Wonderful brown tilled earth. Come back in three weeks to find greeness
Sitting at breakfast at Center Park longleat. Talking to sustainability business people. One of them run an event management business. He says Ben could do anything with his career and his bike riding experience. Something really to be proud of. I am. Yesterday afternoon was sunny and we spent It in the garden and I weeded my vegetable patches and we picked some apples and I found a marrow and it was good. Today was Sunday it rained all day we lit the fire, I've processed apples, I've made us soup, warm wintry soup and we've had a really cosy at home, Dudley would say boring, day but I liked it and now it's dark and I plan to watch telly all evening Had a holiday today decided to do no work and Went to Swindon to have lunch with Natalie Bennett is leader of the Green party and about 25 othe I'm Now on Saturday sitting in the car while Douglas trading loan now which had to have displayed is fixed and then were going to get an option I'm good to get a little closer to really lovely Saturday m Actually I'm using a dictate dictation thing on my lovely new iPhone to write my blog because it gets words wrong to the cinema game guess what I meant We went to Bowood with Hector and Toby today, the picture on the left was taken once we were home again; they are watching (and feeding) several trout in the brook below them While we were at Bowood we split up. Hector went down the Death slide several 100 times and Toby and I went off to look in the house. The main hall is a gallery with dozens of C18 and C19 pictures. I asked Toby to select one as his favourite, the one he might like to take home. He chose a naval picture and I looked at it closely- and was astonished. Go back 60 years. I'm six or seven years old, making a formal visit to our 94 year old Grandfather who lived in Chingford. He was an old old man with a long white beard. He spent his life in bed. We would be ushered in for an audience and he would tell us stories about our family. He was a collector, surrounded by boxes and manuscripts and books and files. He has been the Secretary of the British Bulldog Association at some time in his life and he had used a dog breeding form to make a genealogy of our family. "I remember", he said, "My grandmother telling me than when she was a girl she was taken out to the top of some cliffs to look at some ships. 'Napoleon is on that ship' her father told her." Well it's a good story and I remembered it but I always thought it improbable, he was captured in France at Waterloo in 1815 and then sent out to St Elba, how would they know that one passing ship in the channel was Napoleon's in a day before good communications. I thought it was an interesting story if only to express our relationship with historical events. But today the picture Toby selected was described like this The Transfer of Bounaparte from the Bellerophon to the Northumberland near Berry , Head of Torbay (by T Lund) My phone picture is blurred so I've googled it and found this reference. It happened in August 1815, just 198 years ago. Toby's great great great great great great grandfather must have been there with his great great great great great grandmother on the cliffs behind. Well picked Toby. Every time I go away I see something which changes the way we live at home Here is a list of some influences While in Maine, Lisa made us Granola. Did you know that you can make muesli/granola by roasting 8 cups of oak flakes with 1/2 cup of oil for an hour, meanwhile adding seeds, nuts, maple syrup, whatever, to taste. I don't know what kind of oil, assumed not olive but found, when I'd used it, that my vegetable oil made it taste stale. As a result of that I've revised my oil buying habits, instead of buying huge amounts cheaply and (for non olive oil) then spending 3 years using them up, I've thrown out all our oils and bought small amounts of almond oil, corn oil, walnut oil, groundnut oil and vegetable oil. And I shall make my own granola. - if I can achieve Lisa's deliciousness it will be wonderful. When visiting Katy in Nantucket several years ago our bed was white on white on white. Up to then I had though white boring and difficult to manage. The Nantucket bed was wonderful All our linen at home were dark blues or greens. Now only the old ones are coloured. But it is difficult to keep it ironed and bright. Thinking about it, (and about our bed in Maine) maybe it's time to replace it all with new fresh and expensive linen from John Lewis or M&S. (instead of IKEA) In Israel for Hannah and Erez' wedding we drank arak and mint and lemon juice. Unbelievably wonderful. We bought 4 bottles of Arak on the way home and I planted a huge old tub with mint. The arak is now all drunk but the mint grows back every year. Cara gave us a lemon tree which gives us a lemon or two most years. But we do buy them too. We also enjoyed salads made by Menia with finely chopped tomatoes and cucumber and mint- and a dressing made with vegetable oil now I come to think about it. Our salads have changed too, In 2010 (or thereabouts) we stayed in Nairn and, at breakfast, watched dozens of birds on the other side of the window feasting on various birdie delights. I now hang birdie delights on a bush outside our study window so I can gaze at tits, finches and nuthatches and an occasional woodpecker whenever I should be working. There is a tit on this tree is you can spot it, the six different bird delights are hidden in the leaves to protect them from passing predators. Maine is ages ago now. The house will be empty, the people who were there when we were there are all dispersed.
