Introductions

[Aerykah]

Qnpoohbear wrote: "You ladies are so funny. This thread has been a GREAT birthday present today."

Glad you enjoyed it! ;P
And... Happy Birthday!! (a little late)

[Aerykah]

@Becca - I think that's a good idea! :)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Thanks Aery. :) It's near enough to two in the morning here, so I don't have time to put up the thread tonight, but I will try and create it in the morning, as people seem to be in favour. :)

[QNPoohBear]

Oh yes, do post a birthday list and then we can all post pictures of Richard Armitage for the birthday card.

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

:D Awesome idea, Qnpoohbear! LOL.

[Aerykah]

Qnpoohbear wrote: "Oh yes, do post a birthday list and then we can all post pictures of Richard Armitage for the birthday card."

lol! That's great! ;D

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Hi Ladies -

Just wanted to apologise for my absence over the better part of this past week. I headed down to Wellington for a few days, and due to a slight (okay, rather substantial) malfunction in the only brain cell I evidently possess, I just assumed that our hotel would have reasonably priced internet. "A clue: No." (Sorry, had to do that, it's a Robin Hood reference, I'm completely hooked on it lately. :P Anyway...) So that's the reason for my absence, and why I've been so terribly slack at catching up on everything. But I will try to make up for it by putting the Birthday List thread up as soon as possible, and I look forward to talking with you all again! :)

[Louise Sparrow]

Welcome back Becca, I wondered where you were! Hope you had a good time despite the internet.

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Thanks Louise. :) I did have a very good time, but Wellington was extremely windy! As usual.

[Michaela]

Hi, I´m Michaela and a N&S (series) and RA fan since about 2007. Currently re-reading the book. Glad to be here!

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Welcome Michaela! :) Nice to have you here. I really wish I'd been a fan for even half as long as you have! At the moment I can only claim six months of being a Richard Armitage fan.

Quick question: I saw you put your birthday up on the Birthday List thread - would you like me to put you on the list as "Midoro" or "Michaela"? I've put Midoro at the moment, but I can change that easily enough, if you wanted. :)

[Sophie, ~I've seen hell, and it's white...~]

Welcome!! Nice to have you!

[Michaela]

Becca wrote: "Welcome Michaela! :) Nice to have you here. I really wish I'd been a fan for even half as long as you have! At the moment I can only claim six months of being a Richard Armitage fan.

Quick questi..."

Please change it to Michaela, as I´ve changed my profile too. Thanks for the nice welcome!

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Sure, I'll do that right away. :) And you're welcome.

[Robin]

Hello! Just found this group because I've finally watched North and South (horrible I know, but it just never really appeared on my "radar" until recently), first time was Thursday actually, and I've watched it 4 times since.

I'm a proud Anglophile and love British history and literature (though I've really studied/read medieval and Regency eras). I'm also a sucker for a man in a cravat...

:)

[Sophie, ~I've seen hell, and it's white...~]

Welcome! I am glad North and South has come onto your radar now and made such an impression it seems!

And yes I am with you - real men wear cravats!

[Louise Sparrow]

"Real men wear cravats!"

That sounds like it should be on a t-shirt or bumper sticker or something ;P

[Sophie, ~I've seen hell, and it's white...~]

Haha ;)

[Robin]

I would totally buy a shirt that said "Real Men Wear Cravats." :)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Robin wrote: "Hello! Just found this group because I've finally watched North and South (horrible I know, but it just never really appeared on my "radar" until recently), first time was Thursday actually, and I'..."

Welcome Robin. :) It's lovely that North and South seems to have impressed you so much - I know the feeling, I felt that way when I first watched it! It sounds like we have some common interests too - I love British history, and I'm still going through the process of discovering British literature, but it's all great. :)

P.S. If anyone actually ever makes a t-shirt saying "Real Men Wear Cravats"... Sign me up for one! :D Awesome idea Louise, really.

[Aerykah]

Welcome, Michaela & Robin! :)

@Robin- Love your profile pic! ;)

[Aerykah]

Becca wrote: "P.S. If anyone actually ever makes a t-shirt saying "Real Men Wear Cravats"... Sign me up for one! :D Awesome idea Louise, really."

