Where the stories we treasure meet the reality we share
It's been a while since Judi Dench appeared on our TV screens in "As Time Goes By." Still, she speaks to us. Consider this little gem I found in a recent issue of AARP Magazine.
So what if she's taken to wearing funny hats? So what if she's looking a little green these days? Whether she's speaking as Jean Hardcastle or Dame Judi, her insights on life still ring true.
In these difficult times, we could do worse than follow her advice.
Dragon Dave
Along with the reminder of the town's scenic splendor afforded in the P.G. Wodehouse novel Love Among The Chickens, I remain curious by how Lyme Regis inspired two supremely talented British authors to write two very different novels. Nor are Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse alone in this. The Lyme Regis Museum website lists quite a few authors who traveled to the seaside town, and were likewise inspired.
While Britain boasts a plethora of colorful seaside towns, many of which have (or have had) piers, Lyme Regis has the Cobb. Has this man-made structure, which dates back in one form or another to the fourteen century, lent an aura to the town that compelled authors to set their stories and novels there?
All of this makes me even more curious as to why P. G. Wodehouse excised Lyme Regis from his novel later on. Originally published in 1906, the author published a revised version in 1921. Among the changes he made was to rename the setting from Lyme Regis to the more generic Combe Regis.
Combe, by the way, means a small valley through which water does not run.
Thankfully, I read P. G. Wodehouse's original version. Having visited Lyme Regis, I could better appreciate how the move from his stuffy London flat to the seaside town would have inspired his protagonist, young Jeremy Garnet. And of course, it allowed me to share that journey with you.
While originally researching points of interest for our 2015 English adventure, I put Lyme Regis on our itinerary because other famous authors had spent their holidays there. In looking back upon my visit, I remember how, just like Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse, contemporary visitors are still drawn to explore the Cobb.
Of course, you can always find other things to do in Lyme Regis too.
Dragon DaveRelated Links
Lyme Regis Literary & Artistic Connections
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| A 19th Century photo from the Lyme Regis museum |
P.G. Wodehouse's novel Love Among the Chickens reminded me of the scenic beauty of the British seaside town of Lyme Regis. While packed with humor, I found Jeremy and Phyllis' courtship every bit as compelling as the love story in Jane Austen's novel Persuasion. One of the themes it left me with was the importance of not attempting to reinvent the wheel when undertaking a new venture.
The same spirit of adventure that drove Stanley Ukridge to run a chicken farm also led him to believe he could become an expert through research alone. After assessing how others ran a farm, his confidence in his abilities led him to believe he could do better than the average farmer. So he didn't try to replicate the success of others. He didn't pay attention to the particulars. He conceived a grand vision for revolutionizing chicken farming, and immediately tried to outdo everyone.
In so doing, Ukridge became a local celebrity. The farmers and townspeople, who returned the chickens that wandered into their farms or yards, listened to his plans to revolutionize chicken farming. He knew the best way to run a chicken farm, even though he'd never actually run one.
Ukridge's confidence and belief proved contagious. He talked businesses into providing goods and services, completely on credit, based on plans he claimed could not fail. This reminded me of the early 1990s speculation in trading cards and comics, the dot-com bubble in the late '90s, and the unrealistic beliefs that transformed the packaging of Mortgage-Backed Securities in the United States in 2007 and 2008 into a global financial crisis.
After awhile though, Ukridge learns the wisdom of keeping a low profile. For local shopkeepers and supplier representatives keep visiting the farm. Lacking Ukridge's unique understanding of business and farming, these people grow tiresome by presenting bills, and demands for immediate payment.
While confidence and belief can be fine things, Stanley Ukridge's confidence, and his insistence upon transforming his beliefs into reality, end up blinding him to the truth of many situations. He turns individuals such as Phyllis' father against him by thoughtlessly insulting the man, and assailing him with his political views. He injures businesses by convincing the owners to strain their limited resources by providing him with goods and services while not even paying them a penny.
Or should I say a single pence?
Of
course, in each case, there is the fallout. People like Jeremy and
Phyllis suffer, when her father forbids her to associate with Jeremy again. Family members of the business owners suffered stress from wondering if Ukridge will ever start making payments on his loans. But
then, an unwillingness to listen to others, or accept that their views
and beliefs are as valid as one's own, will always lead to suffering.
As for my wife and I, we're currently suffering the fallout from the pandemic. Thankfully, we are safe and well, and able to engage in limited domestic travel. But too many people are unwilling to moderate their beliefs that they know how best to tackle an unseen virus.
