Staying Warm with British Films

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I live in Colorado so I’ve seen my share of cold winter temperatures; but the forecast for this weekend calls for bitterly cold days and nights. Here’s the five-day prediction as of this morning:

Photo of television screen showing weather forecast for five days. Saturday and Sunday has highs of 15 degrees. Monday has a high of 6 degrees.

And those temperatures don’t include the wind chill that will make the air feel anywhere from -20 to -30 below zero. Yikes!

I think I’ll take Jane Austen’s advice and “stay at home for real comfort.” My plan is to watch a few of my favorite British movies while I cuddle on the couch with my dog Keats. I have a good variety of films to choose from, but I narrowed my list down to six cozy, feel-good, warm-your-heart movies. In no particular order they are:

Billy Elliot

This uplifting drama follows young Billy as he pursues his passion for ballet against the stifling alpha-male mentality of his coal-mining hometown in northern England (“Boxing, not ballet!”). Julie Walters is wonderful as the cigarette-smoking dance teacher who recognizes Billy’s potential; and Gary Lewis is marvelous as Billy’s father. It’s one of my favorite movies about taking chances and following your dreams.

Movie poster for the film "Billy Elliot" shows a boy doing a jumping dance move in his dancing shoes with his tennis shoes tied by the laces around his neck.
Poster for the film Hamlet shows the lead character with his back to the camera as he looks upon a large room where a wedding takes place and confetti falls upon the gathered guests.

Hamlet

When someone tells me they don’t like Shakespeare, or they can’t make heads or tails of his plays, I tell them to watch this 1996 film from Kenneth Branaugh. It’s my absolute favorite Shakespeare adaptation. What I especially love about this movie is that Branaugh deliberately avoided all the dark, brooding drama that filmmakers typically associate with Shakespeare’s tragedies. Instead, this version of Hamlet is a bright, visually beautiful film with a cast that makes it tons of fun to watch.

The Remains of the Day

I once read a review that said this film is “a masterpiece in understated emotion and impeccable British restraint,” and I agree. In this film, Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins work together in one of Britain’s stately homes in the years leading up to World War II. But this is more than an upstairs-downstairs kind of film. This quiet, beautifully filmed movie explores the relationship between the very-British-stiff-upper-lip butler (Hopkins) who is unable to express his love for the high-spirited housekeeper (Thompson). I’ll admit the first time I watched this movie I was an emotional wreck at the end. I’m older and wiser now, so I think I can handle it; but I’ll still keep a box of tissues nearby, just in case.

Movie poster showing Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson standing close together in costume for their roles in the film.
Movie poster for Sense and Sensibility with the subtitle: "Lose your heart and come to your senses."

Sense and Sensibility

This is another Emma Thompson film. Based on the Jane Austen novel, it’s the story of the Dashwood sisters who experience life, love, and a bit of heartbreak as they try to navigate a new life after the death of their father. I love everything about this 1995 adaptation, from the sumptuous locations to the elegant costumes, and the spot-on script. It’s a Jane Austen feast for the eyes, ears, and heart.

The Importance of Being Earnest

This 1952 movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play is my favorite, with Sir Michael Redgrave, Margaret Rutherford, and Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell (“To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”).

Movie poster for "The Importance of Being Earnest" shows caricatures of the seven characters in the film, each with a different facial expression.
Movie Poster for "The Full Monty" with the subtitle "Six men. With nothing to lose. Who dated to go..." and "The year's most revealing comedy." The title is printed in large letters that take up two thirds of the page. The "M" in the word "Monty" is designed to look like a zipper.

The Full Monty

A group of unemployed steelworkers band together to try to earn money by putting on a show—a strip show, that is. Although the premise of this movie is a little bit absurd, I can’t help but love it for the many sweet, charming moments it offers. Thanks to this movie, I’ll never think of standing in line at the DMV or unemployment office the same way again. It’s a movie filled with humor, warmth and lovely lessons about friendship, perseverance, and self-acceptance.

So those are the movies I think I’ll watch over the next four days; but, of course, plans can change. If I’m in the right mood, I might decide to skip the entire list and instead watch the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice (because anytime is a good time for five-plus hours of P&P, right?).

Do you have a favorite feel-good British movie? Tell me, so I can add it to my list!

My New Favorite Newsletter

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In a previous post I wrote about one of my favorite TV shows (hint: it’s about houses). Today I thought I’d share one of my favorite newsletters (hint: it’s also about houses!).

If you’re like me, you probably subscribe to several newsletters from favorite authors, local shops, online book sellers, or news sites. Sometimes I think I subscribe to too many newsletters, and I can’t possibly read them all with the attention they deserve.

Black and white photo from 1960s of woman seated at desk on which is an old telephone, a book and some papers. She is smiling and holding her hands above her head, having just tossed a stack of papers up into the air.

I’ll admit, too often I simply scan a newsletter topic and make a quick decision whether I want to delete it or read more. And even when I choose the read-more option, I often view the newsletter in terms of how quickly I can master its contents before I clear it from my inbox.

But there’s an exception.

And that exception is my weekly newsletter from Historic Houses.

Logo for Historic Homes.

When it arrives in my virtual mailbox, I grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy learning about some of the most beautiful and historically fascinating homes in the United Kingdom.

Black mug filled with coffee and printed with the words "This is my happy hour."

It’s a newsletter dedicated to historic homes of all sizes, from quaint thatched cottages to over-the-top Gothic extravaganzas like Carlton Towers in Yorkshire.

