#A Malvern Farm Mystery

[coloursofunison]

I'm reviewing Death in the Hills by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour

I'm reviewing Death in the Hills by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour #DeathInTheHills #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @KatePoels @rararesources @theboldbookclub

Here’s the blurb This is no peaceful walk in the countryside… When Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri join a local walking group, their expectations for a peaceful outing to the Malvern Hills takes a grim turn. Arguments abound, and the hike ends in tragedy when one of the walkers is found dead in her car. Initially ruled as an accident, Jude’s instincts tell her there’s more to the story. As…

[fictionophile]

"A Body by the Henhouse" by Kate Wells - Book Review @BoldwoodBooks @KatePoels @rararesources #ABodyByTheHenhouse #boldwoodbloggers #BlogTour #BookReview

Carrying on with the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series, this third installment was as enjoyable as the first two! Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a young, childless widow who now runs her large sheep farm with the help of Noah, her shepherd, and her loyal dog, Pip – with memories of her late husband never far from her mind. When she met her husband Adam, he introduced her to his life-long…

[handeaux]

Cincinnati Was Rocked in 1908 By UC Professor’s Free-Love Ideas

Scandals in Cincinnati come in abundant variety, from sex and politics to greed and cruelty. Philosophic scandals are somewhat rare here, so it was surprising when Henry Heath Bawden got fired from the University of Cincinnati in 1908 for pondering the sanctity of marriage.

Bawden arrived at UC in 1907 as Professor of Philosophy. He was, in fact, the entire Philosophy Department. At the time, UC’s College of Liberal Arts boasted just 27 faculty and Bawden was the only one teaching philosophy. He came to Cincinnati from an endowed professorship at Vassar. During six years at that elite school, he proved so popular that the students dedicated the 1906 yearbook to him. Bawden and his wife were both Ohio natives and both had family here, so no one questioned why he would give up a distinguished position at one of the Seven Sisters – women’s colleges considered equal to the Ivy League – to teach at a small, municipal college out in the hinterlands.

By all accounts, Bawden was an engaging lecturer, a beneficial mentor and a creative thinker. He wrote the standard introductory text for an emerging school of American philosophy known as Pragmatism. His problem was, he didn’t much care for marriage and insisted on discussing his aversion.

One day in May 1908, Bawden’s philosophy caught up with him when Mrs. Bawden, the former Susan Talbot of Granville, Ohio, sat down to chat with UC President Charles Dabney. Why Mrs. Bawden met with President Dabney remains a mystery. At the time, several motivations were proposed:

Mrs. Bawden was tired of defending her husband and explaining their unusual living arrangements, so she called Dabney.

Gossip about the Bawdens’ unusual living arrangements was circulating among the UC faculty and, more importantly, donors, so Dabney called her.

Some students were upset that Bawden expressed anti-Christian beliefs in class.

The “unusual living arrangements” were these: The Bawdens lived in the Auburn Hotel on Malvern Place in Mount Auburn. Mrs. Bawden and the couple’s two sons lived in a suite at the main hotel, while Professor Bawden lived across the street in the annex.

Whatever the genesis of the meeting, it soon came out that Bawden had been asked to leave Vassar after Mrs. Bawden discovered some passionate letters and erotic poetry written by her husband to a young research assistant. Confronted with the documents, Bawden confessed, told his wife he was in love with the graduate student and that his philosophy of marriage allowed him to associate with anyone for whom he felt affinity or “comradeship.”

Everyone agreed that Professor Bawden, outside his indiscreet love notes, had not acted on his philosophical yearnings, nor had he propounded his radical beliefs in the classroom. His philosophy, nevertheless, disqualified him from teaching in the presence of impressionable young minds, particularly those of the fairer sex, according to President Dabney, who told the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [12 May 1908]:

“No man whose opinions or whose manner of life are destructive of the very foundation of human society will be permitted to teach in any institution for which I am responsible.”

At the time the scandal broke, Bawden had two weeks left on his teaching contract. UC decided that any student who declined to attend the remainder of Bawden’s classes would be counted as “present” and no women could attend his classes without a note from their parents.

Just what were these dangerous beliefs propounded by H. Heath Bawden? As he himself summarized them in a manifesto published by the Cincinnati Times-Star:

“Fellowship, comradeship, is the only basis of a true marriage, and when, for any reason, this has vanished, the real immorality is to seek to keep up the outward form when the inward essence has fled.”