Their confidence that they are right, and their insistence upon not taking precautions suggested by true experts, will prevent us from traveling to beautiful and historic international destinations like Lyme Regis for the foreseeable future. And that, dear readers, also affects you, as I won't have any new British adventures to write about. Thankfully, I've still got all my travel photos to share, and I keep reading thought-provoking writers like P. G. Wodehouse.
One way or another, and despite all the well-meaning Stanley Ukridges of the world, we'll get through this together.
Dragon Dave
In the P. G. Wodehouse novel Love Among The Chickens, writer Jeremy Garnet could invest himself in Stanley Ukridge's latest get-rich-quick scheme if he foresaw a reasonable chance of success. But it's clear that while Ukridge has no idea what he's doing, the man is also determined to reinvent the entire process of running a chicken farm.
So, Jeremy reverts to what he knows: writing novels. Also, Jeremy's thoughts dwell on Phyllis, a local he met on the train to Lyme Regis. After he met her and formed good relations with her family, Ukridge drove them apart by insulting her father. If only he could win his way back into the father's good graces, so he could court Phyllis!
In addition to walking along the hilltop, Jeremy also likes to swim. He ventures down to Lyme Regis, and changes into his bathing costume in little one-person tents the town has provided. Then he dives into the harbor and takes his exercise.
As a writer, Jeremy naturally thinks of Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, and the scenes set in Lyme Regis. Eventually, Jeremy hatches a plan to win over Phyllis' father. He talks the owner of the fishing boat Phyllis' father has hired into spilling the man into the water at a prearranged time.
Unlike Louisa, who injured herself when leaping from the upper section of the Cobb to the lower part, Jeremy suffers no injury when diving into the harbor and swimming out to rescue his prospective father-in-law.
It's a plan reminiscent of "Jeeves' Arrival," the first episode in the 1990s Jeeves And Wooster TV series, which was adapted from several P.G. Wodehouse stories. As with Bertie Wooster, Jeremy's plan has unforeseen consequences. But I'll let you discover the way Jeremy's splash into the harbor creates ripples that swell into waves--and engulf his prospects for courting Phyllis--when you read Love Among The Chickens.
Dragon Dave
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| Lyme Regis circa 1860 (from the Lyme Regis Museum) |
In his 1906 novel Love Among The Chickens, P.G. Wodehouse introduces us to young author Jeremy Garnet in London, England. Suffering from writer's block, Jeremy allows his friend Stanley Ukridge to talk him into partnering him in his latest business venture. Soon he's riding a train with Ukridge and his new wife, where he notices a beautiful young lady reading his latest novel. But before he can get to know her, they arrive at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis.
The
two men, along with Ukridge's new wife, move into a farm on a hill
overlooking the sea, where Ukridge plans on operating a chicken farm. If
Jeremy hadn't been bored and blocked, he never would have agreed to help out. After all, none of them know anything about raising chickens.
Still, Ukridge believes they can make a go of it. Buoyed by boundless enthusiasm, he's convinced local merchants and suppliers to lend him goods and services on credit. Certainly his wife firmly believes that Ukridge can do anything.
Things quickly get out of control as they take possession of their first delivery of chickens. The chickens fight with each other or run away. At least while chasing one chicken, Jeremy meets up with the girl from the train.
He makes a good impression on her father. He believes he's in love with her. But later, Ukridge thoughtlessly insults her father, and Jeremy isn't allowed to see her any more.
Perhaps Ukridge should have learned a little more about chickens before embarking on his business venture. Perhaps he should have bothered himself with little details, such as how many chickens he wanted per breed. And maybe, just maybe, he should have insisted that he get many more hens than roosters, instead of the other way around.
Believe it or not, roosters are adept at fighting, but not well suited to laying eggs. Still, Jeremy's gotten away from London. He can take walks along the hill and try to write. And he can think about the girl he loves, and what he can do to get back in her father's good graces.
I didn't notice many farms gracing the hilltops of Lyme Regis during our visit six years ago. But the town had its own allure and beauty. I can imagine Jeremy sitting on a bench, gazing out to see, dreaming of the girl he'd like to marry, and working on his next novel.
Dragon Dave
Lyme Regis, a small seaside town along the southern coast of England, is a popular seaside town. My wife and I enjoyed visiting it during our trip to the UK back in 2015. We only had a morning there, and it wasn't enough.
Perhaps one day can return we can return. It would be nice to spend a few days there, wandering along the beach, and exploring the town. It'd also be nice to search for fossils there, which is a popular pasttime of locals and holidaymakers on what Brits call the Jurassic Coast.
