Elizabeth Hawksley

I love history and the arts generally; I read it, I write it and I blog about it.

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Thank you, Nicole - very cheering and I'm delighted you enjoy them, - especially while I'm reduced to struggling to get my socks on with one hand!

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

so sorry - can only type with one hand. still, i have 10 posts on jane austen and about 6 on g heyer's novels to keep readers interested. i'm re-reading 'venetia' - very enjoyable. https://t.co/jBjaaeptuE

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

@SarahJMann Thank you, Sarah. Being a librarian, I'm sure you recognize the quote!

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Happy 264th birthday, William Blake. 'Thou shouldst be living at this hour. England hath need of thee,'

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

The Isle of Man's Great Laxey Wheel is, surely, one of the most impressive examples of Industrial Archaeology from the 19th century and a sight not to be missed. https://t.co/bqQEwycEX6

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Manx household spell for good luck: break off 2 rowan twigs and form a cross; secure them with Loughtan sheeps' wool gathered from the hedgerow and place above the hearth. Replace every year. https://t.co/VJePhdMz1P

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Visit Cregneash (the first Open Air Museum in Europe) on the Isle of Man and see a Manx cat, famous for having no tail - or only a stub. The cottages have been preserved as they were in Victorian times. https://t.co/VJePhdMz1P

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

#georgetteheyer 'Faro's Daughter' is arguably Georgette Heyer's most intensely emotional book - especially with regard to her hero, Max Ravenscar. Could we have the Luftwaffe to thank for that? https://t.co/Wag8sVw5Um

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

A look at the Downstairs world of yesteryear. There is an extraordinarily Heath Robinson-looking labour-saving device to keep a dozen flat irons hot simultaneously! Still, doubtless the laundry maids would have been grateful.https://t.co/Yu780rYH4p

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

One of the things which made 'The Hartfield Inheritance' special for me was that I had a lovely review of it - in verse! It was not just any old doggerel, this was a proper poem, thoughtfully written, and I was thrilled to have it. https://t.co/NNoWZRtCQr

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

I'm proof-reading my new e-book and my computer has started criticising my vocabulary: it thinks 'wench' and 'Damnation!' may offend readers. Honestly! I'm baffled by the stupidity of its interference. https://t.co/5mrRdMAO5V

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

There are several variants of the lion's head door-knocker: apart from being a symbol of Britain (and a number of other countries), it also stands for strength, pride, power, protection and power. It acts as a guardian to your home. https://t.co/5mrRdMAO5V

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Re: door-knockers. In my street (built 1820) we have urns, lion heads, laurel wreaths, Classical-looking rings, a fisted hand, an owl, a fox and some ordinary door-knockers. But many people nowadays rely on a door bell. https://t.co/5mrRdMAO5V

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

There are some interesting benches along the Embankment in London near Cleopatra's Needle; the benches' arms are supported by sitting camels - I suppose in a nod to Egypt where the obelisk originally came from. https://t.co/5mrRdMSoXt

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

One of the best ways to improve where you live is to upgrade the street furniture. Plain concrete street lights and ugly railings depress the spirit; well-designed lamps and attractive railings make all the difference to one's mood. https://t.co/5mrRdMAO5V

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

I can't get over the splendour of the Irish Elk; but I can also see why it became extinct. How did it cope with such huge, heavy antlers? Did it shed them every year? At least that would give it some rest from the weight. https://t.co/EljZqZ4su8

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Visit the fascinating Ulster Museum with me: where else can you see the magnificent Irish Elk and Spanish Treasure? https://t.co/EljZqZm3SI

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

Ah! Who could write love letters like Captain Wentworth? Oh, lucky Anne!

[Jane Austen @austendaily]

Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own…

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

#ulstermuseum has much to offer - from the skeleton of the Irish elk with its huge antlers, to treasures from sunken ships of the Spanish Armada - an historic episode which played a large part in Ulster's history. https://t.co/EljZqZm3SI

[Elizabeth Hawksley @Hawksley_E]

What an inspirational venue!