#East Berkshire

[cassidypalmer]

I want to show off this really cool vintage school book I bought from an antique mall in Savannah, Ga last year.

Sure, the cover is pretty cool. Beautiful embossed details and considering this book is 140+ years old, it's in pretty good condition. That's not why I got it though.

This book belonged to Lyman Ellsworth of East Berkshire Vermont, and he dated it January 28th 1882. He misspelled his name on this first page, which is pretty cute.

Also the copyright page, just because I think it's cool. But my favorite parts are the bits Ellsworth left behind of himself.

Love the blue ink splatter by where he was writing. He must have been a bit older as his handwriting is much nicer than earlier. Also the sideways note in the top corner. "The Teacher is going to be married pretty soon you see she feels well this morning any way (profily) that was..." I can't make out the rest of the note, or what "Profily" is supposed to say. Maybe someone here will have better luck with it.

I think he was exchanging love notes on this page. Adorable.

The first one on top reads "Lyman is your name and happy is your life & happ is (I can't make out her name I'm sorry) when you take her for your ..." it's probably fair to assume it says wife.

A little "roses are red" poem, which looks like it was written by someone else.

"How would you like to-" like to what?

And a slightly different version of the first poem:

"Lyman is his name and happy happy is his life and happ is ____ when he takes her for his wife."

Also I am obsessed with his drawings:

One of these guys is smoking a cigarette and is labeled "Master of Powers" which is pretty awesome. I feel like this would make a pretty cool album cover

Self portrait?

Thought I'd share, because I am delighted to own this vestige of a person who likely has been completely forgotten. I hope he lived a good life.

[s0urce--flow]

First run of the season ❄️✨️

[jandeproductions]

Bolton Valley, VT 15MAR2024

Carving out some sweeping powder turns under the Wilderness Chair in this morning’s fresh snow This morning I was seeing reports of 2 to 5 inches of new snow for the resorts of the Central and Northern Greens. Snow levels were high; thus, the accumulations were likely to be dense, but that would mean the liquid equivalent could be there for some decent resurfacing of the slopes. I wasn’t sure how…

[medyumhoca88]

https://www.medyumyunus.com Reach me 24/7 on WhatsApp on my site without hesitation. Write on Whatsapp on my site 24/7 for Bringing Back the Lost One, Death Spell, Soap Spell, Psychic Hodja, Separation Spell, Cooling Spell, Divorce Spell, for all kinds of transactions. , Read My First Comments, Review My Documents, Write . (You can write to me in any language on WhatsApp on my site. I do magic with pictures remotely. One thousand percent results and guaranteed.) Non-transaction spell fees will be refunded. but there were thousands of them and no negative results were seen. My Facebook comments, documents, site agreement on my website . https://www.medyumyunus.com 📍 WHATSAPP CONTACT LINK 📍 https://wa.me/+905352088478 ⚡ You can reach me 24/7 via WhatsApp on my website without hesitation. Write to my site on Whatsapp 24/7 for any kind of transaction such as Bringing Back the Lost, Death Spell, Soap Spell, Medium Hodja, Separation Spell, Cooling Spell, Divorce Spell. , Read My First Comments, Review My Documents, Write

[guess4best]

(via "Berkshire East I Love Winter Hiking" Pullover Hoodie for Sale by Guess4best)

[miryum]

Always in All Ways (Mattheo Riddle x Reader) Great Gatsby AU

Warnings: angst!!!! (but a happy ending) Reader wears a dress (once) cause it’s the 20s. Talk of kids and a future together. For the sake of incest, we’re gonna ignore the fact that Enzo and Mattheo are half brothers… And if you squint, there could be a sign of domestic abuse (but it is so little there that I'm not sure if you can call it that). Reader is married (not to Mattheo at first) and it's not technically cheating.... it's hard to explain. As always, swearing. Not entirely proof-read, but will get it done soon

Lorenzo Berkshire had moved into a gated, two story house, surrounded by a thick forest. The neighbourhood he had moved into was affectionately called Diadem East. 

Diadem East was surrounded by a large bay, which, in turn, separated it from Diadem West. Diadem East and Diadem West were similar in the fact that they were obscenely rich. Even though both had enough wealth to buy the island of New York, Diadem West looked down on Diadem East because of generational wealth. Diadem West had come from old money - long lines of families that treated life like a simple game of chess and they could move others like pawns. Diadem East were those who only recently came into money and spent it freely and without care.

Lorenzo had moved to Diadem East in hopes of getting away from his overbearing parents, and it helped that his cousin lived right across the bay in Diadem West. 

Y/n Pucey was a recent newlywed to Adrian Pucey. Lorenzo hadn’t been able to make it to the wedding, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see his baby cousin married to a man fifteen years older than her. Y/n had always been Lorenzo’s favourite cousin; she was a bubbling, carefree girl, probably due to the fact that from birth, she had no restrictions with her father’s money. Now that she was married to the pretentious Pucey family, Lorenzo doubted she was familiar with the word ‘no’. 

What Lorenzo did doubt, however, was Y/n’s happiness. He remembered a time, back when she was nineteen, that he had visited her over summer break. She told him tales of a man that had captured her heart. Lorenzo remembered how Y/n’s eyes gleamed and her cheeks burned with her extensive smiling. He remembered laughing with Y/n in the sunroom, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy.”

“I’m in love, Enzo,” she had replied simply. 

Needless to say, Lorenzo couldn’t wait to see his cousin again. He also couldn’t wait to return to a normal sleep schedule, given that his new neighbour wouldn’t stop having parties every single night that blasted light and music into Lorenzo’s bedroom window. It wasn’t until Thursday at four pm when a butler knocked on Lorenzo’s back door, holding a silver plate with a letter positioned on it. “Can I help you?” Enzo asked slowly, leaning on the door frame.

“Mister Riddle requests your presence on Friday night for a party he is throwing,” the butler said. 

“Mister… Riddle?” Enzo reiterated. “I’m sorry, who?”

“Your neighbour, Mister Mattheo Riddle,” the butler explained. “He wanted to welcome you into the neighbourhood.”

“Right,” Enzo trailed off. “I’ll be there.”

“Mister Riddle looks forward to making your acquaintance.”

****

The next day, Enzo drove up to Diadem West, the hilltop Pucey Manor looming over everything. As soon as Enzo finished driving up the winding gravel road, the front door swung open dramatically. Y/n stood there, arms flung wide. “Darling Enzo!” she squealed. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” 

“My sweet cousin!” Enzo called back, bounding up the steps. He whirled Y/n up in his arms, swinging her back and forth, much to her delight. Her sundress flared around them in a swirling dance. “How have you been?”

“Lively,” Y/n answered simply. “How are those back home? You must tell me everything.”

Enzo flung his head back and said dramatically, “they miss you dearly, loving cousin. When I passed through town, everyone wept when they heard I was to see you. Jealous men came running down from their houses and begged me to take them with you. Mothers sobbed and cried out how they wished their daughters would turn out like you. Children dashed through the streets, racing after my carriage with joy.”

“They did?” Y/n beamed, gripping onto Enzo’s arms. “I do miss them, you know. Perhaps I should visit next summer.”

“They would all love to see you,” Enzo stated plainly. “Yet I have a question for you. Do you know of-”

“Lorenzo Berkshire,” a voice boomed from the front door. “What’s a man like you doing in these parts?”

Enzo stared up at Adrian Pucey, the esteemed husband of Y/n. “Adrian,” Enzo peeled himself away from Y/n and sauntered up the steps. “It’s nice to see you again.” He held out his hand for the man to shake.

