in eating that or the foxgloves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_eaCLvPkbc/XPt1mElXmlI/AAAAAAAAF5w/9NTvekcd-RMv45AS1QrGORPrs9vNJfTMQCLcBGAs/s1600/20190608_083610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_eaCLvPkbc/XPt1mElXmlI/AAAAAAAAF5w/9NTvekcd-RMv45AS1QrGORPrs9vNJfTMQCLcBGAs/s320/20190608_083610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2019 ducks enjoying the rain<br />grass there, but no real wildflowers, foxgloves just flowering</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Interestingly, we are not nearly as bothered by moles. I am
sure the lawn is networked with mole tunnels but lately we are not seeing the
hills or it appears it is just a little one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I am very bad at trapping them, it is a relief. I do realise the
moles were in part a response to the fertility of the soil. I have no real idea
how they discovered us (we went for years before the first one appeared –
always on the back lawn as well) but they came and built their tunnels. Having
conceded they won, they retreated. The irony is not lost on me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So I shall be updating on the state of liberation but thus
far, it is going all right. I do think given its previous use, ensuring that
this becomes a wildflower strewn orchard is the right approach. It is very much a work in progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-49302292244254184252019-06-04T18:49:00.000+01:002019-06-04T18:49:23.649+01:00Tips for re-creating landscapes in historical romance<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Currently I am doing the proofs for A Deal with Her Rebel
Viking (out December 2019) and reading it (as well as all the other reading about
re-wilding) has reminded<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>me that I do
take very seriously trying to know what the landscape looked like in the 9<sup>th</sup>
century as well as what the *normal* would be for the characters. The baseline has
shifted so much. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is normal was not
normal then. And the countryside was changing even in their lifetime. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61-QEL41CFL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61-QEL41CFL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In my novel, I have tried to give a sense of the meadows,
the forest and the fact that the war with the Vikings (and others) meant that
the underwood was abandoned to a certain extent. My eldest knew Oliver Rackman when
he was a grad student at Corpus <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
introduced my youngest to his books. Because of my interest in history, I was
delighted to discover his rural landscape history. He discusses what the land
looked like in the early middle ages and explains<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>about the importance of underwood, particularly
at time when there were no saw mills. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I particularly like his <i>Trees & Woodland
in the British Landscape – the Complete History of the Britain’s Tress, Woods
& Hedgerow</i>s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has really given me
insight into what was going on. And now, I am using some of that knowledge in
attempting to figure out when the dene’s wooded area dates from. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I first really became aware of the shifting baseline problem
when I reading about lighting in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. We take the
brilliance of our lighting for granted, but to someone living back in the 9<sup>th</sup>
century, their eyes were adjusted to much less light. In many ways, the Romans
were probably used to more light as they<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>used oil lamps than the Anglo Saxons. Romans also had under-floor
heating and piped water. If you look at places like Birdoswald, you can see how
buildings were adapted to other purposes as the technology became lost. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Wf4eqALEL._SX387_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Wf4eqALEL._SX387_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
It is when you
realise how much was lost and how they developed stories to explain various unexplained
features of the landscape. <i>Hidden Histories –A Spotter’s Guide to the British
Landscap</i>e by Mary-Ann Ochota is also good for this type of thing. My dear friend Kate Hardy who knows I am nerdy about such things gave me this when I became a British citizen and it is truly a fascinating book on many levels. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With writing in a historical some of the world building
involves recreating their normal. It is about thinking what they would see and notice. Think about the wildlife, and the flora. What did they take for granted? How did they use the woods? What was the countryside like pre-enclosure or pre-highland clearance? We may have lost much but they had not. They experienced a different sort of Britain and I think re-creating this can help to show why we need things like beavers, wild boar and perhaps(whispering here as it is very controversial) lynx or wolves back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-43325912167575800522019-06-03T09:32:00.001+01:002019-06-03T09:32:35.953+01:00#30DaysWild<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZpN0qPcwmQ/XPTZadwCWOI/AAAAAAAAF40/yLzhe5kpyyY-cczFZ-5jZF-wieVmeJBCgCLcBGAs/s1600/20190601_141918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZpN0qPcwmQ/XPTZadwCWOI/AAAAAAAAF40/yLzhe5kpyyY-cczFZ-5jZF-wieVmeJBCgCLcBGAs/s320/20190601_141918.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-tail Queen bumblebee on garlic chives</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IifRqx-oYJg/XPTZhwib8nI/AAAAAAAAF44/1EGJQ_jQCug4PyacvQ81rzWbxIXVHnZygCLcBGAs/s1600/20190601_141835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IifRqx-oYJg/XPTZhwib8nI/AAAAAAAAF44/1EGJQ_jQCug4PyacvQ81rzWbxIXVHnZygCLcBGAs/s320/20190601_141835.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First foxgloves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On twitter, I am participating in the #30DaysWild scheme
which is being run by the Wildlife Trusts in the UK. The main thrust of the
programme is to get people to do different things with nature for 30 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 30 Random Acts of Wildness. You can find me on twitter at @MichelleLStyles in case you want to see what I am up to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be as simple as stopping to listen to
birdsong, watching a bumblebee or enjoying a wildflower. It can also be things
like picking up litter or writing to your MP about the problem climate
emergency we are facing. Or even signing a petition. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The<a href="https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/40705/petition/1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> website </a>has 101 different ideas of things to do. If you sign up, you can download their pack or if they send it to you, you get a pack of wildflower seeds to plant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YtNWgRrmf_c/XPTZpjIMoMI/AAAAAAAAF48/W27nM6-dj9U88kSTcRbAeo-ai8xZFMiTwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190602_111411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YtNWgRrmf_c/XPTZpjIMoMI/AAAAAAAAF48/W27nM6-dj9U88kSTcRbAeo-ai8xZFMiTwCLcBGAs/s320/20190602_111411.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the dene from the road<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because I am attempting to be more mindful of the eco-system
I inhabit and to ensure that the garden is a haven for nature, I think this is
a great scheme. It has already made me aware of the little things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And your 30 days do not have to be June 2019, they can be
any 30 days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just enjoy nature.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-61338079018072314072019-05-30T09:33:00.000+01:002019-05-30T09:33:39.010+01:00Counting some of my successes -- Great tit fledglings<br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R9vTMCd6Pz8/XO-T5s8_ZaI/AAAAAAAAF4U/XpXUkencX48bn-1z1aiNZL1bymzCcWXZwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190527_161809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R9vTMCd6Pz8/XO-T5s8_ZaI/AAAAAAAAF4U/XpXUkencX48bn-1z1aiNZL1bymzCcWXZwCLcBGAs/s320/20190527_161809.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where I spotted the Great tit fledgling hunting for food.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Because when you are ecosystem gardening, your successes are
not just measured in the number of flowers in bloom or that you have managed to
get a lot of colour in your garden, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>they are measured in the diversity of wildlife who shared your garden.
