The Dauntless Damsels

This blog is dedicated to our fandom of the great Mark Ferguson and the great Ioan Gruffudd, our favorite actors. We will also post about the stories we are working on, our favorite books, authors, movies, music, and anything else we love and adore. Cheers!

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Location: United States

I'm also a usually quiet, reserved Lady, who enjoys books, tea, baking, and movies! I spend most of my time reading one of my favorite books or wishing I was reading my favorite books. My Grand Passion is history, particularly the Regency Period in England, when Jane Austen wrote, Lord Nelson defeated the French Fleet at Trafalgar, the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon, and men were Gentlemen and women Ladies. I cherish the thought of being a Lady and love manners, being proper, and having proper tea. My favorite tea is Twinings, especially Earl Grey or Prince of Wales. My specialty to make is Scones with Devon Cream. I am a Catholic and a Conservative.

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Friday, September 30, 2005

Odd Names

A lovely Horatio Hornblower/Ioan Gruffudd fan at Ioan Online, named Dot, found a great little article. You can read the posts at the forums here.

Here is the great article:

Horatio Hornblower is on the list: British office compiles list of odd names---

LONDON (AP) - Horatio Hornblower is an odd name, but consider his siblings: Azubia, Constantia, Jecoliah, Jedidah, Jerusha and Erastus. Rene Jackaman, archive assistant at Cornwall County Record Office, found all those names after coming across a real-life namesake of C.S. Forester's fictional naval hero in county census records.
The Hornblower name has been on record for centuries.

Inspired by that discovery, staff and researchers at the Cornwall Record Office compiled a list of more than 1,000 unusual names found in censuses as well as in births, deaths and marriage records going back as far as the 16th century.

"My all-time favorites are Abraham Thunderwolff and Freke Dorothy Fluck Lane," she said.
Follow the link for more odd names!

No, it's not him!

ABC News' Person of the Week this week is one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Jamie Oliver. More on Jamie here.

I have some of his cookbooks and love watching his tv shows. He's always fun, creative, and interesting. The first time I ever came across one of his shows, The Naked Chef, Jamie was making bread on the countertop, no bowl or anything. I love making his basic bread recipe and using it for pizza dough, breadsticks, or anything else. Yummy! You can find Jamie's bread and pizza recipe here.

And as the Jamie page says, Sorry to disappoint you--it's not the chef that's naked, it's the food!

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Congratulations!

My favorite Food Network "chef" Rachael Ray got married last Saturday in Italy, to her boyfriend of a few years, John Cusimano. If you are a Rachael Ray fan, you can read the little story here.

Rachael has the best shows, "30 Minute Meals," "$40 A Day," and "Tasty Travels." I use her "30 Minute Meal" Cookbooks all the time. She has the best recipes and menus and they are so easy to make. Plus, her shows are always fun.

Congratulations, Rachael and John!




(Cross-posted at A Lady's Ruminations)

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Bronte Blog!

Today I visited Austen Blog, which I posted about here.

They had a post with a link to a great blog called Bronte Blog. It is a blog dedicated to the Bronte sisters.

I was delighted to find it, as I love their books. Indeed, my tradition (of 3 years) is to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte every October. The month goes perfectly well with the story. I'll be reading it very soon.

I look forward to reading more from the Bronte Blog! Have a look and read one of the novels.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Join the Horatio Hornblower Postcard Drive!

If you are fan of the Horatio Hornblower film series, then now is the time to act.

A & E, which aired the films here in the US, has decided to revamp their programming and move away from Arts and focus on Entertainment, as in reality tv. This is very unfortunate, as the HH films are excellent.

You can read more about the whole thing here.

The Hornblower movies are based on the Hornblower books, written by C.S. Forester. They are set during the Napoleonic Wars, on British Navy vessels and in battles.

My favorite actor, Ioan Gruffudd, plays Horatio in the films and wants to do many more.

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You can help in two ways:

First, sign this petition.

Second, join the Postcard Drive.

We are asking people to send postcards to A & E or Granada (or both) so that the postcards will arrive between 28 September and 1 October 2005.

If you ae in the US, it only costs 23 cents to send a postcard to A & E. There are samples of what to write here.

The addresses for A & E and Granada are:

A&E Television
235 East 45th Street
New York, New York 10017

and/or

ITV Duty Office
Gas Street
Birmingham
B1 2JT

If you have other questions or want more information on sending postcards out of the US or into the US from other countries, visit the Postcard Drive webpage here.

These are such great films that teach about honor, courage, and the fight for freedom. I hope we can convince the powers that be to change their minds. Thank you!

You can find out more about Ioan Gruffudd and Horatio Hornblower by visiting Ioan Online.

(Cross-posted at A Lady's Ruminations)

Thursday, September 22, 2005

On TV Show Season Premieres

Am I the only one who thinks the tv show season premieres have been pretty boring so far.