“Get in here, good pal.” Adrian clapped Enzo’s hand and pulled him into a rough hug. Enzo let out a huff of air as he collided with Adrian’s chest. “Wonderful to see you as well. Tell me, how’s the stock business going?” Adrian placed a nonnegotiable hand on Enzo’s shoulder and led him inside the Pucey mansion. Y/n let out a noise of surprise and hurried in after them, determined not to be left behind. 

“Good, good.” Enzo made senseless conversation with Adrian as he tried to take in the curated house he was in. All the doors and windows were open, letting in a soft breeze and the stinging smell of the bay water. The curtains fluttered around Y/n as she walked, her eyes cautiously on her cousin and husband. No matter how she acted, Lorenzo knew of the whip sharp mind that Y/n had.

“And you know where he’s living, Adrian?” Y/n cut in, moving to recline gracefully on the settee. “In Diadem East!” 

Adrian’s brows rose and he turned to Enzo as the men sat on the couch. “Why not buy a house here? Hell, you’re welcome to stay in our guest room. Anything for a relative.”

“No, please.” Enzo held a hand up. “I’m perfectly fine on my own and I don’t want to intrude. It’s a nice, cosy house looking over the bay. In fact, if I look towards the right, I can see the end of your pier.”

“Really?” Y/n lit up, head turning towards Enzo. “How sweet. It’s almost as if we’re neighbours.”

“Speaking of neighbours,” Enzo took this opportunity to ask, “my own seems to be very eccentric.”

Adrian chuckled and poured himself some whiskey. “How so? Do you want any?” He gestured to the whiskey.

“No, but thank you.” Enzo adjusted in his seat and crossed his legs. “My neighbour throws these obscene parties almost every single night. I’m convinced that if it weren’t for the trees, I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.” Y/n stretched out her legs and leaned her head back until it was resting on the arm of the chair. “But the oddest thing happened - he invited me to one tonight.”

“Really?” Adrian sipped his drink. “And who is this poseur?”

“A Mister Riddle.”

Y/n’s lips parted and, almost in slow motion, her eyes flickered to Lorenzo before going back to staring out the window to the gleaming blue water outside. “Riddle?” she murmured. Adrian glanced at her and Enzo’s brows furrowed. “I mean, there must be a thousand Riddles… why, in fact, just last month, I was introduced to a Ryder. Which is like Riddle, I guess.”

“Y/n, are you alright?” Enzo asked softly.

“Yes, are you well?” Adrian added on.

“I’m sure I’m fine,” Y/n said. “Perhaps just lightheaded. I’m going to go lay down now.” Her hand flit to her collarbone where a small chain was tucked under her dress.

“Okay.” Enzo stared after her, admittedly worried about his cousin, before standing and adjusting his suit. “Well, I'm afraid I have to go. Mustn’t be late to this fellow’s party.”

“Of course.” Adrian stood as well, in common courtesy, knowing that the two men had nothing in common or nothing to do with each other without Y/n as the mediator. “Riddle…” the man muttered. “I could’ve sworn I heard that name somewhere.”

“It’s a common name, you know.” Enzo chuckled as he swiped out the door. 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Adrian closed the door behind Enzo almost as an afterthought.

****

“What do you want, my darling? Anything you wish and I will make it happen.”

“I’m happy with just you, Matty.”

“That’s not a good enough answer, and you know it. Now, I’m going to ask again: what do you want?”

“… I… I want a big house. Overlooking the water so our kids can play in the water.”

“Our kids, hm?”

“Oh, yes, Matty. Our kids.”

“Alright. And what else?”

“Hmm… and a big ballroom that we can dance in. And all the paintings will be our favourites. And big parties for every occasion. Perhaps a pool. Or a sunroom. And the largest bedroom ever.”

“Is that all?”

“As long as I have you, Matty, that’s all I ask.”

****

While everyone else arrived to Riddle’s party in new and shining cars, Enzo simply walked. People of all backgrounds were streaming in the doors and Enzo was pushed into the unrelenting mob of partygoers. Enzo shoved his way to the first butler he saw and presented his invitation. “Uh, yes. I have this invitation here…” 

The butler glanced down at the letter and said stoically, “you needn’t one.”

“Pardon?” Enzo had never been to a party where he didn’t need to be invited. 

“The guests come and go as they please - per Mister Riddle’s orders.”

“Alright,” Enzo pursed his lips together and nodded awkwardly. “Thank you. Do you know where I could find Mister Riddle?”

“No, sir,” the butler replied. “He likes to socialise with his attendees and be in the throng of things. He likes to make sure that everyone is comfortable and having a good time.”

Enzo hummed and nodded in thanks before allowing himself to be swept up in the current. He was carried further into the opulent mansion and Lorenzo needed to remind himself to close his mouth at the palatial nature of it all. 

Practically every surface was plated with gold or made of marble. The ballroom opened up to a balcony that overlooked a large pool which was currently populated with dozens of people. On the other side of the ballroom, a large sunroom was occupied by a throng of people, cigarette smoke wisping up through the open roof. The stars were obscured by not only the smoke, but by the fact that every light in the mansion was turned on. Marble stairs led down to another open room which held a stage and a band whose music filtered up throughout the rooms. Congressmen, celebrities, and random people off the street were packed into the house, booze and drugs were passed around and waiters tried to filter through the crowd to hand out refreshments and food.

As he passed, Enzo heard tidbits of conversations about their host. “Did you know he was a bootlegger?”

“No, no, I heard he fought in the last war.”

“Well, whatever it is, it’s all terribly romantic.”

“Well, I thought that he was chasing a girl-”

Enzo managed to fight his way to the balcony and snag a glass of champagne on his way. He sighed in relief at finding a bubble of air to himself. A man dressed in a finely pressed suit jostled into him and quickly apologised. “Terribly sorry, old friend,” the man said. “I didn’t see you there. It’s a rowdy party tonight, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Enzo replied loudly. “Is it usually like this?”

“Unfortunately,” the man grinned. “Although few frequent. I always find that many people come once and then never return.”

“You seem like you know an awful lot about Mister Riddle’s parties. Do you come here often?”

“Yes,” the man tsked. “As hard as I try, I can’t pull myself away from this old mansion. Something always draws me back. Did you know that Mattheo Riddle built this house from scratch?”

“I did not.”

“Yes,” the man laughed, his lips curing up. “Of course, he didn’t build the actual thing, but he bought the land and drew up the blueprints years ago. Six, to be exact.”

“Why is that?”

“No one knows for sure. There’s a lot of rumours circulating around Riddle.”

Enzo shouted over the music, “I was actually invited by Mister Riddle himself. But his butler seemed surprised by that.”

“Yes, it is very rare that one is personally invited to these gatherings.”

“Do you know where I could find him? Mister Riddle, I mean.” Enzo took a sip of his champagne.

The man laughed again and raised his own champagne glass. A smirk coiled up on his face and he said simply, “why, you’re talking to him, old friend. I am Mattheo Riddle.”

The party noise faded in Enzo’s ears. “Oh. I’m so sorry.” His hand shot out for Riddle to shake. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Pardon me, Mister Riddle.”

Mattheo Riddle shook Enzo’s hand, still grinning. His eyes held a mix of anticipation and happiness. Those who were close to Mattheo Riddle - which, really, was no one - had never seen such joy on Mattheo’s face. “Oh, call me Riddle. Or better yet, Mattheo. I feel as if I already know you, old friend. And, seeing as we’re neighbours, I hope to get to know you even better. How would you like to join me in my study?”

Enzo raised a brow and cliched his champagne fluke. “May I ask what for?”

“Oh, well, to tell you my life story, after all.” Mattheo clapped a hand on Enzo’s shoulder, much like Adrian had hours earlier. But unlike Adrian, Enzo found himself agreeing to go along with this man he only met today. 

