Ruth Elizabeth Stiff
Bio
I love all things Earthy and Self-Help
History is one of my favourite subjects and I love to write short fiction
Research is so interesting for me too
Stories (879)
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The Great War
Yes, this is yet another article on one of my most favourite programmes “Downton Abbey”. For those of you who have never seen an episode, I thought I’d write about one of the seasons --- Season Two. There are actually six seasons plus one movie (so far!), so I’ve got plenty more articles to write about (sorry folks). The beauty of Downton Abbey is that there are so many little stories all tied up to the main story and there is plenty to keep us interested.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in Geeks
Alexandra of Denmark
Few know much about this Princess and Queen who was the very “First Queen of Hearts.” She was called the most beautiful Princess in Europe and her marriage into the British Royal family gave it a much needed boost (sound familiar?). Alexandra ‘fitted’ all the qualities Queen Victoria was looking for in a wife for her eldest son: ‘a Princess who is pretty, quiet, clever and sensible, and only a year or two younger than her son’.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in FYI
Edward VII
He was the heir apparent to the British throne for almost 60 years. As King, he modernized the British Home Fleet, and reorganized the British Army after the Second Boer War. He ‘re-instituted’ traditional ceremonies as public displays and ‘broadened’ the range of people with whom Royalty socialized. He was Edward VII!
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in FYI
The Beautiful Costumes on Downton Abbey
The costumes used in Downton Abbey are extremely authentic and beautiful! The research which must have gone into these costumes must have taken hours, maybe even days. The fact that some of the costumes were real dresses that had been actually worn in the 1900’s - 1920’s, fascinates me.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in FYI
The Unsinkable Ship
My grandmother was born in 1911 and she remembered people talking about this when she was 5 years of age. “She” was one of the largest and most opulent ships of the time, being (approximately) 882.5ft (269m) long and roughly 92.5ft (28.2m) wide. “She” cost $7.5 million to build ($183.4million in today’s money) and “Her'' top speed was 23 knots or 25 mph which is faster than many ships today which go at 20 knots or 23 mph. “She” was built to have 64 lifeboats on board but carried only 20! “She” was the RMS Titanic.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in FYI
Yet Another Article
Yes, this is yet another article about my favourite television series Downton Abbey. “What else could she possibly write about?” I can hear you asking. Every time I think about the series, I think of something different to write about. So who or what shall we read about in this article? To be honest with you, I start off with someone in mind and then --- just let my mind (or the article) guide me.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in Humans
Game of Thrones
“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” One of the many famous quotes from Game of Thrones, this one by Tyrion Lannister. Now, just in case you are one of those who have never seen Game of Thrones (and it is possible, not everybody is obsessed like me!)Tyrion Lannister is one of the main characters who actually survives formal series one right through to series eight. Tyrion is the youngest child of Lord Tywin Lannister and younger brother to twins Cersei and Jamie. He is a dwarf who uses his wit and intelligence to overcome the many ‘prejudices’ that follow him. Tyrion’s mother died giving birth to him, a fact which his father and sister never forgives him for (as if it was Tyrion’s fault!).
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in Fiction
Well Done Team GB!
With the Olympics in Tokyo (this year, but it really should have been 2020), I tuned into one of my favourite sports --- the Equestrian Events of Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross-Country. Seeing such beautiful horses reminded me of my very deep love for these remarkable creatures. We become so busy in our every-day lives that we forget the very basic things that we have loved from childhood. I say this because I remember starting a “project” on The Horse when I was in the first year of my junior school. It was one of those lessons when we went to the library and, I believe, I took out every book they had on The Horse. Over my teenage years, my parents brought me some amazing books on horses, and I built up quite a ‘study library’, with L/A files filled with information and pictures on horses. It became a real hobby for me (although I have never ridden a horse and am actually quite nervous of the creatures).
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in Unbalanced
Elizabeth of York
By marrying Henry VII, Elizabeth of York helped to unite two families and end “The Wars if the Roses.” She was mother to Henry VIII and grandmother to Elizabeth I and, with her husband, started the Tudor Dynasty. This Queen of England is sometimes overlooked, but Elizabeth of York played an important role in English history.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in FYI
"I have no wish to be a Great Lady"
When it first came out on television in 2010, I was glued to every single episode. I watched the whole drama which stretched from 2010 to 2015, and just recently, in 2019, I watched the film (at least three times over!). The whole setup absolutely fascinates me and even though the story itself is fiction, the drama is based on the very real Edwardian Era (which is my favourite time in history). Buying all six series plus the film, I watch them over and over again, almost like a student studying history. I am, of course, talking about Downton Abbey!
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in Fiction
Henry VII
Being of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet, his mother was Margaret Beaufort and his father was Edmund Tudor, the half-brother of Henry VI. He descended from the Welsh Tudors of Penmynydd and was the last King to win the throne on the field of battle. He ‘cemented’ his claim to the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York, who was the daughter of King Edward. His reign restored power and stability to the English throne and he reigned for nearly 24 years. He was Henry VII.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in FYI
Their Voices Will Be Heard
Recently, I went on a Jack The Ripper virtual tour on YouTube. Having been on two physical tours a few years ago, this virtual tour (of course, due to covid) is the best tour I have ‘been on.’ Sinead O’Leary made the whole tour come alive and very interesting. She ‘knew’ her subject. Now, I have touched on Jack The Ripper in my article ‘A Penny Dreadful’, and I am in no way a Ripperologist. In fact, my husband has read so many books on this subject, and we have even been to the Jack The Ripper museum in London, that he is the one who could ‘lecture’ on this. However, it has caught my interest, which is why I’ve dedicated this article to the five known women who were murdered by Jack The Ripper.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff4 years ago in Horror