The ones I have see are: King of Queens, CSI: Miami, NCIS, According to Jim, E-Ring, CSI, and ER. I was expecting exciting things on CSI: Miami, CSI, and NCIS, but not really were. King of Queens was funny, but not the funniest I've seen. According to Jim was rather uninteresting considering the Dana character got married at the end of last season. It might as well have taken place before that event. ER was more drama. It might as well be General Hospital. They never show traumas anymore, just personal crises all over the place.

As for E-Ring, the only new show I have watched, I was vastly disappointed. My favorite television show is JAG, which ended after 10 seasons in May. E-Ring is no JAG. The characters don't act like military and everything is sort of soft. I expected crispness and military sharpness. Not so. Disappointing, as I generally like Jerry Bruckheimer shows. I don't know if I will watch it again.

I didn't watch Lost (though we taped it) because I was watching E-Ring. I am hoping it will prove entertaining and interesting and revitalize the new season.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

On Pumpkin Lattes and Harry Potter

Today my sister and I took our dog, Dani, to her treatment at the best vet's office. Since it would be about an hour and a half, we went to do a bit of grocery shopping. Once we finished that, we planned to have some coffee drinks and read.

Across from Fred Meyer, where we did the grocery shopping was an Albertsons. My sister said there used to be a Starbucks. It was gone, but there was a Starbucks stand thing inside the Albertsons, so we went there. As we ordered our coffee drinks, I remembered that there was a new Starbucks right down the parking lot from the vet's. Last week when we were up there it hadn't been open yet and I hadn't thought to check before we left. We got our drinks and sat down About 8 feet away at a tiny little table with two chairs.

My sister had her usual, an Extra-Caramel Caramel Frappuccino. I had a Pumpkin Spice Latte in honor of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I am reading for the second time. I thought it was appropriate because they always drink pumpkin juice in the books. My sister is very slowly reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

We sat at the little table, pulled out our books, and began to read. This is in an Albertsons store. Not exactly quiet. Sighing, we decided to head back to the vet's and just read in the nice waiting area.

When we arrived, we were told Dani was almost done. My sister, who drinks her coffee drinks in about 6 seconds, was entirely finished with her's. I had more than half of my Pumpkin Spice latte left. The great receptionist told us that the Starbucks down the parking lot had opened Friday!

Too bad we didn't think to look before we left. We could have enjoyed our drinks and Harry Potter in the relative quiet of the Starbucks shop, rather than a grocery store. I only read about 2 pages of HP and HBP. I'm near the end, at a very, very important part and have been saving it for when we went to Starbucks. I, of course, finished my latte, but not while I was reading!

I guess I'll have to save it until next time.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

London Postcards

I like to send friends internet postcards. I just found a wonderful website full of beautiful London ones.

You can visit it here.

The site is called LondonTown.com. It has lots of travel information and tourist sites, restaurants, maps, entertainment. They have top 10 lists: features, tickets, hotels, and lots more. It looks like a really fun site.

I'm excited about the postcards.

Make Your Day with a Ioan Clip!

Ioan Online has a link to the new 8-disc set of Horatio Hornblower dvds arriving 25 October 2005.

The gorgeous Mr. Gruffudd is featured in a greeting clip on Amazon. You can watch it here. Click on either high bandwith or low bandwith to watch the delightful little piece. Ioan Gruffudd is so charming.

I already own the first 8 dvds, but I want to buy this set just because. I don't know that there is even anything new on them, but the set is worth checking out.

Monday, September 19, 2005

"There is no land like England"

Alfred, Lord Tennyson is my favorite poet and England is my favorite country (outside the United States), though I have not yet been.

So, a poem for you, from the master:

There is no land like England,
Where'er the light of day be;
There are no hearts like English hearts,
Such hearts of oak as they be;
There is no land like England,
Where'er the light of day be:
There are no men like Englishmen,
So tall and bold as they be!
And these will strike for England,
And man and maid be free
To foil and spoil the tyrant
Beneath the greenwood tree.

- Lord Alfred Tennyson, Foresters--Song

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Excellent British Sites

I was just doing a little searching on England and found these wonderful sites. I thought I would share them.

The first one, Visit Britain is the official travel site of the UK. You can look up places to stay, places to visit, events, transportation, and more. There are sections for different areas of the UK: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and also Guernsey and Jersey.

You can also create a travel plan on the site and use a currency converter to check prices.

It looks like a very helpful website if you are planning a trip to Britain, which I hope to do in the not-too-distant future.

The second site is even more exciting: British History. I have a degree in history and British is my favorite and specialty.

You'll fine all sorts of British history (obviously), timelines, recipes, competitions, research tools, time periods, articles, and more. You can search specific dates, parks, clothing, nautical history, military history, buildings, monuments, literature, maps, libraries, and so much more.

