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deletedMar 11
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Luisa, that's ever so kind - thank you so much! 😘

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Mar 9Liked by Rebecca Holden

Whoa! We're the same height 😃😃

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YAY!!!! 🙌

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That's a very nice field trip post. You mention "visiting" Paris and the Eiffel tower, wow, I just wrote and post about it. I mean, from a bit different perspective.

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/lets-get-sure-happy-bra

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/original-gangsters-frenching

Oh, and Mona Lisa is a guy, right? LOL She's such an emo girl.

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/a-luv-phield-trap

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Thank you, Libor!

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Firstly, thank you so much for your recommendation. I was really touched as I worry about talking about my writing life. I never want to seem as if I'm pushing the barrow.

But to your own essay - to read about your views on museums, open houses and exhibitions, I agree entirely - to wander wherever at one's own pace and focus on the THINGS (that butterfly, the display of blue and white porcelain, the doll's house model of Scott's building in Antarctica, complete with miniature books, notebooks, food supplies etc). I hate following the arrows - ambling is so very important. And huge thank you's for the virtual tours links as well. From way down here, what a privilege to wander so far from home.

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Such a pleasure, Prue!

I love the museum exhibit rabbit holes I get to wander down when I'm tuned in to not following the prescribed paths. It's funny, actually - I've noticed that in my writing life as well. So often I start writing about the thing I THINK I'm writing about, and by the time I've finished I've ended up somewhere else entirely...!

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Well hoorah on that count. We're the beneficiaries!

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Oh I loved so much about this post, starting with the fact that we have driven by the large signs pointing to Gilbert White's house so many times! We finally looked him up to learn who was so famous that a sign could be erected on the Motorway just to point out his house, and decided we must stop sometime. Thanks for the wonderful preview! And I too love patterned wallpapers, so agree with your distraction there as well. Plus the interesting backstory on the pattern. Fascinating!

I would love to be the kind of person who notates my observations in the garden, but alas, I am not. Still, I value the detailed observations of your parents. Loved the comment about the nightingales singing with gusto! What a treat that must have been!

Thanks for brightening my Saturday!

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Oh, how lovely - thank you, Sabrina! I'd thoroughly recommend Gilbert White's House - we were there ages longer than I thought we'd be, because there was just so much to look at - and that was on a revoltingly rainy, cold day, so we didn't even step into the garden (which would be worth a visit in its own right!). Thankfully my ticket is valid for a calendar year, so I can go back again (and again)!

Nightingales - gosh, yes - there were so lucky to see them, not just hear them! They have time-limited appeal, though - their song, of course, is GLORIOUS, but not night after night - and all night - for weeks at a time....!! 🤣

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The interesting thing to me about Gilbert White is that with all his observational skills and scientific approach, he wasn't able to intuit where birds disappear to in winter. He thought they might spend the winter at the bottom of a pond. His is full of meticulously recorded detail.

A for Jane Austen, because of her height she had to buy an extra half yard of material for her dresses, meaning that being tall was an expensive business.

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Gosh, fascinating points, both, Terry. Thank you so much!

I'm grateful that there isn't an extra charge today for clothes for those of us who are taller of stature than most! In Austen's day I'd be bankrupt.... 👀

Or I suppose I could have loitered outside the draper's to ask for cheap offcuts of misprinted curtain fabric.... that way I might have even matched the wallpaper! 🤣

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Very enjoyable. I loved the variety in this post

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Thank you! I had such fun with it - it went all kinds of places where I wasn't expecting it to go!

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Love the field trip - agree, museums should speak to you, even if that means eschewing the Mona Lisa! I could maybe wear Austen’s dress as a hand puppet.

(And you’re very sweet in sharing my post from this week. 🥹 Thank you.)

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Hand puppet!!!!!!! 🤣 LOL!!! I wish I'd taken pictures of another of Anne Hathaway's costumes, which was next to one worn by James McAvoy as Austen's love interest, Tom Lefroy, in 'Becoming Jane'. It seems I would tower over both of them if ever I met them!

