The setting of the story acts not only as a background, but as a silent character adding a “feel” to the story as well making the conflicts and resolutions the characters find slightly more unique for the era in which they are playing out their dramas.
What makes a historical, of any genre, is the history. Factual people, events, codes of conduct, dress, technology and social and religious beliefs of the time add a purer sense to the possibility of the story having actually taken place.
We all know the “block buster” movie Titanic with DiCaprip and Winslet playing Jack and Rose (respectively). We all know the “big facts” of the Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage. We know from the beginning of the movie it will end with a tragedy, that 1100 people will die and a ship once proclaimed “unsinkable” will end on the bottom of the North Atlantic Sea. But we watched the story unfold all the same. Why? Simply, we want to follow the story of two people who were on the ship. And while we know those two people didn’t really exist we see their drama play out and we hope, we really hope that maybe someone really found what Jack and Rose found before the villain iceberg stole it all away from so many. That we know in our logical minds such a wild, passionate, class-crossing romance probably didn’t happen, the setting of a doomed ship where so many were lost and unaccounted for and the lack of electronic records of passengers and such gives that place in our minds (really our hearts) hope.
In its basic form the Titanic is a historical romance that is POSSIBLE. We couldn’t do the same story really with a modern back drop the technology of the day prevents it, but on a ship in 1912 with only a modest telegraphing system and no finger prints or driver’s licenses or pass ports the story works and we fall in love and we feel all those wonderful feelings a romance is meant to give us.
The reason I mention this is because I write historical fiction and while I hope you enjoy the story in a pure sense, that the characters make you laugh and cry and feel my true intent is to get you thinking about the history. I hope often to give you some fact you may never have known otherwise. To encourage you to revisit a historical place or to seek out confirmation of my facts and find even more facts about the history. I hope to give you a passion for our past. For while history doesn’t have to define us at the time we are currently it does lay the foundations for what we may become in time.
On this blog page I will be giving you more detail of the history of the stories. I will give you sources to find information yourself and I will answer questions, the best I can. Hopefully, this information will bring more of the story alive for you and help you enjoy the romance even more.
READ ON!
PS The claim the Titanic was “unsinkable” was a mis-quote
of Capt E.J. Smith (RMS Titanic) what he actually said was “I cannot imagine
any condition which would cause a ship to founder… Modern ship-building has
gone beyond that.” 1907
A Woman's Work...
We all have these “ideas” about what it must have been like to be a lady living in a castle with a handsome lord. Or even what it would be like to be a knight defending a strategic fief for the king. Well not to bust any bubbles but…
The management of any home in the late middle ages and early renaissance was a feat as complex and time consuming as the management of some of today’s small governments. And for the most part it was the lady of the house whose duty it was to run the house. To find time to “sit and work embroidery” was a rare pleasure for most ladies. One almost never found by a common woman.
I am fairly
certain that most everyone will, when hearing the word ‘castle’, recall a
mental picture of something from a Disney movie. People imagine large stone structure with
tall tower and high walls, maybe a mote and a drawbridge that sits on a hill overlooking
a pretty little town and farms. When the
sun shines the castle sparkles and gleams in the light. The floors are made of marble which reflects
the beautiful painted ceilings and the windows are filled with stained glass.
At least in
the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Welcome
to the year 1490:
For those who have read historical romances before
the likelihood is high some mental picture of the time period already
exists. Often readers tend to stick with
a specific time frame, say Regency or American Western. Readers do this for the very same reason
writers do this, because it what is well known.
What
the romance genre does is take all the “good”, flowery and sparkling parts of the
history and intertwine this with characters who will eventually find a “happily
ever after” ending to their adventure.
As
someone who can never decide, day to day, whether to be a writer or a historian
first I have a harder time making history something it never was even for the purpose
of a sweet story line. Taking liberty
with history is a writer’s prerogative and while I do much to avoid this I find
even I cannot be purely historically factual and maintain the romantic elements. Although what I write directly in regards to
historical events, people and places are factual for some who may not know or
who will question the facts I am adding these blogs to build a better picture
of the period in hopes to spark interest and deepen the appreciation for the “love
found” aspect of every romance.
So,
what was happening in 1490? In general
not very much happened. For the British
Isles this is still the very beginning of the Renaissance Period which started
roughly 1485 and lasted through 1649.
