Lady Day

Today is 25 March and the traditional start of the new year for employment contracts, rents etc or at least it was until they changed the calendar and got rid of 11 days. Canny landlords etc objected and the tax year was moved to start on 5 April. Something that confused me no end when I first moved over here.

The reason for it being called Lady Day as it was exactly nine months from Christmas. This goes to show that various people listened to tradition, rather than researching facts. The celebration of the birth of Jesus was a reaction to Saturnalia. The Coptic Christians celebrate the birth of Christ in May (or so I understand) May makes more sense because of the way the Romans did their census, but it sort of puts paid to carols like in The Bleak Mid-winter... It is interesting to see how the myths and traditions develop.

It is also my husband's birthday. And birthdays are made to be celebrated. We had carrot cake and coffee for breakfast, plus cards.

Lady Day

Today is Lady Day. Or the day Mary supposidly became pregnant. (ie nine months before Christmas). Until the calender changed and eleven days were lost, it was the start of the New Year in Britain. It was the day that all the rents and contracts came due. However, a variety of people objected to being elven days short one year, and so when the change over was made, they simply moved the day along until 6 April. This is why the British tax year begins on 6 April. The Roman New Year was also around this time. This is probably why Lady Day was adopted as the change over for rents and such.

Today is also my dh's birthday. I have made him a carrot cake or as Anna Lucia calls it -- The God of Carrot Cakes. it is a recipe from The Village Baker's Wife with one or two adaptations by me. We are going out to lunch later. Nothing major but then we have recently had a lot of work done on the house...

I have discovered where the duck is nesting. Quite close to the house and more than likely on the cat route through the garden. As Penny and Tuppence tend stay in the house these days unless the weather is exceptionally warm, our garden is used by several cats -- generally at night after the hens and ducks are away. Our cats have not liked going out very often ever since a series of unfortunate incidents involving the hens and ducks. Large bird can defend themselves. None of the participents were worse for wear but both Penny and Tuppence decided -- indoors was better.

Having delivered, my Viking, I have started thinking about my next one. I was going to take time off, but my muse started whispering. And I saw a hugely inspiring photo of James Purefoy in the Times yesterday. He just does work for this book...despite being the model for Fabius Aro in Sold and Seduced. A doppleganger effect I suspect. Because the deep characters will have certain differences. James Purefoy is promoting the Macmillan Cancer Support's Pin Up campaign. He made an interesting comment about Marc Antony -- he had to make sure that he had the body they had back then. He also hates his toes and loves his son.

And my good friend Nell Dixon has put up an interview with me on her myspace page. Nell is a wonderful writer and my fingers are firmly crossed for medical full that is current with HM&B. Her book Marrying Max is a finalist along with Gladiator's Honour for the RNA's Romance Prize.