You could always make your own, you know. ;)
That is... I assume you could. We could do that here. :)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

@Aery: I could, couldn't I? The question would be what colour, and whether to put any sort of picture with it... maybe a Thornton silhouette? :P

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

(I've so gotta do this now...)

[Aerykah]

@Becca- Mm... Any color you wanted, I reckon! ;) As for pics... I like that idea! You might mess around with it & see what you come up with. And let us see the results, of course! ;D

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Having thought about it for a while, I think black would look best, with fancy white lettering. :) And I'll keep the Thornton silhouette in mind. Ah, I'm actually excited to try this now! :D

... *goes out to find black tee shirt*

[Aerykah]

Cool! Can't wait to see the end results, Becca! ;D

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Hehe, I'm quite excited about the whole idea myself! :D I'm just wondering where on earth I'm going to find a plain black tee shirt that looks reasonably nice, what with the state of some of the New Zealand clothing shops nowadays... Honestly, the other day I went into a shop, and I literally couldn't see a shirt that looked like an entire piece of clothing! They were all really tiny, starting and stopping in weird places, or were really low cut or see through... Really makes me want to run back home and take comfort in North and Souths beautiful - and overall decent - costumes.

In any case, I promise I'll let you know when I've done it, and try to get you a picture or something. :)

[Aerykah]

Hm... Here, I would just fix up an idea & take it to a shop in town that does screen-printing... They have shirts to pick from & everything.

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Yup, that's what I'm probably going to do - I'm just hoping they have nice t-shirts! :D

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Found the silhouette I wanted. ;)

[Aerykah]

Nice... ;)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

As is your new profile picture! :) Shame it isn't an Armitage one any more, but I suppose we can't have everything. :P

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Right, well, seeing as I'm already pretty much spamming this thread with all my messages, why not add one more? :P

So; for anyone who's the least bit interested, I've added my attempts to design a "Real Men Wear Cravats" Thornton T-shirt to our collection of Group Photos. I'd love to know what you all think, as I fully intend to get them made! :D

They're both the same design really, just with inverted colours, and I tried out a different font. And yes, I know the black one doesn't look as good, but I couldn't be bothered colour matching the fabric black and the black of the picture... meh, it'd look better in real life. :)

[Robin]

There are lots of online sites that let you design your own t-shirts and usually let you upload your own designs. :)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Robin wrote: "There are lots of online sites that let you design your own t-shirts and usually let you upload your own designs. :)"

Yeah, that's what I used to design the ones I've put in the Group Photos. :) I'm quite pleased with them, actually - now I've just got to go down to the mall and get them made!

[Robin]

There's a shop in Snellville where they make t-shirts, hoodies, etc, etc, I had shirts made for my team for our conference last year there. Just went in with an idea and they designed something for me on the computer. :) I may have to go over there and get one made...I'll just put the silhouette on a flash drive... :)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Sounds like that's along the lines of what I'll be doing. :) But, unfortunately, I'm going to have to stop discussing awesomely Thornton-themed t-shirts, as it's almost one in the morning, and I'm shattered. Night all! :)

[Louise Sparrow]

That does look good, I think the white one is better though :)

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Thanks Louise! :) I think the white one looks better too, though of course the black background square wouldn't be there on the actual black t-shirt; I couldn't be bothered trying to fix that. I think the font on the white one is better as well - I was just playing around to see what looked best, which was quite fun, I might add. :)

[Myra]

I have not formally introduced myself. I am wife, mother of 2 in Tennessee. Being a huge fan of Austen and Bronte and period dramas , I decided to watch the North and South mini series and absolutely fell in love with the story and Richard Armitage. I have since watch movies and other shows he has acted in.

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Welcome Myra! :) Lovely to have another period drama/North and South/Richard Armitage fan with us.

What other shows and things have you seen Richard in? :) I started looking for his other work after seeing the Hobbit, and North and South. So far I've covered off Robin Hood, Vicar of Dibley, the second Hobbit film, and his Georgette Heyer narrations. I'm looking forward to discovering more of his work... though I think I've decided not to watch Spooks!

[Myra]

Part 2 accidentally hit post before finishing - lol
I hate for the story to be over so, I really enjoy fan fic stories sequels or variations.
Anyone recommend another Gaskell Novel.
I am currently listening to Richard Armitage read Hamlet.