Mattheo led Enzo down the hallway and nodded to a butler who was standing guard over an oak door. The butler opened the door up to Mattheo’s study, which was more of a library. The library was a much different aesthetic than the rest of the house. While the mansion next to Enzo’s little cottage was energetic and extravagant, Mattheo’s library was dark and cosy. Instead of gold and marble, it was made of oak and the flickering flames of candles.

“An impressive collection,” Enzo commented, glancing around the room at the rows of books.

“Why, thank you,” Mattheo replied. “It overlooks the bay, you see?” He pointed towards the window that, true to his word, was directly facing the large water. 

Enzo peered out the window and huffed a laugh when he saw Y/n’s house staring back at him. “That’s my cousin's house,” Enzo glanced back at Mattheo to see his gaze locked on the Pucey mansion. 

“I know,” Mattheo said quietly. 

“You know?” Lorenzo repeated questioningly. 

“Yeah,” Mattheo nodded. “You’ve heard rumours of me.” It wasn’t a question. Before Enzo could answer, Matthei continued, “but I can assure you, only one of those is true, old friend. I am… a helpless romantic.” Mattheo chuckled lowly, a sad layer in his eyes. Instead of sitting behind his large desk, Mattheo opted to lounge on a couch and Enzo sat in a loveseat next to him. 

“What do you mean by that?” 

“About… eight years ago I met this girl. God, she was absolutely perfect.” Mattheo gazed out at Diadem West. “I have been bereft of her for so many years… And I finally hope to make it up to her. I’ve become the man that will be good enough for her archaic parents.”

“Where did you meet her?” Enzo asked quietly.

“I was visiting her hometown one day, eight years ago. And I just…” Mattheo took a moment to wet his chapped lips. “She had all other eyes on her. She was simply walking down the street, yet she drew everyone to her. And when I was blessed enough to hold her in my arms… to kiss her lips is better than heaven.”

“May I guess her name?” Enzo’s smile grew larger. “Is this lovely, captivating woman my cousin, Y/n Pucey?”

“How did you know?” Mattheo’s voice was airy and wistful.

“Many men have tripped over their feet just to take a glance at my cousin. She is not only beautiful, holding the Berkshire genes, but witty, magnetic, and gentle.” Enzo finished his champagne and lit a cigar that Mattheo had offered him. “And, well, she might have mentioned you once or twice. She was in love with you when she was nineteen. Perhaps she still is.” Mattheo’s eyes snapped to Enzo. “Then she was married to Adrian Pucey. Honestly, I’m a little surprised that you’re living right across from her.”

“Yes, I’m aware of all that,” Mattheo stated. “But nothing has been an accident, Mister Berkshire. There’s a reason why I host parties every weekend, why I keep the lights on every night, why my home is directly across from hers, and why you, her cousin, is renting next to me.”

Enzo scrutinised this stranger across from him. “You’re obsessed with my cousin,” he stated, somewhat disgustedly. 

“No,” Mattheo whispered. “I’m in love with your cousin. I have always been in love with her - in all ways. And she is me. Mention my name around her and you’ll see.”

“I have,” Enzo admitted. “She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. But she also looked guilty, Riddle. She’s married. She has a life. She wants children.” Mattheo’s jaw jumped as Enzo continued, “you can’t rip her away from that. It’s been years, Riddle. She hasn’t seen you for years.”

“I know…” Mattheo trailed off. “But just to see her again would fulfil any wish of mine. I have a vow I need to make due on. I- uh, I was wondering if you could invite her over for tea. And I could drop by. Just one day.” Mattheo’s eyes felt dry and he quickly blinked. 

Enzo sighed deeply and after a long moment, said, “okay. Tuesday? At three?”

A weight lifted off of Mattheo’s shoulders. He now had all the time in the world. In his eyes, everything was finally falling into place. Mattheo would finally get to be happy again. “That sounds absolutely perfect.”

****

Tuesday was outrageously cloudy. Lorenzo could hardly see the sun as he drove back to his house. As he pulled into his driveway, he came to see an ostentatious green Rolls-Royce convertible that was blocking his drive. Enzo stared defeatedly at the car for a long moment, knowing exactly whose it was. 

Mattheo Riddle leaned on the hood and proceeded to wave at Enzo as if the man wasn’t hours too early to tea. 

“You have a watch, don’t you?” Enzo called out, getting out of his car. 

“I couldn’t wait,” Mattheo admitted. “I had nothing else to do today - well, that’s not true. I in fact cancelled some meetings that were set to take place today, but no worries.”

“You cancelled - you know what? Nevermind. Look, Riddle, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. Y/n… she’s changed from when you met her.” Enzo couldn’t look at his neighbour as he unlocked his door. Mattheo followed in after him, glancing around courteously, as if the real reason he was here wasn’t sending waves of nerves through his stomach. Enzo glanced back at Mattheo and moved to the kitchen to make some tea. Mattheo followed after him, his gait slow. “She used to believe that she could live any way she wanted,” Enzo continued. “But then she met Adrian.”

“Hm.” Mattheo made a low noise in his throat, fingers reaching out to play with the teacups that hung from a shelf. 

“She’s not… unhappy with Adrian,” Enzo tried to explain. “But she’s putting her happiness aside for the grandeur of life.” 

“I could give her that grandeur,” Mattheo muttered. 

“Do you know how people back home would treat her if they found out she got divorced from Adrian Pucey just to marry a man who is rumoured to be a bootlegger?” Enzo asked, aghast. He roughly swallowed and said quietly, “I’m sorry. That was out of line.” 

“No, no,” Mattheo waved him off, still seemingly fascinated by Enzo’s teacups. “It’s perfectly in line. You make a valid point. Though I can assure you, I am not a bootlegger. Far from it.”

“Then what is your line of work?” 

“Never you mind. When is Y/n coming?” Mattheo turned to Enzo, changing the topic at an alarming speed. The teacups were long forgotten.

Enzo exhaled and dunked a teabag in the teapot. “She said she’ll be arriving around three. However, that means that she’ll either be arriving at two-fifteen on account of wanting to escape Adrian, or she’ll arrive at four-thirty because Adrian needs something from her.”

“Let’s hope it’s the former,” Mattheo growled.

As if on cue, the two men heard the rumbling of a car approaching. The air in the room stilled. Mattheo’s face dropped and he turned pale, staring at the door. They heard Y/n’s honey voice call out, “Lorenzo!” Enzo quickly came to his senses and rushed to open the door. Y/n was driving up, waving her hat enthusiastically in one hand. A smile split on Enzo’s face as he rushed over to help her out of her car. “I must say, I was wary when you asked me to visit without Adrian,” Y/n chatted as Enzo escorted her into the house. “I couldn’t possibly think of anything you would need from me.”

“Can’t I just ask you over for tea?” Enzo chuckled. “Does everything I do need malicious intent?”

“Based on your past, yes.”

Enzo rolled his eyes playfully. After he took Y/n’s coat and hat, his eyes darted around his house, but he couldn’t find one trace of Mattheo anywhere. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll… I’ll grab the tea,” Enzo muttered. He moved to his kitchen, and seeing his back door ajar, he shoved it open. “Where are you going?!” he cried out to Mattheo who was currently halfway across the lawn.

Mattheo spun back to Enzo, fear deeply rooted in his expression. “I can’t,” he whispered after he jogged back to Enzo. “I can’t do it. You’re absolutely right. She... she has a life. And probably doesn’t even remember me. It would be cruel to subject her to such emotions. I don’t want to cause her any harm.”

Enzo shook his head. “I will not have invited my cousin to tea under false pretences,” he said slowly and firmly. “You owe this to her,” he added. 

A droplet of rain fell from a passing cloud and fell faster and faster until it splattered on Mattheo’s wrist. The water was absorbed by the cuff of Mattheo’s shift, but a small bit of the water rolled down onto his hand and drifted its way down to Mattheo’s ring finger. A thin gold band sat snug there. “Do you know what a pyrrhic victory means?” 

“Yes.” Enzo frowned inquisitively. “It’s victory that cost the victor more than it did the defeated. But what does that have to do with Y/n?”

“My love for Y/n has cost me everything,” Mattheo muttered. “But she is everything. I'm used to people hating me for my wealth and how reserved I am. What I'm used to isn't people's love. And now, my love is with Y/n and I'm not letting anyone ruin that or take it away from me.” More raindrops began falling from the sky until a gentle pitter-patter could be heard all around them.

“So why don’t you come in and tell her that?” Enzo asked, gesturing towards his door. 

Mattheo’s jaw jumped but he nodded, giving in. He shuffled through the door and into the living room where Y/n sat. Enzo grinned to himself and shut the door behind them before hearing Y/n gasp and the sound of a glass breaking. Enzo cursed to himself, knowing one of his precious teacups had now lost its life.

“M- Matty?” Y/n murmured, eyes wide. “Oh- oh, dear.” She stared down at the broken teacup on the carpet and bent down, hands shuddering. Mattheo crouched down as well, maintaining eye contact with Y/n the entire way. Y/n shook her head and focused on cleaning up her mess. Enzo noticed her whole body was trembling and he took a step forward as if to console her. Mattheo beat him to the punch. He grasped her forearms and helped her up, leaving the teacup behind. Y/n sniffed and repeated, “Matty?”

“Yeah, darling. It’s me,” Mattheo murmured, stepping closer to her. His hold on her arms softened and his cheek brushed against her forehead. 

Y/n exhaled shakily. “What are you doing here?” she whispered, tipping her head to lean into a more intimate position with Mattheo. Enzo slid out of the room, smirking faintly.

“I live next to Enzo,” Mattheo said, neither one bothering to look for Y/n’s cousin. 

Y/n chuckled humourlessly. “Tell me the real reason, Matty. I know you better than this.”

Mattheo smiled - the truest smile Enzo had ever seen on his neighbour’s face (not that Enzo was watching from the next room) - and leaned down to bump his nose against hers. “I could never hide anything from you. Not that I ever would, but I digress.” Mattheo reached down and gently lifted Y/n’s hand to his lips. He pressed featherlight kisses along her fingertips and confessed, “a year after you married Adrian, I built a house across the bay. The mansion whose windows are alight every single night with fireworks going off every weekend… that’s me, darling. Trying to get you to even glance over at me. Renting the neighbouring cabin to your cousin… that’s me. Every little detail, down to my car, is so I can see you again.”

“You did all that for me?” Y/n ran a soft thumb over Mattheo’s jawline, making the man shiver. 

“And I will do so much more,” Mattheo promised. “I am yours, my love. Always in all ways.”

****

Y/n sat curled in Mattheo’s lap. The pair was under a tree on a picnic blanket, far from the L/n Villa. “I’m sorry I couldn’t spend my birthday with you, Matty,” Y/n murmured to him. “I know you had a surprise for me.”

“It’s alright, darling,” Mattheo whispered back, dragging his fingers through Y/n’s hair. “I know nineteen is a monumental birthday for your family.”

“But now you have me all to yourself,” Y/n lightly laughed, turning to grin at her lover. “What was the surprise you had for me? You’ve been awfully suspicious these past few days, Matty.”

Mattheo hummed, looking to the sky and rhythmically tapping his fingers against you. “Well, I don’t know, my love,” he teased. “What could I possibly get the most perfect girl for her birthday?” After your protests, he continued, not before kissing your temple. “I got you my heart,” he whispered. Out from his pocket, he pulled a thin chain. Dangling teasingly from the chain was a golden ring. “So I can be with you always,” Mattheo explained quietly. 

Tears pricked at Y/n’s eyes as she gently took the necklace from him and thread the chain through her fingers. “You… you’re being serious right now?” Her focus was drawn to Mattheo’s own ring finger, where she noticed a new, immortal band lay proudly. “Are you…?”

“Only for you,” Mattheo reassured her. “Don’t worry. It’s my way of showing my devotion.” He twisted the necklace around her neck, clipping it there. 

“Only for me?”

“Always in all ways,” Mattheo vowed.

****

Y/n frequented outings with her friends much more often as of late. Adrian only sent Y/n away with a half-committed kiss on the cheek and eyes fixated on his golfing or his business contracts. Y/n would get in her car (or Enzo’s if he was feeling nice), and drive down to Mattheo’s mansion. Most days, there would be other cars there, waiting for Riddle’s house to open to party. They would be carrying booze and wearing all fashions of clothes, and when they would walk up to his door only to be turned away, they would pout and groan. Mattheo’s house wasn’t blazing his lights anymore, nor were there any fireworks crackling each weekend. His car was kept parked in his garage and his smile was constant. 

The first time Y/n had gone over to Mattheo’s mansion, so conveniently and coincidentally located across from hers, she had been in awe. “It’s exquisite!” she had exclaimed. She had run all over the house, marvelling at the floors and the ceilings, dragging Mattheo along behind her. Mattheo laughed loudly, his joy echoing off the walls. Of course, all of the art decorating his walls was accented to Y/n’s taste and the colour palette was exactly as Y/n had hoped for all those years ago. 

“Dance with me,” she beckoned Mattheo one day, already spinning on the deserted dance floor. Mattheo would lock the doors to his manor and keep out the partiers forever and always if it meant he could see Y/n on his dance floor, waiting for him. 

Mattheo stared at her, his eyes bright with love. He swept her up in his arms, pressing her close, and they danced to nonexistent music. Y/n rested her head on Mattheo’s chest and whispered, “this is nice.”

“This is very nice, indeed. I hope to do it more often.”

Y/n’s fingers gripped onto Mattheo’s shoulders. “Matty…” she whispered. “You know my feelings for you. But I- Adrian-”

“Please don’t speak his name,” Mattheo pleaded. “And I know about him. But I don’t care about him. Please tell me you don’t care about him either.”

“He is my husband, Mattheo.”

“That doesn’t mean you care about him.” Y/n took a breath and stepped slowly back from Mattheo. His mouth parted slowly and desperation filled his eyes. His hands reached out in anguish. “Please, my love. Don’t do this.”

“I will never love him as much as I love you,” Y/n clarified gently. “But I don’t hate him, either. Over the years, I have come to care for him. It’s a complicated feeling, Mattheo, I’m sure you understand.”

“Marry me,” Mattheo suddenly declared. “I promise, my dearest, I will give you all and more.”

“It’s not fair to Adrian,” Y/n protested, her hands dropped to her sides. “We don’t live in a life where one can just divorce their spouse to pursue another. You know of the rigidity and the silent rules that if we don’t follow, the exile we face.”

“Exile of what?” Mattheo cried, helplessness in his voice. “You can move in here. I can give you the life we dreamed of.”

“The life I dreamed of included my parents and my loved ones,” Y/n objected. “Not an isolated life with only one of the many I love.”

“Anyone you love can come visit you if they want,” Mattheo offered. “I won’t push anyone away. I just want you.”

“You know they won’t visit,” Y/n’s voice broke. “You know people will ridicule us. And I am so sorry, Matty, but I don’t know if I could live with that.” Mattheo didn’t speak for a long moment, staring at Y/n’s neck. “What’s wrong?” she eventually demanded. “Do I have something on my collar?”

“No,” Mattheo murmured softly. “It’s just… you kept it.” He pointed to Y/n’s neck and reached out to finger the chain around Y/n’s neck. The woman couldn’t help but shiver under his light touch. “You kept it,” he repeated. Carefully, as if afraid he might break her, Mattheo lifted the hidden necklace that was tucked under Y/n’s dress. “My ring.”