It is a slight change of mindset and a having to alter my camera lens slightly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Great Tits have fledged. This is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>excellent news. The young are bobbing about
in the undergrowth just below the nest box on the deneside. They will hopefully
survive and disperse into the wider world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SbrgwmuAMZY/XO-UNdagzaI/AAAAAAAAF4g/TM7C06bdlWMC7KHJNdQtzzXlfZ6Yzo-LACLcBGAs/s1600/20190527_163933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SbrgwmuAMZY/XO-UNdagzaI/AAAAAAAAF4g/TM7C06bdlWMC7KHJNdQtzzXlfZ6Yzo-LACLcBGAs/s320/20190527_163933.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back lawn/orchard/meadow<br />where the blackbirds, sparrows and songthrushes like to<br />forage. Ducks and chickens on it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This is why at this time it is so important that there is
food. Food in the Great tit fledgling’s case means insects rather than snacking
at a bird table. Insects are most likely to appear on native plants,
particularly those we gardeners often dismiss as weeds. The dock leaf, for
example, is an important food source for a particular type of moth (one which
has declined by over 70% and is one of the key British eco-species). The
caterpillars are the favourite prey of many birds including Lesser Spotted
Woodpeckers (which I’d love to see in the garden). So it is a case of thinking
dock equals moths equals bird species. So the dock plants can mainly remain. I
have noticed that something (mostly a caterpillar) has been eating various dock
leaves on the lower walkway (normally strimmed but I am leaving this year as
all we need is a path through) so I shall count this as a success – more food
for the fledglings (and obviously hopefully some moths as well)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The parent was also hunt invertebrates in the stream for the
youngster. Kate the very bossy duck objected and gave it a peck at which point
it flew off. She ruffled her feathers and settled to hunting along the margins.
The Great Tit did rapidly find more food for its youngster and so all were
happy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RT3Ydz9EHgs/XO-UFizdGGI/AAAAAAAAF4Y/kSzIn-oZuJ0D_1C4DNfo2AoVZ1PmZ02YwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190525_083449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RT3Ydz9EHgs/XO-UFizdGGI/AAAAAAAAF4Y/kSzIn-oZuJ0D_1C4DNfo2AoVZ1PmZ02YwCLcBGAs/s320/20190525_083449.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nest box the tree bumblebees are using</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I also spotted juvenile starlings and song thrushes on the
back lawn. It isn’t really a lawn anymore though – orchard? Meadow? I am not
sure what to call it. Both are red list birds along with house sparrows who
also successfully bred in the garden. The dunnock remains amber listed (not as
endangered) but also bred in the garden. A juvenile song thrush flew up onto
the fence post and peered into the kitchen window. The picket fencing around
the back lawn is so that we could (once upon a time) keep the poultry off the
lawn. The vegetable patch also has a picket fence around it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped trying to keep the poultry off in
about 2012 when we had a real fox problem. It is better for them to be
gathering close to the house. We also put the ducks away at dusk as this helps
deter fox problems. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Tree bumblebees have decided to colonise the garden. These
are the only bumblebees who nest in bird boxes and one of our tit boxes has a
nest. They nest in disused nests and only use it for about 3 -4 months. They
are generally docile. Basically you don’t want to be continually walking in
their flight path but mainly they will not seek out confrontation. They are a
recent settler from Spain and appear to be taking a vacant niche and therefore
are to be welcomed. After they leave, I will clean out the tit box and hope for
a repeat of something next year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So I can already see successes and hope to build on these.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-14734550988734296732019-05-26T10:47:00.000+01:002019-05-26T10:47:24.717+01:00Learning to Embrace my Inner Nettle-Lover <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7eXiAlX5G1I/XOpar1_vBLI/AAAAAAAAF4E/fX1J3BGy48AFVGfM_e8omMBhBac9UcOjACLcBGAs/s1600/20190523_121621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7eXiAlX5G1I/XOpar1_vBLI/AAAAAAAAF4E/fX1J3BGy48AFVGfM_e8omMBhBac9UcOjACLcBGAs/s320/20190523_121621.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The verge outside, complete with nettle patch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nettles have been the bane of my gardening life. The dene
has rafts of them. The verge outside my house which I haven’t mowed since about
1997 but have strimmed is currently sporting a good collection. Nettles
can swamp out other plants and well they are nettles. I have generally opted
for pulling them. However as I am trying to recover from my Ecological Tidiness
Disorder, I thought I ought to figure out what was a nettle good for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Quite a lot actually.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nettles support 40 different types of pollinators. They are
particularly important for butterflies – the extravagant ones like Red Admirals
and Peacocks, the ones I have buddleia so that they can feed in the late
autumn. However, it should have been obvious to me – you can’t have butterflies
if you starve their larvae. And these feed on nettles. In fact, a good sunny
nettle patch is so important to a Peacock male in enticing a female that he has
been known to drive off birds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The reason why nettles host so many different types of
insects is that most giant herbivores will not eat them. Their stings mean that
they offer safe havens for the insects at important stages during their lifecycle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The habitat for nettles is decreasing as verges get mowed in the interests of 'safety', and
fields get built over etc. However without them, we will not have Peacocks and Red Admirals. Just as without milk thistle in California, you don't get Monarch butterflies. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nettles grow where there has been human disturbance.
