Tag: Bleak House

The Tale Of How Ivan Ivanovitch Quarrelled With Ivan Nikiforovitch

“The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovitch Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovitch” is the seventh story in the Folio Society’s collection. I finished reading it this afternoon.

These two lifelong friends, suddenly estranged with the aid of a mischievous woman, because of the desire of one for an object hanging up to dry belonging the other rushes along after escalating provocation to a farcical court case conducted in a manner reminiscent of Dickens’s Jarndyce v Jarndyce and conveying in a few sentences the incompetence and delay that occupied our English novelist throughout Bleak House.

Opening with delightfully bucolic description including that of the clothes on the washing line, on which “an old uniform with frayed facings stretched its sleeves out in the air and embraced a brocade blouse” – in the process indicating the presence of the breeze, as the garments detail the uniform.

Such detail is also described later in this metaphor: “in the cupboard which had been turned to marble by ink stains.”

Gogol’s humour is evident throughout this story.

His grasp of the flow of language demonstrates the mindset of the stubborn protagonists who eventually lose track of the cause of their rift.

Peter Sturt’s illustration depicts the provocative action mentioned above.

Four More Chapters

This afternoon I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/12/a-knights-tale-125-reaching-nottingham/

Later, after reading four more chapters of ‘Bleak House’, I scanned another set of Charles Keeping’s inimitable illustrations.

‘Mrs Bagnet proposes a departure’ contains three of the artist’s portraits.

‘Clattering over the stones at a dangerous pace’ presents Mr Keeping’s sense of movement;

his mastery of perspective is demonstrated by ‘We stopped at the corner of a little slimy turning’

One of the portraits in ‘ ‘Who will tell him?’ ‘ will be recognised from the first of this quartet of pictures.

Jackie produced her trademark chicken and vegetable stewp for our dinner this evening. None of us imbibed.

A Double Spread

Taking it easy today, I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/09/a-knights-tale-124-a-night-to-remember/ after lunch,

and then scanned four more of Charles Keeping’s superb illustrations to ‘Bleak House’.

The artist’s emotional breadth is displayed in ‘She drew his head down on her breast, and held it there’

‘ ‘I would rather be hanged in my own way,’ ‘

‘Mr Tulkinghorn shut up in his dark carriage, and Mr Bucket shut up in his’ makes use of a double spread.

‘Mademoiselle Hortense eyes him with a scowl upon her tight face’ is perfectly depicted.

Later, I watched the BBC live broadcast of the Women’s Six Nations rugby match between England and Wales.

This evening we finished the Red Chilli takeaway to which Jackie added some paneer of her own.

A Keeping Range

I felt so much better today that I was beginning to get itchy feet, especially when Jackie and Flo went for a shopping trip this afternoon. Common sense prevailed and I stayed at home and read four more chapters of ‘Bleak House’.

Earlier, I had posted https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/06/a-knights-tale-123-nearing-leicester/

Later, I scanned the next set of Charles Keeping’s inimitable illustrations to Dickens’s novel.

‘Near journey’s end’ is startlingly accurate.

‘A very quiet night’ demonstrates the artist’s ease with architecture.

In ‘Mr Bucket takes Quebec and Malta on his knees’ the child’s expression displays her doubt about the unusual attention from a virtual stranger.

A mother’s tenderness is portrayed in ‘I used to lay my small namesake in her arms’

This evening we dined on Jackie’s wholesome cottage pie with sautéed potato topping; crunchy carrots, firm broccoli, and tender runner beans, followed by rice pudding which, having been left in my charge, needed a certain amount of revivification.

Concentration Returning

For the last few days I have really been very out of sorts. With all the symptoms of the onset of a heavy cold, including a temperature above normal, a developing sore throat, and the inability to focus on much at all we have come to the conclusion that we have all met with the Omicron variant of Covid 19 which is currently rife in UK.

I have been dozing a lot, just about able to concentrate on and respond to comments on my own blog posts, and make sporadic observations on those of others. A few ‘Knight’s Tale’ episodes have been culled from earlier posts, but until today I have been unable fully to focus on ‘Bleak House’, from which I have scanned four more of Charles Keeping’s admirable illustrations.

‘Three young ladies, wonderfully like their father’

‘By-and-by I went to my old glass’

‘The long flat beach wore as dull an appearance as any place I ever saw’

‘The fugitive is brought to bay’

Becky returned home to Southbourne this afternoon.

Jackie, Flo, and I dined on the last of the Chinese Takeaway fare with the addition of pork spare ribs and tempura king prawns. No-one imbibed.

Probate Administration And Four More Chapters

With all three ladies having streaming head colds, no-one was going anywhere today.

This afternoon I scanned and e-mailed to the cemetery officials a copy of Mum’s grant of probate. Apparently this is necessary to have our mother’s name added to our father’s gravestone. I then focussed on completing a form for recovery of Jean Knight’s Premium Bonds, until I realised that I cannot do this until the Bank Account has been freed.

Checking the renewal of our home insurance policy was straightforward enough.

Next, I read four more chapters of Charles Dickens’s ‘Bleak House’ and scanned the relevant illustrations.