The Renaissance had been going very strong in places such as Italy for
more than 100 years but due to the lack of full stability in Great Britain over
the same time frame as well as disturbances on the European continent the Cultural
Revolution or rebirth was slower gain
ground in England.
From
1327 until 1484 England had seen seven different monarchs sit the thrown and
each had to fight to hold both the thrown and the kingdom. The seating of Henry VII was not without controversy
and not without troubles, but for the British it was the end of the conflict
between the Lancastrians and Yorkists.
King Henry VII line would lead England to world superpower status.
However,
this did not mean that such things as slavery, human chattel and servitude to
an over lord disappeared. The practice
of indentured servitude which is the premise of “The Debt” was very common and not
often was the indentured person treated fairly.
The person would die still owing a debt in some kind of bondage. In all likelihood because “The Debt” deals
with a contract and civil matters these would have been approved through either
The Court of Sessions or The Court of Baron both of which dealt with civil
issues, trespass and debts. However,
these two official courts were not established in a formal manner in 1490. Although legal proceedings had become more
cohesive by this time the intervention of courts would not have happened for
the protagonist.
The
second main premise is of a “forced” marriage.
While less common these did happen and for the very reason given in the
story; to advance someone politically.
Marriages in general during this time period had become more “love based”
as people were waiting till their early to mid twenties to wed. Nobility still wed slightly younger to
protect inheritances but the tradition of marrying children was almost
completely ended by this time. The “marriage
contract” was only the first step in a legal marriage and while binding, alone
it was not enough to force someone to wed.
While never mentioned directly in “The Debt” there is an assumption that
the “spousals”, oral promises given in front of witnesses, have been spoken. Legally speaking a marriage didn’t occur
until several more steps had taken place but for the Anglican Church a contract
of marriage was enough standing. Under
English Law a marriage not done by the book but sanctioned by the church
committed the couple to each other for life however did not give a guarantee
any heirs would be allowed to inherent. In this “The Debt” sets up enough of a quandary
for the protagonist to be concerned and thus not want to risk the “marriage” as
it stands.
Here
now are the historical bases for the premise of the story. I hope this gives you a better perspective on
the complex tangles a young woman such as Torlan could find herself in. And
that this gives you an even more clear understanding of how difficult it
will be for Torlan and Dark to overcome these legal and social issues.
Enjoy
and READ ON!
A Woman's Work...
We all have these “ideas” about what it must have been like to be a lady living in a castle with a handsome lord. Or even what it would be like to be a knight defending a strategic fief for the king. Well not to bust any bubbles but…
The management of any home in the late middle ages and early renaissance was a feat as complex and time consuming as the management of some of today’s small governments. And for the most part it was the lady of the house whose duty it was to run the house. To find time to “sit and work embroidery” was a rare pleasure for most ladies. One almost never found by a common woman.
On an average day the lady of the house could
have to oversee everything from the setting of menus, some needing to feed
dozens, to the buying of foods, organizing hunts, the care of livestock and
directing planting and harvesting. The
collection of water the distilling of wines and ales and the heating of cooking
fires would be just a few every day duties a lady would see too.
She would also be the one responsible for
ensuring such things as weaving, spinning, dying and use of clothhappened productively. The making of things the house would need
such as soap, candles and torches. Even
with the establishment of guilds for each of these products many homes were
self sufficient and didn’t “shop” for basic home items.
All
chores, while usually done by others were overseen by the lady of the house and
failure for the completion would fall on her shoulders. However, there was more a lady would be
responsible for.
The
very defense of a home would be the lady’s responsiblity if the house fell under
attack while the lord was away.
Direction of soldiers, knights or just the house staff to defend the
gates, the fields and the shires could be a responsibility a “lady” would have
to meet.
Then,
if there happened to be guests in the home the lady was the one responsible for
all the entertainments. This could
include hunts or just riding, meals, readings and stories, dance and music,
possibly the access to … well to put it politely … sexual pleasures. The lady of the house would also be the one
responsible for the bathing and dressing of any “higher” visiting lords, and
yes bathing was an important task so much that several descriptive manuscripts
existed detailing how a bath should be given.
The lady of the house would know these things.
