A Very Fun, Very British Week.

+ Am reading Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford - yes, inspired by Masterpiece Theater's production of it. Gaskell does not have the sharp, stark and hilarious irony that Austen possesses. Instead, her books are full of gentle, quiet humor and sweetness. I am having a thoroughly good time with this book, just as I have had with other Gaskell novels.

+ Last week I found the first season of Horatio Hornblower at a thrift shop for $4. I hadn't seen these episodes for almost five years, and the Young People Of the House hadn't seen them at all yet, so we've been watching those. The Boy likes them - of course - and we're rather in favor of him liking Horatio (as he appears on screen in the first season, anyway).

+ Equuschick & I crashed in the guest room with the small TV and re-watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - with our own running commentary the whole way through, naturally. It was fun to see Imelda Staunton in such a nasty role again after we've been watching her as the Friendly Neighborhood Gossip in Cranford.

+ The Younger Girl and I are listening to Prince Caspian on CD - read by Lynn Redgrave - in preparation for the film. Honestly, I'm not quite sure why we're bothering to do it so close to the film's release time, because everything I've read seems to indicate the title and character names are all that's similar in this film so we're just setting ourselves up to be doubly vexed. Still, it's always worthwhile to venture into Narnia.
This is probably my favorite quote in the book:
- "'Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,' sobbed Lucy. 'At last.'
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half l ying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face.
'Welcome, child,' he said.
'Aslan,' said Lucy, 'you're bigger.'
'That is because you are older, little one,' answered he.
'Not because you are?'
'I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.'"
*happy sigh*

+ And tonight, to top off the week, we watched the 2008 version of Sense & Sensibility - some of us saw it on TV when it first aired, but others missed it. I was a bit skeptical before this version came out - how could anything even try to compete with Emma Thompson's adaptation? But I fell in love with this adaption too and several generous siblings pitched in to get it as a gift for me. So we watched it this evening along with a friend who has just finished reading the book for the first time. 'Tis truly a beautiful film (skipping that first scene where Andrew Davies insults the intelligence of his viewers - we decidedly do comprehend the undertones of the story and so did Austen... it's just that Austen had discretion where Davies does not!)