R&F&J have moved to London. Ben has flown to S America, Columbia I think, not sure where that is. H & family are back in the Bronx, starting new job and waiting for baby. We are at home, PSHT are home by way of NY. Ben's bike has arrived here in 2 boxes and 2 cases, via two aeroplanes. Things I meant to do but haven't. 1. Thoroughly thanked Rachael for wonderful hospitality or 2. Sent a huge bunch of flowers to welcome her to her new house. 3. Thanked Lisa for cooking for us and changing my culinary life hitherto forward. (see separate post) 4. Confirmed re-connection with Maine Lavans, all of them very good people. 5. Several other things. Ben arrived in Maine, by bicycle, from San Francisco, on July 29th. We arrived in Maine, by aeroplane and car, from home, on August 3rd. Ben stopped blogging. I am starting again, to make up for the morning gap. We are in Moose Point. Moose Point is a huge house set by a huge lake with a huge amount of toys for the 9 adults and 7 children presently occupying it. I think that count is right, I keep checking and double checking. I thought I would now list the toys, subdivided into adult and child, but that's not possible, the power boat is adult driven but everything else is shared, the ping pong table, 1000 coloured ping pong balls, wii games, jigsaws, floating trampolines, canoes, waterboards (surf boards that you stand on not sure of the proper name), smart tvs, I could go on. No, the setting is amazingly beautiful- I prefer a lake side to an ocean and think lake swimming is utterly the best swim possible- the company, of course, being all family, is utterly wonderful. The challenge is how to best take up all the opportunities for optimum living. We're off to Gatwick tonight and Zurich tomorrow. Very excited. All good fun going through the process selecting things essential for life in 5 days and fitting them in to a small case. (Easy Jet doesn't even allow you a handbag as well)
Dog to PSHT, bird magazines to school, (rejected by H&T) letter to post. electricity all off (including wifi used our neighbour? no we'll be kind) Washing and bed linen all up to date, fridge empty of perishables- garden filling up with magpies and jackdaws and crow eating up our leftovers I have a new phone. Will learn how to use it while on the road. I bought it because it's supposed to have a really good camera- but as far as I can see it is full of gimmics, taking 5 photos in one second, choose the best, fit a different head on someone, wipe out the unwanted thing in tha background. Actually I don't want that I just want to be able to set a good photo fairly quickly when I see an opportunity. (Like right now of jackdaws zooming in and picking up food) The step after this is Ben coming back and everyone (except us) going to Glastonbury. Then it's WOMAD, then it's Maine. Then Malmesbury Carnival- with GRFEJ as well as PSHT and CRJ. Then a trip to NY to see what will be added to HEGD. Then we'll start to think about Christmas. May 28th, summer weekend over and now we're back to four layers of clothes and freezing.
