Monday Musings: Blogs, Music and other things I love...

How lovely the sound of the Emma soundtrack is, particularly since I now own it because I caved and bought it at iTunes. I couldn't resist! It will not be long before I cave in and buy the actual film on DVD. Today, after re-inflating my bed and folding laundry, I set out to do a little "computer organizing" and began working on getting all of the blogs I follow on my Feeds list rather than the Favourites. It is much easier to manage them. I also re-arranged my Favourites and created new folders for different websites. As I got the blog feeds in order I was able to peruse some of my faves and that was a lot of fun. One of my favourite crafting blogs is called Things We Make and is managed by Amy Palanjian. This blog showcases the crafts of many and is a great source of inspiration.

Not only does Amy post about the crafts of those who inspire her, she also posts great recipes and other enjoyable things! You must check out her skillet cornbread, I think I will soon be trying to make some myself! Her latest Weekend Project post, Learning to Crochet got me thinking that I really ought to start learning myself and use that little kit and yarn I bought! The box is still sitting near my bed, not at all looked at since I first bought it at Tuesday Morning in Princeton, NJ. I have no idea when I became so side-tracked. Anyway, it did inspire me to take it up and also to finish knitting the scarf I began two years ago (hopefully I can finish it before winter is out!).

There are so many blogs I follow that this blog post could become eternal if I tried to mention them all so I have decided that every Monday I will mention one in the hopes of sharing with my readers a bit about the other great blogs and ideas that are out there. Things We Make is quite visually pleasing and also a great read. I hope you take the time to visit it! Expect a change in the way my blog looks this month! I've decided that with it being a new year I want a fresh new look! Also, I have been thinking that while my blog looks pretty the background makes it a bit difficult to properly see links that I post so in order to remedy that I have decided to go with a new look!

Until tomorrow!

Nadia

Fantastic Friday: Jane Austen and the latest BBC Version of Emma

I've decided that in order to keep the blog up to date I must give each day of the week a specific function and as such have decided that this blog will be maintained Monday through Friday, with the occasional weekend special! In short, Fridays are now called Fantastic Fridays and will feature things such as what I am reading, watching and enjoying during each week. To kick of the first Fantastic Friday we will talk about the latest BBC version of Emma. Jane Austen, as many know, has been delighting us for nearly 200 years and it is no wonder these classic heroines are still causing us to go back to our bookshelves and re-read those beloved books which seem to me as dear as my own friends.

This latest BBC version of the classic tale of Emma Woodhouse is rapidly gaining popularity among Austenites and introducing many younger generations to Jane's thought provoking characters. Romola Garai as Miss Woodhouse is fun and energetic and according to those who know "physically...fits the part perfectly" (Deconstructing Miss Emma Woodhouse, by Laurel Ann of the Austenprose blog). There have been several Emma's but I think that by far Romola Garai is my favorite Emma. There is a uniqueness about her that just makes her endearing even when you are exasperated with her schemes! Jonny Lee Miller is Mr. George Knightley and what a Knightley he is! He fits the character like a charm. I've been watching Emma on PBS' Masterpiece Classics and am eager to see the last installment of the mini series which will air on PBS this Sunday. If you have not already watched it and are in the US you can go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/watch.html to catch up.

Episode 3 of the PBS showing will air online beginning on Monday. So, for all you Jane Austen fans who might be reading this blog, do not miss Emma. It is very entertaining and delightful! I look forward to hearing from those of you who are viewing and hope you will let me know what you think of this latest version of the classic. Before I forget, if you are going to watch on Sunday please join the Emma Twitter Party, don't forget to use the hash tag #emma_pbs when posting during the party! For more info see: Emma Twitter Party. 

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." -Emma

Cheers!