Today was hot enough for us to open doors and windows.
One of these was the stable door. It is my fond imagining that a horse was once kept in what became the garage, which we converted to
a utility room leading to a library, fronted by
a boarded trellis bearing clematises, solanum, nasturtiums, petunias, geraniums, etc.
I do hope this accurately describes the evolution of a room.
A few days ago I had taken my copy of J.L. Carr’s short novel, ‘A Month in the Country’ from my library, and I finished reading it this afternoon. Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize for 1980, the book is a many faceted gem. Two men are linked by the fact of having survived Passchendaele and each having accepted commissions to uncover secrets of a medieval church. I will try not to reveal too much, but can say that in economical, well-placed, prose encompassing just 121 pages of my Folio Society copy of 1999 the author speaks of heaven and hell; of judgement, redemption, and damnation; of joy and pain; of culture and spirituality; of time and eternity; all with a slowly seething undercurrent of suppressed sexuality. It wasn’t heterosexual love to which Lord Alfred Douglas referred as ‘the love that dare not speak its name’, yet there are other reasons for fear of revealing feelings.
Ronald Blythe’s perceptive and informative introduction reflects the author’s style.
Ian Stephen’s detailed illustrations are true to the text.
The front and back boards are each printed with a copy of the artist’s engraving for the frontispiece.
Here are the rest.
Early this evening we took a brief trip into the forest.
From Pound Lane near Thorney Hill we watched ponies paddling in Whitten Pond, alongside which a young woman played ball with a pair of dogs.
On our return we dined on a second helping of Mr Chan’s excellent Chinese Take Away with which we both drank Tsing Tao beer.