Cheers and Merry Christmas
Hope those who celebrate are enjoying the season. The rest of us are certainly enjoying your celebration! Yesterday Randal, Singkey and I made our first visit to the Victoria & Albert. What a place. We’ve already made plans for a return visit. A great place to go on a rainy day. Today, rain or shine, we’re off to visit the Christmas windows of Harrods and Selfridges. Such a London tradition. As is Charles Dickens! A Christmas Carol was the first book I was allowed to take out from the “adult section” of our local library. My sixth grade teacher told the library I should have an adult card so they let me. I have no idea the edition, something pre-1960 anyway, but the illustrations were wonderful. I’m sure that’s half the reason I loved the story. But it has been a while, obviously so I answered only 8 questions correctly on the Christmas Carol quiz below.
Public transit shuts down Christmas Day and maybe Boxing Day too so hopefully it will be nice enough for the ‘Pub Walk” Christmas noon and maybe some walks along the Thames too.
Hope everyone has a day with family, friends, or a favorite book. Or just a cozy chair and some treats to eat.
Love and hugs,
Ru, Randal and Singkey
View from a window at the Victoria & Albert
A Christmas Carol: how well do you know the story of Scrooge? – quiz
www.theguardian.com, Saturday 17 December 2011 21.00 GMT
1. What is the surname of Dickens’ miserable protagonist Ebenezer?
Miser Meanie Scrooge Cheapskate
2. What kind of business does Ebenezer own?
A bank A counting-house A solicitors A guest house
3. What city does Ebenezer live in?
London Edinburgh York Manchester
4. What is Marley’s ghost covered in when he appears to Ebenezer?
Leaves Snow Chains Tinsel
5. What time of night does the Ghost of Christmas Past visit Ebenezer?
Midnight 1am 2am 3am
6. What is the name of the man Ebenezer used to be apprenticed to as a boy, who the Ghost of Christmas Past showed him?
Fezziwig Fuzziwig Fizziwig Furriwig
7. What house does the Ghost of Christmas Present take Ebenezer to?
Pratchit’s Scratchit’s Ratchit’s Cratchit’s
8. What does the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come show Ebenezer to make him change his ways?
Heaven Hell His own grave A 2-for-1 offer on Christmas food
9. What gift does Ebenezer send anonymously on Christmas Day?
A nintendo Wii A book A prize goose A prize turkey
10. What year was A Christmas Carol written?
1643 1743 1843 1943
When Randal and I did our “Famous Square Mile” walking tour we passed these places with connections to both Charles Dickens and Mr. Scrooge
“From here it is a short walk to Cornhill and the heart of Dickens’ tale. We know that Scrooge’s counting-house was on a courtyard in the vicinity of Cornhill, facing "the ancient tower of a church, whose gruffold bell was always peeping down at Scrooge out of a Gothic window in the wall." Facing the church of St Michael Cornhill is Newman’s Court. Is this where Scrooge dismissed his clerk on Christmas Eve with a grudging: "You’ll be wanting the whole day tomorrow, I suppose"?
Possibly the building where Scrooge had his counting house.
Cratchit, we are told, slid down a frozen Cornhill "in honour of Christmas Eve" before racing home across the fields to Camden Town; Scrooge, meanwhile, "took his usual melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern." There are several possible candidates. Along St Michael’s Alley beside the church, the Jamaica Wine House stands on the site of London’s oldest coffee house; near here is the George and Vulture, where Dickens once stayed, and where his character Mr Pickwick lodged while being sued by his landlady for breach of promise. But the tavern which Dickens had in mind may well have been Simpson’s, which opened in 1757 in nearby Ball Court and is still open today, though hopefully a little less melancholy. http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/the-streets-of-london–as-seen-by-scrooge-1289924.html
Site of the oldest coffee house
The George and Vulture
Maybe even the same menu, though the prices would have changed just a bit!