They can be used to indicate that a building once should there or that a wood
was cultivated. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In short, my pulling out of nettles inadvertently has done more harm
to the ecosystem than I had considered. I might be allergic to them but they
are important for a healthy ecosystem. And I do worry that they sometimes crowd
out other native plants. It had been one of my big schemes for this year – pull nettles
early to see what other wild plants grow. For example, under the bridge, honesty (good for holly blue butterlies -- had one in my garden last week) and Welsh poppies have flowered this year because I pulled the nettles early. But I really want to encourage pollinators so I shall be leaving the nettles
alone. Or if I do pull them because I get tired of being stung, I will be
pulling them after the caterpillar season has finished in July/August time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is going to take a change of mind set but it can be done.
Nettles = butterflies has to be my new motto. And I do like seeing Peacocks
fluttering about my garden in late summer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-70999145571757254342019-05-25T10:08:00.000+01:002019-05-25T10:11:30.556+01:00A new mindfulness -- Wilding at the Dene<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RogVpZK0dtA/XOkFMMqE8xI/AAAAAAAAF34/RjGzNx190IcCVunvEB040_AP944eiOYfQCLcBGAs/s1600/20190524_085637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RogVpZK0dtA/XOkFMMqE8xI/AAAAAAAAF34/RjGzNx190IcCVunvEB040_AP944eiOYfQCLcBGAs/s320/20190524_085637.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front border</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A new mindfulness has crept into the way I garden. One thing
I am very aware about is that I have been far too quick to tidy. I also have no
idea in many ways what is actually there or indeed the potential of the garden.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Every time I go out, I am intensely aware of my limitations
and how I have simply accepted things without really thinking about it. Or at
least really pondering it and about what clues there are to its natural potential. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So I am starting to get together a list:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do a survey of the trees I can see in the dene
and try to see if they yield any clues as to how it was used pre the 19<sup>th</sup>
century. I know we have both mature small leaf and large leaf lime, for
example. Most of the mature trees are multi-stemmed above a certain height –
this makes me think coppice wood, rather than wildwood existing on the edge of
a farm. We also have nettles, except for the area between the mature trees. The
nettles are not that significant in the footpath area either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do research into the geologically significant deposit
of limestone which was supposed to be in the garden but which the county geologist
could not immediately spot 20 years ago. He said this was a good thing but I now
I am wondering – should I know more about it. I am pretty sure I know where the
deposit is (ie in the stream bed – above the middle pool) but I don’t know. So
I suspect I need to research the records.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->On this side of the dene, the hawthorn and the
holly may point to a former hedge which served as a boundary between a field
and the dene. The road bends in a specific sort of way and Peelwell (now Haydon
View care home) is a very old farm. Our plot was not part of Peel Well but
rather Broom Farm which was centered on where the high school currently
stands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hedgley, the house next door,
has the remanents of an orchard on their grounds but it is hard to say when
that orchard came about. The original part of that house was built a few years
before ours. We actually share drains. But I need to do more research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiqjEnoWrCQ/XOkE-CN4GbI/AAAAAAAAF3w/UQYJqC5SUTAx25mvR8l0J3orKv8fezbGwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190519_104251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiqjEnoWrCQ/XOkE-CN4GbI/AAAAAAAAF3w/UQYJqC5SUTAx25mvR8l0J3orKv8fezbGwCLcBGAs/s320/20190519_104251.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking into the dene from the bridge (hawthorn on left)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Research what sort of plants would naturally inhabit
such a habitat and see what they expect. In a former coppiced wood, the
wildflowers have developed to respond to varying degrees of shade. They expect
renewal. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Retrieve the various guides we possess on
wildflowers, bees, butterflies and moths. Also refresh my bird id ability
rather than simply relying on my husband’s (which is beyond excellent). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is partly prompted by the discovery of a
bumblebee nest in a bird box. I am not entirely sure which bumblebee it is. I
did see the queen go in (dark orangey red stripe, white tail) but I need to
figure which bee. I am however pleased the box is being used.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zJeXf1RQm4/XOkE3WWwiPI/AAAAAAAAF3s/m-_hWouQb3QqmnBbqd0JKa6OlQ_FzW5VgCLcBGAs/s1600/20190525_083501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zJeXf1RQm4/XOkE3WWwiPI/AAAAAAAAF3s/m-_hWouQb3QqmnBbqd0JKa6OlQ_FzW5VgCLcBGAs/s320/20190525_083501.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the bumblebees are nesting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Figure out what is invasive and non-native
(ground elder unfortunately). And also figure out what giant herbivores would
have eaten. Do I want sycamore saplings for example. Sycamore is a 17<sup>th</sup>
century addition to England. What happens when brambles and nettles are
blocking other potentially more interesting wildflowers?<o:p></o:p></div>
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All this will take time. In the mean time, I am trying to
take a step back, and not tidy like there is going to be an open day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-22143739419183009632019-05-21T11:11:00.001+01:002019-05-21T11:11:12.947+01:00Introducing the site -- Wilding at the Dene<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EXLoePPtiG4/XOPJew1fIxI/AAAAAAAAF3I/gm2ceqH5hDs7cm3Qx5sGpWl8k8umudwTwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="515" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EXLoePPtiG4/XOPJew1fIxI/AAAAAAAAF3I/gm2ceqH5hDs7cm3Qx5sGpWl8k8umudwTwCLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot%2B%25283%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Basically if I am going to talk about the dene, you will
need to know about the site. We are on a bend in the road and the wooded area at the top of the picture is us. The label is for the care home, but on the wrong house as that is a newer house which was built in their orchard. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The house was built
in 1908 and has had 5 or so owners. Prior to that, it was part of a farm. Someone disappeared in the Australian outback and had to be declared dead before it was broken up in the late 19th century but that is about as exciting as the history gets. I have no idea how the mysterious got that strip of land but would like to think it had something to do with the Earls of Derwentwater as it is as far as I can remember the Greenwich Catholic trust. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jmz0_m14t3U/XOPLM8a1OnI/AAAAAAAAF3U/NBMtD-ZNM286KZs8ozs-GKkCXRR46EJZgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180514_205915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jmz0_m14t3U/XOPLM8a1OnI/AAAAAAAAF3U/NBMtD-ZNM286KZs8ozs-GKkCXRR46EJZgCLcBGAs/s320/20180514_205915.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing near the willows,<br /> on the footpath side of the dene</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am pretty sure the dene part was ancient
