Tag: Charles Keeping

Friends From Montana And Switzerland

Early this morning I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/30/a-knights-tale-43-an-engagement/

Afterwards I scanned the next three of Charles Keeping’s excellent illustrations to ‘Our Mutual Friend’

‘Georgiana ran up to embrace her’

‘Wegg was holding him in the chair with the grip of a wrestler’

‘Gruff and Glum waving his shovel hat at Bella’

This afternoon we very much enjoyed the company of Jan and Bob Beekman and their daughter DeAna who have come to stay for a few days. Conversation was convivial, wide-ranging and open as we got to know each other in person having become distant friends on WordPress. The 21st century equivalent of fond penfriends.

Jan and De worked out how to access the internet from our router thingy, and Bob joined in the amusement.

Jackie produced one of her trademark succulent steak and onion pies; creamy mashed swede and potatoes; firm carrots and cauliflower; tender leak and cabbage melange; and meaty gravy with which she drank Tesco Finest Pinot Grigio Blush 2020 and the rest of us drank Val de Salis Cinsault Reserve 2020 and Patrick Chodot Fleurie 2019.

She had photographed us all as we prepared to tuck in.

Enough Petrol For Sunset

This morning was spent cleaning, tidying, and vacuuming the house, and completing bed-making. After lunch I scanned the next five of Charles Keeping’s inimitable illustrations to ‘Our Mutual Friend’.

‘ ‘There’s nothing new, I suppose’, said Venus’ gives the artist an opportunity to represent the distance between three men in the room by occupying a double page spread.

‘ ‘Yah,’ said Mr Boffin, with a snap of his fingers’

‘Mincing Lane’

‘Mr Twemlow lays down his aching head’

‘The two men looked at one another’

Later this afternoon we shopped at Tesco. The woman on the check-out normally worked in the attached petrol station, which was now closed. She told Jackie that they were receiving uninterrupted deliveries as usual, but were sold out early in the mornings.

This evening we dined on pizza, the remains of Jackie’s arrabbiata sauce, and plentiful fresh salad, with which she drank Diet Coke and I finished the Cotes du Rhone Villages.

Afterwards we considered our tank still contained enough petrol for

a nip down to Milford on Sea to catch the sunset.

We were not the only watchers upon whom

the Needles Lighthouse shone its warning light.

The Wind And The Rain

After overnight rain on a morning of winds still over 50 m.p.h. I was blown around the garden while investigating the damage. The sunlight was very strong, but birds remained silent.

The pictures display a range of the comparatively minor disturbance requiring attention when the wind subsides. As usual, individual images are titled in the gallery.

All is not hopeless as shown by these further photographs.

The wind subsided somewhat but the rain returned this afternoon; petrol needs preserving, so I read some more of ‘Our Mutual Friend’ and scanned the next four of Charles Keeping’s skilful illustrations.

‘Mr Dolls collapsed in his chair’

‘Bradley went with him into an early public house’

‘She gave him her hand’

‘The old man looked distressfully at Fledgeby’

This evening we dined on hot and spicy, and tempura, prawns; served with Angela’s authentic sticky rice (supplemented with egg by Jackie) and spring rolls. Mrs Knight drank more of the Rosé and I drank more of the Cotes du Rhone.

Woodland Ecology

After lunch today I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/23/a-knights-tale-38-girls/

The day remained largely overcast, but reasonably warm, so, after a trip to Ferndene Farm Shop we took a drive among the forest lanes.

I am not sure what these tractors were doing alongside Preston Lane, but they were sending up clouds of dust.

We can never normally stop on the A35 to Lyndhurst, but, as a consequence of extensive bridge widening works near Holmsley, there are long tailbacks enabling me to photograph the adjacent woodlands from my window.

We turned left into the road to Burley where

Jackie parked the Modus in order for me to wander into the woodland

with its green and golden bracken, its live, dead, fallen, and decaying trees, and its magical views.

Later, I scanned three more of Charles Keeping’s illustrations to ‘Our Mutual Friend’, each one bearing recognisable portraits of characters previously depicted.

‘Wegg held the will tight, while Venus searchingly and attentively read it’

‘The darkness gone, and a face bending down’

‘Bella kissed her on the cheek’

This evening we dined on second helpings of our Red Chilli takeaway, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Fleurie.

Considerable Versatility

This afternoon I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/21/a-knights-tale-36-some-schoolmasters/

Later, I scanned the next five of Charles Keeping’s illustrations to Charles Dickens’s ‘Our Mutual Friend’, demonstrating the artist’s considerable versatility.

‘ ‘Does anybody down there know what has happened?’ once more admirably depicts the fog – this time in a text sandwich.

‘Sweet delusion for Pleasant Riderhood’

‘Bella arrived in the Boffin Chariot’

‘Mr Boffin had a child’s delight in looking at shops’ makes use of a two page spread.

‘They stood interlocked like a couple of preposterous gladiators’

This evening we dined on baked gammon moistened by juicy ratatouille; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Fleurie.

Burnt Out

This morning I scanned three more of Charles Keeping’s excellent illustrations to ‘Our Mutual Friend’.

‘Conveniently elevated above the level of the living, were the dead’

‘Tippins the divine’

The artist’s inspired evocation of Dickens’s ‘The whole metropolis was a heap of vapour charged with muffled sound of wheels’ prompted me to post https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/11/a-knights-tale-32-the-great-smog/

On a still sultry afternoon we took a drive around the forest.

Dumped beside the entrance to the paddock on Braggers Lane was a burnt out Daihatsu Fourtrak.

Whoever left it there did not destroy the number plate.