Aerial photo of a large castle with multiple wings and towers, the tallest of which is a clock tower.
Carlton Towers, Yorkshire

It features plenty of photos (always a plus, since I’m a visually-oriented person) to fire my imagination. I love to daydream about touring the homes I read about in the newsletter. And I wonder how it would feel to wander through the beautifully-landscaped gardens they feature in every issue.

Aerial photo of the formal gardens and walking paths behind Island Hall, a large red-brick manor house that was originally built in 1750.
Island Hall, Cambridgeshire

Some issues have aerial photos of homes and parklands (like the view below of Belmont House). From a research perspective, they help me better understand how far the stables were from the main house, how long it would take a carriage to travel from the gate to the front doorstep, and what kind of views guests had from their bed chambers.

Aerial photo of Belmont House, a large, imposing residence with extensive grounds.
Belmont House, Kent

From a personal perspective, they’re just so lovely to look at.

Photo of large, two-story Georgian set amidst large trees and a deep green lawn.
Deans Court, Dorset

Then there are the photos of the gorgeously maintained and restored interiors, like this bathroom at Comberemere Abbey:

Photo of the interior of a large bathroom with a tall Gothic-framed window in the center of the exterior wall. A soaking tub is in the middle of the room. On either side of the window are twin vanities with sinks and mirrors. A white upholstered chair and a white chaise lounge stand on either side of the tub.
Comberemere Abbey, Whitchurch, Shorpshire

Granted, it’s a very modernly-looking bath, but I love how it was designed to make the original Gothic window the centerpiece.

Some issues of the newsletter have interviews with property owners or chatelaines (yes, they still use that word!) who share histories of the properties and the families who live in them.

Long shot of medieval castle with long battlements across the front and protective walled walkways. The castle is set against lush parklands on one side and a tranquil lake on the other.
Raby Castle (credit Raby.co.uk)

If you’re lucky enough to live in (or plan to visit) the U.K., the newsletter has plenty of advice about:

  • Which properties serve high tea
  • Where to do a whiskey tasting
  • What properties are hiring (Yowza, wouldn’t it be great to work in one of these places?)
  • The best time of year to tour a certain property, and how to buy tickets

All of this newsletter goodness arrives in my mailbox each week for free. And for about thirty minutes every Friday I can sit back and escape my everyday American life for the beauty and rich history of centuries-old homes that are still important and thriving today.

A Tudor style house with a tall gable roof and four prominent chimneys, set back behind a lush English garden of flowers, trees, and shrubs.
Dixter House and Gardens, East Sussex

If you’re not already a subscriber, you can have your share of historic house happiness. Sign up to receive their free newsletter by clicking here. You’ll also get access to all their past newsletters. (Warning: Reading them can be addictive.)

Do you subscribe to any excellent newsletters? Please share your favorites in the comments!

By the way, unless otherwise noted, all the photos of houses in this post are courtesy of HistoricHouses.org.

Another by the way: I don’t receive any compensation of any kind for recommending HistoricHouses.org. I just like to share things I like with others.

And a Little Somethin’ For Me

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As of today my Christmas shopping is officially done. My last stop was my local Barnes and Noble store, where I planned to pick up some small items to use as stocking stuffers.

As luck would have it, B&N displays those very same small items right next to their display of planners and calendars.

I truly had no intention when I entered the store of buying something for myself, but their selection of book-themed desk items were simply too cute to resist. (Confession: I really didn’t make much of an effort to resist.)

Cover of planner for 2024 illustrating four shelves that hold books, plants, eyeglasses, and a coffee mug. On the lowest shelf sits a cat wearing eyeglasses.

I picked up this planner by Orange Circle Studio. Inside are monthly spreads for seventeen months (ending December 2024). That’s plenty of time for me to plan out my projects and memorialize my future deadlines.

Large calendar page for the month of August 2023 that displays the days of the month in white squares. Surrounding the calendar are illustrations of books, plants, coffee mugs on shelves. In the lower left corner sits a cat wearing eyeglasses.

The matching desk blotter/wall calendar is large (18-1/2” wide by 13-1/2” tall) with ample room to make daily notes or track my word counts.

Mousepad with white background and color illustration of three horizontal shelves that display plants, books, candles, vases, figurines, and a goldfish in a bowl.

And the design of this mouse pad by Kate Spade coordinates perfectly with the calendars.

These three pieces just gave my work space a bit of a refresh and made me a bit happier to sit down at my desk and get some work done.

Tonight, after I’ve shut down my computer and turned off the office lights, I’ll wrap those last stocking-stuffers, and place them in the stockings I’ve hung. And with that, I’ll be officially ready for Christmas 2023!

How are your holiday preparations going?

BTW, you can click on any of the images above to find out more about these items. I am not an affiliate of Barnes and Noble, nor do I receive compensation from them. I just like to share fun things I find that others might like, too.

What Story Does This Tell?

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There’s an old saying that “every picture tells a story.” I think some paintings are better at storytelling than others, because they spark more questions in my mind than answers. Here’s an example of such a painting: The piece is … Continue reading →

Jane Austen’s Social Media

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I originally published this post on a Jane Austen related site in 2018. I hope you enjoy it! Sometimes I think the best part of writing Regency-era fiction is the research I get to do. There’s nothing I like better … Continue reading →

The Art of J.M.W. Turner

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I find inspiration for my writing in many things. Snippets of overheard conversations, news articles, and reading books from an historical time period are all things that inspire me. I’m also inspired by viewing art pieces that depict the Regency … Continue reading →