“to fall in love you have to be in the state of mind for it to take, like a disease.”
—nancy mitford (via thelongestshadow)
January 2011
13 posts
“In a lucid moment a week before she died, Muv said to us, ‘Now, children, you’ll cry at my funeral and then you’ll start laughing.’ We did. Our sorrow came in waves but so did laughter. There has to be relief after sorrow, no one can manage without it. Even the saddest, most painful moments do not last, however difficult it is to believe it at the time.”
—Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire, from her memoirs Wait for Me! (via parisandbuttermilk)
“The total living space, I learned, was 1,704,233 cubic feet. There were 1.3 acres of roof. Of the 297 rooms, 48 were very big indeed and some were no more than glorified cupboards. I did not employ a decorator; I was too mean to pa for something I could do myself and cannot imagine living surrounded by someone else’s taste; and besides, I loved every minute of it.”
—Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire, from her memoirs Wait for Me! (via parisandbuttermilk)
“I have only ever read one book in my life, and that is White Fang. It’s so frightfully good I’ve never bothered to read another.”
—
Nancy Mitford also from Love in a Cold Climate
This is supposed to be a true quote from her father Lord Redesdale, which Nancy used for a character in her novel.
“You’ve no idea how long life goes on and how many, many changes it brings. Young people seem to imagine that it’s over in a flash, that they do this thing, or that thing, and then die, but I can assure you they are quite wrong.”
—Nancy Mitford from her book Love in a Cold Climate
Deborah being interviewed by Charlie Rose →
charlierose.com
This is from just a couple weeks ago in December. It’s really cool to hear the truth behind all the rumours that circulate about the sisters. Her description of meeting Hitler is particularly fascinating because it’s so mundane. I’ve been watching and reading all the press she’s been doing around the release of her book, but I’ve yet to actually read it. I guess I should buy I copy next time I go to the shops.
The Duchess of Devonshire: 'When you are very old, you cry over some things, but not a lot' →
guardian.co.uk
The UK’s Guardian did an interview with the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Deborah Mitford Cavendish. I’m currently reading her memoirs, she is a phenomenal writer!
“‘Their father, Lord Redesdale, disliked having people to stay, and when there were guests he did not always make them feel welcome. Once when the house was full of Nancy’s friends, he shouted down the table to his wife, ‘Have these people no homes of their own?!’”
—The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters (via nerdandahalf)