Often
in most homes it would be the lady who would be responsible for
“education”. In the early English
Renaissance period education was making a huge come back. Henry the VII’s mother, Lady Margaret
Beaufort, never known as “queen mother” because she never was, was noted during
her life for establishing a sort of “public” education system. Prior many, including nobility could not even
read and had to hire ministers from the church to do all their reading and
writing. Any lady who could read would
be expected to pass on that knowledge to any child born to the house.
I
hope these facts do not completely strip the ability to romanticize history
just a little bit. Pageantry and
intrigue, scandalous affairs and bitter rivalries still existed. Knights and “romantic love” from afar were
standards of the time as can be found in the writings.
I
only tell you these facts so you have an easier time accepting what skills the
sweet protagonist of ‘The Debt’ could actually posses. Women of 1490 were strong, smart, skilled
people who had great responsibly; every bit the same as today’s women.
READ
ON!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Alright,
I know people eating “gruel”, what a cliché right, but it worked for the story
line so I just made it happen. In
reality though meals of this time period could be very elaborate or very
disgusting depending…
Around
the 14th century (aka 1300’s for those who prefer to not do math) a
slight shift in diets started to happen.
Although what people ate then would most likely make most of us gag
today meals and food were a very important and generally ceremonial event.
To
start; you must remember that there was no refrigeration. Food “preservation” consisted of heavy
salting and still rarely prevented rot.
Foods therefore were highly “spiced” to hide the flavor of the rot.
For
nobility meat was the main staple.
Nobility ate so much meat it should be no wonder so many including our
famed Henry VIII ended up suffering from gout.
Pastries and white breads were also consumed most by nobility and while
the developing merchant class also ate meats they tended to supplement meals
with some vegetables.
Common
meats (and fish) for the time included what you might think; beef, deer, sheep,
pork, and chicken as well as cod, salmon, and sardines. But nobility also consumed frequently
peacocks, storks, dolphins, eels, and until banned by the church, horse.
Nobility
tended to avoid vegetable as they were seen as “commoner’s” foods but when they
were consumed they were very basic.
Peas, beans, cabbage were the main vegetables although things like leeks
(which are an onion if you didn’t know) and cucumbers were available they were
not often eaten. Potatoes did not become
available until the late 16th century although yams were eaten.
Now
by contrast commoners ate mainly vegetables, salads were a dietary staple. They also consumed dark breads such as rye and
wheat. Oatmeal and fish were part of the
“everyday” diet as well. On slaughter
days common people would have a supply of pork and bacon but they ate far less
of it than their noble counterparts. We
could assume then that their diet was the better and their lives in general
healthier because of it. Only there is a
problem with this theory. That problem
would be Alcoholism.
Everyone
in this period drank. They drank all the time and not milk and water. They drank wines, meads, ales, beers and just
about anything that could be distilled. There are some records indicating that there
were more deaths caused by drinking, such as alcohol poisoning, liver disease,
and accidental deaths than deaths during the outbreaks of plagues. Although no one could have ever seen drinking
as a problem by today’s standards most of society would be considered legally
drunk for the most part of every day.
There
is more to know about the meals of this time period and I will be elaborating
more on some of the other aspects in blogs to come but as it might be close to
your meal time I think I will stop for now.
Hope
this makes you think and READ ON!
The Home is a Castle.
Well, considering that
Mr. Disney used Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria as his model, a castle
designed by The “fairytale king” King Ludwig II it is little wonder such glamour
is what people first think of when they think of living in a castle. But this was a castle built late in castle
building history and was not a castle like what would be found in the early renaissance
period in Great Britain.
Castle building
began, in England, around 1060. When
William of Normandy aka William the Conqueror aka William the Bastard Came to
England with the intent of taking over, and he did. He did mostly due to his military tactics one
of which was building fortified structures in strategic places.
The first castle
were little more than earthen mounds strengthen with timbers. Everyone and thing lived inside. The floors where mud and straw the openings
had either no coverings or animal skins were used. If you can imagine, the tradition of carrying
a “bride” over the threshold, came about because as more and more straw, or
thresh, was placed on the floor to soak up both human and animal waste the
entrance way became blocked with a high mound which was hard to climb in
skirts. Yeah I know gross.
Thankfully, as time
passed these structures became more and more developed. Stone was used to fortify outer walls then
inner walls. Single towers or buildings
were expanded and then connected with “allures” the walkway between “battlements”
which were the walls around the buildings.
