Vanda Wilcox
@vandawilcox
professional procrastinator, precarious historian, cat serf, romanista. Writes about the First World War, Italy, imperialism & Georgette Heyer, not usually all at once.🪡🥧🐈⬛️
Managed to restrain my intense desire to sew kiddo's baptism dress for this weekend (really, really not practical with an international house move) but am making a hair ornament and trimmings for her dress from leftover scraps of silk organza from my wedding dress back in 2013
I can see the impact of these ardent enthusiasts in my latest royalty payment, wow!
His ́Lordship giving me anxiety by insisting on sitting on the ledge of the balcony this evening.
Obviously I'm proud of kiddo's achievements in all and any fields but I confess I was *particularly* happy about her stellar performance in her First World War history évaluation
My pile of currently-in-use books, and wow, it's a relentlessly fun time #AmWriting #AcWri #AmReading
Byron is so fed up with the special diet the nutrionist prescribed him that he's eyeing up my geraniums in a threatening fashion
Things will not cost more than 40€, apparently. And we won't need much marketing because people will flock to the shop for the chance to meet Byron.
We're home from our trip and Byron is furious with me for going away. My punishment is to have a cat glued to me notwithstanding the temperature (about 28° at midnight) and to be forced to cuddle him intensively while he miaows angrily at me if the scritches are interrupted
All good holiday homes should come equipped with neighbouring cat #Caturday
But the village is pretty, I wrote 900 words on the terrace in the shade this morning, and I feel I've more than earned my coffee
garden with swing and loungers; plumbago; ginormous dark purple bees; reefs below cottage creating a continuous sea sound even though we're up the hill
The outraged look of a cat who knows you had fish for dinner and didn't give him any. He's carefully inspecting under the table in case we dropped any.
Trying to work with this one lying on the table next to me and miaowing plaintively if I stop scratching his ears for even a minute. His Lordship is spoiled.
The Italian submarine Tricheco in Massawa harbour in 1936. it had a rather unlucky career: it was involved in a string of accidents, failed all its early SWW missions, sunk a fellow Italian sub (the Gemma, killing all hands) in 1940 & was torpedoed by the British off Brindisi in March 1942
a late 90s throwback for #Caturday this week: how many cats can fit in your baby's carseat? featuring my mother's cats - I think these are Fengs, Funki, Jaja and Zulle but I am ready to stand corrected
New book alert! Thanks to @robbyref.bsky.social - very excited to read this
Left the laundry basket outside in the rain, so of course Byron is drinking the rainwater out of it
The heat in Milan has broken very abruptly with a massive hailstorm! This just bounced into the kitchen
Fascinating insight into the mental world created by fascism. This July 1943 censor's report, written very shortly after the fall of Mussolini, basically says: hurrah, freedom of speech! now we'll REALLY find out what our people think! at last we'll be able to PROPERLY repress them! 🧐
I have lived to tell the tale! I must say that although the location is astonishingly inconvenient the staff are exceptionally helpful, above and beyond most archives I've even been to
Today, with the less than helpful contribution of my feline assistant, kiddo and I have jointly improvised a very plausible mermaid skirt, with glittery fabric from @alexchurchill.bsky.social
I've got lots of things to do but Byron is asleep on my skirt and pinning me to the sofa so sadly I can't do any of them 🤷♀️ #Caturday
Kiddo tells me she aced her test on the First World War 'I mean how could I not, you go on and on about it' I'm trying to contain my pride while she rolls her eyes at me