Hello
Welcome to my pages on the UK Lulu Wiki.
I already have a wide range of items in my Lulu store, and there is a lot more in the pipeline.
I am starting a series of bookshop pages, featuring my books and photographs by theme:
"Credit Crunch" Special - Greek Cat Photos - free to download
A selection of Greek cat photos. The photos are currently free to download. All I ask is that you consider making donation to a Greek animal charity. E.g. Naxos Animal Welfare Society; Animal Zone International
My books include:
Silence in Court
"Silence in Court" contains a selection of legal humour gleaned from Victorian books and magazines. As fresh and true to life (mostly!) as when they were first published! Read a sample and see if you agree!
Trust in God, & Keep Your Powder Dry
You've probably seen the sort of album that has pages for your friends to answer questions about themselves. I have an album of that sort with questions answered in the 1890s and 1900s. The album contains some very interesting answers that shed light on leisure interests and other concerns at that time. I have used the opinions in the album to create Trust In God, & Keep Your Powder Dry. This book is a "must" for anyone interested in social history.
You can see an example of the opinions here.
I showed the book to a friend. "Mmm, very interesting," he said. "When was it first published?" He assumed, wrongly, that I had copied the text from a previously published book. These opinions are taken from a hand-written book, never previously published.
In case you are wondering, the title of the book is the favourite motto of one of the contributors to the album!
The cover illustration is based on a thumb-nail sized sketch in the original album.
Know Your Onions or Mrs Beeton's Hinterland
"Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management" was and is hugely popular. First published in 1861, nearly two million copies were sold by 1868.
"Know Your Onions or Mrs Beeton's Hinterland" contains recipes and household hints from books and magazines published from about 1820 to the 1860s; books and magazines that may have influenced Mrs Beeton. Some of the recipes and household hints are from Samuel Beeton's "Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine" and may well have been contributed by Mrs Beeton herself.
"Know Your Onions or Mrs Beeton's Hinterland" is a treasure trove jam-packed with old recipes and household hints, mostly from the early to mid nineteenth century. In this book you will come across such delights as:
how to cook and prepare a boar's head (not for the squeamish!);
how to pacify a cross baby;
how to restore rancid butter by using animal charcoal;
a cure for baldness;
and much, much more.
If you enjoy cookery books, then you will love this book.
Read more about Know Your Onions or Mrs Beeton's Hinterland on my background page.
I have added an index to give you a better idea of the contents.
And The Baboon Played Chess With The Emperor
A modern recreation of a Victorian scrapbook made up of cuttings from books and magazines published in the early to mid nineteenth century. You will come across such delights as:
- the artificial duck that ate, drank and quacked;
- the tax on bachelors;
- early attempts at ballooning;
- the clever cat;
- horse-racing by machinery;
- leeches;
- powdering the hair;
- early steam carriages.
And of course the baboon playing chess with an Emperor. And much, much more. If you enjoy loitering amongst literary and historic trivia, then you will love this book.
Read the background to And The Baboon Played Chess With The Emperor and find out why I chose the title of the book.
The book is arranged alphabetically. I have added a list of contents - index - to give you a better idea of the wide range of material in the book.
Old Groaners
Queen Victoria supposedly said "We are not amused".
Read "Old Groaners", and you will find some of the conundrums, or riddles, that amused the Victorians.
Why do some persons believe the moon to be made of green cheese? Because of the milky whey that surrounds it.
Which is the way to make your trousers last? To make your coat and waistcoat first.
Why is a guinea in the distance not worth a penny? Because it's only a far-thing.
Why do little birds in a nest agree? Because if they did not, they would fall out.
Why is a dead doctor like a dead duck? Because he has stopped quacking.
What is worse than "raining cats and dogs"? Hailing omnibuses.
Read about the background to Old Groaners and some more examples of the humour.
Cats of Katapola
I often visit the island of Amorgos in the Cyclades in Greece and have taken many photographs of cats. I took most of the photographs in the main port, Katapola. Greek cats do have a knack of posing in photogenic positions. And somehow Greek cats have more expressive faces than their English counterparts!
Read the background to Cats of Katapola.
And More Cats of Katapola is now available!
Amorgos is a very attractive island, and there are many reasons other than cats for visiting the island. Have a look at Amorgos Views
If you are interested in the welfare of animals in Greece, have a look at Greek Animal Rescue (UK). There are also links to Greek animal charities at Greek Animal Welfare - Canada (GarCanada). There are other animal welfare societies in Greece not listed on those websites. On Naxos (the nearest big island to Amorgos) there is the Naxos Animal Welfare Society.
NB I recently visited Amorgos and took a lot more cat photographs. A new updated version of Cats of Katapola is now available in both paper and to download here.
Enjoy! Susan
Snow in Naxos
In February 2004 I went to Naxos, an island in the Cyclades in Greece. Most people (normal people!) visit Naxos (and Greece) in summer. I like the quiet of the low season. Locals had told me that it never snowed in Naxos. In February 2004 there was snow in Naxos - and I took the photos to prove it!