Here is a list of things I meant to talk about. 1. Ben's blog is wonderful www.gordybennett.com . We follow him everyday and admire his wit, his observation, his courage and his adventures. How did he get it all together so well? I now think his next career should involve a) project management, or b) tour guide writing. Clearly he can do anything he wants to. 2. Life reshapes. 40 years ago I read novels and poetry eagerly and constantly and listened to lots and lots of music, being profoundly moved by everything from Bach to Beatles via Brubeck. Now I spend my non dedicated time to listening to news, science programmes and to doing puzzles and playing games. Is this a function of getting elderly? Or the invention of the internet? I am never without my ipad/phone/pc. 3. Having said that I am getting into music again. What is it about music? How does it get inside you and make you understand truth and beauty and misery and hope and despair and having a good time? Why can't we all write in music? I look at musicians and think of them as sacred people, filled with a spiritual awareness unfathomed by us ordinary people. But then again I know a retired violin player from a national orchestra and he is just an ordinary bloke about Malmesburg. 4. Thank you, Happy Birthday, Miss you. There are many people in my life to whom I owe debts of friendship, awareness, kindness , good times, shared experiences and other pleasant things. I have not written enough thank you letters, kept in touch properly, remembered enough birthdays, send enough appreciative bunches of flowers. I'd list my guilty conscience now but I'd be sure to miss people out and it would make things even worse, We went to Malmesbury this evening to celebrate Sarah's birthday with Piers Hector and Toby as well as with Cara and Reuben. Amazing how time flies- imagine Sarah being 38 already. We are all lucky to have her as part of our family .xxxx Happy Birthday Sarah We are in a state of domestic calamity. Our drains have been removed and for tonight we unable to use our bathrooms, dishwasher, washing machine. Dudley has just driven 12 miles, ostensibly to fill up my car with diesel, actually to have an opportunity to empty his bowels and bladder. Tomorrow I have to be at an event at 8am. I think I'll be able to hold out till then. Dudley may have to go to Tescos (which has, I understand, been renamed Fortnum and Masons) Alternatively he has the key to P&S's house. Happy Birthday to Gabriel. A Magnificent 11 years old, handsome, witty and good fun. If only we could see him more often. Here he is this morning- with his brother whose leg, out of sight, is in plaster. If you were visiting us you could be playing with the goats in the adjoining field- except you couldn't because two of the kids disappeared yesterday and now the owners are scared they will all be stolen and are moving them somewhere else. The house is very quiet now- it's a week and a day since Ben flew away. But it is extraordinary how closely we are in contact. When I spent time in California and then crossed to Florida in the 1960s my parents knew nothing. I phoned them- a big deal- on birthdays and wrote to them once a month or so, maybe. But when Ben gets on his bike he starts up Garmin and we can follow him wherever he goes in huge detail (see left) Then we go to sleep and when I wake up I read his blog and find out the details of his journey and am reassured that he hasn't been eaten by bears and has found somewhere to eat supper and spend the night. I feel a bit guilty now. My poor mother, in the end my father wrote to me and told me she was mad with despair and could I please tell let them know what I was doing and where I was. I came back to the UK after that (and after meeting Larry and everything). Thank you Ben, keep biking. Read it yourself here. On Sunday Sue Coe and I walked the 26 mile trail from Avebury to Stonehenge. Once home it was all I could do to walk to sofa. Dudley kindly did what he could and today, Monday I can walk ok, albeit as if I was 90 years old. It's very beautiful countryside. Cara and Jake and Reuben did the first part of it too, but an hour behind us so we never met. She took some good photos though which you can see on FB The picture below is a distant view of Stonehenge- the tiny blocks on the horizon. It was a long walk, especially the last 5 miles..... Sun, blue sky, green things, and white things and yellow things. Fish in the river, swallows in the air, at last the long winter is over.