woodland as there are wild garlic, and white anemones in the spring. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Various strips of land were added, particularly in the early
years. I suspect they had to site the house differently and had to purchase more land. That part has the remains of being formal and to the front. The dene is to the side. And then in the 1950s,
the bit over the bridge was added. This period was supposed to be a bit of heyday
for the garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 1960s, the
property was sold to the Hedleys who had it until Mrs Hedley went into a home
in the early 1990s. A couple bought it to do it up and then promptly decided to
get a divorce. It rapidly went back on the market and we eventually purchased
it for a decent price in 1996. I suspect most people thought something was really wrong
with the house as lots of people had viewed it when Mrs Hedley sold it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Mrs Hedley was a keen gardener (president of the British
desert cactus society in the 1960’s – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hence
the greenhouse) but frail in her later years. For most of her tenure, the dene
part was not <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>managed. In the end the garden
became too much, even though she had a gardener whom I met when I first moved
here. He said that she liked to think about the birds. The people before us
were keen on trimming hedges and that is about all. When just before we moved,
the greenhouse was destroyed by a car, the wife directed the builders to throw
all glass down into the dene as it was bound to wash away and no one went there
anyway. I spent a great deal of time hauling broken glass out that first winter so that the
children would not get hurt. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CrCteEK-EEI/XOPLpLUgHhI/AAAAAAAAF3c/68qzF5W6BeA8W70ejUIVur5TSdXiYvPbgCLcBGAs/s1600/20190514_191425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CrCteEK-EEI/XOPLpLUgHhI/AAAAAAAAF3c/68qzF5W6BeA8W70ejUIVur5TSdXiYvPbgCLcBGAs/s320/20190514_191425.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the middle pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What all of this means for the garden is that when we took
over, there were various plants from various eras. Gardening goes in fashions
and some plants are more popular during certain eras. Know the plant and
sometimes you can hazard a guess when they were planted. For example we have a
profusion of snowdrops which I believe are Galanthus Samuel Arthnott – they were
known from the 1900s but first exhibited in 1951 so I suspect the first plantings
were done in the 1950s. There is also a gold dust plant and a few other popular
1950’s specimens in what we call the winter garden (we can see it in the
winter) just over the bridge and so I suspect that part was planted up in the
1950s and then left when the Hedleys took over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When woodland is not
managed, it closes down and reverts to deep shade which many garden birds
actively avoid. So while she might have liked to think about the birds, there
were very few birds here when we arrived. There were also very few perches for
birds in the more formal part of the garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the first things we did was to get the tree surgeon in and get
the trees trimmed and the scrub sorted. We also trimmed back the ivy and
uncovered long neglected bushes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We had so many bonfires that winter (getting rid of old
fences in the main) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that when the barn
further down the bank went up in smoke, our next neighbour phoned to see if we
were busy burning again. I replied – In a gale? I ran to the window and saw
flames further down the road. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
children were delighted to watch the firemen arrive and hook up the hoses. Alas
the barn burnt to the ground and to this day remains a concrete shell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jbZeQOveRVg/XOPLa1H-w-I/AAAAAAAAF3Y/hJ7yBRV4NNwPaguUn1IriFBVE4BsfuVAQCLcBGAs/s1600/20190517_082320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jbZeQOveRVg/XOPLa1H-w-I/AAAAAAAAF3Y/hJ7yBRV4NNwPaguUn1IriFBVE4BsfuVAQCLcBGAs/s320/20190517_082320.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up towards the bridge at the hawthorn'<br />sweet chestnut behind<br /> on the house side of the dene</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The stream is connected to an old farm pond which sometimes
the farmer neglects. It used to run the gin-gan. One year, we had the firemen
back out pumping the pond as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a sheep had
died and blocked it. Had the Victorian earthworks gone, the entire village
would have been threatened. The stream also serves as a storm overflow.
Sometimes the farmers do discharges and this results in incidents. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But no pesticides have been used for years as far as I can figure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We uncovered paths
and found bits of the garden that we had not quite realised existed that first winter. Sometimes
it was obvious that certain things were once a specific garden but trees had
grown far too big. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The conifer by the greenhouse was a case in point but a huge
focal point from the village. That is until 2013 when a storm hit and blew it
into the greenhouse. The sweet chestnut now has room to grow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There are loads of levels to this garden – it is in a small
wooded valley and therefore pathways and parapets. Many of the walls have ivy
growing up. And as I suffer from ecological tidiness disorder, I have a
tendency to cut the ivy every so often so that it stays on the walls, doesn’t
swamp plants and we can see the garden. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
do it in the winter so that the birds are not nesting, and it does return. However,
I suspect this has to change and beating myself up over the past is not going
to help matters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a balance to
be struck and I suspect I have gone too far on the side of human tidiness rather
than benign neglect. It is going to have to be something I work on – not tidying
things up too much. And I can’t beat myself up too much. It is just things are
going to have to change but I had to physically stop myself pulling ivy out of the wall by the cars this morning.</div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-37463499155058931612019-05-20T11:35:00.000+01:002019-05-20T11:35:19.675+01:00The Penny Drops -- Wilding the Dene<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MSkIbgp1soM/XOJ-ql_4FFI/AAAAAAAAF2g/2YEYFp4yMDgcMtKH4OJuwMvjiLQ-ZBpRwCLcBGAs/s1600/History%2Bwill%2Bhave%2Bto%2Brecord%2Bthat%2Bthe%2Bgreatest%2Btragedy%2Bof%2Bthis%2Bperiod%2Bof%2Bsocial%2Btransition%2Bwas%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Bvitriolic%2Bwords%2Band%2Bthe%2Bviolent%2Bactions%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbad%2Bpeople%2Bbut%2Bthe%2Bappalling%2Bsilence%2Band%2Bindifference%2Bo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MSkIbgp1soM/XOJ-ql_4FFI/AAAAAAAAF2g/2YEYFp4yMDgcMtKH4OJuwMvjiLQ-ZBpRwCLcBGAs/s400/History%2Bwill%2Bhave%2Bto%2Brecord%2Bthat%2Bthe%2Bgreatest%2Btragedy%2Bof%2Bthis%2Bperiod%2Bof%2Bsocial%2Btransition%2Bwas%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Bvitriolic%2Bwords%2Band%2Bthe%2Bviolent%2Bactions%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbad%2Bpeople%2Bbut%2Bthe%2Bappalling%2Bsilence%2Band%2Bindifference%2Bo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this
period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions
of the bad people but the appalling silence and indifference of the good. Our
generation will have to repent not only for the words and actions of the
children of darkness but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>--Martin Luther King Jr</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I will number myself among the complacent about the environment.
