Confession Saturday: The You Had Me At 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife' Edition

"The Gentleman offered his services,
took her up in his arms,
and carried her down the hill."

I confess, January gets me down.

I confess, the first stanza of In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti is playing on 'loop' in my mind.

I confess, I feel I ought to be more forbearing about winter considering where I live.  However, instead of pulling myself up by my bootstraps, I cope through escapism.

I confess, last night when Husband asked what I was reading all I said was, "Guess."  "Mr. Darcy?" he said, laughing.

I confess, it's true.  January always sends me straight to Jane Austen and also to Masterpiece Classic.  Also to hot tea and lots of dark chocolate.

I confess, I want to be the young maiden sitting in a window seat with a prospect of the gah-den, opening the wax seal of a hand-written letter, calling to the servant for tea.  (However, I always remind myself, they didn't have central heat or flush toilets back then.  There is that.)

I confess, I was glad to see on Facebook yesterday that another friend is escaping with Jane Austen, too.  It's nice to know I'm not alone.

I confess, I have an "I heart Mr. Darcy" bumper sticker on my mini-van.  It's true.

I confess, Reader, on the next four Sunday evenings you will find me glued to the TV watching Downton Abbey (which is set much later than Austen's novels, but alas, Masterpiece has no Austen on the schedule this year from what I can tell).  At night, I will be in bed early reading Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense & Sensibility, and Persuasion.  Next I will move on the Bronte Sisters.  Next maybe A Room With a View.  After that perhaps I will stoop to Austen fan lit.  I confess, I'm not above it.  By then it will be, I hope, March, and I might imagine that winter will end after all.

I confess, I'd love to know if you have favorite books/movies that you escape into during the bleak midwinter.


P.S. Image above is public domain via Liam's Pictures From Old Books.  I'm quite sure the scene is from Sense & Sensibility, when Marianne falls on the downs and Willoughby finds her and carries her to safety, sparking their romance (oh, the drama!).  And my long and rambling title comes from the first line of Pride and Prejudice.

And Thus Was Achieved an Uneasy Truce

Last night.

Husband to me: "Why do you like those Masterpiece shows so much?"

Pause.
Long pause.
Longer pause.

Me to Husband: "Why do you like NFL football so much?"

Pause.
Long pause.
Longer pause.

Husband to me: "Ok."

Pride and Prejudice and Chocolate

Reader, it's February.

And it is a truth universally acknowledged that a married mother of three in possession of no fortune whatsoever must still be in want of a getaway.

Some people go to Mexico. Some people go to Bermuda. Some people go to the spa. I go to my front room with a cup of hot tea and a bar of dark--and I mean really dark--chocolate to watch Pride and Prejudice the movie (BTW, I only have eyes for the 1996 A&E version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle; don't even talk to me about other versions. Two words: Colin.Firth.). I've found that a little cinematic trip to Regency England can be just the cure for winter. And I also love the book, which will be cracked open for its annual re-reading after I've finished the full six hours of the movie.

I'm trying to formulate the reasons why I *love* this story so much. I can't say why other than:

1. Who would not love to have a Hill around? (She's the housekeeper, and do you know: she helps them take their jackets off and everything!).
2. I want to wear those beautiful but functional dresses, including the pinafores for around the house.
3. The English have such a wonderful way of telling each other off while sounding extremely polite.
4. I want to be able to say "I am all astonishment!" in real life.
5. The letters, the letters, the letters. So many letters written, sealed, delivered, received, read, re-read, crumpled, straightened, re-read again, and treasured.
6. Mister Darcy. Sigh.
7. All the singing and dancing and reading and playing instruments and rambling around the estates. (In short: no TV. And yes, I do realize the irony in that).
8. Did I mention Mr. Darcy?
9. All the beautiful, colorful, dripping-with-roses-and-other-gorgeous-flowers English gardens. (Which reminds me of another annual ritual I have embraced in order to get through winter: watching the Masters. Oh, the azaleas! when all we have is snow.)
10. Just this one line: "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." (This is, of course, Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet).
11. Who doesn't love a story about, amongst other things, the transformative power of love?
12. Bonus: it's chock-full of good laughs.

If you, too, are in need of a cure for winter and your situation requires that you get your cure on the cheap, I invite you to join my February ritual: Pride and Prejudice and chocolate (which ought not to be confused with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).

Happy viewing, happy reading, happy, happy February.