Not Quite A Lady and the Philosophical Society

My copy of Loretta Chase's new novel Not Quite A Lady arrived yesterday. It went straight to the top of the TBR list and it is very good. However, every time she mentions The Philosphical Society, I get pulled out.
I keep wanting to know which one, and why do they always call it the Philosophical Society? My basic problem is that many years ago we used to belong to the Literary and Philosophical Society. We gave up membership once I had my eldest because the trek into Newcastle for me was too long and my dh did not really use it that much. An economy measure. The Lit and Phil is one of the few remaining independant libraries in England. Members can take out any book published after 1850. They also give lunch time concerts, maintain an excellent collection of music and an outstanding collection of tracts about local history. The Reading Rooms remain much as they were in 1825 when it first opened. George Stephenson demonstrated his miner's safety lamp and the Duke of Sussex laid the corner stone in 1822. It was founded in 1793.
The Manchester Lit and Phil opened later. The YPS -- Yorkshire Philosophical Society started in 1822 and is very involved in setting up the York Museum where I saw the exhibition of Constantine the Great last year.
The Bath Philosophical Society was founded in 1799 and later became the Bath Literary and Scientific Institute and then the Bath Royal Literay and Scientific Institue after first William IV and then Queen Victoria agreed to be the patron.
The Whitby Literary and Philosphical Society was founded in about 1822 as well. It too is a library and museum.
So as I am reading Not Quite A Lady -- I keep wondering which Philosophical Society are we talking about here as there was this movement... And why are they calling it The Philosophical Society as if there was only one. A small point but these societies did much to found musuems and preserve history as well as providing a place for better learning. But as a whole, Chase's latest is excellent and well worth a read.

Waiting for Godot

Currently I am waiting for the post. In particular my copy of Not Quite A Lady. it is the final (for now) part of Loretta Chase's quartet about the Carsingtons. As Mr Impossible is one of my favourite novels ever and it was only good manners and a sense of duty that had me returning it to my esteemed editor, I am very much looking forward to Loretta Chase's new book. It has been out in the US for several weeks, and has gone into a second printing, but thus far all I have been able to do is to read Loretta Chase's interiviews and wait. This morning Amazon sent a notice....

I shall save it until after I have finished writing this wip. I have a ficiton in my head that my editor waits for my next ms. It does not matter that Loretta Chase is one of her favourite authors -- she'd far rather read one of my books. It is a nice fiction, a pleasant fiction and it keeps me going. My editor is not going to disillusion me about this.... I have a little post it pad that says -- my editor can't wait for my next book. I choose to believe the nice part of this sentiment.

My characters are proving slightly difficult but have now reached gilsland and Shaws Hotel. The photograph is of Gilsland Spa which is the name that Shaws now goes under. I am writing about the old hotel, the one that went up in smoke in 1859. It was a very popular place during the Regency period. Sir Walter Scott proposed to his wife here. Thus creating a Tradition. The sulphur springs were also popular. I wish that I had chosen this tack to begin with and would not beel under pressure but I know the ms will be good. I love the characters and once I have Lorratta's book in my hand, I shall use it as a carrot.

In my garden I am curently fighting my annual battle with the nettles. I keep telling myself that one hour per day will help eliminate, but somewhere I think there is a mother nettle, one which sends out runners and keeps sending them out. This mother nettle is closely related to the mother ground elder. You do not want to know the weeds my garden possesses.

In positive gardening news, my dh informs me that we now have over 20 cannas. I like cannas, They always remind me of the holiday we spent down in and around Hastings. We purchased the cannas from Christopher Lloyd's Great Dixter. Mr Lloyd was truly one of the 20th century's great gardeners.