Welcome, Asteria!
© Mimi Matthews
As most of you know, I recently lost my Andalusian gelding Centelleo to colic. Though he’d retired from his dressage career, and though my neck injury prevents me from riding like I used to, as long as he was alive, he served as a beacon of hopefulness for me. When he died, it was as though a light went out in my world and everything was suddenly in darkness. When I told my parents this, they very reasonably advised me to “light another light.” And so I have. Please welcome to the world my new Andalusian filly, Asteria (aka “Astra”).[…]Continue Reading
In Memoriam: Centelleo
July 2, 1999—February 15, 2021
© Mimi Matthews
As some of you know, my Andalusian gelding, Centelleo, recently passed away from complications due to colic. It’s been nearly a month now, and though the grief is still fresh, I thought I’d write a bit about our life together to honor his passing.[…]Continue Reading
Fair as a Star named a Library Journal Best Romance of 2020!!
I’m thrilled to announce that my Victorian romance novel Fair as a Star has been named a Library Journal Best Romance of 2020! […]Continue Reading
Ice Skating Fashions of the Nineteenth Century
For most mid-nineteenth century ladies, fashionable outdoor sport consisted of little more than horseback riding, or a spirited game of croquet. But with the winter came yet another option for outdoor activity. In her 1877 book The Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Etiquette, Eliza Duffey states that ice skating “is to winter what croquet is to summer.”[…]Continue Reading
Victorian Advice on DIY Christmas Decorations
(Private Collection)
For many Victorians, homemade Christmas decorations were far preferable to those bought in a store. Why spend good money on glittery trinkets when you could make something much more meaningful yourself? An article in the 1887 edition of Household Words advocates for doing just that, declaring:[…]Continue Reading