“I couldn’t bear to get rid of it,” Y/n’s breath hitched and she swallowed back tears. “I’ve never taken it off. Even- even on my wedding day.”

Beside himself, Mattheo chuckled, though it quickly turned to a gasp for breath. “So even when he made love to you, you always kept my ring around your neck?” Tears slipped down his cheeks and Y/n reached up to quickly wipe them away. 

“I don’t want you thinking about that,” Y/n muttered, shaking her head at the absurdness of it all. “Please… just be here with me.”

“I’m here,” Mattheo could hardly get a couple words out. He pulled her close to him and pressed a firm kiss on her forehead. “You still haven’t said no to my proposal.”

Y/n laughed loudly. “I didn’t think you were being serious.”

“With you, I am always serious,” Mattheo grinned, bending down to look her in the eye. “And that wasn’t an answer. Why are you avoiding the question, darling?”

Y/n sighed, a coy smile on her lips. “Would I simply leave Adrian? What of my things? Adrian would come looking for me, you know?”

��I would buy you whatever you’re missing a thousand times over.” Mattheo stared at Y/n, his eyes holding all the tenderness that a lover was supposed to have. “I would protect you and Adrian would never know where you are. He will never harm you, I promise.” 

Y/n tapped Mattheo’s chest thrice and hummed. Mattheo’s heart fluttered and his lips brushed against her temple. Silently, he begged all the gods he knew of that Y/n would agree to be with him. His lips moved wordlessly, pleading, before Y/n said, “I will call you tomorrow, Matty. I’m sure Adrian already knows of our endeavours, but give me one night to collect my thoughts. Can you give me that much?”

“Of course, my love. Whatever you need.” He kissed Y/n’s forehead again. “Always in all ways.”

“Always in all ways,” Y/n repeated.

****

“Where are you going?”

Y/n’s shoulders tensed and she slowly turned around to face Adrian. A packed bag was on her bed. “Enzo, the sweetling cousin he is, invited me to stay with him,” she said. “I thought it would be fun to spend a night in East Diadem. To see how others live.”

“You? In East Diadem?” Adrian chortled a laugh. “And why, pray tell, would you do that?” 

“Because I love my cousin,” Y/n reiterated firmly. “Are you forbidding me to see my family?”

Adrian’s head hung and he shook his head. “I may be rich, but I’m not stupid.” He hesitated before stating, “I know about Riddle.”

“My old friend?” Y/n asked smoothly. “Yes, he was a friend of Enzo’s. That’s how I met him, you know.” She cleared her throat and zipped up her bag. 

“You’re fucking him, aren’t you?” Adrian then suddenly shouted out, his hair flying out of place and his face turning red. “He’s fucking my wife, that bastard! Why, I should- I outta- you bitch!” He growled and whirled around, dragging a hand through his hair. 

“Adrian.” Y/n held up her hands, trying to soothe his emotions. It was the only way she learned how. “I haven’t been unfaithful to you, I promise. I made a vow on our wedding day and I have since upheld it.”

Adrian grunted and demanded, “so tell me you love me.”

Y/n swallowed. “I- I love you, Adrian. Just not in the way you want me to.”

Her husband let out a yell of frustration and slammed his hands down on the back of an armchair. Y/n flinched. After a tense moment, he hissed out, “go, then. Leave me.” His voice rose to a crescendo and he shouted out, “but know that I will never let you back into this life again! No one will ever let you step inside Diadem West without rumours and hatred trailing behind you.” He let his voice drop and as Y/n shuffled back, he raised his head and looked at her, pleadingly. “I want to make you stay,” Adrian whispered. “I want to tell you all the ways I love you. But… But I think we both know I can’t.” He took a step towards her and held a hand out as if he wanted to cup her face in his palm. “You are so beautiful, Y/n,” he muttered. “But he makes you feel alive. You- you deserve that.”

“So do you, Adrian,” Y/n choked out. 

“I know,” he nodded once, conceding. “I know.”

****

It took four weeks for Y/n to officially move into the house across the bay. Immediately, she had sought out her cousin and stayed with him for some time. She spent many of those days sitting out on the lawn, staring out to the bay and her old house. Her hair would whip across her face and sometimes, Mattheo would come and sit a couple feet away from her, not saying a word. Mattheo knew she was experiencing the eroding feeling of guilt. He didn’t dare disturb her thoughts if, eventually, it would lead to him. What’s a couple more weeks when he had been waiting years?

Then, one day, Y/n turned towards Mattheo and said, “you promised to love me always and in all ways.” 

Mattheo’s head whipped toward her. The shame in his eyes was deep. “Yes,” he uttered.

“I think I’m ready to take you up on your offer.” 

Mattheo broke into a smile.

A year later, the pair was married. The band that had been around Y/n’s neck was now around her finger. Y/n’s parents refused to attend and she had spent the night crying in Mattheo’s arms. Enzo had taken the place of her father and walked her down the aisle. The wedding was sparse and while Mattheo’s aunt had come to offer her congratulations, as had one of Y/n’s old friends, the couple knew that their life would be a lonely one until they either made new friends or Y/n’s old friends in Diadem West came around. But they were happy. 

Grand parties weren’t a frequent occurrence, though every month or so, Mattheo threw a celebration for an unimportant holiday, simply to show Y/n off. He finally had the pleasure to kiss her in a room full of people and not be ridiculed. However, parties weren’t needed. As long as Mattheo woke up with Y/n in his arms, he would call it the most wonderful day ever. 

And when years had passed and their children would move out to begin their own endeavours, the house would lay empty. After decades had gone by and the mansion was simply a statement of extravagant wealth and the jubilance of society, people would wander in the house, marvelling at the gold and marble. Whispers would echo the hallways of the great love story that transpired within its walls. A large, dusty old portrait of the couple still hung above the fireplace, their eyes holding as much love as there was water in the bay.

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Kentish Glory

Endromis versicolora

The Kentish glory was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. It is a part of the family Endromidae which was created in 1810 by Ferdinand Ochsenheimer. This is a monotypic genus, meaning there is only one species in it being the Kentish glory.

Description The male and female of this species are clearly told apart by their colors and size.

Males are darker and more orange than females with feathery antennae

Males hindwings are orange

Females are paler/more washed out in color and larger to carry eggs

The forewings of this moth are a marbled black, orange, and white. The outer edge of the wing called the outer margin is brown with white stripes along the veins. The females hindwings are the same marbled black, brown, and white with a brown edge. The males hindwings are orange with brown markings.

The legs and antennae are black while the thorax is brown and white. The females abdomen is black while the males abdomen is a similar orange to the hindwing.

Sources differ on wingspan range.

Wikipedia: 50 - 70 mm (≈1.97 - 2.76 in)

Butterfly Conservation: Male 27 - 30 mm (≈1.06 - 1.18 in), Female 34 - 39 mm (≈1.34 - 1.54 in)

Diet and Habitat The larvae of this species eats mainly birch (Betula species) but will eat other trees and shrubs such as Alnus, Corylus, Tilia and Carpinus species. Adults do not feed.

This moth’s range used to be much larger, such as living in the southern and western English counties of Kent, Sussex, Berkshire, East Anglia, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire and the southeastern Welsh county of Monmouthsire.

Now this moth is restricted to living in the central and eastern Highlands of Scotland. It is seen in the Scottish counties of Perthshire, Inverness-shire, Morayshire, Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire.

They prefer to inhabit open birch woodland and lightly wooded moorland.

Mating Females use pheromones to attract males, who can detect them from 1-2 km (≈0.62 - 1.24 mi) away.

