Tea Time With Lady R (A Book Release Tea Party For The Tale Of Sawyer Lamb)

Good morning my darling dear mermaid hearts, 

Are you up for a chinwag? I've had such a giggle mug these last fortnights. I feel such giddiness at the notions set forth. I'm speaking of my new projects for Patreon and the book illustrations. I'm on the whole stretch of it with Sawyer's book. 

Shall I commence? Easter was a charming delight, a bit pitter-patter and quiet as a mouse, as only a celebration for two, my beloved gardener and me. We ate by candlelight, watching the wind blow the rockers softly back and forth and as the Spanish grey moss swayed in the old oaks. A proper southern countryside display in all its glory. I baked ham, homemade biscuits, deviled eggs and mashed potatoes. I then baked peach cobbler for dessert to accompany our afternoon Fortnum and Mason tea. Bar none; it's undoubtedly my favourite. 

I have been showing forth self-love and emerging daily for myself. I am up at the crack of dawn to water the garden whilst it is still a bit twilight, and then I put the kettle on and start painting by candlelight. It could be more trouble than it's worth at the best of times as I fiddle about not quite able to see clearly. I love the nostalgia of a candle-lit room, and I've not found anything more charming, cosy or calming to my soul. Furthermore, it casts such a lovely glow about the face, and my lines are less noticeable. (Wink, wink) Are those sheep in the illustration a delight to gaze upon?

I am in awe-inspiring love with sheep and have such a "Take Joy" time in painting them in the story. It's so lovely and puts me in such a historical setting that I can hardly take the happiness. Above is the latest illustration I've completed for Sawyer's book, and now there are eight remaining with a bit of polishing ship shape and Bristol fashion; the printing press will send them out for your post. I am also plotting a Live Stream Book Release Tea Party for The Tale of Sawyer Lamb, on June 8, 2023, at 8:18 pm. I am cordially inviting you and would love it if you'd tick the date off in your calendar as I'd be tickled conch shell pink if you'd turn up. You are my favourite people in all of the world. I'm very proud of the story, and I feel in recent weeks, I've no longer felt distressed about the release. I've had such a calmness allowing the book into the world to soar cloud high. My most extraordinary emotions and love went into the little story, and I feel confident everyone that reads it will feel the treasure of it. It has been such a joy to write and illustrate, as you, dear hearts, well know. This is a celebration of life, it will be on Sayerrs Birthday, and I couldn't think of a better day to release it into the universe, can you? I also want to genuinely thank each of you for being there with me, reading my blog and supporting me along the way as you've born me the gift of compassionate understanding through and through. You have been such a profoundly loving support, and I appreciate it; it has meant the absolute world to me, and I feel an unequivocal bond with each of you. 

I began sharing on Instagram little 90-second reels I deemed "Tea Time with Lady R", where I share little tidbits of spirituality, book recommendations, chit chats and this, that and the tenth. 

Do you recall when I reinvented Stillwater~ A Petticoat Society, one of the fun ideas I wanted to establish having a list of like-minded ladies, and we all became pen pals, writing one another back and forth? Well, we did it, dear hearts; there are five and counting. We must begin somewhere, and it's quite an affair, my fruits. What delights we have to learn and grow in love and friendship! Would tou like to be a part of the pen pal list? If so, please comment below, and I will message you privately to exchange addresses, and we shall commence forward as a beautiful community of ladies. Is that not such an exciting measure? Golly gumdrops!

 

Do you recall many years ago, there was a television series on YouTube called Victorian Farm featuring Ruth Goodman? The series has been removed from YouTube but remains currently on Amazon Prime. The book they used was The Book of the Farm. Well, if you happen to look up the book to purchase it, it can be a hefty fortune., yet luck be a lady tonight; I did a little research and found a reprinted version from the original, and it's a mere 9£. Here is the link if you're interested. It has everything for a Victorian lifestyle. 

I am having such a splendid time reading this book. My conundrum is I have loads of books delivered weekly as if they're going out of style. Do you have this plight as well, so many books, so little time. Teehee...It reminds me of a quote Tasha Tudor said once, " If I didn't have the wolf at the door, I would spend all of my time on housewifery gardening and buying bulbs." Or something to that effect. Have a happy day, my fruits. I love you, and I shall write again tomorrow.