I like to think of myself as one of the Good – I keep bees, the last time the
garden saw pesticide was probably 1996 just before we moved in, we have had a
programme of making sure a good majority of the plants were<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>good for the bees since 2000 (starvation of
colonies is real), and my hens and ducks have roamed free during the day since
1998. My various cats have been indoor cats since about the time Penny
encountered a hen in 1998. We know we have foxes and so when Penny and Tuppence
went, my husband suggested that we keep the next lot in. We recycle and try to
avoid single use plastic and so on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can give loads of reasons why I thought I was doing enough including raising
three children who were environmentally well (two of which work in the sector).
I thought I could rest on my laurels so to speak. Other people maybe needed to
change but me – I was good. After all I was doing my best and the less environmentally
aware were the ones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The penny dropped last week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51P85q6LEqL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="342" height="200" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51P85q6LEqL.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I read <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebirding-Rewilding-Britain-its-Birds-ebook/" target="_blank"><i>Rebirding</i> by Benedict MacDonald</a> and realised that I
had become infected with the new normal. I simply had not noticed the decrease
in the bird and insect population. He gives an example of a fig tree<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where hornbills just to go to feed and the
clearing teemed with life and sound but one day the tree was cut down and the
hornbills no longer visited the area. They may have found food elsewhere (if
they were lucky) or they may have starved. However, people going to that
clearing after the fig were greeted by silence. They had no idea that hornbills
ever fed there. Their normal was not hornbills in a fig tree but a silent
clearing where one or two other birds flickered about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And suddenly I understood that I had been part of the complacent and
the appallingly silent. I have also suffered to greater or lesser extent from
Ecological Tidiness Disorder in my quest to a garden which is pleasing to the
eye as well as supporting my bees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">MacDonald gives some very sobering figures of the decline in
birdlife in the British Isles and the crash in the insect population. It is
easy to forget in a world where one puts out bird food for the birds that different
species have different feeding requirements. And for some, if they can’t find
the insects, they starve. Insects are dependant on certain types of plants. They
have evolved. Not all plants will host insects equally. Insects have spent <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>thousands of years evolving to feed off specific
plants. When those plants are not there, they can sometimes adapt but sometimes
they starve. And when they die, the birds who feed on them, do not thrive, go
elsewhere where there is more competition etc. Because of research into
migration and the mind maps birds carry, we are learning that it is not as easy
as once thought to increase populations. For example, there is no point in
building the perfect habitat for a pine marten in Sussex and hoping that one
will appear – their range doesn’t include Sussex. And in dealing with animals,
you do have to think range. Britain is on the Western edge of the range for
many birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">While it is depressing, MacDonald gives hope and that hope
comes from the concept of rewilding. In short, making sure the environment is
not managed for just one species, but rather looked at as an ecosystem as a
whole. It is about working with nature, instead of against it. However, I don’t
think he is much of a gardener or completely understands some of the trouble.
It is not just the people who have paved over everything, have decking, and use
pesticides at every opportunity who need to change, but also the people who
garden for wildlife who have to change as well. We, the complacent good, must
alter our behaviour to ensure things actually change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ecosystem gardening is actually far harder than it sounds and
is why it isn’t usually practiced. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
one sense it is simply an extension of Beth Chatto’s philosophy of the plant to
suit location but in another, you do have to be aware of what insects the plant
will host etc. And it is gardening more for the longer term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My youngest son who is currently a Master research student at
St Andrews and is in Cyprus studying fledgling behaviour of the Cyprian
wheatear and who has not read the book is so pleased that the scales have dropped
from my eyes about the seriousness of the problem. Although, he did think it
amusing I got in a totally unintentional twitter spat with Monty Don when I
asked if <i>Gardener’s World</i> could try to make native plants aspirational rather
than highlighting things like tree ferns. My intentions were good, but my
wording was misconstrued. My son found out about it when a fellow researcher in
Cyprus asked him if his mother’s name was Michelle. I got a phone call.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son is an ornithologist
rather than a plantsman and didn’t totally understand about <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>some of the ways in which the wildlife
gardener <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>might have inadvertently assisted
in the decline from sterile hybrids of native plants to the use of exotics
which have evolved to support other ecosystems <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to create sterile green deserts which look natural
but are almost incapable of supporting any native fauna. He now does (sort of).