Arches and Arcades or columns were added both as structure enforcements
and design enhancers. Bow windows and
finial added grace and beauty as well as finished looks. Baileys and courtyards were gardened for the
purpose of providing food but also as a way to make the living
comfortable. The common central fire
pits were changed into the fireplaces we recognize now. Tapestries and furnishings became more elaborate
and useful stone and wood were used more effectively and the import of
materials gave builders more flexibility in design and appeal.
The castles of 1490
were well on the way to being some of the more elaborate. Castle
Rising built in the 12 century being an perfect example of what a “keep”
could look like and Bamburgh Castle built
in the 13th century is a fine statement for the security potential
with its twin-tower gatehouse.
I must confess that
when thinking over what type of home to make for our brooding hero in “The Debt”
I focused on Warkworth Castle for
inspiration. I simply liked the “look”
and the size was ideal.
But castles still
were not the best places to live. They were,
due to the structural faults of building with stone in a very wet environment,
damp and drafty. These problems were
dealt with through the use of fur rugs and wall hangings as well as tapestries
which hung and even a type of “paper” window shade which would be tacked into
place to shut off the opening during the coldest parts of the year. Passages could be very narrow and steep which
while good for defense, it hard to swing a sword in such confines, could be
deadly if one tripped and fell. Lighting
was a moot point as people were more “sun centric”, as in they woke and moved
and worked while the sun was up and slept when it was dark. Torches and candles as well as fires in a
hearth required the use of resources which might not have been available for
practical nighttime lights. Such things
as bathrooms do not exist in castles for many, many more centuries, although
the builders of some added small chambers which sat partially open over a water
flow and over the opening a wood box would be placed for those moments.
Castles were not
just one building and walls. Most were
complexes with stables, barracks, food storages, and even private churches. Other areas could include a designated place
to relieve ones’ self sometimes referred to as “the jakes”. The baileys, which were the practical yards,
were used for training and storage as well as a buffer between the walls and the
main or great hall. The kitchens, cleverly enough, were very
rarely attached to the house or any other building seeing as how they were the
most likely to burn and why take down the entire castle if only the kitchen
could be sacrificed. There were laundry
areas and even “medical” areas.
Sometimes a small graveyard for people existed and always an area for
the disposal of rubbish and animal remains such as bones.
Castles are now the
very romantic and beautiful structures we dream about. But in 1490 they were a practical home for
many people responsible for the protection and defense of both people and
property. I hope you take the time to
view, if only virtually, a castle or two and marvel and the great architectural
feats they were and still are today.
As always READ ON !
Father’s and their….
So I am jumping
ahead a little to one of the conflicts which may cause you the reader to pause
and question. The conflict involving the
ability for our hero to not keep the family inheritance may seem like an improbable
one. Truth the law governing inheritance
were fairly well set after the Norman invasion but, we all know that laws can
be gone around and they are never just simple.
Where inheritance is
concerned from about 1000 CE to about 1200 CE the only rule/law that was in
place was that of Primogeniture, meaning the oldest (male) inherits. Any other child was left out completely. But reality shows this was more a façade than
a fact. And it wasn’t only males who inherited.
Those who had land
or wealth accumulated through their lives were not commonly so willing to give
their hard earned gains to just any child be he first born or not. Father’s then, like now, wanted to insure
their life’s work and reputation wasn’t going to be lost with death. So how did inheritance work exactly?
Primarily it worked
with the first born son being groomed to inherent as the laws prescribed however,
widows had first dibs on anything their husbands had accumulated so before a
son could take position they had to wait for their late father’s wife to pass
and nothing stopped that woman from remarrying and having more children
although the new husband became completion for the properties he did not become
the owner. And nothing could stop a
widow from simply going on a spending spree so to speak and leaving the son not
only without and inheritance but with huge debt.
But assuming the
mother was aged and wished to retire to a convent or to a residence of another
female relation or even that she was sent to her maker before the father, it
still may not have all gone to the eldest son.
Father’s could in a legal move known as maritagium “gift” some of his
holdings to younger sons when they married.
