Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Piteously Slain and Murdered



“On this day was our good King Richard, late reigning over us, piteously slain and murdered, to the great heaviness of this City.”  From the official record of the City of York, England, written in 1485 on the occasion of the death in battle of King Richard III.  That was a brave thing to write by, seeing as his successor was Henry Tudor, his bitter enemy.  It was reading Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey, while I was living in London back in 1967 or ’68, that set off my serious interest in medieval England.  I have worked King Richard into many of my books.  In The Chronicles of Deer Abbey, my heroine met him!

We intended to rise very early yesterday morning and drive to Kansas City to see the eclipse, but checking the weather report saw that it was to be overcast with thunderstorms, and stayed home instead.

I finished the bunny needlepoint and sent it to my sister.  I think it came out well, even if the narrow pinkish frame is done in a near-random series of stitches.  

Now on to a rush to finish a Christmas stocking by October 1 so it can be turned into a proper stocking.  Right now it’s on a flat piece of canvas.  It needs to be lined and given a back.  Not that anything will ever be put in it; it’s strictly an ornamental piece.

4 comments:

Linda O. Johnston said...

Interesting referral to the end of King Richard III. Of course I'm even more interested in mentions of King Charles II!

Monica Ferris said...

I am slowly completing a collection of a coin for each English monarch from Canute to Elizabeth II - 1,000 years of English coins. I recently acquired a Charles II half crown and am in the market for a William and Mary.

Betty Hechtman said...

It does seem like the time to start working on a Christmas stocking. I hope you find one you like.

Monica Ferris said...

The Christmas stocking I'm working on has a long history. I bought the original canvas perhaps twelve or fourteen (or more?) years ago and used to take it with me on book tours. I'd buy exotic flosses for it in needlework stores all over the US. Then, nearly finished, it was stolen from my motel room. A few years ago I was in Chicago at the ANA (American Needlepoint Assn) convention and talked to the lady running the room where needlepoint canvases were for sale. That particular canvas wasn't there, but she knew the artist and I asked her to order a replica for me. She did (it cost a pretty penny, believe me) and I finally started working on it last year. I can't figure out how to put a picture of it in this reply.