The university and the local media interpreted that statement as promoting free love, sexual license and the abolition of marriage. Here is the Cincinnati Enquirer’s [12 May 1908] take:

“Prof. Bawden’s views are unique, but not new. He holds to the creed of the ‘Free Thinkers.’ As to marriage, he holds that it is a good institution only in so far as it is a provision for the offspring of the relation of the sexes. Man and woman should live only as comrades – with comradeship only as a tie.”

And here is an excerpt from a Cincinnati Post [13 May 1908] editorial:

“And when a college professor makes known that his belief lies NOT in marriage as the safety valve on all society – at once its blessing and its protection – but in a love of the ‘affinity’ type, his day of usefulness as a pedagogue has passed.”

To recount: Bawden wrote some passionate words to a Vassar student that, apparently, were never delivered. It is possible – none of the media reports suggest this – that Bawden may have expressed his desires in some other manner. Everyone agreed that Bawden never had actual sexual relations with anyone other than his wife. Bawden’s students insist he never discussed his opinions on marriage in class. In brief, Professor Henry Heath Bawden was fired because of his scandalous but entirely personal beliefs.

Bawden told the inquisitive that, if they really wanted to know what he was thinking, he was ready to publish four books – one on Pragmatism, one on education and one on aesthetics, plus a volume of his love poetry. The newspapers roasted him for this shameless self-promotion.

The Enquirer printed more unsubstantiated rumors than the other local papers and claimed that Bawden’s Vassar inamorata had fled Poughkeepsie and was now living in California. That’s where Bawden landed after his dismissal from UC.

Mrs. Bawden took the children and moved in with Professor Bawden’s parents. She divorced her wayward philosopher in 1909, never remarried and lived until 1953. Both sons earned Ph.D.s and became professors.

Bawden’s book on Pragmatism was published in 1910 and is still regarded as a classic, although Pragmatism was long ago superseded by other schools of thought. By the time his book came out, Bawden was living as Henry H. Bawden, working as a truck farmer in San Ysidro, California. Over the next 40 years, he built a brand new reputation as a pioneer in organic farming.

During his time in California, Bawden lived with one woman for a while, got sued for enticing a married woman to live with him and married and divorced another woman. No word on whether he found his true comrade.

None of his other books ever saw print. Bawden died in 1950 and is buried in San Diego.

[bonniebird]

Tommy x Reader

Living with Mr Shelby

AN: This was a fic from way back in 2015/2016 it has been updated and edited.

Living with Mr Shelby Masterlist

I woke up early and began the long search for a job while I looked around my new home. Eventually I gave up on the job hunt as everyone seemed to want a reference from this mysterious Mr Shelby. 

I found myself wandering around by the docks finding the water comforting and pulled a small notepad and a small pen out of my hand bag drawing pictures of the birds and horses that were dotted around the docks.

"Miss, Miss." I looked around and realized there were no other women to speak off so the voice must have been directed at me and I was pleasantly surprised to see Curly with an older gentleman who waved Curly off and headed away from us with a quick pace.

"Mr Curly, how nice to see you again." I said politely making Curly giggle awkwardly at my polite manner.

"I'm ever so sorry I ran off, Poll gave me a tellin’ off for just leavin’ you at the station. You find somewhere to stay?" He murmured quickly sitting next to me on the low wall I had seated myself on.

"Oh yes it took a while but I found somewhere." I said smiling at Curly, he dug in his pocket and pulled out a rather squished cheese sandwich and ripped it in half.

"Here Miss, sorry it's squished... I saw you earlier goin’ into the bakers I was gonna say hello but I was busy, I'm guessing you hant eaten yet." He placed the sandwich in my hands and began to tuck into his half looking at me expectantly.

"Thank you Mr Curly, I'll have to bring you lunch next time, and you can call me Lola." I said kindly and took a bite making the man's eyes light up happily.

"You can call me plain Curly if you like." Curly offered and helped me stand up once we were done eating and waited for me while I brushed off my dress.

"Very well plain Curly, it's a deal." I said chuckling at my new found friend; we walked for a few minutes until Curly led me towards a large stable.

"You like horses Lola?" Curly asked, suddenly sounding like a child at Christmas. I nodded eagerly and Curly led me inside where my eyes lay upon the finest black stallion I had ever seen. He was nothing like the Shire Horses we had on the farm, this horse was muscular and strong looking with a thick glossy coat and mane. It looked like midnight in a physical form.

"He is beautiful." I whispered and Curly stepped out of the way letting me pet the huge horse, a young boy in a flat cap skidded into the stables looking rather damp and it was then I noticed it had started raining.

