BleakChesneyWold

                                          Lake Geneva 10th September 1898  Empress Elisabeth ('Sisi'), was  empress of Austria from 1854 after marrying emperor Franz Joseph of the House of Habsburg whilst aged sixteen. Sisi was also crowned queen of Hungary in 1867,when the dual monarchy of Austria - Hungary was established.  In 1854 the Austrian empire was ten times the size of the modern-day EU member state. The largest country in Europe after Russia, its territory included Hungary,Slovenia, Croatia, Bohemia and Moravia, along with parts of what are now Italy, Roumania, Poland, and the Ukraine. Austria lost Lombardy in 1859 and Venetia in 1866 to the new united kingdom of Italy, but gained control of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878.  As a Bavarian princess ,the early life of Sisi was unconventional and quite carefree. Her royal pedigree was via her mother's side....

                          A lesser known Hardy novel : No classic but interesting.             It is hard to call The Well -Beloved   a 'lost classic' : Usually depicted as a novel for Hardy diehards only. In fact D.H.Lawrence described it as 'sheer rubbish' VICTORIAN WEB .  F.B.Pinion in his extensive survey of Hardy writings thought that the novel was 'light' and 'tragic-comic'. F.B.PINION   Hardy's recent biographer  Claire Tomalin advises that the novel began as  a lighthearted story  The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved  TOMALIN    T he first version was p ublished in weekly instalment form in The Illustrated News  from October-December 1892, this work was not published as a novel until 1897 with an extra portion, making it technically Hardy's last published novel. THOMAS HARDY SOCIETY. A new edition emerged in 1912 with some m...

                                                           Interview               Decided to have a musical interlude by adding an interview with folk/folk horror outfit The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act after seeing the band in Worthing (September 2025) and Brighton (October 2025) .This was conducted via email with Richard Craig and unedited.  1.  Can you introduce the individuals who make up the band, what they play and a bit of background. I am Richard Craig, I serve as the lead singer, and primarily play violin,shruti box, ukulele  and jig doll. I am originally from the West Country, where I was fortunate enough to play with several iconic folk musicians, including Martin & Eliza Carthy, and Phil Beer. After moving to Brighton, I returned to university to complete my degree, wh...

                                       The 1894 Worthing Holiday And The Aftermath  Most impressive work indeed and  certainly a book in two halves. Opens with an intriguing account of the Wilde family, along with Bosie at times, staying  at 5 The Esplanade, Worthing ( which has sadly been demolished) from 7th  August 1894- 4th October 1894. The town was desperately trying to attract tourists after the dismal Summer of 1893 when typhus had struck, and not surprisingly, visitors largely stayed away.  There is a great deal shared here about late Victorian Worthing, its economic life, its architecture,  the Summer entertainments with at least four seaborne carnivals. A band of musicians performing regularly on the beach, the circus, concerts at the Assembly Hall -which is now at a different location. A great set of photographs are included in this book.  Os...

    Extract adapted from a  longer (unpublished) piece -'Podge and Prejudice- The Fall of Lord Arthur Somerset '  "Reputation, reputation, reputation. I have lost the immortal part of myself and what remains is bestial." Cassio in  Othello Act 2 Scene 3 Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward or 'Prince Eddy', was born on 8th January 1864, the eldest son of  (Albert) Edward Prince of Wales, or 'Bertie'  and Princess Alexandra of Denmark : Whilst pregnant, Princess Alexandra took part in some frantic sledging across the ice at Windsor, which may have induced a premature birth of up to two months. Baby Eddy weighed about four pounds when born. COOK And Prince Eddy, though second in line to the throne, predeceased both his parents and his grandmother Queen Victoria, dying from influenza shortly after his twenty eighth birthday, on 14th January 1892. His younger brother  became King George V in 1910, when their father Edward VII died.  Ir's hard ...

                                                       A Minor Masterpiece    Recently heard the carol   Remember Oh Thou Man  performed by Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden during their excellent concert at Worthing Assembly Rooms on 13th December 2025.  The audience were reminded that the carol singers in the opening chapters of  Thomas Hardy's  Under The Greenwood Tree or The Mellstock Quire A Rural Painting of the Dutch School   trudge through the snow on Christmas Eve night  to Farmer Shiner's house. They serenade the old grump with the carol Remember Oh Thou Man accompanied by some loud instrument playing.   Also appears on the duos's CD  Glad Christmas Comes  (2023 ) with notes by Jon Boden, who advises "It is this song that is selected as their preferred weapon for waki...