Begin Again with Mrs Finnegan*

The 1830s housekeeper from The Regency Town House is back. The Boudica of Brighton is a woman with a MISSION.

As I start my new CAREER as the author of a Brighton Guide to Modern Living (I shall think of a better title by and by) I determine to do things properly. I promise faithfully, dear readers, that I will give nothing less than Whole-Hearted commitment to the project, every sinew stretched and every idea excavated.

Having said that, I am aware that desk-bound activities cannot progress without decent supplies of tea at regular intervals. It is also appropriate to entertain the notion of introducing biscuits as a serious author cannot be expected to weaken her concentration by getting up to find something to eat. That in turn raises the question of…

Proper tea and biscuit etiquette

What you should do if your biscuit falls into your tea when in the presence of others (that includes children and servants).
I draw a curtain over the reason for the fall. I do not wish to dictate what you do in the privacy of your home, suffice to say that no lady or gentleman would dunk in public.

There are FOUR possible courses of action:
1. Abandon the tea and ring for another.
2. Attempt to fish the biscuit out with a spoon and put the oozing sludge in your saucer. Using your finger is NEVER an option even if you are on your own.
3. Continue to drink with EXTREME caution making sure to leave half an inch of liquid at the bottom, thus allowing the sludge to remain undisturbed.
4. Drink the tea with the sweet sludge. Not to be attempted if you are about to go out. This could be messy.

My answer is Number 3

Although appearances are not everything, they are about three quarters of everything. This is the only one that allows me to keep my cup of tea and my dignity.

With that problem sorted, we move onto…

The PROPER way to Write a Book
Stage 1

Make the ink.
It is a long time since I have attempted this task so I had to turn to others for advice, some of them alive and some of them dead. (I mean old books, of course, not some strange necromancy.)

The standard way is to crush oak galls (also called oak apples in some places) and then soak overnight in one pint of water, but this is for my BOOK and I want a superior kind of ink, darker than the norm and the colour long lasting. The thought of it fading away makes me quite queasy.

I could macerate the galls (better than soaking), cook them (better still), or ferment (best of all). I leapt at the latter for if I am anything I am MISTRESS of the PICKLE. I set to it with the eagerness of a dog who has discovered a back way into the butcher’s shop.

I had already gathered a good collection of galls so I was ready to start. (I am a methodical woman, I make plans.)

One recipe said:
Take 4 bottles of good wine, white or red, and 1 lb. of galls, slightly bruised, which must be put into the wine, and allowed to stand for 12 days
Another said
stand for 14 days in full sunlight and crack the galls open.

You probably already know galls grow when a wasp lays an egg into the underside of an leaf. The oak responds to this unwanted invasion by forming a round ball around the creature which protects the tree and incidentally protects the wasp-in-waiting. Then we come along after the wasp has left and make good use of the protective ball. It would be an example of NATURE working in perfect harmony if only it didn’t involve wasps. I have never seen the point of them.

I decided to go for red wine, a slight cracking of the galls and to stand the bottles for a full fortnight in my basement window which doesn’t so much get full sunlight as a thinning of grey shadows.

Imagine my horror on the 12th day when I discovered a thick, scummy MOULD on the surface. I scraped it off and by the 14th it was back thicker than ever. I threw the whole lot away because I abhor mould with every fragment of my being. I am a martyr to it. I will NOT let it set foot in any house I live in (unless it is on venison or cheese.)

That evening a Brunswick Terrace housekeeper told me the mould would have made the ink darker and stronger.

I started again with two ounces of galls (all I had left) which I battered and slammed into a fine crumble and allowed it to sit for two days in a pint of wine vinegar (questions were being asked about an exceptional claret that had gone missing).
I then strained the liquid and poured it on top of crystals of vitriol ( you might know it as copperas) which are a very pleasant green colour. I strained it again and YESTERDAY I added Gum Arabic to make the ink flow better. It now ready to use.
Baring accidents I estimate I have enough for the title page. The rest of the book will have to suffice with shop-bought ink.

NEXT TIME: Making a quill pen

A LETTER FROM A READER (in full and unabridged)

I know that Mrs. Finnegan has absquatulated with her imagination (she brings us new vocabulary) for a break of some kind! I am beside myself. I know there is a great reason. I will encourage friends and family to read the back issues as we wait for her return.

Ever since she delivered her first letters, and later the Almanac, I have been looking forward to reading of the goings on in Bath. There is always something interesting or exciting to discover. Interesting characters and situations.  New words, new recipe thanks to her chef friend. So many colorful moments!

It started with the young Mistress and her interesting dance teacher, then the Mistresses choice of finery. Mysterious neighbours, missing things and new characters.

So please remember me to her when you next speak. We wish you all well, and we wish for her great success as an author. If anyone is looking for a good character reference, I will vouch for her.

Kindest regards to you all,

Tiffany

Upper Canada

Thank you Tiffany. Other readers please note her last line. I say no more.

* I have longed to use this title but until now I found nothing appropriate to stick it on. It is hard to explain how happy this makes me.

It is impossible to STRESS the importance of my small but perfectly formed FREE subscription service. I will send you a brief note when EVER I write anything new just as soon as the the ink is dry
Click HERE and we will meet again.

Delivery is executed by a gentleman from The Regency Town House (please don’t offer a tip) or by some other means. 

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