This species has one single generation per year. The females lay their eggs, which are yellow at first then purplish-brown, in batches of 10-20 eggs on low birch scrub at an average height of 1.2m (≈1.31 yd). They prefer to let them on sheltered, unshaded saplings, usually the first few batches are near where the females emerged. The eggs hatch after 10 to 14 days.

Predators Males usually fly during the day from mid morning to early afternoon while females fly at dusk. Because of this males are presumably preyed on by daytime birds while females are preyed on by bats.

Fun Fact The females do not fly as strong as males due to the eggs they carry as it weighs them down. Females tend to lay their first few batches of eggs close to where they emerged due to this fact.

(Source: Butterfly Conservation, Wikipedia, Rothiemurchus)

[fire-alert-ca]

Evacuation Zones

Kinneloa Canyon Road

Outpost Lane

Glen Springs Road

Coolidge Avenue

Roosevelt Avenue

Veranada Avenue

Kinclair Drive

Fox Ridge Drive

Canyon Close Road

Grand Oaks Avenue

areas east of Altadena Drive

North of New York Drive

West of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue

All areas south of San Vicente blvd

North of the 210 freeway from Roxnard to Interstae 5/14 split

North to Mulholland

East to Kenter

Laurel Canyon Blvd (on the west) to Mulholland Dr (on the north) to 101 Freeway (on the east) down to Hollywood Blvd (on the south)

The area north of Orange Grove/Rosemead Blvd., east of Lake Ave., and west of Michillinda Ave

List of evacuation zones via CalFire

Palisades fire

DRY-U026-A, LOS-Q0767, MAL-C111-A, MAL-C111-B, MAL-C112-B, MTN-U028, RMB-U030-A, RMB-U030-B, RMB-U030-D, RRC-U027, SAN-Q1395-B, SAN-Q1396-B, SDP-U029, SSM-U010-A, SSM-U010-B, TOP-U001, TOP-U002, TOP-U003, TOP-U004, TOP-U005, TOP-U006, TOP-U007, TOP-U008, TOP-U009

Eaton Fire

ALD-ARROYOSECO, ALD-CALAVERAS, ALD-CANON, ALD-CASITAS, ALD-CHANEY, ALD-EASTLOMA, ALD-EATONCANYON, ALD-FARNSWORTH, ALD-GARDEN, ALD-GARFIAS, ALD-LAUREL, ALD-MEADOWS, ALD-MENDOCINO, ALD-MIDLOTHIAN, ALD-MILLARD, ALD-MOUNTLOWE, ALD-PALM, ALD-RUBIO, ALD-WAPELLO, ALD-WHITEPARK, ARC-001, ARC-002, ARC-004, GLN-E018, GLN-E027, GLN-E028, GLN-E029, GLN-E030, GLN-E039, GLN-E040, GLN-E041,GLN-E043, GLN-E044, KIN-KINNELOA, LAC-E183, LCF-ALTACANYADA, LCF-BERKSHIRE, LCF-CASTLE, LCF-CIVICCENTER, LCF-COMMONWEALTH, LCF-CREST, LCF-CROWN, LCF-DESCANSO, LCF-FOOTHILLEAST, LCF-FOOTHILLWEST, LCF-HAMPSTEAD, LCF-HILLARD, LCF-INVERNESS, LCF-JPL, LCF-MEMORIAL, LCF-PARADISE, LCF-STARLIGHT, MRV-101, MRV-102, MRV-201, MRV-202, MRV-203, MRV-204, PAS-E001, PAS-E002, PAS-E003, PAS-E006, PAS-E008, PAS-E010, PAS-E012, PAS-E019, PAS-E022, SMD-E001, SMD-E002, SMD-E003, SMD-E004, SMD-E005, SMD-E006, SMD-E007, SMD-E008, SMD-E009, SMD-E010, SMD-E011, SMD-E012, SMD-E013, SMD-E014, SMD-E015, SMD-E016, SMD-E017, SMD-E019

Hurst Fire

LAC-E119-B, LAC-E132-A, LAC-E132-B, LOS-E001

Woodley Fire

N/A

Tyler Fire

N/A

Olivas Fire

Olivas Zone 1

Lidia Fire

LAC-E085, LAC-E088, LAC-E123

Sunset Fire

LOS-Q0612, LOS-Q0613, LOS-Q0795, LOS-Q0796, LOS-Q0797, LOS-Q0841, LOS-Q0842, LOS-Q1120, LOS-Q1127, LOS-Q1160

Kenneth Fire

WTH-U031, CAL-C401, CAL-C402, CAL-C403, CSB-U024, HID-C501, HID-C502, MTV-U025

Via LA Times and CalFire

Updated: 11:42 pm (1/8/25)

[grace-williams-xo]

What I wanna know is where you think My Cottage will be?

[note: I haven’t read any books, just a lot of the fan wiki]

Canonically My Cottage is in Wiltshire, a few hours (modern drive) west of London. However it is also close to Romney Hall (the Crane Estate) in the books and that’s somewhat relevant to the plot in tspwl (I think). In s2, we saw Romney Hall as being close to Aubrey Hall—which is canonically in Kent. Kent is south east of London. Although, that being said, I don’t think it was ever technically confirmed in show canon that Aubrey Hall is in Kent.

Mildly related P.S. if anyone could tell me where tf Clyvedon is canonically (book or show) I’d be most appreciative. I know it was filmed at Castle Howard in Yorkshire. There is an old country house of the Duke of Buckingham (now a hotel) called Clivedon in Berkshire near Windsor, and there is a town called Hastings on the south coast in East Sussex.

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ CATHERINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW : JUNE ✧• ─

1 JUNE - Catherine and William attended the Marriage of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan with Miss Rajwa Al Saif at the Zahran Palace. Afterwards, they attended the State Banquet in Hussein and Rajwa's honour. 6 JUNE - Catherine was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire (Mr. James Puxley) at Windsor Family Hub. Afterwards, she visited the Bedlom Family Home. Subsequently, Catherine received Mrs. Alice Webb (Trustee, Royal Foundation). 7 JUNE - She paid a visit to Maidenhead Rugby Football Club in Berkshire. 8 JUNE - Catherine held an Early Years Meeting. 13 JUNE - Catherine held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle. 15 JUNE - Catherine visited Riversley Park Children's Centre in Nuneaton and was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire (Mr. Timothy Cox). Subsequently, she received Professor Eamon McCrory (Board Member, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Advisory Group) at Windsor Castle. 16 JUNE - Kensington Palace released a video about the work done by Health Visitors. Later, in the evening, William and her attended the Senior Colonels' Conference and Dinner at Clarence House. 17 JUNE - Catherine, William and their children took part in The King's Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade. Later, they appeared on the Balcony along for the RAF Fly-past. 18 JUNE - Catherine wrote a letter to East Anglia's Children's Hospices to mark Children's Hospice Week. 19 JUNE - Catherine and William attended a Chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the Throne Room at Windsor Castle. Afterwards, they were present at the Luncheon Party for the Companions of the Garter. Subsequently, they attended the Order of the Garter Installation Service at St George's Chapel. 20 JUNE - Catherine was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (Sir Kenneth Olisa) as she officially reopened the newly renovated National Portrait Gallery. 21 JUNE - Cathetine visited Eton College with William and George. 23 JUNE - Catherine and William attended the Ascot Races. Later, they were spotted at KOKO. 25 JUNE - Catherine appeared in a video about Wimbledon's Ball Boys and Girls along with Roger Federer. 28 JUNE - Catherine officially opened Hope Street in Southampton where she was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire (Mr. Nigel Atkinson). 28 JUNE - Catherine officially reopened the newly renovated Young Victoria and Albert Museum and was received by Colonel Jane Davis (Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London). 29 JUNE - Catherine held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle. Subsequently she held further Meetings. 30 JUNE - She received Professor Eamon McCrory (Board Member, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Advisory Group) at Windsor Castle.

