The building was even selected for the Historic Houses Association s new literary trail, which included more than 40 homes across the country linked to famous writers. Madresfield near Malvern is the home of the Lygon family, whose eldest sons took the title of Earl Beauchamp from 1815 until 1979. Waugh met Hugh Lygon at Oxford in 1922 and they became close friends. It is thought that Waugh first came to know and love Madresfield Court, when one of Hugh s four sisters, Dorothy, invited him to stay for Christmas in 1931. Waugh also wrote Black Mischief, his third book, published in 1932, while staying at Madresfield as a guest. It is believed an old nursery was converted into a writing room for him.
It’s Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras festival time. LGBTQI people are enjoying what some call “gay or lesbian Christmas”. It’s not quite the same in the era of COVID, but a contained version of the famous street parade will be beamed into living rooms on Saturday.
The public face of Mardi Gras, which began in 1978 with a protest parade, is remarkable in a nation that has been deeply prejudiced toward gay and lesbian people. Part of the power of Mardi Gras for older generations was that it removed queer sexualities from the “secret” confines of semi-legal bar and club locations and private parties to the public street. Being on the front page of the newspaper no longer meant you might be going to jail.