Most affably yours til my next swim, Lady Rxxx    

What Three Years Of Speaking British RP Has Taught Me

Hello, my dear mermaid hearts,

Pour a cuppa, and let us have a little chinwag. In 2020 it was six months after Sawyer's murder, and Jeffrey Shawn and I had moved in with my folks (and I'm not sure how to say it delicately, so I'll simply state); I had to cleave onto something that was going to take me out of the extreme discomfort of the loss of my son yet also be an effective human being by remaining, creative. I was compelled to create something as a witness to myself that my son's death would not have occurred in vain. I was bound and determined and under no illusion that pursuing the attitude of "Taking Joy" was going to take all that I could muster, and I felt my life depended on it. Hence, I urge you to understand how every human being learns to fare when thrust into a traumatising affair; we tend to abandon our current reality and propel ourselves into our imagination with various distractions. I learned this manoeuvre at an early onset in my childhood; I played pretend I was Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I was a writer. I built a little wooden fort in the woods and sewed curtains, and made up a fairytale life. I wrote, painted and drank tea all the day long. My mum would call me in for supper time, for I never wanted to leave the little imaginary world I had erected. I felt free and safe from the discord that was my home life. Every child learns to play make-believe; therefore, if you've ever been inquisitive about where grown folks become attached, and develop weird or bazaar fascinations with particular things, childhood trauma is where it is derivative. Children ultimately learn to escape through coping mechanisms, and those traits carry on throughout adulthood. When I lost my son, I escaped into a new world precisely the same way I had as a small child. Firstly, I began building our little Victorian cottage that you've come to know of through my writings here on the blog. I also wrote the manuscript for The Tale of Sawyer Lamb and was beginning to gather up all of the notions and ideas I had been mulling over secretly in my mind for years about other thoughts and creative attitudes. I had well established I wanted to write and identify as an English writer in the Victorian era since my youth. In addition, you know why I began originally speaking with an English accent. I know what you may think when I say identify; yes, Lady Raquel, but you aren't English. I said identify, which means that “one embodies in the shared and characteristic culture, languages and traditions of the British people." I am fully aware I am not English-born; however, many folks (artists especially) latch onto something that sets them apart, and they develop a style of captivating awareness that "this person is different." My profound objective is to be an illustration of what women are capable of who replace their self-sabotaging beliefs with reprogramming their minds. They are apt of notions beyond measure.

I am here to remind them of their godlike inheritance. No one ever says to the American that she has gone off because she has taken to learning French lessons if she's planning to take a trip to France for three months. Yet have you noticed a difference in the judgement that someone might receive if they speak with an Australian or English accent? Crackers! People lose the plot. I tend to categorise those folks as having the brain of a kipper and do not know better. I never experienced any such matters of ridicule, for I manifested that all folks would well receive me, and they have subsequently. That is the power of manifestation; I created my reality—how I wanted it to demonstrate. I've learned to speak with an English accent; however, I know those who experience ostracisation and the meaning for this matter is that someplace within that person, they have beliefs they will be ostracised, and so they are called out and taken apart like clocks. As I've stated a zillion times, our thoughts create, not on rare occasions, but ALWAYS. I remain upfront in everything I do with you, my dear fruits, and why I do what I do, such as speaking with an English accent and clarifying truthfulness goes far and beyond anything else in all the world when it pertains to acceptance of one another. I have, and I believe all folks must toil away at confidence building, for a person must possess deep, profound self-belief. I've had the loveliest interactions with everyone, most especially my English friends, of which I have more English friends than I do American at this point.

Some of the notions I've learned in the three years of speaking English are off the tip of my tongue as follows.

— If you want to learn a new language or accent, it takes loads of practice, and you must be willing to be vulnerable through the process. Therefore, humility along the pilgrimage is quite extraordinary, for it requires courage.

—It teaches a person how to focus and remain fixated, which is truly something we all learn when we first commence learning about how to be a conscious manifester. Therefore in actuality, learning a new accent is a brilliant way to teach focus. In acting terms, remain in a constant state of method. As a result, I've become highly focused in all areas of my life, not merely just on my speech.

—Learning a new accent is not for the faint at heart. In addition, you have to be a strong individual, as some folks will question your motives.

—I am delighted that I was bold enough to go for it, as it has paid me great dividends. But, of course, the biggest bonus was my casting on the reality show (Cottage to the Core) and that I am an American but have an English accent, which is a trait that will be quite fitting for the show's aesthetic.

—I am living my life most happily and living my truth.

—I implore others to live their dreams and never adopt beliefs that age makes one too old to try new things or accomplish an unfilled dream.

Most affably yours til my next swim, Lady Raquelxxx