I know I am going to enjoy spending lots of time on this site.

HP and GOF Trailer!!!!

You can see a new Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire trailer here.

HP and GoF comes out on 18 November in the U.S. It is the fourth movie in the series, based on the fourth book of what will be seven. Like the 3rd movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, HP and GOF will also be shown at the IMAX.

I saw a preview when I went to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on 15 July 2005. From the looks of it and the new trailer, it will be an excellent film.

I am SOOOO excited!

(Cross-posted at A Lady's Ruminations)

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Agatha Christie's House

The Times: Agatha Christie's favourite plot---

THE country house where Agatha Christie wrote some of her most popular mysteries is to be opened to the public for the first time since her death in 1976.
Greenway House, on the banks of the Dart, was acquired by the National Trust on the death of Christie’s only daughter late last year. The announcement was made to coincide with the start of the first “Christie Week” to celebrate the works of the world’s most successful modern author.

Christie sold more than two billion books, translated into 103 languages. Only the Bible and Shakespeare’s works are said to have sold more.

Many of the mysteries, such as those featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, were written at Greenway, which makes a thinly disguised appearance in at least two of them: Dead Man’s Folly, written in 1956, and Five Little Pigs, written in 1943. The National Trust opened 30 acres of gardens and the boathouse of Greenway House to the public in 2002 after it was donated by Christie’s family. The trust was given the 225-year lease to the house after the deaths of Christie’s daughter, Rosalind Hicks, and her husband, Anthony, who lived there.

Before opening Greenway to the public, the trust intends to spend at least £2 million on restoring it to the glory of its heyday in the 1930s. Among Christie’s possessions still there is the desk on which she wrote many books.

Robyn Brown, the Greenway property manager, said that the trust hoped to restore the “heart and soul” of Christie’s “much loved” house. “This will help tell the fascinating story of holidays spent at Greenway by Agatha and her family. It is important that visitors understand its history and the many characters that lived in and enjoyed this magical part of the Dart Estuary.”

The restoration is expected to take three years, but before then the house will be open for special tours, details of which will be announced next year.

The trust plans to open parts of the ground floor to visitors in 2008 but the top two floors will be used as holiday and staff accommodation, and storage.
I always loved Agatha Christie mysteries. My favorite was And Then There Were None.

To find out more about Agatha Christie and her books, you can visit the official site here.

According to the site, this is Agatha Christie Week. It runs from 12 September-17 September 2005.

Fresh Banana Bread!


I've just taken two lovely loaves of Banana Bread out of the oven. The picture isn't a very good one. I love making it, but I haven't done so in a few months.

They appear to have turned out well. I'll have some for breakfast, toasted with butter.

The recipe I use comes from one put together by wives of Seattle Mariners as a charity event. The recipe is from retired Mariner's player Jay Buhner.

(Cross-posted at A Lady's Rumimations)

The Pride and Prejudice Site

You can visit the site for the upcoming Pride and Prejudice here.

It stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew McFayden as Mr. Darcy, as well as Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander, and Judi Dench.

The site features quotes from the actors and actresses, photos from the movie, wallpapers, screensavers, and buddy icons, information on the characters, and a biography of the great Jane Austen.

You can also view the P & P trailer.

Pride and Prejudice will be released on 16 September 2005 in the United Kingdom, but we Americans won't be able to see it until 18 November 2005, when it is released in the US.

Dates for releases in other countries can be found here.

Ioan and Amazing Grace

From ComingSoon.net---

Gruffudd & Finney in Amazing Grace
Source: The Hollywood Reporter September 13, 2005

Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) has signed on to topline Walden Media's Amazing Grace for director Michael Apted, says The Hollywood Reporter. Albert Finney (Big Fish) also has joined the cast.

Based on the life of British anti-slavery pioneer William Wilberforce (Gruffudd), the film follows his 18th century political career, which placed him at odds with some of the most powerful men of the time, including the king. Finney will play John Newton, a Wilberforce confidant.

Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) wrote the screenplay.
Sounds excellent, so far. I hope more information is forthcoming.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Fantastic Four on DVD!!!

Title: Fantastic Four
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd
Released: 13th December 2005
SRP: $27.95

Further Details
Fox Home Entertainment has today revealed the street date for Fantastic Four which stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba and Chris Evans. The film will be available to own in seperate anamorphic widescreen, and full screen releases from the 13th December this year. Each should set you back around $27.95. Both will include English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 tracks, along with a cast commentary, three deleted scenes, an exclusive look behind the scenes with the cast, a Making of Fantastic Four featurette and a Fox Movie Channel Presents Fantastic Four "Casting Session" and "Making a Scene". Completing the package will be two music videos (Everything Burns and Come On Come In), a soundtrack spot, an inside look at X-Men 3, a theatrical trailer and the Marvel Avengers trailer.
Visit the link to see the cover.