Successfully unsuccessful. Or vice versa.

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. - Henry Morland, Northanger Abbey

I'm going to announce something controversial, something many traditionalists will scoff at. I say this in full expectation of valiant attempts to convince me of my error, of insults to my understanding, of claims of naivety. But for all you may shout and cajole I shall not be moved.

I like Northanger Abbey more than Pride and Prejudice. I like it more than Emma (oh the meddling fool!), than Mansfield Park (cousins! I don't care if it was socially acceptable!, and more than Sense and Sensibility (which I quite frankly have forgotten). I'll give you a moment to recover yourself, to gather your wits, to tell me how I have misunderstood just how remarkable, witty and intelligent P&P is.




Better? All collected now? Do you want to know why I like Northanger so much more? I like how much fuller Henry Morland is as a character than some other Austen lead males. I especially like how ridiculous Austen gets with her criticism of society and its understanding of the ways of the female mind. I love how ordinary the lead characters are with their complete (and acknowledged) lack of heroic traits,

Do you understand?


Now have a hot cross bun to ease your disquiet. They're fresh out of the oven! They're also my first ever successful bready baking endeavour. You can diss my taste in Jane Austen, but don't say a word against these - they're my pride and joy today.

My essays has been well and truly ignored today. I've been a fantastic student:
- went to the shop for milk, sultanas and mixed spice.
- went to another shop when the first one didn't have all the ingredients
- mixed up the yeast and milk and sugar and left to froth.
- realised I'd killed the yeast with too-warm milk, made another batch
- made the bun dough
- listened to an assortment of BBC radio plays on catch up while mixing
- made mixture for ginger nut biscuits
- made and ate lunch
- did the next stage of bun-making
- rearranged the books on my desk
- washed up
- put the buns in the oven
- drank some tea
- took the buns out and glazed them and started eating them
- ate some more buns
- skyped a friend
- thought I should blip earlier rather than putting it off until midnight
- went looking for a particular Jane Austen quote
- went on a Northanger rant

Now I must make the gingernuts and find some dinner. And then find out if my regular Friday night thing is on or not. And make some chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm.