January 2023 – Page 3 – derrickjknight

A Windblown Neck Scarf

After a morning shop in Tesco we took a brief forest drive.

The dryer day fanned by a gentler breeze was illuminated by, albeit short, sunny spells.

For about three months, along a stretch of Christchurch Road where it is impossible to stop the car without causing chaos, we have hoped to photograph two lengths of corrugated iron. Today Jackie parked on the drive beside a closed farm gate and I was able to look back to a

long piece wrapped round the branch of a tree like a neck scarf blown by one of our gale force winds; the other is buried in a hedge and out of sight from this viewpoint.

The rippling, reflective, and effervescent stream at Wootton Bridge now flows fast

and laps the bases of mossy-rooted trees.

Ponies, like these at Bisterne Close, have ventured out into the woodland since the recent deluge.

This evening we dined on tender roast lamb; boiled new potatoes; cheese vegetable bake; firm Brussels sprouts and carrots, and meaty gravy, with which I drank more of the Shiraz and Jackie drank Montes Reserva Chardonnay 2020.

Flying Foam

Late this morning Sam, Holly, Malachi, and Orlaith visited after another overnight stay at Elizabeth’s, and spent an emotional farewell hour as they left for North Wales on the next stage of their tour catching up with family and friends.

I was quite choked as I watched their hired car turn out of our front drive, and right along Christchurch Road.

The overnight howling gales seemed to have increased, with winds now 60 m.p.h. and unrelenting fierce driving rain.

Jackie and I took a drive down to Milford on Sea to focus on the weather.

What the Japanese call sea flowers flew up as the waves beat on the shining rocks whisking creamy clusters into the air to settle like snow drifts where they would.

With sharp precipitation needles stinging my wet cheeks; sticky salt Supergluing my fingers; rain and spray clouding my specs; gusts ripping at my dripping coat, keeping upright was all I could manage with confidence as I aimed my camera more in hope than conviction.

This evening we dined on Red Chilli’s excellent takeaway meals. My choice was tiger prawn dhansak and egg fried rice, with which I drank Paarl Shiraz 2021

Witches And Waterstones

This morning when Sam, Holly, Malachi, and Orlaith arrived from Elizabeth’s I travelled with them on a shopping trip, first to Burley, home to lunch, then off to Waterstones in Lymington.

It wasn’t until early afternoon that the threatened precipitation. plummeted down.

After investigating the few open shops in Burley we settled on

A Coven of Witches, where , having checked out

the windows, the children spent a considerable amount of time selecting presents from me and purchases of their own. They decided to wander around the village again to ponder a little more and to return for final decisions.

The precipitation in the form of large ice marbles bouncing off our bonces soon sent us scuttling back inside. Final choices were made. Orlaith chose a pair of silver earrings from me and a ring from herself while Malachi selected an egg shaped polished malachite stone from me and a ring from himself.

We stopped for a drink in The Queen’s Head before returning for one of Jackie’s cold meats and salad buffet lunches.

Rain kept up its deluge during the Waterstone’s visit. Again a generous amount of time was spent deliberating on book choices. The two grandchildren each settled on two books with which they were very pleased.

Elizabeth joined us all later when we dined, courtesy of the Culinary Queen, on succulent roast chicken; flavoursome sage and onion stuffing; crisp roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding; firm carrots and Brussels sprouts; a tasty vegetable bake, and meaty gravy. White wines were consumed by Jackie, Holly, and Sam, while I finished The Guv’nor.

My sister then impressed us all by engaging in a game of Champed Up with the Australian branch of the family, while Jackie and I pleaded age and limited reactions.

A Recital

This was definitely a recovery day, starting late in the morning when, Sam, Holly, Malachi and Orlaith arrived from Elizabeth’s.

After more chatting we lunched on Jackie’s cold meats salad, then settled down to games.

Ellie guided Holly in the Shakespeare game which had been purchased at The Globe theatre a few days ago.

Later Becky, Holly, Orlaith, Sam, and Malachi played

Champed Up with their devices linked to

the television screen.

After Jackie’s refreshing cold meats and salad lunch we flopped and chatted until

Danni arrived with Jack and Ella.

Ellie went for a walk on her bouncer.

Elizabeth joined us with a vast tub of her legendary spaghetti Bolognese; Cook’s vegetarian lasagna, and plentiful perfect garlic bread, with lemon drizzle cake and a chocolate one. I drank Guv’nor Spanish red wine and I didn’t keep track of what the others enjoyed.

Afterwards Malachi entertained us with a lively violin recital

which was thoroughly enjoyed by his audience.

Soon after my sister, our niece, and our great-niece and -nephew returned to their home, Sam, Holly, Malachi and Orlaith left to sleep at Pilley.

Reconnection

With help from the internet, Becky has recently been teaching herself to knit.

She has discovered cable stitching. Yesterday evening she was very cagey about what she was working on, but did manage to send Ian a video when she had finished, long after Jackie and I had retired to bed.

This is what she produced and we found on our morning bucket of coffee today. She chose the colour as one to blend with any spillage. Note that the upper rim of the casing slopes downward to fit beneath the handle.

This afternoon, having deposited their belongings at Elizabeth’s where they will be spending the next few nights, Sam, Holly, Malachi, and Orlaith visited for the rest of the day.

The years rolled away as we reconnected after the Covid restrictions, and the cousins met Dillon and Ellie, who was very comfortable, especially with Holly.

Malachi soon joined Jackie on her computer, just as he had done some years ago. Then, quicker than Ella into the toy box, he made straight for the library where he selected Robert Graves’s “The Greek Myths”.

Orlaith, observed by Ellie, then took over the computer.

After an excellent takeaway meal from Red Chilli

we all relaxed, some playing a computer game on the television screen, before Sam, Holly, and their family returned to my sister’s for the night.

Droll Tales 2

Wild, wet, and windy weather persisted, producing dispiriting gloom throughout the day.

I therefore continued the sequence begun with https://derrickjknight.com/2023/01/06/droll-tales-1/ wherein more details of the three publications featured here is given.

The second of the first Decade of stories is entitled “Venial Sin” by the Folio Society, and “The Venial Sin” by the other two. It deals with the nature of degrees of sin as believed by the Catholic Church, which was the dominant religion of the times. The determiner therefore becomes quite significant if we are considering the importance of a particular Venial Sin or the general nature of such an offence. Venial signifies a crime of a lesser nature and therefore not condemning the offender to the loss of divine grace and an eternity in Hell.

Fornication and adultery were definitely seen as Mortal Sins. Especially when they were themselves guilty the clergy in particular went to great lengths in apologetics to find a way of permitting such misdeeds as venial and therefore excusable after the service of a suitable penance. Not knowing what was happening, or occurring by accident were helpful vindications.

In 1968 The Dubliners dealt with the predicament in which this Balzac story’s young lady found herself. I couldn’t find an available video of that version of the 19th century ballad that Jackie remembers singing in the Girl Guides, although she professes not to have understood it at the time.

Balzac describes the genuine love between his protagonists and accompanying wishes each to please the other considering their differing needs with fluid prose and vivid descriptions of people, country, and location. A certain amount of subterfuge was inevitably employed. I will not go into the detail save to say that a debatable resolution is sought over a period of years.

Now, to obtain an heir, Blanche lent herself to the coursing of stags and deer

This is Mervyn Peake’s of 1961

followed by Gustave Doré’s of 1874

and the more risqué offerings of Jean de Bosschère from 1926.

This evening we all dined on three prawn preparations – spicy, tempura, and breaded – on a bed of Jackie’s tasty egg fried rice topped by a thick omelette; with Becky’s tuna pasta salad. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, our daughter drank Diet Pepsi, and I started another bottle of the Côtes du Rhône.

33 Hours From Dawn To Sunset

The gales were back in force today, with 50 m.p.h. winds and driving rain – so much so that it was hard to remember

yesterday’s dawn

when we set off for a forest drive in headlights-gloom at 3 p.m.

Some 30 minutes later brief glimpses of blue sky and white cloud ripped indigo canopies above

the rippling reflections of waterlogged roadside verges along St Leonards Road.

where damp ponies

listlessly trudged

past the ruins of the 13th century granary barn that once served Beaulieu Abbey.

Sunset was visible at East Boldre just after 4 p.m. Later the rains hammered down once more.

This evening we all dined on chicken pieces marinaded in mango piri-piri sauce and Jackie’s savoury vegetable rice, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Côtes du Rhône. Everyone else abstained.

Droll Tales 1

Taking control of my computer screen from Thailand this morning, James Peacock worked on some of the problems that have arisen from my new site. He resolved some issues and made notes to work on about others. I celebrated with this post in which, for example, readers should be able to enlarge images.

The second of her books that Elizabeth gave me as part of her library culling was

The Merrier Moments of the Good Old Monks

This 1961 edition, bound in stout boards seemingly representing a clasp preserving the contents, carries an offer of free books for introductions.

The work is divided into three Decades, each of ten stories, which I will take separately, for reasons which will become apparent.

Since Balzac, in order to convey a marvellous picture of French life and manners in the sixteenth century, decided to write in the country’s ancient language, he has presented the translator wishing to render the stories into modern English. Imagine translating Shakespeare or even Chaucer into modern French.

I have chosen to return to my two other versions of these “Contes Drolatiques”, and present the work of other artists in company with Mervyn Peake’s quirky illustrations.

“She filled with Greek wine one of the goblets and offered it to her love”

The first story, given as “Beautiful Imperia” by Alec Brown, and as “The Fair Imperia” by each of the other translators, is a typically scurrilous tale involving competition from various members of the wayward religious hierarchy for access to the delights of a superior bawdy wench. The writer’s exuberant and unrestrained descriptive prose carries us along at a fair rate. As is my wont, I will not attempt to rival Balzac in spoiling detail.

My earliest version of the tales is dated 1874, just 37 years after first publication by Gosselin of Paris, and the first in English. At some point the volume has been skilfully rebound, but the pages are clear and undamaged.

The book is lavishly illustrated by the renowned Gustav Doré. When enlarged, these pages will give examples of the prose, although the translator is not credited.

According to the flyleaf my next version of the first Decade once belonged to Gwyneth Ressich of Manila. It is No. 2,335 of a limited edition of 3,000 copies. Alongside the title page and frontispiece above is the embossed design by the artist pictured on the front board.

The Belgian-born Jean de Bosschère (1878-1953) was heavily influenced by Aubrey Beardsley. His full page illustrations are protected by tipped-in tissue.

This evening we all dined on succulent roast lamb; crisp Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, and parsnips; firm Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and carrots; and meaty gravy, with which I drank more of the Côtes du Rhône.

Rippling, Reflecting, Pools

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The ground may still be wet, but at least the rain had ceased today.

Martin was able to make progress on widening the step in front of the French windows, and

planning the layout of the paving, some of which he will cut to shape and size.

Jackie and I took a short drive into the forest where there was little sign of wild life.

Field horses were mostly sporting muddy rugs as

they sloshed around like these two at their gate.

Trees rooted in scooped out basins beside Beaulieu Road stand in rippling, reflecting, pools as is customary for them in rainy seasons.

This evening we dined on a choice of tasty penne Bolognese or beef casserole, with firm broccoli and tender green beans. Jackie and I chose the Bolognese, Becky enjoyed a bit of both, Flo and Dillon will take theirs later. The Culinary Queen and our daughter drank Buck’s Fizz while I drank Calvet Prestige Côtes du Rhône Villages 2021, given to me for Christmas by Martin.

The Cow Scraped Under The Moon

My sister, Elizabeth, has a library to rival my own. On her recent visit, as she is on the process of thinning her collection, she brought me two Folio Society novels that she thought I would like. She knew that I have other editions of each of these works, but not of these particular illustrated editions.

The first is