Snowy weekend!
I know it’s rather late but I couldn’t let today go by without saying ‘Happy Birthday’ to Charles Dickens, who was born 200 years ago today. Whatever you might think about Charles ‘the man’ (and he wasn’t the nicest of people, especially if you were married to him, by all accounts), there’s no denying he was a consummate storyteller and creator of some wonderful characters (Fagin, the Artful Dodger, Miss Havisham, Pip, Tiny Tim, Oliver… need I go on?!)
If you fancy winning an annual family pass to Dickens World in Kent, ‘The Book People’ are running a little writing competition. Just send them a review (max 150 words) of your favourite Dickens novel. Simples!
Closing date is 5th April, there’s no entry fee and you can email your entry (Subject: Charles Dickens Competition) to: competitions@thebookpeople.co.uk
There’s also a children’s writing competition (open to open to primary and secondary school children in the UK aged 9–14, run by the ‘What The Dickens?’ website. More details here.
And Foyles bookshop is running a competition to win a complete set of Vintage Classic Charles Dickens novels – worth £125. No writing involved in this one – you just have to guess which character Dickens was referring to when he said, “Of all my books, I like this the best. It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is…”
Easy peasy, lemon squeezee! See here to enter!
And finally – a man who could come up with a quote like this can’t be all bad, can he?
“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”
― Charles Dickens
(hmm.. and if any of my friends are reading this, dark Bounty does it for me every time!)
Mmmmm I love chocolate! Interesting post, thank you. So much snow! Wow!
Thanks for all the competitions – I may go for the chance to win the Dickens collection as I have to admit (sorry about this) to not having read ANY Dickens. Agree on dark Bountys, but where do you find them? All my local shops don’t stock them anymore…is it because I live in the Bounty hating South?
Ooh Tracy, you have got some treats ahead if you’ve never read any Dickens! Lucky you, I say. Hmm, the dark Bountys… you have made me think now! I try not to buy too many choccies (especially because I’ve got ‘raised cholesterol! eek!) but I will be looking out for the dark Bountys now… and will report back as to their whereabouts – or not – in the Midlands!
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Tracy
I am pleased to report that Costcutter at Warwick University stocks DARK (red) BOUNTYS! (55p). Hurrah. Was so pleased to spot them (because you are right – there are plenty of blue ones – pah! but the reds are in short supply), that I had to buy one and eat it today. Yum. It was delicious!
I haven’t seen a dark bounty in years. The local Co-op stock bags of fun-size milk choccy bounties but they are not the same. Await your Bounty Report with baited breath, tongue hanging out…sorry. Don’t know what came over me there 🙂
Sorry, Prue, it’s bated. Baited breath is when you sitting on the beach fishing and you’re
so hungry you chew up a couple of fish heads you’re using to entice fish to your hook!
Another pedant.
😀 I must have been hungry when writing…
Hi Helen, glad you came through the snow o.k. Thanks for the links.
cold chocolate in snow 🙂