Two more reasons to be cheerful...

One is the existence of the Persephone Diary, of which I promised you firm evidence. Persephone ran a competition on Facebook one day a while back; find the Persephone book with the shortest opening sentence and e mail them by 6pm to win a diary if correct.
I'm not sure whether I was correct or not but I can't believe I spent a whole morning looking through all the books I own just to enter, so they may have felt sorry for me, anyway the diary arrived.
It is as expected a thing of joy, a celebration of the ninetieth Persephone book therefore named The Persephone Ninety.

Every Persephone endpaper included along with quotes from each book plus a silver ribbon marker and the sort of smooth, matte paper that welcomes a fountain pen and ink like a long-lost friend.

I am most pleased, and writing in it already but even better I came across quite a few books during that morning of browsing that I had completely forgotten about, including Virginia Graham's book of poems, Consider the Years which yielded this little gem.

COMFORTLESS

(with apologies to Austin Dobson)

I intended a Sock
    And it turned to a Bonnet
It was rather a shock
It began as a Sock
But I just ran amok
    With the pattern, doggone it!
I intended a Sock
    But I have made a Bonnet.

Happens all the time here, currently socks are converting themselves into fingerless gloves before the heel is reached. Comfortless confirms what the preface says, that whilst capable of being very serious Virginia Graham also enjoyed being 'thoroughly silly' . There are some thoughtful and perceptive poems in this 1946 collection that reflect the times very astutely.
Secondly, don't miss Steerforth's discovery over at Age of Uncertainty, which he has kindly shared.
An album of the most fascinating selection of Victorian photographs unnamed and unknown. Some posed, as many photos of that time were, but plenty that reflect the everyday-ness of life, and so far the verdict seems to be narrowing the location down to the Lake District.
If only they'd all written blogs we'd know for sure.