Is Easter Monday a holiday for you? I’m daydreaming of days off right now. Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Book 4 is due May 1, and here I am, chained to my laptop, while outside spring has sprung—glorious weather, flowers starting to bloom, allergens astir in the April breeze… I sure wish I could play hooky from work today! Instead, let’s have a look at a hodgepodge of things on my mind this working Easter Monday.
“Saint Monday, or the People’s Holiday”
In England throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, the workday ran from Monday through Saturday. Your only day off was Sunday, and Saturday was payday. Sunday was therefore the day when people let their hair down. Observing “Saint Monday,” or taking Monday off after a weekend of merriment, became something of an unofficial tradition. Social reformers—and employers—sought to discourage this. But it took labor reform and the introduction of a standardized five-day work week to finally put an end to the holiday of Saint Monday. Read a little more about this practice here.
What would Easter be without rabbits and eggs? Well, I have some of those for you today, too!
Giant eggs seem to have been all the rage in the late 19th century. Did these kids just raid a dragon’s nest?!
I know they’re still working out the intricacies of aerodynamics, but I’m skeptical of eggshell as an ideal material for this task…
But wait! We’re not done with Vehicular Eggs yet!
You knew I couldn’t pass up the eggcycle!
And in fine #MyrtleMondays tradition, we have some Easter Monday-appropriate pets:
This picture is often identified as a young Beatrix Potter, but I can’t find confirmation of that. This looks circa 1900 to me, when Potter was a grown woman.
This, however, IS Beatrix Potter, along with the real-life Benjamin Bunny
And what discussion of Victorian rabbits would be complete without the most famous of them all?
The original Peter Rabbit plush toy, designed by Potter herself
You can learn more about the fascinating life of this Victorian scientist, artist, author, and entrepreneur here: PeterRabbit.com’s About Beatrix Potter page
This has nothing to do with Easter, but this little girl and her loyal steed are just magnificent.
If you are able to get out today and enjoy some time off, more power to you! If not, you can stay at home with me and take an occasional chicken chariot break, too.
