All Blog Posts Tagged 'Grace' (60)

Gathered by Virgins.

There’s something about a good cup of tea that lubricates thought and helps the day go more smoothly. My parents drink tea by the bucket full, whereas I mainly drink it at work. There are cultural differences to; I believe tea is much less popular in America than it is here in the UK, but strangely the Portuguese and Dutch are big tea drinkers. Anyhow, when tea was first introduced to Britain in the mid 17^th century, wild claims…

My weekend blog post starts with a question:

Which of the following is used as a lightning conductor?

A – Growing the plant ‘House Leek’ in the garden

B - Wearing a crown of laurels during a thunderstorm.

C - An iron pole connected to the ground via a metal strip.

D - Ringing church bells.

E - Having a ‘Witch post’ near the main door.

FOLLOW THE LINK TO READ THE FULL POST:…

My midweek post is about ‘Cats in Battle’ and how cats helped the Eygptians win (and also lose!) a battle.

The first story is recorded by ancient historian, Herodotus. He writes about an attack on Egypt in 701 by the Assyrians. Now this invasion caught the Egyptians on the hop, who had become lazy and neglected to maintain a well-trained and armed fighting…

My mid week blog posts considers whether churches are sinking...or the dead are rising.

To read the post visit:

http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com

My guest today over at Grace Elliot's blog is fellow author of historical romance Jean Hart Stewart.

Jean shares her love of the regency period, some interesting facts about the Duke of Wellington and tells us about her latest book 'For Love is New.'

To read the post visit:

http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com…

My midweek blog post tells the story of artist James Whistler's favorite dog and an ENT surgeon.

Whistler’s Poodle and the Eminent Surgeon.

American born, British based artist, James Abbott Whistler (1834 - 1903) famed for paintings such as ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black, the Artist’s Mother’ (yes, the picture in the first Mr. Bean movie!) and Old Battersea Bridge, was an animal lover. Whistler owned a tortoiseshell cat, but his favorite pet was…

As a veterinarian I’m constantly surprised by the resilience of the feline species. This week alone a 17 year old cat with kidney failure successfully underwent dental attention, a stray cat lost a leg but was eating the same night and a kitten fell 40 feet with barely a scratch to show for it! Its no wonder cats have a reputation for having nine lives - which set me wondering where the saying originated.

Research into this fable led me to ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians believed…

"Once Upon a Chapter" are today hosting author Grace Elliot.

To celebrate they are offering a great giveaway of not one, but two books -

- an ebook copy of 'A Dead Man's Debt'

AND

-a book of your choice to a value of $10.

To enter simply follow…

My mid week blog post is a bit of fun.

Find out why this cute little ginger kitty is up for sale at

http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com

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Last week I looked at how, in Victorian times, a cat’s reluctance to take medicine might help keep her alive. This week, I look at some of the remedies commonly inflicted on the poor, unsuspecting animals. 

Vomiting.

Now as any cat owner knows, it’s perfectly normal for a cat to vomit from time to time. However if the vomiting became excessive, one Victorian remedy was to:

TO VIEW THE POST VISIT:…

I'm delighted to read the latest review for my debut novel, a historical romance.

The Romance Reviews rated it 5/ 5 "HIstorical romance at its best."

Fiction Books rated it 5/ 5 "Keeper status."

and now My Book Addiction writes:

MY BOOK ADDICTION…

I was thrilled to read this lovely review by "Fiction Books."

A creative, page-turning drama, a poignant story, characters totally engrossing in their complexity, with the distinctive essence of each easily discernible, sensual and evocative writing, from a great new author.

—

Worthy…

A 17^th century Pedlar, his Dog and a Church Window.

Discover the true story of how an itinerant pedlar commerated his dog in a church painted window.

            I came across the story of the Lambeth Pedlar and his dog whilst researching an article for the veterinary press. In the parish church of Saint Mary’s, Lambeth, to there is a painted glass window of a man weighted down with a back pack, with a dog at his feet. This is…

Today Grace Elliot is guest blogger over at Terry's Place. Grace's debut novel, 'A Dead Man's Debt' was rated 5/5 by The Romance Reviews and described as 'Historical romance at its best.'

For a chance to win a copy of A Dead Man's Debt simply pop over to Terry's place and leave a comment!

http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2011/01/hooked-on-happiness.html#more

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The Name of the Cat.

If you take the responsibility seriously, it is surprisingly difficult to choose the right name for cat. I was recently thrown into confusion when an RSPCA inspector asked me to name the litter of kittens she’d brought in for vaccination. Rescue names usually follow a theme eg. Animals abandoned at Christmas will be named Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe, Noel et.c. When suddenly landed with the responsibility of naming my mind went completely blank – each theme I…

I’m sure you’re familiar the expression ‘putting the cart before the horse’. But this saying, as well as describing a world turned upside down, in the 16^th century was also a timely warning against rebellion.

TO READ THE FULL BLOG POST VISIT:

http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/p/historical-slang-term-of-week.html

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All this week Grace Elliot is guest author at Long and Short Reviews.

Why not pop over and leave a comment, for a chance to win an Amazon voucher.

http://longandshortarchives.blogspot.com/2011/01/monday-spotlight-grace-elliot.html

See you there,

Grace x…

In the Middle Ages, a self respecting witch kept a familiar, an animal that acted as a link to the devil. The most commonly recognised familiar was a cat, preferably a black one, but have you ever stopped to wonder why a perfectly adorable animal became linked with black magic?

To answer that question we need to look at the reputation cats had in medieval times. Highly prized as a catcher of mice the 10^th century law of Hywel Dda has this to say.

“The value of…

Today Grace Elliot is being interviewed over at Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz's excellent blog.

Pop over and say hello!

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