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| From a book in the Lyme Regis Museum |
According to the website janeausten.co.uk, Jane Austen visited the seaside resort three times between 1803 and 1804. Walking along the cobb--the manmade promontory that juts out into the sea--inspired her to include a visit to the town in her novel Persuasion. I certainly felt that sense of history when my wife and I walked the cobb two centuries later.
I wonder how many other writers have been inspired to set their stories in Lyme Regis over the centuries since this awesome seawall was built?
According to the museum in Lyme Regis, Jane Austen complained in letters about the dirty rooms they rented when they visited. While I'm far from an authority on Jane Austen, I understand that she also disliked Bath, a city where she lived and featured in her novels. I've begun to wonder if she preferred the simpler (and less expensive) life in the country to the busy and crowded life of the city.
As she lived in an age when vaccines and antibiotics and all kinds of medical treatments we take for granted simply weren't available, I also wonder at her death at the age of 41. During these pandemic times, when we've become more concerned about cleanliness, I also take her complaints about dirty lodgings more seriously. And yet, the average life expectancy in the UK was 40 in 1800, so perhaps Jane Austen did not in fact die tragically young, as readers and fans tend to think today.
In any case, the fact that Jane Austen featured Lyme Regis in her novel Persuasion has led to many people visiting the town over the centuries. I'm glad I visited the scenic and lively town. If you visit there, I think you'll be glad too.
Dragon Dave
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| Lyme Regis, England |
The English seaside town of Lyme Regis is a fun and vibrant town. After an enthralling visit to their museum, my wife and I ventured out to explore the town.
As it was getting near lunch, my wife and I surveyed the local eateries. But they all looked expensive or busy. So we ducked into a little store, and got a packaged lunch to share.
Then we looked for a bench with a nice view on which to enjoy it.
All the benches were full, but a nice lady gave up her spot so we could sit down. She then chatted with us as we ate. When her husband arrived with their coffees, he also stayed to talk. We talked so long, that by the time we finished, most of the benches were empty!
I remember two things from that conversation. 1) They were enjoying their day out at the seaside. 2) He owned an Aston Martin, which he occasionally drove at a race track.
Oh, I remember something else about the couple. They were extraordinarily kind. But then, you already surmised that, didn't you?
While preparing a post on Lyme Regis on another topic, I found this photo I took of this little movie poster. It's for the Minions movie, and who doesn't love the minions?
It's a bit cheeky, so it may not have been seen in the U.S. Enjoy!
Dragon Dave
In an introduction to his 1977 anthology Exiles, editor Ben Bova shares an insight into one of his contributors: the esteemed author Isaac Asimov. The two writers met at a science fiction convention in the late 1950s. Early on in their friendship, Isaac Asimov began throwing work Bova's way.
When editors came to Asimov for articles, and the writer of The Foundation Trilogy and I, Robot didn't have the time to write them, he recommended Ben Bova to the editors. Then he told Bova, "Don't worry. Whatever I know, you'll know. All you have to do is ask."
According to Ben Bova, Asimov sent so many opportunities his way over the years that he often considered giving him an agent's fee of ten percent of his earnings. Throughout the decades, Asimov always helped him out with his writing assignments. All Bova had to do was ask.
One evening, the friends were walking through Manhattan when they passed an apartment where Asimov once lived.
Looking up at his old window, he said, with a tear in his voice, "It wasn't such a bad place. I was there fifty-six months and I wrote fifty-six books."
Isaac Asimov
While Ben Bova was working on his introduction to Exiles, Isaac Asimov was writing his two hundredth book. Asimov would go on to write or edit over five hundred. Yet despite all that:
Isaac often belittles his literary achievements. "I couldn't write good," he's said many times, "so I've written a lot."
Bova sums up his introduction by describing Asimov as a true gentleman, and the warmest-hearted man I know.
Persistence. Generosity. Humility. Loyalty. That's how Ben Bova, respected author, editor, and leader in the science fiction community, introduced Issac Asimov for his anthology Exiles.
As a reader who grew up reading Isaac Asimov, and only knew him through his stories, I am indebted to Ben Bova for this insight into a writer I will always admire.
Dragon Dave
P.S. Ben Bova, who died of Covid-19 last year, wrote or edited over a hundred books in various genres during his own prolific writing career. Like Asimov, he won numerous awards, and was a bestselling author.
Norwich Cathedral made a lasting impression on me. While staying in Cromer, I learned much of its fascinating history during a day-trip back in 2017. Later on during that vacation, when we had moved base-camp and were staying much farther away, I found I yearned for a second visit.
So my wife and I made the long drive back to Norwich, and experienced the Cathedral's wonder one more time.