‘Mr Tulkinghorn, standing in the darkness opposite’

‘Sir Leicester finds the cousins useful’

‘Pacing her rooms, her figure twisted as if by pain’

‘She flings the sovereigns on the floor’

This evening, while the others grazed, Jackie and I dined on her delicious chicken and vegetable stewp with which she drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Fleurie.

Multitasking

This afternoon I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2022/03/29/a-knights-tale-119-the-foxton-staircase/

Later, I read more of ‘Bleak House’ and scanned three more of the inimitable Charle Keeping’s illustrations to my Folio Society edition.

‘She fell down on her knees’

‘Mr Grubble was standing at the door to his tavern’

‘Not only was the portrait there, but we found the original there too’

Meanwhile Jackie occupied herself with the preparation of dinners for tonight and for tomorrow.

Tonight’s chicken in Nando’s sauce was roasted in the oven.

With this tasty meal, the Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, Ian and Becky drank Tierra y Hombre Sauvignon Blanc 2021, while I finished the Tulga.

Grandfather Smallweed

Much of this afternoon was spent on the administration required to access the funds from Mum’s estate. An hour was spent in Barclay’s Bank in Lymington. Before then, Ian, who had driven me, pointed out that I had erroneously entered Lloyd’s Bank. We then had to find Barclay’s. Next, I had to wait for the one available advisor who asked me for I.D. I had no satisfactory photographic evidence and my NatWest Visa card wasn’t acceptable. Furthermore I should be dealing with the bank’s bereavement team. The only three comparatively local branches capable of this were located at Southampton, Ringwood, and Bournemouth.

The very helpful staff member took all my details, filled in a form, scanned this and the grant application document, e-mailed these to the bereavement team, and gave me the direct line number to phone them. I did that when we returned home and was informed that Mum’s account would be freed and I would be sent confirmation of this with the final balance.

I then telephoned the Premium Bond offices to free our mother’s funds in their account. I will be sent forms to complete for this.

Later, I scanned the next three of Charles Keeping’s illustrations to ‘Bleak House’.

‘The Sol’s Arms’

‘ ‘My dear friend,’ says Grandfather Smallweed’

‘Miss Flite’

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s smoked haddock; creamy mashed potato; piquant cauliflower cheese; crunchy carrots and tender runner beans, with which the Culinary Queen drank M & S rosé and I drank more of the Tulga.

Spontaneous Combustion

Today’s Royal Mail post brought the probate grant documentation. I will begin the work of collecting and distributing the assets next week.

This afternoon I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2022/03/25/a-knights-tale-118-the-long-walk-begins/

Later I scanned the next four of Charles Keeping’s inimitable illustrations to ‘Bleak House’

‘Rolling up the slip of paper, Mr Guppy proceeds’

‘Mr Jellyby groaned, and laid his head against the wall again’

‘ He went bareheaded against the rain’

‘O Horror, he IS here!’ depicts the discovery of an incident of spontaneous combustion.

‘One of the true believers in spontaneous combustion was Charles Dickens, who even killed off Krook, the alcoholic rag dealer in Bleak House, by means of a fire that left nothing of the old man except an object looking like a “small charred and broken log of wood.” Dickens had read everything he could find on the subject and was convinced that its veracity had been proved. His description of the demise of Krook was based closely on that of an Italian aristocrat, Countess Cornelia di Bandi, who was consumed by a fireball in her bedroom. Her case was reported in 1731 by a clergyman called Giuseppe Bianchini, and subsequently translated by a famous Italian poet and Fellow of the Royal Society, Paolo Rolli,’ whose version appears in full at https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/564288/charles-dickens-bleak-house-spontaneous-combustion-death

Dickens’s description follows that of Rolli to the letter.

Ian rejoined us this afternoon. Jackie produced tasty liver and bacon casserole; creamy mashed potatoes; crunchy carrots; and firm Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli with which she and Ian drank Hoegaarden, Becky drank Zesty, and I drank more of the Tulga.

In The Nursery Field

Yesterday I received an e-mail stating that the probate grant application has been approved and I should receive it in 10 working days.

This morning I scanned six more of Charles Keeping’s excellent illustrations to my Folio Society edition of ‘Bleak House’.

‘Mrs Jellyby, in the midst of a voluminous correspondence’

‘She sat on a chair holding his hand’

In ‘Jo brought into the little drawing-room by Guster’ Keeping indicates he distance between elements of the scene by separating them with a little text.

‘Mr Squod catches him up, chair and all’

‘A street of little shops’

‘Miss Volumnia and the cousinship of the Nobodys’

This afternoon Becky and Flo went shopping and Jackie and I took a forest drive.

Sheep occupy a field about a mile along Christchurch Road heading west.

Newborn lambs suckle, frolic, and head butt in the nursery fields opposite. Today there were a number of twins, bearing the same identifying digits as their mothers.

It was quite a contrast to see two of the most massive porkers we’ve ever seen housed on Harpway Lane at Winkton.

Ponies grazed on the terrain outside Holmsley Walk Car Park;

the grey had just given the bay a resounding head bash before I took this shot.

Early this evening Flo burnt more slender twigs in the rusty incinerator.

This evening we dined on tender roast chicken; crisp roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding; crunchy carrots ; firm Brussels sprouts, and tasty gravy, with which Jackie, Becky, and I drank the same beverages as yesterday and Flo drank elderflower cordial.