This problem is also one environmental consultants in planning have been
highlighting for years but one which has been overlooked by gardeners and
gardener designers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61pDtHNOK0L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="200" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61pDtHNOK0L.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He suggested I read <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wilding-Return-Nature-British-Farm-ebook/" target="_blank"><i>Wilding</i> by Isabella Tree</a> if I wanted to
know more. It is an excellent book but had I read it first, it would not have
had as big an impact as <i>Rebirding </i>as I would have thought – ah but I am one of
the Good and her experience has nothing to do with me, really. The calls to action are many and varied.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Wilding</i> also
made me feel better – much of what I am doing has been good. Actually better
than good. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can do with few more tweaks
in my approach and losing of my ETD especially in pulling nettles and brambles
(A sore point with my son. In his first year of uni, my son was once sent out
to recover from a bad hangover and made to pull brambles while I dealt the state
of his bed. He spent much of the time staring up at the sky as I had suspected
he would) but on the whole the bones are there. I just need to look at the
garden with different lenses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other good part is
because the next door neighbours operate a more than begin neglect policy on
their part of the dene and the public footpath goes through a strip of land
owned by a mysterious trust which has not been touched for decades really, the
natural haven where I garden actually has far more areas and is bigger than I
first thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no intention of
getting into any more spats or trying to provoke and see little point in trying to get the bad to change their ways (I leave that to others), instead I want to persuade
and that is why I am going to devote part of this blog to writing about The
Dene and my efforts at ecosystem gardening to create more of a haven for nature. I am going to detail the beginnings and what we have done,
impart <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how to garden with free roaming
ducks and hens and still have a decent border and vegetable patch etc as well
explaining about my efforts to be a better ecosystem gardener. One of my latest
projects (forced by Hugh Buff-Orpington, our cockerel) has been to turn the old
back lawn into an orchard under planted with wildflowers. In part because it can be so overgrown, I have hesitated to share but I think the time is right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I hope this helps or inspires someone. There will still be
bits about my own historical romance writing but I think this is a worthwhile project. So please
bear with me as I give some insight into my attempts. I am going to make mistakes. I am a very flawed human being but my intentions are good. At the very least it will provide me with procrastination distraction from my latest wip which is at POS stage. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If you are interested in getting involved in <a href="https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/" target="_blank">Rewilding Britain</a>, do visit their website to find out more.</span></div>
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Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-49418858638604114852019-05-16T07:03:00.001+01:002019-05-16T07:03:49.896+01:00Booksweeps Giveaway I have a fun surprise today -- I am participating in a Booksweeps giveaway. My SENT AS THE VIKING'S BRIDE is included in the 30 historical romances up for grabs plus an e-reader. It runs from 15 May - 24 May 2019 void where prohibited.<br />
All the details are here: <a href="https://booksweeps.com/book-giveaway/historical-romance-bookbub-may-2019/">https://booksweeps.com/book-giveaway/historical-romance-bookbub-may-2019/</a><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89IEXLoFJAU/XNz9A6FQoXI/AAAAAAAAF2U/UG9Lre2QxfYO0_oxnJ1SFvy5eNGDbjuvQCLcBGAs/s1600/STYLES-BB-HistoricalRomance-May-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89IEXLoFJAU/XNz9A6FQoXI/AAAAAAAAF2U/UG9Lre2QxfYO0_oxnJ1SFvy5eNGDbjuvQCLcBGAs/s320/STYLES-BB-HistoricalRomance-May-19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-75015403216174192462019-05-10T11:26:00.000+01:002019-05-10T11:26:12.401+01:00Why you should know your historian<br />
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My reading for today started with this fascinating <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2019/05/eh-carr-what-is-history-truth-subjectivity-facts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Stateman’s article on EH Carr</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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EH Carr is considered by many to have written the first
serious book on the subjectivity of history and how the historian’s past always
colours their interpretation of the facts. His book What is History stemmed
from at series of lectures he gave in 1961. His basic argument is that you must
first study the historian, understand their agenda and social context and then
read their work. He differed from 19<sup>th</sup> century historians who felt the
historian could give an objective account of history. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The historical timeline with its dates and certainties stems
from the 19<sup>th</sup> century. Von Ranke in the 1830s is the person to blame
btw. And dates aren’t always accurate – Christianity in the UK does not start
in 597 CE with St Augustine’s mission as was recently shown by the<a href="https://prittlewellprincelyburial.org/museum/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Prittlewell Prince</a>, a high status Christian who was buried in Essex prior to this time.
(There are other examples but the find is fairly amazing)<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of Carr’s great insights about 5<sup>th</sup> century is
not that so much was lost but we viewed it through the lenses of a small group
of men based in Athens who were of a certain social standing. And therefore the reader should always be aware of whose lenses you are viewing history through. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The same can be said to be true in my opinion of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Viking raid on Lindisfarne – the accepted
view of the raid being a bolt from the blue comes from a political letter from
a monk Alcuin to the court of Charlemagne. The letter is rarely put into context
– Charlemagne operated a belligerent attitude towards pagans and was known to
be negotiating the marriage of one of his daughters to a son of the King of
Northumbria. There is evidence that the Vikings (or Northmen) were already trading
in the general region. Was it a pre-emptive strike? Was it a market negotiation
gone wrong (this had happened in Saxon territory a few years before with disastrous
consequences for the Saxons)? Is Alcuin’s view of the incident coloured by his
position that he came from Northumbria, was a monk and was writing trying to
influence another decision?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t
tell the Viking’s perspective of what happened because they did not leave
written records.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Knowing the bias and social context of every historian or
primary source author is a useful exercise. It is why I always read the author’s