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| Dippy the Dinosaur (from Twitter) |
Currently, the cathedral is displaying an entirely different form of history. A traveling exhibit, called Dippy The Dinosaur, is now on display inside Norwich Cathedral. As a Diplodocus, Dippy is a friendly dinosaur with a congenial temperament.
Just as important, Dippy is a herbivore, and never eats people.
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| Dippy the Dinosaur (from Twitter) |
While learning about the history of a building that dates back nearly a thousand years, visitors can learn about an animal that lived millions of years ago. While learning about the religious and cultural issues that worshipers and civic leaders faced in bygone eras, visitors can learn about a Diplodocus that lived in an entirely different period.
The Jurassic Period, to be specific.
As you would expect of the gracious folks at Norwich Cathedral, they are not charging admission to see Dippy the Dinosaur. I believe you just need to book your visit in advance. That way, Dippy can eat her meals undisturbed at regular intervals, and tantalized tourists won't get between her and her food.
With Covid-19 still making travel (and travel plans) difficult, it's unlikely you'll see me there. Thankfully, folks who can't make it to Norwich Cathedral by the time Dippy leaves in October can follow Dippy's tour progress on Twitter, or read the latest Dippy news on the Cathedral website. As a cathedral-and-dinosaur loved, that sounds like a win-win to me.
Or, to paraphrase George on the TV series Peppa Pig: "Cathedral. Dinosaur. Grrr!"
Now, only only question remains. What will Dippy use as for a water bowl? I wonder if it will be as beautiful, or as shiny, as the Cathedral baptismal font that was once used in a local chocolate factory?
I guess I'll have to check in regularly on the cathedral website and Twitter to find out.
Dragon Dave
Related Links
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| The Bequest #4 from Aftershock Comics |
As you've no doubt realized, I've been enjoying The Bequest series from Aftershock Comics. In the comics world, one way of celebrating that is by doing fan art. Fan Art can bring a series welcome attention, and help enlarge its readership.
A few weeks ago, penciler and inker Freddie E. Williams II released a few preview images from The Bequest #4 on his Twitter account. I particularly liked this drawing.
After the events in The Bequest #3, I knew our heroes were headed to the east coast to take on the United States government. This brought back memories of my visit to Washington D.C. three years ago. My wife and I took a tour bus at one point to save on some of the walking we would do that day.
I saw Human warrior Warlock Garthodd and Half-Elf Jerril Fain as sitting on a bus traveling to or around the Capitol, while Night Elf Creedux Sharmae, their mentor and dragon Relik, and Wood Sprite Billi Uft-Imp lay on the floor in the entryway between the seats. I wasn't sure if Relik and Billi were sleeping, or exhausted from a fight.
I noticed something covering Relik, and draped over Sharmae. I assumed it was a tourist map.
I started in on hair and skin coloring. Gray and silver for the bus interior shouldn't conflict with any of my color choices for the characters.
Wait. Perhaps they weren't riding on a city bus? Right.
Garthodd must be driving Relik's van. A blanket likely covered Sharmae and Relik, not a map.
Along the way, I realized I had mistaken a portion of Relik's jacket for Billi's blouse. I've never found a good way of removing colored pencil, so I colored the rest of his jacket light blue for a base.
I associate Relik with wearing black and plum jackets and coats, so I thought about working toward both those colors. Then I thought: midnight blue is close to black, and would still show up the inked areas, so I left his jacket blue.
I wanted purple and green in the picture, so I made the seats Jade green. I really wanted lavender for the blanket. Rather than add too many colors, I opted to go with a green blanket to go with the seats.
When painting ceramics, I use yellow as a base color before applying gold. Sadly, when I applied my Gold colored pencil over the yellow, Sharmae's earrings got lost amid her skin and hair.
Jeremy Colwell was always going to color his image different from me. As you can see, he gave Relik the plum jacket I wanted to. Interestingly, the shoulder strap from Relik's jacket actually belongs to another blue jacket draped over him and Sharmae. So it's a blue jacket, not a green blanket, or a city map!
Hm. Who the blue jacket belong to?
As for how I got Garthodd's arms and hands so completely wrong, I have no explanation.
I want to thank Freddie E. Williams II and Aftershock Comics for sharing those fun black & white sketches with readers. I don't know if anyone else will color them, or do any other fan art to share their love for The Bequest. If they do, I hope they do a better job than I did.
Given its mature tone and thought-provoking themes, The Bequest is a great fantasy series that teens and adults will enjoy. It deserves a big audience. Writer Tim Seeley, penciler and inker Freddie E. Williams II, colorist Jeremy Colwell, and letterer Marshall Dillon have created an interesting and entertaining group of characters.