We know this as a “dowry” gift when it concerns a daughter. The difference being while a daughter had the
legal right to demand this gift upon marriage a younger son needed his older
brother’s consent. The father couldn’t,
at least “legally”, just gift lands and monies to a younger son. Although no one could stop a land owner from
using whatever means he felt necessary to insure his possessions went to the
heir he felt most responsible. So while
an older son would obtain any hereditary title he could find himself a lord
without a castle.
It is this concept
which I use in the story to set up the conflict which keeps the hero from just
taking what he wants and while it works I bet you are still asking yourself
well what about if there is no son only a daughter?
So I will tell
you. In the case where the only person left
to inherit was a daughter the daughter inherited. Unlike common misconceptions would have
people believe the inheritance didn’t go to an uncle or a devious male guardian
who was going to use the poor girl for his own purposes. The eldest daughter, like the eldest son, got
everything. Although later it would
change for daughters and the inheritance would be divided a little more equally
if there was more than one living female child.
Inheritance in the
early renaissance was less a matter of law and more a matter of how to get
around laws. While common law was the
rule there was always the exception and widows, sons and daughters equally had
the opportunity to become powerful land owners upon the death of the family
patriarch.
To see how all this
factual stuff plays into the plot of “The Debt” you might have to read it.
Till next time READ ON!!
Whips and Chains…..
Hmmm: a “hero” who is a bit vindictive? Is that possible? Well in 1490 the man in charge of insuring discipline
could indeed be both. Especially when
you think how vital discipline could be in basic survival.
In “The Debt” Farg is that man and admit it readers
you really liked him… but alas, I have no plan to give him his own story… but
plans could change. As for the methods
for maintaining discipline in this period of history well the lash was just one
of many, but the lash is perhaps the oldest method used by society.
Use of the whip throughout history to both punish
and discourage disobedience can be found in some of the earliest texts,
certainly it appears in the text of the “Bible” and in the classical writings
from both the Greeks and Romans. The
fact is the whip and “corporeal punishment” is one method of instilling
discipline most every society shares.
What should be most understood though is with the
exception of those intended for capital punishment to follow, a lashing was not
truly intended to inflict lasting damage.
Much like the use of the stocks a lashing was intended to bring public
shame to the criminal ilk. Long standing
“rules” about how many lashes could be given and usually the man wielding the whip
was in fact an expert on the delivery because a mis-stroke could lead to an
unintended death or at the very least a maiming or crippling.
From Roman times the number used as a maximum tended
to stay steady at 40 strokes, but often to insure there was not a miscount the
lash was swung only 39 times. Still, lacerations,
broken bones and internal damage to vital organs occurred with just one heavy
swing.
Now while I only made use of this punishment twice
once as a means to punish “evil” and the second to define my villain, during
its long stretch of use (it was used in the western world until the late 19th
century to the early 20th in different parts of the world and is
still in use in some nations) the whip was easily used for even the smallest of
crimes. Again this was as a means to
intimidate people in the society. The
marks left much like the later use of branding marked one as a miscreant and
allowed others to be at the very least weary when in dealings with the person.
Punishment during the Renaissance certainly evolved
as courts of different levels developed and the building of prisons began, but
to start a crime was a crime and thus punishable by whatever means where
decided upon by the local society. If
one committed a crime of theft where hanging was the common punishment it could
well cost a person his or her life to steal a loaf of bread.
Simply put, crime did not pay during this period in
history and the “executioner” was a man to be both respected and feared.
As for Farg, well I am sure there are at least three
characters who wished they had never crossed him and at least one woman who might
try and match make for him…
As always READ ON.
Being a clothes horse might be a crime.
Yes it is
true the clothes police really existed in history. As far back as the Roman and Greek empires,
laws and enforcement of laws concerning what people wore (and ate and did in
their “free time”) were in place. So it
seems there is nothing that man cannot create which it will not try to
regulate. We could have all just stayed
naked I suppose…. Or maybe not.
These laws,
known as sumptuary laws, were being used and changed and repealed for centuries
but during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries
they were almost fanatical in their use.
Although most of these laws were either repealed or impractical to
enforce by the mid 16th century, their influence carried over into
the period of exploration and colonization.
The Puritans had very strict sumptuary laws in their settlement (and you
thought they wore black to be practical).
So why these
laws concerning what people wore (ate and did)?
What purpose did they serve?
In truth
they were not very practical at all, more or less they were a means to separate
the classes. However, not every
sumptuary law was strictly an “I am better than you, look at what I wear law”
so I will address this use of the laws first.