biography first – even when I am just reading for pleasure. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Right back to writing about the Vikings and Picts two sets of people who are normally always seen through the lenses of others.</div>
Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-21665492487151459442019-05-08T12:22:00.000+01:002019-05-08T12:22:51.616+01:00Shooing the Crows of DoubtOne thing I have discovered in my years of writing is that there are days the critical voices caw at your mind until you can't think beyond the noise.<br />
I have various strategies including keeping a scrapbook of good reviews (because you do forget) but I saw this quote today. It was originally in the masculine and I am sure Teddy Roosevelt meant it to encompass all people but I found it more pertinent and forceful to change it to the feminine.<br />
In case it helps someone else in the Arena of Life.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l2sBkrPCamo/XNK7oDoUDWI/AAAAAAAAF14/4zVE1woMJ2sr8_nntAOqdQK28yp3IdpLwCLcBGAs/s1600/%25E2%2580%259CIt%2Bis%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Bcritic%2Bwho%2Bcounts%253B%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Bman%2Bwho%2Bpoints%2Bout%2Bhow%2Bthe%2Bstrong%2Bman%2Bstumbles%252C%2Bor%2Bwhere%2Bthe%2Bdoer%2Bof%2Bdeeds%2Bcould%2Bhave%2Bdone%2Bthem%2Bbetter.%2BThe%2Bcredit%2Bbelongs%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bman%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bactually%2Bin%2Bthe%2Barena.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="536" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l2sBkrPCamo/XNK7oDoUDWI/AAAAAAAAF14/4zVE1woMJ2sr8_nntAOqdQK28yp3IdpLwCLcBGAs/s640/%25E2%2580%259CIt%2Bis%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Bcritic%2Bwho%2Bcounts%253B%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Bman%2Bwho%2Bpoints%2Bout%2Bhow%2Bthe%2Bstrong%2Bman%2Bstumbles%252C%2Bor%2Bwhere%2Bthe%2Bdoer%2Bof%2Bdeeds%2Bcould%2Bhave%2Bdone%2Bthem%2Bbetter.%2BThe%2Bcredit%2Bbelongs%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bman%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bactually%2Bin%2Bthe%2Barena.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-22620267463642817852019-04-01T09:00:00.000+01:002019-04-01T09:00:01.878+01:00Why you should read Reese Ryan's Bourbon Brothers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DEBGkIXufP4/XKDGR1fg6_I/AAAAAAAAF0U/HjwRFFzhkcoylYlDsEK6uvAxIkSzmyqXgCLcBGAs/s1600/500w.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DEBGkIXufP4/XKDGR1fg6_I/AAAAAAAAF0U/HjwRFFzhkcoylYlDsEK6uvAxIkSzmyqXgCLcBGAs/s320/500w.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Over the last year, it has been my pleasure to discover Reese Ryan and her Bourbon Brothers series. It started in a moment of solidarity -- both our books were featured on an ad Harlequin did and so I went looking -- first for her (as Harlequin has a habit of not telling its authors about such things) and then for the book as I spotted something about bourbon and distilleries on her website.<br />
As luck would have it, the wrong blurb was on Amazon.co.uk and my heart sunk as I wanted to read about bourbon distilleries and not cowboys. At this point I believe I cemented my crazy lady status to Reese who had no idea about the mix up in blurbs and could not understand about why I was banging on about how writing about a bourbon distillery would be such a great concept but of course cowboys were fine as well. She assured me her books were about bourbon.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_4EpHspJPQ/XKDHHPTrZYI/AAAAAAAAF0c/LOi9S-FVTRox9vgKwlY-BXfNaP2Sa96RgCLcBGAs/s1600/VikingAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="533" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_4EpHspJPQ/XKDHHPTrZYI/AAAAAAAAF0c/LOi9S-FVTRox9vgKwlY-BXfNaP2Sa96RgCLcBGAs/s200/VikingAd.jpg" width="110" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ad which led to my discovery<br />of Reese Ryan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I read <i>Savannah's Secrets</i> and was blown away. It was just the right tonic for that particularly day. Then in October, I read the next in the series <i>The Billionaire's Legacy</i> and it was equally as good.<br />
All I can say is read them and enjoy. Bourbon or your fave tipple makes a great accompaniment.<br />
By this point, I considered Reese a friend and therefore had no compunction in strong arming her to get my hands on an arc of <i>Engaging the Enemy</i>, the third book and Parker's story. Happily she obliged, even though I am convinced she still thinks me crazy (but in a nice sort of way). It went straight to the top of my reading pile and I was not disappointed.<br />
It is the best of the series so far.<br />
If you want to see a master author at work, read <i>Engaging the Enemy</i>, her handling of two potentially very difficult characters is amazing. Her ability to communicate the emotional truth of her characters is incredible.<br />
There are a number of scenes that I loved in the story but my favourite was when the two main characters had to hold hands and recite what they liked about each other. There was a brief visit from Savannah (Book 1) whom I had happened to like.<br />
I cannot change my skin tone, my DNA or my ancestry but reading allows me the privilege of walking in another's shoes and viewing the world through another's lenses.<br />
I am so pleased that Reese Ryan decided to share her world with readers. For me, she is one of the best series authors writing at the moment.<br />
My one regret at the moment is that her other writing commitments means I will have to wait a little while for the next installment of the Bourbon Brothers. I can't wait to see what she does next. Reese kindly allowed me to fangirl and even send the recipe I had used last Christmas to make fruit cake laced with bourbon. I think a Christmas set Bourbon brothers would be excellent but it is up to Reese. I personally live in hope.<br />
<br />
This is my review:<br />
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In her third installment of her highly-readable Bourbon
Brothers series, Ryan has excelled herself. Her book more than delivers on the
Desire promise of sensual glamour, heroes to fall in love with and strong
capable heroines. The story and the characters will linger in your mind long
after you finish the book. The story is stand-alone but for readers who started
with earlier books, there is a welcome return to the Bourbon Brothers' world
and a chance to catch up with characters. Savannah, the heroine of Savannah's
Secrets, is in several key scenes in the early part of the book, for example. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In Parker Abbott, Ryan has taken a potentially difficult
hero (he prefers data to interacting with people any day and his people skills
are not the best to say the least) and created an alpha hero to really root for
as he falls for his former childhood friend, Kayleigh who now despises him and his family for the
wrongs she thinks they did to her family. However, Kayleigh, a woman who has
made sure she can find a way to exit every relationship, needs a handsome fake
fiance who knows that the relationship has an end date and Parker fits the
bill. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The growth of their emotional relationship had me turning
the pages long after I should have been asleep and the ending brought a huge
lump to my throat. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ryan's writing is as ever as smooth and rich as a fine glass
of bourbon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My only regret at reading this so fast is that I now have to
wait a long time for the next installment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what you are waiting for? Grab a glass of bourbon (or