Thank you so much, Bryn - and it's my pleasure. 😊

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Another wonderful post. My Mum kept a Things of Note diary (exercise books) for many, many years. Always fun to glance through them. The relatable things, those we connect with, are always the things that resonate, that bring us joy. I love your selection. A really cool place to visit. Thanks so much.

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Oh Beth, I love the sound of your mum's books! What a terrific idea. Since 2018 I have kept a bullet journal, and fill three volumes a year. My pages for each day contain not only that day's to-do list, but also things I want to log - for instance on Thursday 'clouds of siskins on the seed feeder' and today 'cut the grass, weeded, very sore hands from brambles + stinging nettles, Jim haircut' - amongst all sorts of other things - and the books are really, really useful whenever I want to know things like when we last changed the gas bottle in the van, or the size Dad takes in gardening gloves, or when precisely last May it was that I bought the first bundle of locally-grown asparagus....!

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Yep. Very, very useful. I often think that if I had the time to digitise the information, I’d be able to see proof of climate cycles vs climate change. So many handy observations.

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That's such a good point, Beth! When I was flipping through my parents' book it was the extremes of temperature which had perhaps struck me the most. ☀️🥶☔️

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Thank you for taking us along on your museum venture. And thanks for standing next to Jane’s clothes for comparison. As for Jane’s size dress it’s hard to imagine being a 0-2. I’d never heard of that size for women until about ten years ago. With those numbers I think of toddlers.

At 12 years of age, I was 5’6” and wearing a pant size 8 in juniors. At 15, I was 5’8” and maybe I could have worn that size dress, I was always tall and slender, OK, skinny, but still, I highly think not, I was a perfect “36”— 12, 12, & 12. 😉

I grew an extra inch at 17 years of age topping out a little over 5’9”.

My brothers use to tease me with jokes like If I stuck out my tongue, and turned sideways I’d look like a zipper, and I could run between raindrops and never get wet, etc. I’m sure you may have heard them also in your youth.

As for the garden Diary, I used to keep one when we first moved here almost 24 years ago. I still have the journal, but since reading this, you got me wondering where it has gotten off to, as I’ve not seen it in the last few years. 🤔

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LOL - I was a little hesitant to post those two pictures, Gail, but they made me laugh so much that I wanted to share the fun! I'm SO much taller than Jane was, even though she was considered 'tall', and I'm a UK size 12ish-14ish (which is US 8-10).

A few years ago people started talking about 'size zero' which meant absolutely nothing to us because our sizes are different, but it means a size 4 over here. I've never met anyone who takes that size in clothes, although one of my friends at university was a very petite size 6.

And gosh, Mum and Dad were in good company with their garden journal, then, as you had one too! I do hope you find it - firstly I'm sure it would be really interesting to see what was happening at the time you were using it, and secondly, well, you could start again where you left off. 😊

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You’re exactly right about the clothes sizing! And right after I posted about the journal I went looking and found it! I started it back in 2001. I will definitely have to pick up where I left off. There are still plenty of pages left in it. I have pasted pictures in it of my various gardens over the years and my scarecrow—“Mawd”, who is actually my garden “gawdess” . She has gone through many a metamorphosis over the years, I could write a whole post about her alone!

But right now I’m focusing on the baby birds stories.

I could do two posts a week, but then… where would I have time for all my other pursuits, with spring coming on and daylight savings time starting tomorrow…

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Oh, I'm so pleased you've found it, Gail! Do show us, won't you?

Ah yes, daylight savings time - we don't change our clocks until Easter weekend - so we've got less of a time difference between us for a few weeks. This time of year always confuses me, until we all catch up with each other (and then with ourselves, once we EVENTUALLY get over the clock-change jet lag.....!!!!!) 🤣

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Yes! Just that one hour ahead, my whole day feels like it’s on fast forward!

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Mar 9Liked by Rebecca Holden

That pic of you reminds me of how I often have to crouch down in some of the older low-ceilinged buildings in New England. Was everyone petite 200 years ago??