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Myra wrote: "Part 2 accidentally hit post before finishing - lol
I hate for the story to be over so, I really enjoy fan fic stories sequels or variations.
Anyone recommend another Gaskell Novel.
I am currently..."

Oooh, I'm sure him reading Hamlet is amazing, isn't it? I really want to get that, but I haven't quite managed yet - hopefully within the next couple of weeks! And unfortunately I've not yet read another Gaskell novel, but I'm sure one or another member of the group will have a helpful suggestion. :)

[Trudy]

Hi Myra :)
If you liked reading N&S, Mary Barton has a similar setting and involves the strife between masters and workers. There's a love story, of course, as well. And turns in the plot get quite dramatic. The BBC is making this into a mini-series. It's on their list, although I think the script isn't finished yet.
I also loved reading Wives and Daughters. It has a wholly different setting and pace (more like the Jane Austen world), but the way Gaskell immerses you into the lives of her characters is wonderful. Some reckon it as her best work (and it was her last, she died before finishing the last few chapters).
I couldn't get interested in Cranford, probably because there was no prominent love story. I might understand it better now with my accumulated knowledge of the customs of the day, but at the time I read it, I was so bored I didn't finish.
Btw, I've been on a quest to see if there's any book/author out there I love better than Gaskell and N&S. I've been busy reading Austen, Bronte, Hardy, Dickens, Eliot, and Trollope - but haven't found any novel to take its place as a personal favorite.
Hardy is my second favorite author.

[Sophie, ~I've seen hell, and it's white...~]

Welcome!! : D

Where does Austen come for you Trudy?

I am glad I hear there is another BBC series coming :)

[Trudy]

I think I love the intensity of emotion that is more freely conveyed in Victorian works, as well as the more unvarnished realities of what some people go though in this existence.
I haven't read widely enough to make any hard and fast lists, I can only say that so far I have thoroughly enjoyed most of what I've read of Gaskell and Hardy while with other authors I had reservations on what they did or didn't include.
Jane Eyre is a favroite, btw. Thoroughly loved it.
I have enjoyed the 3 Austen novels I've read (P&P, Persuasion, S&S), but if I have to try to explain the difference in my preference for the others I'd say that Austen is like having tea with the Queen - everything is impeccable, appropriate, and a little reserved. But reading Gaskell, Bronte, Hardy is like having tea with your best friend - you get all the juicy tidbits and can freely exclaim and sympathize or titter with all she says - she leaves nothing out.
Mind you, I'm no literary expert. This is just my own feelings on what I like to read.

[QNPoohBear]

Hello my fellow intelligent North and South lovers! I have a story to tell you. I wish we could all get together in one place at the same time to read and watch North and South together. Today my best friend subjected me to Jenny McCarthy's show on Netflix (not appropriate for those of you under 18). Yuck. So... I pulled up the ending of North and South to subject her to something much better. When I pointed out Thornton's state of undress was very sexy in the Victorian era and any girl less strong than Margaret would faint dead away and seeing a man so undressed, my friend looked at me like I was crazy. *Sigh* She's so unenlightened sometimes. (We did have a nice English tea party though).

[Rebecca, ~Look back. Look back at me...~]

Aww, Qnpoohbear, I really wish we could all get together to read and watch N&S together too! That would be so lovely, it really would - maybe with a few years of planning it could be achieved? I've not come across the show you mentioned, but it doesn't sound all that sophisticated, to say the very least. Hehe, I very much know where you're coming from, but I still think calling Thornton 'undressed' in that scene would be coming it a little too strong - I mean, he was still in public!

But I do agree with you, and very much sympathise! None of my friends will watch North and South with me, don't even get me started on my family's reaction to it (I was probably foolish to watch it with them, my Mum laughed - actually laughed! - when Margaret first refused Thornton), and I also have a friend whom I showed a bit to, and... let's say it didn't go down all that well. I was realising with dawning consternation how little romanticism this friend had, so I showed her that first proposal scene, hoping it would spark something. Her three replies were "That girl had way too much sass", "It was a little bit sad, but in an annoying way," and "Richard was quite good", - her only redeeming comment. I was very hard pressed not to explode.

Ah, why?! Why can't people even try to appreciate the beauty of North and South? Why???

[Myra]

Trudy, I will check out Hardy an Wives and Daughters . Thanks for the tip .