your favourite tipple) and treat yourself to a wonderful feel-good read.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You can buy the book here:</div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2Twl99J" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://amzn.to/2Twl99J</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barnes & Noble:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/2OqRcCa" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/2OqRcCa</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">iTunes:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://apple.co/2JGYmnd" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://apple.co/2JGYmnd</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Play:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/2JHgmO4" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/2JHgmO4</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kobo: </strong><a href="http://bit.ly/2FuJO4z" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/2FuJO4z</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Books-A-Million: </strong><a href="http://bit.ly/2Wm4Yc3" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/2Wm4Yc3</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon UK:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2HHbiaA" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://amzn.to/2HHbiaA</a></div>
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Reese is currently doing a giveaway:<br style="background-color: white; overflow-wrap: break-word;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Giveaway <em style="overflow-wrap: break-word;">(</em></strong><em style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">$25 reader’s choice gift card</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/EngagingGiveaway" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/EngagingGiveaway</a></div>
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Her website is here:</div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author Website: </strong><a href="http://reeseryan.com/" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://ReeseRyan.com</a></div>
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Personally I'd sign up for her newsletter as she does have exclusive excerpts etc. It is a great way to discover what is coming up next.</div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Newsletter: </strong><a href="http://bit.ly/VIPReaderList" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/VIPReaderList</a></div>
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And I really enjoy her VIP readers group on Facebook -- it is a great place to discover new to me authors -- particularly Authors of Colour.</div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReeseRyanWrites/" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; color: #ba9982; font-family: baskerville-urw; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 1.08px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.facebook.com/ReeseRyanWrites/</a></div>
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Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-58435847571746385312019-01-08T06:50:00.003+00:002019-01-08T06:50:47.555+00:00Historical Treasures feature.Woo Hoo!<br />
I am very excited. Sent as the Viking's Bride is one of the featured books this week in Collette Cameron's Historical Treasures. <a href="http://bit.ly/HighlandTreasures_1_8_19" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/HighlandTreasures_1_8_19</a><br />
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Every week Collette features some of the best new releases and bargains in the historical romance genre. You can find more about her newsletter here: <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/historical-treasures" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">https://www.subscribepage.com/</span></span><span class="m-1455264940500212531gmail-m4646498250364455092gmail-m6972002920428377486m-5209765181132904727gmail-m897512752627087729gmail-m8948661634124914716gmail-m3165554141710767055xgmail-il" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">historical</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">-</span></span><span class="m-1455264940500212531gmail-m4646498250364455092gmail-m6972002920428377486m-5209765181132904727gmail-m897512752627087729gmail-m8948661634124914716gmail-m3165554141710767055xgmail-il" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">treasures</span></a><br />
It is a great way to uncover hidden gems.Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-65057959895289534582018-12-31T09:59:00.000+00:002018-12-31T09:59:15.559+00:00Wanted:Have you seen this book?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfAjlMLbFio/XCnnoHm7H4I/AAAAAAAAFyU/qEmA8WjGgh47jNnORTHagvsJnEaFqGslwCLcBGAs/s1600/Do%2Byou%2Bhave%2Ba%2Bfavourite%2Breading%2Bspot_%2B%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfAjlMLbFio/XCnnoHm7H4I/AAAAAAAAFyU/qEmA8WjGgh47jNnORTHagvsJnEaFqGslwCLcBGAs/s320/Do%2Byou%2Bhave%2Ba%2Bfavourite%2Breading%2Bspot_%2B%25282%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
As part of Harlequin's attempt to get Harlequin Historical back into North American retail, they have re-released my book The Warrior's Viking Bride in Walmart and Target stores. It is part of a trial. Who knows if there will be more releases -- it is entirely dependent on how well this book does.<br />
My fingers are firmly crossed that this trial succeeds and Harlequin Historical returns to retail.<br />
So if anyone happens to see it in Walmart or Target, could you please take a photo for me?Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-24780329694546122832018-12-12T06:25:00.000+00:002018-12-12T06:25:08.842+00:00All I want for Christmas...It is that time of year.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">What does </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">@michellelstyles </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">want for Christmas?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Find out on @AngiMorganAuthr’s @GetLostInAStory</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">http://bit.ly/GLIAS_Styles</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">$20.00 #Giveaway to a blog commenter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Ends 12/14</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YLnjZAb_K9o/XBCpqjZcQbI/AAAAAAAAFxg/cb-NoYf-eLwV7mRP4uPN_T08uCD1zJOMQCLcBGAs/s1600/Angi%2BMorgan%2B-AllIWant_Michelle02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YLnjZAb_K9o/XBCpqjZcQbI/AAAAAAAAFxg/cb-NoYf-eLwV7mRP4uPN_T08uCD1zJOMQCLcBGAs/s320/Angi%2BMorgan%2B-AllIWant_Michelle02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11101950.post-8994738279600911642018-12-05T08:59:00.000+00:002018-12-05T08:59:01.379+00:00A favourite quote from my latest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9QpV0q-9LbI/XAZAbM-eTgI/AAAAAAAAFxE/ta91a_zf7uQZirgG-Q5wjkKEncKaVcSRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Beauty%2BTip%2B5%2B%25284%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9QpV0q-9LbI/XAZAbM-eTgI/AAAAAAAAFxE/ta91a_zf7uQZirgG-Q5wjkKEncKaVcSRQCLcBGAs/s320/Beauty%2BTip%2B5%2B%25284%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
This is a favourite quote from my latest novel SENT AS THE VIKING'S BRIDE<br />
You can read the first chapter for free on <a href="https://www.overdrive.com/media/4098677/sent-as-the-vikings-bride" target="_blank">overdrive.com</a> <br />
Currently available for purchase at <a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335634887_sent-as-the-vikings-bride.html" target="_blank">harlequin.com</a> and <a href="https://www.millsandboon.co.uk/p57158/sent-as-the-viking%E2%80%99s-bride.htm" target="_blank">millsandboon.co.uk</a>Michelle Styleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.com0