[20th-century-railroading]

CON0850 by Stanley Short Via Flickr: A comparison of cab designs. We are at Conrail's Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, NY on Sept. 19, 1994 as two trains prepare to head east over the Berkshires. GE C32-8 No. 6617 is on train SEFR while EMD SD60 No. 6858 is leading ML-482.

[s0urce--flow]

💫❄🗻Flow Boarding 🗻❄💫

[idisstuff]

Em's County OC Intros!!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

These are my UK County OCs. Some are still a work in progress. I, myself am from the East Midlands so they're my most developed characters.

Counties in England are like states in the USA. For example, 'Staffordshire' is of the same status within the UK as 'Massachusetts' does in America!

If anyone has any suggestions or questions, leave them in my ask box and I'll 100% reply!

----------------------------------------------

East Midlands

Derbyshire - Elizabeth Kirkland

Leicestershire - James Kirkland

Lincolnshire** - Henry Kirkland

Northamptonshire - William Kirkland

Nottinghamshire - Adelaide Kirkland

Rutland - Teagan Kirkland

North Lincolnshire - Jack Kirkland

North East Lincolnshire - Ella Kirkland

West Midlands

Staffordshire - Mason Kirkland

Warwickshire - Fran Kirkland

Shropshire - Alexander Kirkland

Herefordshire - Darla Kirkland

Worcestershire - Benjamin Kirkland

North West

Lancashire - Alfie Kirkland

Merseyside - Jude Kirkland

Cumbria - Cleo Kirkland

Cheshire - Jess Kirkland

London

Greater London - Charlotte Kirkland

North East

Northumberland** - Daniel Kirkland

Tyne - David Kirkland

Wear - Georgia Kirkland

Durham - Lottie Kirkland

South West

Oxfordshire - Katherine Kirkland

Somerset - Eleanor Kirkland

Cornwall** - Elestren Southcott-Kirkland

Devon - Barney Kirkland

Dorset - Callum Kirkland

East Anglia

Cambridgeshire - Louis Kirkland

Norfolk - George Kirkland

Suffolk - Edith Kirkland

Scottish Islands

Orkney - Anya Kirkland-Bondevik

Shetland - Charlie Kirkland-Bondevik

Skye - Lillian Kirkland-Bondevik

Barra - Katie Kirkland-Bondevik

Yorkshire

South Yorkshire - Thomas Kirkland

North Yorkshire - Isaac Kirkland

West Yorkshire - Natalie Kirkland

East Riding of Yorkshire - Dana Kirkland

South East

Berkshire - Darren Kirkland

Essex** - Summer Kirkland

Hertfordshire - Joanna Kirkland

Kent** - Joshua Kirkland

Surrey - Maximilian Kirkland

Bedfordshire - Alison Kirkland

Hampshire - Nicole Kirkland

East Sussex - Theodore Kirkland

West Sussex - Candice Kirkland

Isle of Wight - Claire Kirkland

**Ex-nations

[justforbooks]

Sir John Nott

Defence secretary in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet during the Falklands war

The reputation of John Nott, who has died aged 92, will for ever be linked with the Falklands war of 1982. Nott was the defence secretary in Margaret Thatcher’s first administration and was extremely fortunate politically to survive one of Britain’s gravest postwar crises – yet it effectively ended his ministerial career.

Although the British taskforce retook the islands from Argentina after just 10 weeks’ occupation, Nott could not escape responsibility for his part in the government’s earlier decisions to reduce the islands’ protection, which had convinced the generals in Buenos Aires that they could launch their attack with impunity. Nor did he ever live down his ill-disguised pessimism about the taskforce’s chances of success. From being one of the Tories’ rising rightwing hopes and a prospective future chancellor, he left parliament for good a year after the war, with a knighthood; he was never awarded a peerage.

Nott was a somewhat forbidding figure with the air of a disapproving bank manager, a waspish tongue and a self-righteous and partisan manner – none of them attributes likely to inspire either the nation or its armed forces in time of national emergency. He had in fact calculated on an intermittent political career, sandwiching stints as an MP and minister between spells making money in business. Instead, his political career was over by the time he was 51 and he retired to the City, becoming chairman and chief executive of the merchant bank Lazard Brothers.

In that sense, his most memorable television appearance, a live interview with Robin Day in 1982 when he flounced out in an undignified huff on being referred to as a “here today, gone tomorrow” politician, was apposite. Indeed, 20 years later he entitled his autobiography Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (2002).

Born in Bromley. south-east London, John was the son of Phyllis (nee Francis) and Richard Nott, a rice broker from a West Country military family. On leaving Bradfield college, Berkshire, he served as a subaltern with the Gurkha Rifles during the Malayan emergency and was for a period the ADC to the commander-in-chief of British far east forces, before going to Trinity College, Cambridge, to study law and economics. He became president of the Cambridge Union and, on graduation, was called to the Bar, although he never practised as a lawyer. Instead he joined SG Warburg, the merchant bank, and remained there for eight years.

At Cambridge he met Miloska Sekol, a Slovenian refugee, who was studying English. The story went that Nott told her at their first meeting, in 1959, that he intended to marry her – a remarkable gesture from such an apparently staid and undashing figure, and an approach that appears to have taken her by surprise. She wrote in her diary that night: “What a cheek, how preposterous!” They married the same year.

Nott entered the Commons at the 1966 general election as MP for St Ives in Cornwall. He spent the rest of his life living in the county and promoting what he saw as its interests, calling for improved rail links west of Plymouth, and opposing incursions by French fishermen and the Anglo-French Concorde project. But it was as a bone-dry, rightwing economist, suspicious of the EU and pro-Commonwealth, that he made his mark: serving as an opposition economics spokesman and, after the Conservatives returned to power in 1970, becoming a junior Treasury minister, focusing on matters such as tax reform.

After Edward Heath’s 1974 defeat, however, he refused to become an opposition spokesman. He returned to the City as a consultant and to his Cornish estate, where he grew flowers commercially. Thatcher’s leadership was more to his liking and the rising Tory tide in favour of monetarism more ideologically congenial. “The party has almost found its soul again,” he told readers of the Daily Telegraph. He returned to the opposition frontbench, harrying the chancellor Denis Healey with a sharp wit.

Thatcher saw him as a kindred spirit, identified him as a rising star and, when the Tories returned to power in 1979, rewarded him by making him trade secretary. He naturally enthusiastically supported cuts in public spending, but also supported the expansion of London’s airports: a fourth terminal at Heathrow, a second runway at Gatwick and expansion at Stansted formed his most tangible legacy.

Then, in 1981, as the prime minister turned against the wets, Nott was moved to defence, to shake up the department and cut without squeamishness. He quickly decided that the priority was defence against the Soviet Union, not the promotion of worldwide, post-imperial pretensions, which was unfortunate in the light of what was to happen the following year in the South Atlantic. “Our first priority had to be credible deterrence from Soviet aggression on mainland Europe, decidedly not equipping ourselves for another Suez or post-colonial war,” he wrote later, and he proceeded to strengthen the army at the expense of the Royal Navy, targeting the service’s last aircraft carrier for closure.

Among the lesser cuts was a plan to scrap the gunboat Endurance, which guarded the Falklands. That, and the ruminations of his fellow rightwinger and Thatcherite rising star Nicholas Ridley that the islands were dispensable, sent a clear message to the junta. Had the Argentinian generals been a little more patient, Nott might single-handedly have made the taskforce that was subsequently launched impossible. As it was, he lost the navy minister to resignation and earned the lasting hostility of the first sea lord, Sir Henry Leach, who later wrote that he despised Nott’s performance.

