British Mysteries, British Christmas Cake, and Quicksand - Anglophile Friday

(I suspect that this is all over the internet.)

This Anglophile Friday is a bit different from the usual. You'll see why, as you read on.

I got a text message from our daughter yesterday morning with a link to the above poster. It made me laugh, particularly because it reminded me of an event in our daughter's life, when she was about 6 years old.

Daughter
(Now mom to two of our grandkids)

The story is:  When she was little, we used to watch British mysteries together on Masterpiece Theatre, sharing a Bounty Bar (like a Mounds bar with thicker chocolate!). She knew the gentlemen pictured below quite well, having watched episode after episode of the Thursday night mystery program.

Albert Campion, Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes (the real one)

Only a few of you might remember the Campion episode that involved quicksand, 'Mystery Mile.' (I suppose that it's possible that only a few of you even know who Albert Campion is.) Then there was the Poirot, 'Death in the Clouds,' where a poison dart shot someone in the neck. And finally (but there were probably several more that left an indelible impression upon our daughter), Sherlock Holmes. Remember the one where the man-turned-ape climbed up the outside of the house to get to the bedroom window?

Well, our daughter has never forgotten those mystery episodes.  So when she saw the quicksand poster on Facebook, she got a laugh out of it and sent it on to me.

But wait! There's more to this story:  One day, when she was little, we had friends visiting. It must have rained a lot prior to their visit, for the ditch alongside the driveway was wet, soggy, and muddy, with a little standing water in it. The little boy visiting, along with our daughter, were playing in that ditch and suddenly her mud boots (wellies) were STUCK, so that she couldn't move. The little boy came running back to the house, crying and frantic, convinced that our daughter was going to die because she was 'stuck in the quicksand!'  I ran to rescue her from certain death, (because we KNOW there is quicksand in NW Wisconsin, alongside driveways with shallow ditches, right?)  Poor kid. She was terrified. Thanks to Albert Campion and the bad guy, Alistair Baba.  (I'm not taking the blame here.)

And now you can see why we both laughed at the quicksand poster. We could have written that ourselves!

***

And now, what you've been waiting for:

Occasionally, the postman brings something besides bills.

I received a package in the mail from the friend of a blogger friend. Evidently, she's quite a baker (and has an online presence and on Facebook as 'Cakes by Mother.')  What a fun surprise! A piece of authentic British Christmas cake, all the way from northern England.

In my excitement, I grabbed the bit of orange frosting at the bottom of the box and popped it into my mouth before I realized that it was poor Frosty's nose. The whole thing it just so cute and clever!  The cake was delicious, and had a generous layer of marzipan. The more marzipan, the better, in my opinion. Don't you love the sweet smile on Frosty's face!

It was a lovely cake, and quite amazing that it survived the trip so well.  Thank you, Ruth! :-)

***

For those of you who would like to see the QUICKSAND portion of Mystery Mile (and who wouldn't!), it begins at 47:00 and is just a few minutes long.

***

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

NEW SOAP!

 

'Enchanted'
Natural Vegan Soap

Large 4.5-5 oz. bars

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch


and at


Our ETSY Shop

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Anglophile Friday - Campion and Margery Allingham

 Campion, from our backyard

 'Mr. Albert Campion

Coups neatly executed.

Nothing sordid, vulgar, or plebeian.

Deserving cases preferred.

Police no object.'

 My favorites:

Case of the Late Pig

Sweet Danger
Mystery Mile
Police at the Funeral

Margery Allingham, 

English mystery writer, b. May 1904 - d. June 1966

From Wikipedia:

 

"Her first work of detective fiction was a serialized story published by the Daily Express in 1927. Entitled The White Cottage Mystery, it contained atypical themes for a woman writer of the era.

Campion and success

 

Her breakthrough occurred in 1929 with the publication of The Crime at Black Dudley. This introduced Albert Campion, albeit originally as a minor character. He returned in Mystery Mile, thanks in part to pressure from her American publishers, much taken with the character.

By now, with three novels behind her, Allingham's skills were improving, and with a strong central character and format to work from, she began to produce a series of popular Campion novels. At first she had to continue writing short stories and journalism for magazines such as The Strand Magazine, but as her Campion saga went on, her following, and her sales, grew steadily. Campion proved so successful that Allingham made him the centrepiece of another 17 novels and over 20 short stories, continuing into the 1960s.

Campion is a mysterious, upper-class character, working under an assumed name, who floats between the upper echelons of the nobility and government on one hand and the shady world of the criminal class in the United Kingdom on the other, often accompanied by his scurrilous ex-burglar servant Lugg. "

***

In the TV series, Campion was played by Peter Davison (also of Dr. Who fame, and who managed an extremely engaging portrayal of real-life character Tristan Farnon in 'All Creatures Great and Small.')  Lugg, or Magersfontein Lugg, was convincingly played by Brian Glover. I wish they would run this series again on PBS when they do a fundraiser, instead of yet another Peter, Paul, and Mary concert, a DooWop performance, or Dr. Wayne Dyer! Groan.

So, ending with a backyard photo:

 Someone left me a message on the crab apple tree,

but I haven't been able to break the code.
I think it's time to call in Albert Campion.

***

'Sweet Baby! Calendula'

All-natural, gentle soap for Baby

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

HomemadeSoapNSuch

Have a great weekend, everyone!