Industry
during the 15th century was very limited. Most everything was “cottage” industry
meaning individuals or very small groups would create the products that would
eventually end up in markets. The crafts
men and women, in time would form guilds to protect themselves, relied heavily
on the ruling class to protect their markets from competition. Sumptuary laws served this purpose. By restricting what materials could be
imported and used in a kingdom, many items could only be bought if made in the
homeland. Gives a whole new twist to “made
in…” doesn’t it.
So what did
this kind of sumptuary law have to do with clothing? For a very long while
cloth made of cotton as well as silks and velvets had been available for use in
clothes making, but some nations, England being one of them, refused to allow
the import and use of these fabrics so as to protect their wool industry which
was a huge part of the economy. Thus for
many people clothing was made of either wool or flax (linen) and fashion was a
little more limited. With the refinement
of manufacturing of cloth better clothes were developed and fashion opened up.
A second, if
far less practical (or not considering the times and societal structure) reason
was to distinguish between the social classes.
Fashion, while it changed as fast as it does in modern times, often only
varied slightly in style between the nobility and everyone else. There were hardly designer labels in the Renaissance
so the only way to tell the higher classes from the working classes was through
the use of fabric types and amounts.
The upper
classes often used silks, velvet, lawn, freize, satin, brocade, taffeta,
scarlet and damask became popular in 1415.
The creation of fuller sleeves and broader skirts appeared in the
fashions of refined women.
The lower
classes and working classes still were regulated to using linen, wool, flannel,
russet, canvas and serge and for the practical purpose their clothing served
material was minimal with tighter sleeves and trimmer dress.
In
contradiction to the general population and use of sumptuary laws smaller societal
groups, usually religious groups, used sumptuary laws to reduce potential “class
warfare” (yah go figure in a time of nothing but class differentiation). However these laws were usually limited to internal
controls and applied only when one was within the group. The Jewish people especially used sumptuary laws
so as not to make other Jewish members of society envious but likely also to
simply keep a lower profile in general society where sentiment was not always favorable.
Examples of
sumptuary laws are many but one that always struck me as ‘odd” was the one
which prevented anyone from wearing “Fur” (no specified species of donor for
that fur) who didn’t have an annual income of at least 100 L
, which was probably like a million dollars in today’s accounting. The reason for this was people did get
permission to hunt small game so rabbit fur was readily available and hides
from live stock might have constituted “fur” if some over lord wanted to be a
jerk about it. Still laws such as these
came and went.
Then
certainly as trade routes opened and the merchant class (middle class) began to
gain in wealth through trade these laws became harder to enforce when their purpose
was to separate the classes. With the influx
of new materials and fashion crossing boarders sumptuary laws which mandated
clothing wear waxed and waned until they simply disappeared in the middle 16th
century. The carry over that was seen in
the Puritan Colonies was more likely a matter of religious views which equated luxury
with idleness that the non availability of cloth.
For sure the
varying sumptuary laws regarding clothing caused some problematic issues for
people who wished to have more choice in what they wore but they also gave
people the chance to learn how to make clothing they did have last. One thing people of the time managed to come
up with… underwear. Not like the bra,
panties, boxers and briefs we have now but with the use of material which could
not be easily laundered such as wool and silk the development of more elaborate
shifts, shirts and leggings made of linen and cotton happened.
Fashion in
the middle ages and renaissance was a high priority, especially for the nobility
and the new wealthy merchant class. Fashion was a statement of having made it
having “arrived” in fact it was very little different then than now. Laws regarding what people could or could not
wear helped make those statements more meaningful. Clothing could mean the difference between
respect and disrespect, between being able to socialize with those who could
advance a person even further or being friends only with others of the same
social status.
Hummmm has much really changed?
I only
mention this in context of “The Debt” as I slipped in there several times how “lacking”
our heroine is in her wardrobe and how willing our hero to see her outfitted as
her “Class” would dictate. This aspect
in the story is also a clue to just what might have motivated the contract
which brought the two together.
Now that you
know this though you will have to read The Debt as see if you can pick out
those clues and come to some conclusion for yourself.
Hope you enjoyed this little fact and that you now
are in a mood for a shopping trip, if not just settle in and READ ON!
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