May Garthodd and his War Party protect the portals between Earth and Tangea in many more adventures, for at least seventy-four more issues!
Dragon Dave
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| The Bequest #3 Cover by Freddie Williams II & Jeremy Colwell |
In The Bequest #3, vengeful one-eyed monk Epoch Craev has teamed up with the politically astute Dylan Medici. After capturing a horde of magical creatures, the two take to the road. Soon, TV stations and internet news sites are filled with reports of the monsters that the men are gradually releasing across the United States.
As in The Bequest #2, we find Human warrior Warlock Garthodd watching TV without his pants on. This time, he's watching the news, as opposed to 1980s Fantasy movies. In his defense, I must also mention that Night Elf Creedux Sharmae, who reminds me a little of Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, is mending his only pair of pants.
Relik is the War Party's guardian and mentor in this Earthly realm. He is not only sensitive to the tension in the veil between worlds. He is also concerned about the terrors Epoch Craev is unleashing on our world.
He decides to seek guidance from the Chamber of the Unopened Book.
I don't know if colorist Jeremy Colwell colored the portal pink because the Mistress of the Rose wears red roses, the Master of Cups drinks red wine, or because Relikiquarfek, who goes by Relik, can transform into a Crimson Dragon. But in The Bequest #1, when Jarril Fain calls on the Mistress of the Rose to whisk the War Party away from the battle between Igneous Dragon Veristine Kole and Epoch Craev's army, she transports them away in a similarly pink bubble.
Nor do I understand the specific duties of the Council members, or how they relate to this (sacred?) Unopened Book. But as I learn more about the members of the War Party, I've grown more sympathetic to Garthodd, whose parents are on the Council, and has not lived up to their expectations of becoming a great Warlock.
In fact, when the Council decides that the War Party should sit this one out, and let the Earthly authorities handle the monsters Craev and Medici are unleashing, it is Garthodd who suggests they intervene.
Is this because, like Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy, he's found a nobility of purpose? Is it because he lacks purpose, and gets bored just sitting around? Or is it because, as Jerril Fain suggests, Garthodd just wants to get up his parents' noses?
In any case, this otherworldly conference call, and the Council's approval, will launch Relik and the War Party on a road trip in search of monsters.
If you haven't noticed by now, writer Tim Seeley uses The Bequest to speculate on the way the media shapes our opinions, and how seemingly rational people adopt views that seems so irrational--or even hateful--to others. While Epoch Craev and Dylan Medici are dedicated to their holy causes, they form an uneasy partnership.
Craev may have initially recruited Medici, but I can't help but wonder if Medici isn't becoming the stronger of the two.
Oh, and if you're wondering about Dylan's eyes, that's a power that Epoch Craev gifted him in The Bequest #1. If he hasn't already, the one-eyed monk may well rue the day he decided to recruit Dylan Medici and his white supremacist followers.
While he's found that Dylan is a man with such political and financial connections, and is extremely driven and astute,
Dylan is also a man of very strong opinions.
When those opinions are even questioned, Medici has a boiling point that letterer Marshall Dillon reveals with screeching clarity.
Of course, along with the heady political and media speculation, writer Tim Seeley also throws in the odd bit of satire.
Penciler and inker Freddie Williams II continues to impress in The Bequest #3. In addition to gorgeous panel transitions such as those between Epoch Craev and Dylan Medici, this issue features many scenes in which Garthodd, Sharmae, half-elf wizard Jerril Fain, wood sprite Billi Uft-imp, and Crimson Dragon Relik take to the road.
Let the Battle Of The Monsters commence!
In addition to great panel transitions, Williams' point-of-view also amazes. After the panel in which Garthodd gets knocked down, Williams angles the camera lens up from Garthodd's chest. I can only imagine Garthodd's shock when he sees Sharmae catch the sword the monster knocked from his hand, and leap over him to attack.
There are so many gorgeous panels with the War Party fighting the horde of monsters Craev and Medici are unleashing upon the United States. It's hard not to show them all. But I know your time is valuable, and you're anxious to get on to other things.
Still, I thought I'd end this review with a final teaser. As in The Bequest #1, Relik never fails to impress when he transforms into his alter ego.
Or is it his true self?
As Craev and Medici traveling east, they intend on ushering our country, and perhaps our world, into a new and better age. Can Relik and the War Party stop them before the chaos they unleash creates an End of Days for the world as we know it? If you have not yet picked up The Bequest #3, be sure to do so tomorrow, when you visit your local comic shop.
While you're there, you might also want to pick up The Bequest #4. Assuming Craev and Medici's monsters haven't totally disrupted UPS delivery schedules, it should be there tomorrow too.
Dragon Dave
