If a novel is set in Britain, I will probably read it. The same goes for television; if it's a historical drama from the BBC or ITV, I will watch it. So while I may not have been as crazy about Downton Abbey as some viewers, I was more than happy to spend my time with the Crawleys and their staff on Sunday evenings. For those of you now suffering from Downton withdrawal, the folks over at Random House have come up with with some suggested books that might help tide you over until the next season. Some of these look quite good and others I've read: Park Lane by Frances Osbourne was very enjoyable, Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal is the first in a new series that I like very much, and Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries are longtime favourites. So go to your local bookstore or library and pick up one or two titles and sit back with a nice cuppa and just read.
To download a copy of the poster, visit here.
The Open Road (1926) by Claude Friese-Greene is a series of short travelogues that chronicles a motorcar journey from Land's End to John O'Groats, giving viewers a delightful look at Britain between the wars. Beginning in 1924, Friese-Greene made these shorts with the help of his assistant/chauffeur, Robin Haworth-Booth, using Biocolour, an early colour film process first developed by his father, film pioneer William Friese-Greene, in which alternating frames were stained red or green. After his father died in 1921, he renamed the process Friese-Greene Natural Colour but had trouble marketing it because of a problem with flickering. The Open Road languished away in obscurity for years until highlights were restored by the British Film Institute in 2005.
I find The Open Road to be a fascinating glimpse into the past. And as for this gorgeous seaside image, it's helping to keep my mind off the cold weather outside.
To watch some highlights from The Open Road, visit here.
