Categotry Archives: Research
The Charles Darwin Station
On the first day of our Galapagos trip we were taken by bus through the the town of Ayora Port to the Charles Darwin Station. This is a kind of combination research center, ecological rehabilitation center, and zoo. Most of the islands are part of a national preserve. They make no effort to save species that are endangered by natural forces – such as weather patterns – but they do try to counteract the damage done by man. Since men […]
Old Pumpkin
Remember the pumpkin? The one I bought for Halloween then never got around to carving… . Well, I finally got around to it. I couldn’t believe the thing could sit around for so long and still be good, but it seemed fine – no soft spots or discoloration or odor – so I carved it up with an eye toward eating it and/or maybe leaving a thin, dry shell that I could reuse as a Halloween decoration in the future. […]
Rocks
Here’s a quick and easy “recipe” for you. Or maybe a tutorial. You know that sugar cookie recipe from last Sunday? When you cut out the shapes you end up with dough between. The more you work that dough, clumping together and re-rolling, the tougher the cookies get. Rather than getting tough cookies or wasting the dough, loosely scrunch it together into rough balls and bake. Instant rocks.
Table Setting: A Progression
To continue from last week: I asked my mother, who used to teach Meal Management courses on campus, what the biggest, hairiest, most intimidating table setting might be. I’m looking for something I can use to scare the hero of a book I’m thinking about writing. She said something along the lines of Russian or European style would likely do the trick. Frankly, I don’t find European all that intimidating. They baby you along with wait staff that hands you […]
How to Set a Table
This is going to be about as basic as you get. I’ll get a little more elaborate next week. The first step in setting a table is to plan the menu. What you will serve will determine which items need to be set. For example, if you will be serving soup, then your guests will need a soup spoon. Otherwise it does not need to be on the table. If you are serving steak, you may wish to include a […]
By George! Taking Care of Caroline.
So Prince George lost his suit against Princess Caroline, who returned most of the way to the King’s good graces. Then to add injury to insult, Fox dies. Last week’s By George! Was pretty eventful. If you missed it, click here. The government that replaced the “Ministry of all the talents” was familiar to Caroline; The Duke of Portland became Prime Minister. George Canning, a man long suspected of being Caroline’s lover, became Foreign Secretary. Spencer Perceval became Chancellor of […]
By George! What is Happening to Daddy Kins?
To recap previous week’s blogs about Priny, the prince has built himself a couple of homes, secretly married Mrs. Fitzherbert, gotten kicked to the couch when he wouldn’t fess up to the world that he’d married her because he didn’t want to lose the throne, weaseled his way back into her good graces, and now runs off to London for some carousing with his brother. Mr. Al, take it away. Accompanying the Duke and Prinny to London was the head […]
By George! He’s a Model Citizen
When we left off last week Prinny had gotten everything he wanted and then some. He didn’t loose his crown, and he wasn’t sleeping on the couch any longer. Let’s see how he handles it. The faux orientalism that one sees at Brighton Pavilion today is not what guests to the first pavilion saw in the late 1780’s That pavilion was “a low Greco-Roman house faced with cream coloured tiles, the centerpiece of which was a domed rotunda encircled by […]
By George! Poor, Pittiful Prinny
After all we’ve learned about Prinny in the last few weeks, I don’t think anything in this week’s installment is going to surprise anyone. I can clearly see the workings of Georgian and Regency society, and could easily work it into one of my books. Thank’s Mr. Al for another fascinating look at Prince George IV. Poor Prinny! Didn’t anyone care how HE felt? It would not seem so because he immediately became a basket case. He would confine […]
By George! What do you think, Mrs. Fitzherbert?
You all have been asking what Mrs. Fitzherbert thought of the way people saw her marriage to George. Well, Mr. Al finally gets around to telling us. Way to keep us hanging, Mr. Al. Mrs. the Princess of Wales (sort of) was not pleased at all. According to sources she was “deeply afflicted and furious against Fox.” Since she was not a stupid woman the only explanation for her anger, beyond the fact that she never liked Fox in the […]
By George! George Digs a Hole and Fox Falls In.
It seems when Prince George gets tired of pretending to be bucolic and makes a run for the money he isn’t the only one cruising for a bruising. We return to Mr. Al’s weekly take on the life of George IV. The Prince did find someone to bring the matter up before Parliament. This gentleman, Nathanial Newnham, did raise the subject of the Prince’s financial distress, but made no mention of his marital status. Prime Minister William Pitt tried […]
By George! The King Knows How to Handle Money
When we left off Mr. Al was telling us that George IV had run into a bit of trouble with money. Again. Take it away Mr. Al. His Majesty informed the Prince that he could not consider asking Parliament to bail him out without first knowing how much was owed. He appointed one Colonel Hotham to go over the receipts. Even with a staff, it took him over a month to come up with a figure. The total was […]
By George! The Prince is in Debt
As we have seen, debt was something the Prince had begun piling up in his early teens. Some of it was the result of opportunistic place seekers who wanted his Highness in their debt. A much larger portion of it was gambling and partying. But it wasn’t until he acquired Carlton House that his debts hit astronomical figures. One of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, his debts were so high was not only that he wanted the best of […]
By George! It’s a Wedding!
When we left off – a couple of weeks ago – Prince George the Fourth had finally convinced Mrs. Fitzherbert to be his wife. Mr. Fox was not ammused. The Prince decided to alleviate his friend’s fears by doing what he did best. He lied like a thief in a letter to Fox stating that he had no intentions of marrying Mrs. Fitzherbert. It would never happen. Scouts honor. Before Fox had even received the letter, the search was […]
By George! What If They Get Serious?
So Prince George consoled himself over the refusal of Maria Fitzherbert to join him in matrimony with the attentions of the likes of Lady Bamfylde, dinners, and redecorating. **** But his beloved Maria was never far from his thoughts. And, although he did not know it, his letters were having an effect. She remained in Europe for a year. Toward the end of that time her companions reported that she had become increasingly listless. She seemed to be running […]
