Romantic Films
Pure escapism on a winter's night.
Top of my list forever is Il Postino.
Your absolute fabourites please!
Pure escapism on a winter's night.
Top of my list forever is Il Postino.
Your absolute fabourites please!
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I am so deeply moved by yesterday's brilliant image I am finding it hard to get beyonnd it. It works on so many levels and tells at least ten stories. I will leave it up for another day. I think it will become iconic. Not today thankfully - it has been sunny and very cold. This is the title of one of my favourite paintings by another artist in the village - painter Jackie Stevenson. I am sure you will enjoy her watercolours of the local landscape. See here. She is particularly good at capturing the ever changing weather, and you may recognise some of the scenery! One of the talented artists who lives in our village is Guy Elder who built this wonderful pavilion in his garden. I am sure you will enjoy browsing his website here. 
Without  and within.  The moonlight on the frosty ground in the night has been so bright, and the warmth from the stove so comforting. I hope you are cosy. I am listening to The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Her desctiptions of deep cold in Alaska and it's physical and psychological effects are riveting. ..is what we are all having to deal with, isn't it? I am, like you, naking all these plans for events which might not happen! Friends and family are affected by Covid (still arounnd), jury duty, rail strikes, cancelled flights, changed or even cancelled appointments, sudden hospitalisations, and sheer exhaustion coping with it all. Here on the blog I am focussing on the certainties and the small beautiful things which are happening around me I am pretty certain that this extravagant bunch of gypsophila will delight me every day for the rest of December and maybe beyond.  And that sunlight on cold water will continue to mesmerise,  and that the birch against the blue sky will look amazing for a while yet.  and that there will be blue skies!
What things can you be certain of? In this episode Lisa Leendertz reminds us that we are moving into the darker season and that night and datkness will soon dominate, but I find myself aware of the quality of the light, diffuse and mysterious on misty days...  There is a wonderful collection of ceramics at The Burrell and I was struck by how very modern many of the vases and bowls looked. This could have been made by a skilled contemporary studio potter. I particularly like the asymmetry of the glaze at the foot.  In fact it was made during the Tang dynasty some time between 618 and 907. Next time I go to the Burrell I plan to take a longer look at the porcelain which seems to me to have a very modern aesthetic, and that makes me feel a closeness to those makers of so long ago. Beautiful. 10 out of 10 for the refurbishment of this fabulous collection! See it if you can.         Beauty sustains me. Even in the worst of times there is beauty all around - a comforting gestrue, a sympathetic glance, a snile. I remember being struck by writings and poetry from the first wrld war about people in truly hellish situtions stopping, even at great danger to themselves, to notice something beautiful. Violets In Plug Street Wood by Roland in Vera Brittain's Testamennt of Youth comes to mind.  Here is my first post under Simply Beautiful And I wonder how this beautiful project is going? I do hope you wil have time to browse Simply Beautiful. I have had a lovely morning looking through these happy memories. Thank you so much Susan in Dorset for this link. I loved this podcast in particular - Yarn, Yarn, Yarn
..and blue blue skies.  We are having glorious weather!
We are havng beautiful butterfly weather. This male orange tip obligingly waited while I went to fetch the camera.  I heard this poem on Radio 3 the other morning. I absolutely love the imagery, and have read it over and over. A new favourite! ...the scene in moonlight. I woke in the night and found the snow was thick above the tree line (much of it has melted in lovely sunshine today). The sky was a rich blue and dark enough to be starry, the forest was black and the moon shone on the brilliant band of snow. Dazzlingly beautiful.  I hope you have all been spared storm damage.. ..feeling good. A few dry days, more birdsong, and this on my doorstep. And the uploading problem fixed itself! Do you find yourself feeling more positive?    It's not often I see thIe beauty of the dawn, but awake at 5 I noticed the first rays of the sun lighting up the yellow gate and I just had to go out and try and get a photograph. Unfortunately I also got a big insect bite on my leg. :-( But I did get the best part of the day.,,   ..and so beautiful.
I put on quilted coat, another scarf, woolly hat and gloves and stood out in the garden till my eyes adjusted a bit to the dark. The moon had a bright halo, and to the left of it Orion stood out first. As I watched more and more stars seemed to switch on until the sky was brilliant with them. It's awe inspiring, isn't it - a frosty starry night! Indoors again before my nose froze, to a glowing fire and a late supper of ripe pear, feta cheese and walnuts and a little glass of wine. The water is heating for a deep hot bath. Happy.. for a superb exhibition of Medieval Sculptures. Here are some of my favourites.  St Helena and St Katharina were carved from limewood between 1490 and 1500 in Germany and still have some traces, over 500 years later, of the original paint.  St Helena (left) was the mother of Constantine the Great and travelled widely in the fourth century seeking holy relics and having churches built. I wonder what travel was like then? She was thought to be in her 80's when she went to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. There is a St Helen's church in York where Constantine was proclaimed emperor on the death of his father, and she was known in Cyprus too, and I have a special admiration for her. For some unaccountable reason I always get a little thrill when I come across her.  It felt rather special to meet her this afternoon at the first exhibition I have been to for ages.   Here is St Anne teaching the young Virgin to read. She looks like a very severe teacher. Made about 1400 from oak with original paint and gilding, this comes from southern France. Imagine making the fabric of the headdress from solid oak.  St John the Evangelist is also German and carved from limewood around 1520. It was the beauty of the carving which struck me most in this one.    I wondered who made it all those years ago with such skill and attention, even to the fingernails, and what their world was like. This beautiful exhibition took me out of myself for a couple of hours. Details here.  While waiting for the bus  From the bus window  So tranquil |
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October 2024
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