Blog, Button, and Barbie

First, I’m pleased to announce the addition of a new historical fiction blog to the blogsphere, Historical Belles and Beaus! Its contributors come from all around the globe and write about a variety of eras, so stop on by! You’re bound to find something to your taste there.

Second, when my husband hauled some stuff out of storage for a yard sale, I found this button from the English Shakespeare Company‘s touring production of The Wars of the Roses at Stamford, Connecticut, back in the 1980’s. This was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s history plays from Richard II to Richard III. It was great theater. If you look on You Tube under “English Shakespeare Company” (no, I don’t mean the Royal Shakespeare Company), you can see some video clips from the production in England.

Third, I’d forgotten I owned this Barbie doll:

If it weren’t for her rather insipid face, she’d be perfect for the young Margaret of Anjou, wouldn’t she? Speaking of which, I’m almost finished with my final draft of The Queen of Last Hopes, my Margaret of Anjou novel, so back to work!

8 thoughts on “Blog, Button, and Barbie”

  1. Love the old Barbies. I had quite the clothing collection in the 60's thanks to grandma who hand made them down to the lace trimmed petticoats. Mom gave them away :/

  2. Susan, for a while the entire WoR production was on Youtube. I really liked the way the directors used 19th and 20th century sets and costumes- I thought it really made the Henry VI trilogy, which can be tedious, more interesting and easier to follow. I especially liked Michael Pennington's Henry V and Andrew Jarvis' RIII. You were fortunate to be able to see it in person!

  3. Oh dear Sue!

    What a faux pas!

    Even on this side of the pond it's still Sunday 23rd May so why is your entry on 'Historical Belles and Beaus' carrying tomorrow's date?

    If it's any consolation you're not the first historical researcher or historian to be caught out on the matter of dates but it is beginning to get somewhat tedious.

    No hard feelings I hope.

  4. Susan Higginbotham

    Thanks, Kathryn!

    Misfit, my old Barbies were stolen from my parents' house back in the 1980's. Hanging, drawing, and quartering would be too good for that Barbie thief!

    Robinbird, thanks! I love my old Barbies.

    Trish, there's a simple explanation for the date on Historical Belles and Beaus. It's a group blog, and the ladies who set it up live in Australia; hence, it goes by Australian time.

  5. Hi Susan – I saw those plays by the English Shakespeare Company – well, 3 of them. They were really good! 'Richard III' was outstanding.

  6. Ah please don’t remind me about time zones or the days before we had Windows, email and the Internet and having to work late in order to talk to people in Australia and New Zealand; fortunately I was able to combine it with talking to people in the Americas as well.

    By the way I’m not sure that MoA appreciated any comparison with Barbie. I have heard reports as yet unconfirmed that there have been certain rumblings within Angers over recent days.

    Which reminds me I have still to finalise my transportation to Tewkesbury and I’m certainly not driving there. Contacted NatEx our equivalent of Greyhound and found it was case of only visit a day and that would be very late in the day so took a look at NatRail instead. No lack of trains – one leaving London every half hour only to judge by the distances and the time involved it would seem a case of travelling snail rail. Seems I would have to start out at some ungodly hour in the morning but so what – can’t wait to meet those gallant Gallics.

    You sure you wouldn’t like to drop in?

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