We have been so busy. Sitting here with five layers on, including coat and scarf. It gets into your head this miserable weather, we are programmed to expect a mood lightening springness with gambolling lambs and abundant daffodils, instead we see pictures on the tv of lambs dying of the cold and watch daffodils raising their heads through frost. The picture is from Sharon's Suffolk garden- it is the bed of spring flowers especially grown for Clive's daughter's wedding this Friday. I met a friend from India/Dubai, in this country briefly, " how is it here? " I asked him "Best country in the world," he said, "with the worst climate." But still we have things to look forward too. This weekend we shall have an Easter Egg hunt, either in the house or in the garden, according to how possible it is to be outside. Cara and Jake and Reuben will be here- his first Easter; will he be able to participate in the hunt? Will he be allowed to taste chocolate? Both Cara and Hector had their first ever taste of chocolate at Easters. And for all my compassion for frozen lambs we will be eating one, unfrozen, for Sunday Lunch, accompanied by onion sauce and a Devonshire pudding. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, we have opened the doors to the terrace and there is hope that one day it will be good to be alive and outside and warm and comfortable, not wet or cold. We have also firmed up a stepping stone of breaks, March in Devon, April in London, June in Switzerland, July at WOMAD and finally tickets are booked to fly to Maine with PSHT at the beginning of August where we hope to meet HEGD and Ben as well as GRFEJ. Very content Ben is in the last steps of preparation for his great trek- or bike ride. Yesterday he told his soon-to-be-ex bosses. They wanted him to stay, offered him inducements, but he's going. To follow him, go to his new website Piers was older on Friday- but he hasn't yet reached 40. Cara and Reuben came for the weekend, and of course Ben was here already so we had a fairly full house. We had a now traditional Take Out Chinese/Indian meal together. We gave Piers (at Sarah's suggestion) a flag pole . Now you can all give him flags to raise for every day and every occasion:-- he will install it at the entrance to his Nursery. Hannah is less old (than Piers) today HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH we hope you have a lovely day and only wish there was a magic tram line between New York and Brookend so you and Dan and Gabe (and Erez when he's back) could be instantly transported to join us. We miss you. This was us in 1980...together with my dad and Katherine and Crispin- who didn't win an Oscar yesterday but must have had an amazing night.
Yesterday we were looking out of our window at the green field on the other side of the river and noticed that a woman was sitting beside a lying horse and a land rover was driving across the field towards them.
A couple of men, including our neighbour, got out and walked towards them. The woman put her arms around the horse and then, as the man stood in front of it, it struggled to its feet. The man stood in front of the horse, took out a gun, pointed it at the centre of the horse's forehead and killed it. The sound of the shot thudded over the field and we felt it inside our house. The horse tumbled, instantly dead. The woman sat down with it and cradled its head in her arms for a few minutes. It was a huge shock. It's not part of our daily lives, violent death. I thought of taking a photograph of the horse which was then dragged across the field to a waiting trailer. But it seemed intrusive so I didn't. But it dovetails with all the discussion about horsemeat which we have on the news all the time. First of all I don't understand why people are so exercised about eating horse- if they eat beef and lamb why not horse? (That horse , I assume, will go to the Hunt kennels where fallen animals are boiled up and fed to the hounds) The scandal is not horsemeat but the way meat is super processed in an unaccountable, untraceable way. We have for a long time refused to eat ham which looks innocuous but is, when you read the label "formed ham" which means it is scoured from pickings at the slaughterhouse and the scrapings at food processing places. It is a horrid mixture cemented with gel and dyed to look ham-pink. And mostly it tastes horrible and synthetic. No the problem is really should we be eating meat at all. I don't think we should. I like cows, enjoy lambs and sheep and watched with pleasure a herd of goats which spent last summer in the same field over the river but which disappeared one morning to be turned into Halal meat, each one to be strung up with a cut throat dying slowly as it blood drained. I want to be a vegetarian but I still can blank off my mind about the connection between meat and creatures. Yesterday we had roast beef. It smelled and tasted wonderful. Somewhere, last month, someone killed that bullock like someone killed the horse yesterday but no one cuddled it before or after death. How do we llive with that? btw the horse was 38 years old and had been "retired" for the last 10 years. I talked to its owner, it had evidenlty been in great pain and she had to make the hard decision to have it shot it or to kill it by injection, She was of course grief stricken. |