Accordingly, when some Argentinian scrap metal merchants landed on South Georgia Island, sparking conflict, the government was taken by surprise. Nott later confessed that he had to look up where the Falkland Islands were on the globe in his office and he was immediately pessimistic of the chances of recovering them: it was Leach who seized the initiative to prove the navy’s worth and urged the prime minister, against her defence secretary’s advice and instincts, to mobilise an immediate taskforce to retake the islands. Nott’s insistence to MPs during that weekend’s emergency Commons debate that “no other country could have reacted so fast and the preparations have been in progress for several weeks. We were not unprepared” was therefore at best being economical with the truth.

When, 10 weeks later, the islands were retaken, albeit at considerable human cost, Nott received little of the credit and none of the glory within the party – that all went to Thatcher – or in the country, which was more inclined to credit the bravery and resilience of the troops than the triumphalism of politicians. His pretensions to succeed Howe as chancellor, or indeed any ambitions he might have harboured one day to follow Thatcher as prime minister, a possibility that had been occasionally mooted by some of the party’s zealouts, were at an end.

Before Thatcher’s post-Falklands general election landslide victory the following year, Nott chose to stand down as an MP. He could see the way the wind was blowing: the naval cuts were reversed. “The admirals have got their fucking gin palaces back,” he told friends. There was a certain degree of bitterness, too, even towards the prime minister herself. “The full cabinet was never more than a rubber stamp,” he said in a later BBC interview, accusing Thatcher of fostering a cult of personality: “Like all ambitious women, she thinks all men are feeble and that gentlemen are even more feeble.”

Back in the City, he accumulated directorships and money: chairman of Lazard, director of Royal Insurance, chairman of the food company Hillsdown Holdings, and of the clothing retailer Etam, and an adviser to the law firm Freshfields. He only occasionally intervened in politics: vociferously opposing the euro from an early stage and calling for early intervention in the 1990s Balkans crisis.

And he continued his battle with the pretensions of the navy: “Today’s defence policy has not been assisted by the Falklands experience,” he wrote in the Daily Telegraph in 2012. “It is still designed to prepare the Royal Navy for another Falklands … when technology, particularly air power, has moved into a new era … The Royal Navy’s future lies in a substantial number of well-armed modern frigates and destroyers, not two carriers, which are far too expensive to build, service and protect.”

He is survived by his wife and their children, Julian, William and Sasha.

🔔 John William Frederic Nott, politician, born 1 February 1932; died 6 November 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[gayarograce]

got bored so i tried to draft a london-style transit map for the amtrak system, focusing on the east side of the country. you can tell it's a draft cause it looks kinda sloppy in some places (i did it with pencil on notebook paper). the lines this map shows are:

adriondack (montreal - nyc)

berkshire flyer (nyc - pittsfield)

cardinal (nyc - chicago)

empire service (niagara falls - nyc)

floridian (chicago - tampa/miami)

illinois service (chicago - quincy/st louis/carbondale)

lake shore limited (chicago - nyc/boston)

maple leaf (toronto - nyc)

michigan services (chicago - grand rapids/port huron/pontiac)

piedmont (raleigh - charlotte)

additionally, the keystone service, pennsylvanian, and carolinian lines would belong on this map too, but i did not give myself enough room to fit them in. (carolinian was close to fitting, but i'd need to somehow squeeze in two more stops between rocky mount and raleigh)

there's a few things i'm not that happy with:

the floridian line juts east for the entire southern florida portion on my map, instead of the southerly direction that florida famously goes in

illinois is fucking huge on this map. i didn't really care all that much about scale, but this is fucking ridiculous!

with just pencil, i couldn't really do a great job showing off different line, especially lines which run parallel to each other. i also got lazy and showed the maple leaf line simply as an extension of the empire service line (because they share all the same stops between nyc and niagara falls)

one last thing: shoutout to my favorite station name on this map: lexington barbeque festival!

i do eventually want to tackle this project again, but digitally this time (btw, any recommendations for digital tools i can use to try this again???), and also managing to include all 39 of amtrak's lines, instead of just 10. nonetheless, i think squeezing in 10 lines, especially when i've never tried anything like this before, is kinda impressive. overall, i'm happy with this first draft. yeah, there are absolutely things that need changed, but for a first draft it does alright, i think.

[creepywrites]

Nationalities

Jeff the Killer- Swedish, Italian, Västergötland

Liu- Swedish, Chinese, Västergötland

Ben- American, Alaska

Sally Dawn- Canadian, Ontario

Sam Williams- Canadian, American, Ontario

Milo the Electrocuted- Italian, Lombardy

Lulu- Vietnamese, Vĩnh Phúc

Clockwork- French, Normandy

Zero- British, American, New Jersey

Jane the killer- American, California

Jane Arkensaw- British, Lincolnshire

Vailly Evans- Chilean, Los Lagos

Nathan the nobody- Filipino, British, Berkshire

Crystal- Filipino, British, Berkshire

Eyeless Jack- Uganda, Kampala

Kate the chaser- Australian, Perth

Rouge- Canadian, Alberta

Wilson the basher- welsh, Conwy

X-virus- American, New Jersey

Lazari- Ukrainian, Kharkiv Oblast

Kaidy- French, Corsica

Stripes- American, Alabama

Senora- Spanish, Girona

Nina the killer- Mexican, American, Louisiana

Puppeteer- American, Mexican, California

Zachary- American, Colorado

Rosemary- American, Maine

Emra- Italian, American, sicilia

Bloody painter- Japanese, Chinese, Guangdong

Suicide Sadie- British, London

Judge angel- Chinese, Filipino, Guangdong

Nurse Ann- Taiwanese, taipei

Randy- Spanish, Álava

Sully- Indian, Tamil Nadu

Keith- Australian, Queensland

Troy- American, Louisiana

Dollmaker- Russian, Moscow

Svetlana- Russian, Siberia

Vicky genocidal- Canadian, Ontario

Hannah the killer- German, American, East Berlin

Lily Kennett- Ireland, Connacht

Hung iris- American, Illinois

Lifeless Lucy- British, Yorkshire

Legless Eliza- Portuguese, Évora

Mucky Child- American, Colorado

Lacy Morgan- British, American, Arizona

Asylum Nancy- American, Maine

Chris the revenant- German, American, Hessen

Monday child- Ukrainian, poltava

Laughing Jill- British, London

Laughing Jack- British, London

Toby- German, Bavaria

Lurking Lyra- German, Bavaria

Killing Kate- Costa Rican, Alajuela

Lost Silver- Japanese, Hokkaido

Cata the Killer- Polish, Lodz

Rotten Abigail- American, North Carolina

The Hare- American, Arizona

The Doll- Mexican, Hidalgo

Raven- French, Île-de

Anna schurks- Romanian, Bucharest

Weeping forest- Puerto Rico, Adjuntas

Nightmare Ally- German, East Berlin

Red Death- German, Greek, Saxony

Gas mask maid- El Salvador, Cuscatlan

Tim- American, Georgia

Jessica- American, polish, Arizona

Taylor- Native American, Maine

Ellie- Japanese, Canadian, Chubu

Labrador- Romanian, Arad

Moth boy- American, Louisiana

Starved angel- Irish, American, Texas

Sketcher- Indonesian, Russian, Ural

Sarah Erickson- Chinese, Canadian, Nova Scotia

Hannya- Japanese, Tokyo

Rosie- British. Coventry

Hunter the proxy- American, Texas

Doctor Irina- British, Devon

Deborah- American, California

Lucy the cannibal- American, Ohio

Andie Rosslyn- American, Iowa