Sunday 28 July 2024
Rough Music story
This is a story set in the 1970s about a country rock band in the US. The 2 lead singers are good friends, and both of them have difficulties in their marriages.. due to long tours and being away from home. They also want to do good music, and not simply try to make money but their manager pushes them to be more commercial. The story is available on Amazon, by Nadine Sutton
Tuesday 23 July 2024
Beb Asquith Part II
Beb's marriage to Cynthia was a moderate success. He was quiet and gentle and Cynthia was more socially outgoing. They were not well off, and this led to quarrels as Beb was extravagant, and Cynthia tried to rein him in.
They had 2 sons, at first, John who was probably autistic and ended by being institutionalised and Michael. Beb joined the army when War broke out and this inspired some of his poems. War affected him very much, he suffered from shell shock and his brother Raymond was killed and so were his wife's two brothers Hugo and Yvo.
Cynthia was a flirtatious woman and had several male admirers all through her marriage.
She kept a diary which gives a picture of London at war, and Beb arriving and departing. He told Cynthia that he wanted to give up the law and become a full time writer, which added to their financial problems. He took up writing after the war and one of his poem, the Volunteer, became famous.
Cynthia realised that she would have to help support the family, so she took a part time job as secretary to JM Barrie, and began to look for writing projects. She had another son, Simon and Beb concentrated on his writing but was never a great success. Cynthia was more succeessful.
Beb died in 1947- in Bath where he and Cynthia were living.
Monday 22 July 2024
Beb Asquith
Herbert Asquith, called Beb, was the second son of Herbert Henry Asquith the Liberal Prime Minister.
He was born in Hampstead in 1881.
Asquith had 5 children, 4 sons and 1 daughter, by his first wife. He remarried after her death and had 2 children by the socialite, Margot Tennant. Helen Asquith was the daughter of a doctor and was not interested in social events. Margot was the daughter of a Scottish millionaire, and nouveau riche... who loved society.
Violet, Beb's sister had a difficult relationship with her stepmother, and Margot was not easy to live with.
Beb was highly intelligent, like his father, sister and brothers, and he studied law.
In 1910, he married Cynthia Charteris, the daughter of the Earl of Wemyss... and due to the sharp division between Liberals and Tories at the time their families were uneasy about the match. Beb was not a Tory and he was young and not well off, but the marriage took place. Cynthia was literary minded too, and enjoyed reading and writing. She later became a succesful author.
Monday 15 July 2024
Violet Part III
World War One affected the LIberals badly. Asquith was not the most effective wartime leader, and he was ousted by Lloyd George. At the end of the war the liberal party split, and Violet was loyal to her father. She never held a seat in Parliament herself but she was involved in politics all her life. She and her husband Maurice Bonham Carter had 2 sons and 2 daughters... VIolet was not unsympathetic to Labour but she remained a faithful liberal.
She was anti appeasement.... and she and Winston Churchill were close friends.....
She fought for many good causes, and was also interested in the arts; her brother Antony was a film director... and her sister Elizabeth was a novelist. Her grand daughter Helena Bonham Carter is a well known actress. She died in 1969 of heart trouble.
Saturday 13 July 2024
Violet Asquith
Violet was born in 1887, the 4th child of Henry Asquith and his first wife Helen. Her mother died when she was a child, and the 5 children were left motherless. Asquith had been devoted to his wife, but he was also busy with his political career. He fell in love soon after Helen's death with Margot Tennant, a socialite, and the daughter of a millionaire.
Margot was flirtatious and attractive and had many suitors but she was reluctant at first to marry Asquith and take on his family. However she married him, and took pleasure in furthering his career. Violet did not get on well with her new stepmother who was jealous of Henry's affection for his daughter.
Violet was educated privately by governesses, and then went to a finishing school in Dresden, to improve her languages. She came out in society, and had some offers of marriage. Her best friend was Venetia Stanley, who later would become a love of Asquith's.
Violet was living in No 10 Downing St as her father had become Prime minister, and she was a keen supporter of the Liberals, though her friends included many Tories.
Violet fell in love with Archie Gordon, son of the Liberal peer, Lord Aberdeen, but he was injured in a car accident. She became engaged to him but he died - and Violet was very depressed. However a little later, she married Maurice Bonham Carter, her fathers private secretary, and a Liberal.
Wednesday 10 July 2024
Lady Violet Asquith
Violet Asquith (married name Bonham Carter) was the only daughter of Henry Asquith, Prime Minister, by his first wife Helen Melland. She was an activist in the Liberal Party, for most of her life though she never held a seat in Parliament. Im reading a book of her diary for the later years of her life and hope to blog about her soon.
Asquith was a highly intelligent man, and a successful Prime Minister till the war broke out. He was unsuited to being a wartime Prime minister and ended up being replaced by Lloyd George. Violet took a keen interest in politics and was devoted to her father...
Sunday 7 July 2024
Jack Whyte
Jack Whyte was born in 1940 in Scotland. As a young man he emigrated to Canada where he worked as a teacher and an actor. He turned to writing and wrote a series of Arthurian novels. His novels are not about the magical aspects of the legend but based on Dark Ages history and are more about battles and politics of the time. He was very successful with his writing and he died in Canada in 2021.
Friday 5 July 2024
Beds and Blue Jeans by Nadine Sutton. Available on Amazon
Beds and Blue Jeans is a story, of novella length about a young bar singer in Nashville in the 2010s.. who has found himself being pursued by a lot of lady fans. He has a girlfriend who has just had his baby, but the relationship with Patty isn't going too well. Sam lets himself be caught by various ladies but can he learn to appreciate Patty and settle down with her and their baby. It is available on Amazon.
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