Read about the background to Snow in Naxos here.
Snow in Naxos is now available in print as well as a download. You can now also download the photos in "Snow in Naxos - download
I went to the Cyclades in February 2007. There was no snow where I was (so no new photos to add to Snow in Naxos), but there were gale force winds. Ferries were delayed and I missed my flight home!
I was in Greece in late February and early March 2011. I am told that in England it was warm and the sun was shining! In Amorgos and Naxos there was a little snow (more on higher ground), hail, sleet, heavy rain, and Force 10 gales that stopped ships for a few day. But the last day was a beautiful spring day - blue skies, no cloud, and traces of snow in crevices on the mountain tops!
Cats Galore
Another of my Lulu stores is Cats Galore. I try to go to Greece two or three times a year. When I am in Greece I take a lot of photographs of cats. I have started putting a selection of these photos on Cats Galore.
I went to Greece in April 2007, and have recently started adding some of my new photographs to Cats Galore.
I started Cats Galore before I put together Cats of Katapola but the background to both books is similar.
Victorian Christmas
Yet another of my Lulu stores is Victorian Christmas. It is never too early to start preparing for Christmas! What is this store about? I enjoy collecting Victorian scrapbooks and Victorian Christmas cards. These are often battered and grubby. With the images in this store I have tried using digital photography to tidy up and enhance the images. You will soon notice that some of these images seem more appropriate today to spring than Christmas.
Lincoln Christmas Market takes place in December each year. See a selection of lincoln-christmas-market photos. The photos are available for free download. Read more on my Victorian Christmas page.
Greek Art Inspired by Greece
The colours you see in Greece are stunning. The bright blue sky and sea, blue paintwork, red geraniums and poppies, the olive trees, the brightly coloured fishing boats. In this store you can see some of my experiments with my Greek photographs, creating abstract images featuring these Greek colours.
See my Greek Art page.
Table Manners For Little Folks
"Table Manners for Little Folks" is a verse that I found in a small hand-written book dating from about 1870.
This is one of a series of Victorian items that I am adding to my Lulu pages.
Read some of the verse here.
Currently I have made this, my first experiment with the e-book format, available as a free download.
In the pipeline
I am working on a number of new projects, so please come back soon. If any of the links do not work, please go to [http://www.lulu.com/susanwatkin]
and check what is currently available. The urls may change when I issue a revised version of a project.
My projects include
Greek Travel and Food [working title]
I am working on at least two books about Greece including tips and experiences based on over twenty five years of travel in Greece. One book is likely to be about Greek food. The trouble is, each time I visit Greece I come back brimful of ideas for the books and it is back to the drawing (or writing) board!
In the meantime I have added a "Greece" page Greece to this Wiki bringing together my Lulu items about Greece, and with a link to my current Greek website
Valentines
I recently bought some charming Victorian Valentine cards. FREE text from some of these Victorian Valentines now available - see Valentines Free. I aim to publish some illustrated Valentines before February 2008.
Cat Lit
A book version of my Cat Lit website, with photographs of cats linked with poetry and prose about cats.
My Cat Lit website is at
[http://www.catlit.wanadoo.co.uk]
My Cat Jeoffrey [working title]
Christopher Smart's poem illustrated with some of my photographs of cats. You can read Christopher Smart's poem (wriiten in 1762) here.
Lincolnshire genealogy [working title]
Many of my ancestors came from Lincolnshire, and I have had a lot of fun exploring my Lincolnshire roots. I will be putting some of this research into a book which will include many tips for anyone exploring their family history in Lincolnshire and elsewhere.
Traveller's World [working title]
In recent years most of my trips abroad have been to Greece, but I have been to and written about many other places - Albania, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania to name but a few. This book will contain material about my travels in general. As a taster, see "Traveller's World"
As Brisky as a Body Louse [working title]
I find old phrase books fascinating. Several years ago I wrote an article about phrase books after looking at some really early examples in the British Library. You can read a version of that article - As Brisky as a Body Louse. I am working on a book based on old phrase books.
Etymology [working title, the eventual title will be much catchier!]
For over ten years I have been writing, and publishing, articles on word origins and word histories. Eventually I will base a book on these article. In the meantime you can see some examples of my work on my Etymology page.
Some of my shorter articles have been published in New Internationalist. There is are links to those articles here.
Mottoes [working title]
At the end of his speech on becoming Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said
On this day I remember words that have stayed with me since my childhood and which matter a great deal to me today. My school motto: I will try my outmost. This is my promise to all of the people of Britain. And now let the work of change begin.
I have for some time been collecting old mottoes - I have added a page on Mottoes.
Victorian Poetry
I am transcribing some albums of Victorian poetry. The poems were written by a lady living in Lincolnshire, a contemporary of Tennyson. Read an example of the poetry.
The Squires of Madingley
A story, or short novel I am transcribing - written about 1904. Read more, and an extract, here.
Susan
