I had a blast at my first AGM! It was four days of bliss, I mean what could be better than spending a long weekend with Jane Austen and friends! Let me tell you some of the highlights.
The first day was more than I thought it was going to be. I was there much earlier than expected and was able to attend "The Mysterious Death of Jane Austen" given by Lindsay Ashford the author of a book with the same title. It was fascinating! She gave a brief description of her background as a crime writer and how she came to live at Chawton and what led her to start investigating Jane's death. The book she has written is a fictional account of JA's death.
The next class "Managing Muslins" was not what I had hoped. There was a brief description about fabric but mostly on how to find things at thrift stores and making them work. She also touched on hats and accessories. I would have like to learn more about the fabric themselves and had swatches to look at. It was still a good session and I did learn a few things.
Here is a picture of the speaker's children modeling their regency attire.
I took an English Country Dance class, that was so much fun! I did better than I thought I would for the first three dances. The fourth dance I was totally confused, so I sat out the last!
The lectures by Dr. Joan Ray and Andrew Davies were fantastic! Andrew Davies brought video clips from his movies and discussed them.
Isn't this picture of the stitching on this cravat beautiful? It is all hand stitched.
This was in the "Gentlemanly Pursuits" session, where I learn a little bit about snuff, tying a cravat and firearms.
One of my favorite sessions was "Ports of the Period." Susan Mason-Milks and I went to this together. We sampled a couple of different ports. Let me tell you they tasted smooth! It is something I'll be drinking again. This was a fun session and all the women and gentlemen in the room seemed to have a good time...there was a lot of hooping and hollering going on!
At the banquet I sat with these lovely ladies. Dinner and conversation was good!
Look at this dessert!
During "how to talk like Mrs. Palmer" these two young ladies demonstrated how girls can exaggerate speech. They did a great job! They weren't even part of the lecture! The speaker, Pat Michaelson, ask if anyone would like to come up and give a demonstration. They volunteered, unrehearsed and playacted, they sounded like two birds fluttering about. Ms. Michaelson talked about exaggerated speech, using too many words like amazingly, horridly, monstrously, vastly, and the overuse of exclamation points. It totally reminded me of how I write on twitter!!!
I went to a book launch and two book signings. I brought a stack of books home with me!
I spent sometime with some wonderful women!
All around I had a fantastic time! I hope to do it again! It was the perfect weekend!
I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment!
Candy, Great post! You certainly made the most of your time in FW. It was great spending time with someone who loves Austen's world as much as I do.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! It was fun, wasn't it!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to try port. Every time I read a book, I wonder what port tastes like. Knowing how much you like it, makes me even more anxious to try it.
ReplyDeleteI am green with envy at how much fun you had! ;) It really does look like you had a nice time. Such a shame the muslin lecture was not what you were hoping. I was hoping you would enlighten me more about the fabric.
Oh, and to be surrounded by such wonderful people and so many Janeites, what a great time!
Jakki, port is surprisingly sweet. Red wine that is 14% alcohol by vol. is dry but the port we drank was 20% and was sweet. It was so good! I took a picture of the bottle if you want to know what kind we were drinking. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I was disappointed about the muslin session, only because I was hoping for something different. It was still interesting. I am ready to make my regency gown. I wish I could have dressed up for the banquet!
Oh, I too would love to make me a gown! Maybe I will find time after the first of the year sometime. Too many things to sew right now!
ReplyDeleteI will have to look at the bottle and head to the package store. I do like red wine, and would love the port. Although, I think at 20%, I might only be able to have a small glass! ;)
It was so much fun meeting you, Candy, and going to the port tasting with you, too. I couldn't believe they had so many bottles. It must have cost a fortune!
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm so glad I met you! It was fun hanging out with you. I sat next to Mrs. Peirson at the bunch, she said her husband bought all that Port and Madeira himself. That was very generous of him!
ReplyDeleteTrying again. Glad you had such a good time - you deserve time to yourself out on the town!! Any town will do!! :)
ReplyDeleteso if I do anonymous I need to put my name with it!! :)
ReplyDeleteCareylyn
It was great meeting you at last at the AGM, and I hope we get a chance to do it again! It's amazing how much I learned there, not to mention having fun. I wish I'd been at the port session, but at least I got the handout.
ReplyDeleteCareylyn, I knew it was you! Lol! Thanks for leaving a comment.
ReplyDeleteAbigail, it was a pleasure to meet you! Thanks for letting me hang out with the Austen Authors group! I really did have a good time and I learned a lot too. It was also a relaxing weekend for me!
Candy, I loved hearing about your JA weekend. Sounds wonderful, and I wish I could have been there.
ReplyDeleteJan, it would have been fantastic to meet you! Maybe another time. I did have a wonderful time. Thanks!
ReplyDelete