"Oi Curly Tommy Says... Fuckin ell Curly how'd you get a girl in ere?" The young boy asked gawking at me as if he'd never seen a woman before, I turned to Curly and curtsied a little and stepped past the boy who was still staring.

"I'll let you get back to work, Plain Curly, don't forget I'm bringing lunch tomorrow." I said as I stepped out to the rain, I loved the rain. It made the dry dirt streets back home smell delicious and the damp timber piles I walked past reminded me of the smell new fences had for weeks after you put them up.

                                                       *******************

I woke up early on Saturday and dressed modestly as I was planning to head over to the large church that stood at the end of the high street. Once I got their I curtsied and crossed to the Mother Mary statue and headed to a pew near the front of the church, a woman sat a few rows behind me and I could feel her gaze fixated on my every move.

"Most young women don't respect the old traditions." The woman said in a thick Brummie accent, I looked up as the woman moved to sit next to me and held out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Polly." She said in a forward manner making me think that this woman was very efficient in everything she did and had little to no room for errors in the way she lived her life.

"Lola." I said, shaking her hand and smiling at her. She looked me over and seemed to give an approving look as she let go of my hand.

"Where are you from Lola?" Polly asked gently but there was a tone of danger that made me think twice about avoiding the question.

"Malvern... it's down at the bottom of the midlands." I said hurriedly, Polly smiled and nodded as if she knew the place well and gazed down at the altar in front of us.

"Well Lola it's been nice meeting you but I must get going, if you need anything come to the Garrison and ask for Polly Gray." She said and stood up abruptly leaving me alone with my thoughts. After an hour I headed home and prepaid the lunch I had promised Curly feeling rather appreciative of the new friend I had made.

                                   *****************************************

When I arrived at our meeting place I saw Curly talking frantically with a tall well-built man in a flat cap. When I looked closer I realized he was wearing the exact same clothes as the boy who had come to see Curly yesterday. I began to panic wondering if Curly had gotten himself into something troublesome but the man pulled Curly into a one armed hug and turned to walk away.

"Drop by the Garrison for a drink tonight Curly. Tommy wants to celebrate his victory." The man almost bumped into me having not noticed I was there and quickly muttered apologies. His face looked worn and tired and he had a thick mustache that he kept running his fingers through as he walked away.

"Hello Lola... I'm sorry bout Arthur he's happy cause there's gonna be a lot of drinkin tonight." Curly laughed a little at the thought. I smiled holding out the paper parcel that had our lunches in and I spent the rest of the day talking with Curly as we watched the boats float by. He didn’t seem to want to talk about Arthur so you didn’t ask anymore. It wasn’t exactly your business. Curly Seemed to appreciate it.

[coloursofunison]

I'm reviewing A Body by the Henhouse by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour

I'm reviewing A Body by the Henhouse by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease #blogtour @rararesources #ABodyByTheHenhouse #boldwoodbloggers @BoldwoodBooks @KatePoels @theboldbookclub

Here’s the blurb The time for celebrations is over… Jude Gray’s farm is going from strength to strength, and even though her grumpy neighbour has concerns about the new campsite in the lower field, she is undeterred. When a hen party arrives for a weekend away, she does her best to cater for their celebrations. But with a sheep needing urgent care – an accidental mishap or something more…

[coloursofunison]

I'm reviewing Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease

I'm reviewing Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells, a fabulous contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills #mystery #newrelease @BoldwoodBooks @KatePoels @KatePoelsWrites? @BoldBookClub

Here’s the blurb Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in. After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the…

[fictionophile]

"Stranger in the Village" by Kate Wells - Book Review @BoldwoodBooks @KatePoels @rararesources #StrangerInTheVillage #boldwoodbloggers #BlogTour #BookReview

Carrying on with the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series, this second installment was just as good as the first! Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a young, childless widow who now runs her large sheep farm with the help of Noah, her shepherd, and her loyal dog, Pip – with memories of her late husband never far from her mind. When she met her husband Adam, he introduced her to his life-long…

[splashes-into-books]

Enthralling read - Stranger in the Village by Kate Wells

A brilliant village murder mystery with family drama, too, That keeps you guessing all the way through. Enthralling read - Stranger in the Village by Kate Wells @KatePoels @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources

Where there’s a body in Malvern End, there are secrets to be uncovered… My Review: Great to return to the Malvern Farm once more,With new friends, surprises and so much to explore.Jude has new plans to diversify the farmNever anticipating anyone else coming to harm.A new couple moved into the village and seemThe opposite to loves dream!He's obnoxious, rude and sleazy, too,Whilst she's friendly,…