Looking over the landscape at Rockford End. we could see a sunlit distant marina.

Jackie parked beside the very narrow lane while I wandered about with my camera and photographed

a grassy verge; tumbling farm buildings in an overgrown field; a dappled bank; and a gate into a similar field

From the lane up to Gorley Common and Hyde we observed a basking herd of deer.

At the top of the hill ponies shared the pasturage with cattle. One pony found its tail in a tangle; one cow stopped the traffic.

At North Gorley three donkeys were employed clipping a hedge, and

a huntsman and hound took note of the wind direction.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s wholesome cottage pie; crunchy carrots; tender cabbage and runner beans, with meaty gravy. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden and I drank Cepa Lebrel Gran Reserva Rioja 2011.

A Dazzled Spider

With our dry heat now reaching 30C we carried out watering this afternoon before retreating indoors where I posted: https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/07/a-knights-tale-29-early-interviews/ ,

read more of Dickens’s Our Mutual friend and scanned the next five of Charles Keeping’s Inimitable illustrations.

‘The objectionable Sloppy’

‘She folded her hand round Lizzie’s neck, and rocked herself on Lizzie’s breast’

‘Riderhood looked amazedly from his visitor to his daughter’

‘Limehouse Hole’

‘Betty Higden gravely shook her head’

Early this evening as we sat drinking water and Diet Coke on the decking the unrelenting sun beat down so hard that all was silent.

A wood pigeon confused its claws with fleur-de-lys.

Sunlight dazzled a spider which dropped its dangling prey;

after which Jackie photographed it on its trapeze.

This evening we dined on pork shoulder steaks; tasty gravy; fried onions and mushrooms; crisp Yorkshire puddings; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots and cauliflower, with which neither of us imbibed.

Completing West Bed Planting

On a very dull, overcast, afternoon we shopped at Otter Nurseries for tree bark with which to mulch Jackie’s further planting in the recently opened up West Bed, then continued for a brief drive into the forest where we found nothing to photograph in such poor light.

While Jackie completed the dressing of the soil,

I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2021/08/30/a-knights-tale-24-enter-gwen-to-the-rescue/

Later, I scanned the next six of Charles Keeping’s illustrations to Charles Dickens’s ‘Our Mutual Friend’.

‘Tradesmen’s books hunger, and tradesmen’s mouths water’

‘There was a deadly kind of repose on the place’

‘ ‘Oh-h-h!’ cried the person of the house’

The artist has used a double page spread to show ‘Boots and Brewer bolting off in cabs’ in opposite directions.

‘At times Mrs Lammle would lean forward to address Mr Lammle’ demonstrates Keeping’s mastery of expression.

‘An old Jewish man in an ancient coat’

This evening we dined on perfectly roasted pork with crisp crackling; boiled new potatoes; crunchy carrots and cauliflower; tender runner beans, and tasty gravy, in the non-availabilty of pork stock cubes, made by adding those of chicken and ham to the juices from the meat. Neither of us imbibed..

On The Approach To September

After lunch on a warmly sun-kissed day I poked my camera out of the upstairs windows to introduce it to

the garden views on the approach to September.

I then read more of Charles Dickens’s ‘Our Mutual Friend’, and scanned the next four of Charles Keeping’s memorable illustrations.

‘She sat on the ground, with her face leaning on her hand’

‘The bird of prey lay stretched upon the shore’

‘A gloomy house the Bower’

‘Hooked on the board by the armpits was a young gentleman of tender years’

Early this evening I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2021/08/25/a-knights-tale-21-the-summer-of-1947/

Later, we dined on Red Chilli excellent takeaway fare. We ordered enough for two days, consisting of Saag Chicken, Saag and Onion Bhajis, Tandoori King Prawn Naga, Paneer Tikka, Egg Fried Rice, and a plain Naan. Jackie drank more of the Greco di Tufo and I drank more of the Dao.

Turning The Decking

We received our mail-ordered present for Matthew’s birthday during the December lockdown and consequently were unable to give it to him until this morning. It was a professional electric drill kit.

While waiting for the equipment to charge up, our son sat on the decking working on a puzzle book.

He decided to try out the drill on the decking boards. He tells us that most people who fit this facility assume that the ridged sides should be uppermost because they think that the crevices are to provide a grip, when in fact they become slippery.

When the power was operative he set about lifting a section of the existing boards

and turning them over.

Here is the completed job. Note that the step has received the treatment.

Jackie in the meantime, having completed her work on the West Bed clearance,

carried on pruning beneath the Cryptomeria and elsewhere. I transferred some clippings to the compost bins.

After recording others’ work in progress, I scanned the next five of Charles Keeping’s faithfully detailed illustrations to ‘Our Mutual Friend’.

‘Mr Boffin closely tracked and observed by a man of genteel appearance’ gives the artist the opportunity to pack a street scene with detailed perspective.

A double page spread offers adequate room for ‘Mrs Boffin’s equipage’

‘Mr and Mrs Lammle walked in a moody humour’ uses the wind to indicate the cooling of their ardour.

‘ ‘Alfred, my love, here is my friend Georgiana’ ‘, displays Charles Keeping’s mastery of expression.

‘An ill-looking visitor with a squinting leer’

This afternoon Becky and Ian joined us. We enjoyed more delayed birthday present giving and all dined this evening at Lal Quilla. My main meal choice was a hot, sweet, and sour Chicken Jaljala which was excellent; poppadoms, nans, onion bhajis, and rices were shared; Kingfisher, white wine, fizzy water, and Diet Coke were quaffed. Service, as always, was friendly and efficient.