Thanks for the shout-out. I’m glad you enjoyed this week’s offering 😂

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Thanks, Amie - your post was brilliant, and I was so glad to share it! I understand very little of the US political system, but we're very aware over here that it's election year on your side of the pond. I didn't really engage with the UK news pieces about the State of the Union, but I absolutely loved your State of the Kitchen. 😊

I hear you - I'm no stranger to bumping my head either! And the male members of my family - and Jim's family - are waaaay taller than I am - it's a wonder we don't all stoop......

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Mar 9·edited Mar 9Liked by Rebecca Holden

Rebecca, your piece was so wonderfully detailed, inspiring and now has me ready to go exploring! The delicious details, and accompanying photos made me feel as though I was with you, and wished I was! Truly, I needed a spark of life, something to wake me from my numbness of grief (my own story), and your exploring has done just that. Lovely!

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Thank you so much, Mary - I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this post! I hope you're doing okay at this difficult time - reading your comment here has reminded me that I hadn't yet read your beautiful Crayola post. I'm glad to have caught up. xxx

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Thank you for taking us on a tour! I usually read an intro panel and then gravitate to wherever my eyes (or emotions) pull me. At barely 5 foot tall (4’11 1/2 to be exact but I tend to round it off when asked in forms!) I thoroughly enjoyed your photos to scale comparison. Made me think about my vertically challenged stories!

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Thanks so much, Stella! It's funny - I always used to read every single interpretation board and follow any route prescribed by the signage - but as I've got older I've realised I can pick and choose what I want to explore, and it's been so liberating!

I LOVE that you round up your height - I'm the same! I always say that I'm OVER six feet - which I am, but only just!!!! 😉

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PS I'd meant to include in my reply to your comment this link to my post about being too tall for campsite showers.... with pictures! 🤣 https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/27-too-tall-to-shower

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I love museums so enjoyed this post very much. To follow the guides or take our own path? That is the question. I fully agree that it is a luxurious feeling to walk around giving our attention to the things that resonate with us the most while also being quite certain I've missed out on some good stuff because I couldn't (ever - I can never seem to get it to work) get the self-guided tour to work on my phone.

Love the pictures, thanks!

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Thank you so much, Donna! I was at another museum just yesterday, in fact, and declined the offer of borrowing one of the audio guides which was offered to me - I felt I wanted to 'go with the flow' instead! To be honest that museum wasn't a patch on the two I'd reported on here - and I don't think my experience would have been any better WITH the audio guide! 🤣

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Good call then!!

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I'd never seen any of the Jane Austen: amazing. Rebecca, Are you reading Plain Jane https://substack.com/@austenconnection? A terrific Substack all about Austen and derivatives of her work that will surprise you.

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Thanks so much, Mary! I've dipped in and out of Plain Jane - thank you for steering me back that way. I was delighted to receive a beautiful edition of 'Emma' for Christmas - I started reading it last week, and it's so engaging!

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I love your takeaways from these museums.

I’m with you regarding art being subjective. It wasn’t the Mona Lisa that lured me in but so many other tremendous works at the Louvre.

Why did the good reverend feel the need to record how many cucumbers he sliced?

Your parent’s garden diary is delightful. I hope it brought up fond memories for them. What a nice way to slow down life— record the weather, an unusual bird sighting…

Jane Austen's house! She was tiny! Wonderful pics.

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Haha! When you ‘cut’ a cucumber, you’re picking it! He picked many, many cucumbers in those records. He was rightly proud of his bounteous crop.

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Ohhh! Haha. Thx for explanation. 🙏 I’d be proud too.

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I remember hating the taste of cucumber when I was a child, and felt I would NEVER enjoy eating it. 'But cucumber will ALWAYS taste like cucumber, and I HATE the taste of cucumber!' I remember telling my mum when she was encouraging me to eat it.

Guess what? I got used to the taste, and now really enjoy cucumber - especially homegrown!

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Thanks, Carissa! And twenty-seven-odd cucumbers is quite a harvest for a single week - I hope he liked cucumber!!! 🤣

I love my parents' diary - I wonder if this post might prompt them to start using it again? I do hope so - we all enjoyed flipping through it last week!

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