My Early Christmas present to myself!

I  enjoyed Beata Zatorska's first book the beautiful Rose petal Jam and have been waiting for the promised sequel Sugared Orange.

 

I was delighted to get my copy from Amazon a few days ago and have been savouring it every time I have a moment spare. Beata's first book was a memoir of her journey one summer to her homeland Poland. She now lives in Australia  working as a doctor and now she and her husband have made  another journey to Poland in the depths of winter.  Both books are full of recipes ,family photographs, poetry and the glorious scenery of her country.

She tells her family story with great love and nostalgia. The new book carries this story further into the cold Polish winter when icicles  hang and the woods are shrouded in snowflakes.

More stories of her beloved Granny, Mother, Aunts, her childhood and the food that marked all their lives.

Some of the images she uses are paintings by Olga Boznanska a polish painter of the 19th century .

Olga's self portrait.

Beata uses this delightful painting of a sleeping child by another Polish painter,

He was also a writer and designer and spent some time in the company of Gauguin.His work reminds me a little of some of Carl Larsson's work.

 Another gentle study by Olga

This unusual  pose is by  Stanislaw.

I love this one.

So you see my self indulgence has brought me to some delightful paintings and a journey in winter to a romantic land of old  lamplit cobbled streets,cafe society and snowy landscapes not to mention the scrumpious recipes and beautiful poetry that leap from the pages of this truly exquisite book.  I can almost hear sound of a plaintive gypsy violin escaping into the frosty air and rising into a black starry night.

I can only hope Beata will visit her homeland again in the spring and autumn!

 



Pre -Raphaelites agogo!

I have been getting together an event for the library,really exciting subject too.
A wonderful lady called Kit Williams got chatting to me in the library several months ago. She asked me to help her find some info on Frida Kahlo and I was able to help her.
I asked her if she ever gave lectures and she said yes she relished giving them so we have had a very well attended Frida Kahlo Event and now we are are about to do the Pre-RaphaeliteBrotherhood.

I have always loved their art and enjoyed reading around their circles. They were a really radical group  and changed art for ever with there subject  matter and luminous colours. Revolutionary in their day to some they now seem a bit old hat but I will always love them.

I was lucky enough to see this painting by Holman Hunt  in London and the colors and movement really blew me away!

At the library we are going to have our own "Stunner" reading from Tennyson,Rossetti and Keats.

Anyone around Truro interested in coming on the 7th of November?

No more time to muse today!

 

Another Balmy Autumn

 

 

Every Autumn I am amazed at the beauty of the falling year and the sense of calming down and peace that pervades the atmosphere.

 

 

The colours change to red and gold, the glory of red berries returns and I realize that I do not have to rush,there is a choice.

 

The mists return and shroud the countryside in a gentle mysticism making me want to read of mythic lands and enchantment.

 

The woods give up their tasty treasures!The joy of an Autumn omlette and a glass of robust red wine.

The first lighting of the woodstove with the scent of dried herbs and a candle in the dusk.

The land bathes in  a burnished gold and during the day the heat of the sun is still with us.

Still later flowers bloom and the fruit trees give us their bounty, the moon is big in the sky.

 Haiku byKyoshi

 

he says a word

and I say a word-Autumn

is deepening

 

Haiku byArima Akito

 

late Autumn-

a single chair waiting

for someone yet to come

 

Enjoy the season one and all!

 



Summer has not felt like a blogging time!

Well quite a lot of things have happened this summer,we have celebrated Mum's 90th year,my daughters 40th birthday and my grandson has introduced me to "Despicable me" films!

At my daughters birthday party I met some of her teaching friends, an amazing lot of dedicated people who try to educate children here in Cornwall. 

 I think I am a bit of an embarrassment to my daughter as I cling to my "Hippie origins".I was observed flitting about with a continuously refilled glass of Cava!

All parents of course are slightly disconcerting for their offspring especially when they can't slot them into the accepted roll. However I feel now at that I am comfortable in my own skin!

The lady above epitomises many women of my generation,isn't she great?

I was really only a weekend hippie and therefor not quite pukka!

The summer days had the scent of grass in both senses of the word!

I would love to have been a leggy blond like Patti but I had to be satisfied with being a very tiny one!

 I loved William Morris  and still do!

 

For he on honeydew has fed,

and drunk the milk of paradise!

I learnt to meditate and tried to find that inner peace that so eluded me!

Thought maybe Che was the answer to injustice and poverty.

 Loved round glasses

Feeling free!

Put flowers in my hair and talked about ,love ,peace and how our parents had messed up the world!

Loved thin ,intellectual men carrying poetry books,always a danger sign I now realise !!

I still live in hope!

Anyway I know a lot of people say that the times were indulgent,dangerous and  irresponsible but I still hope I retain a lot of the liberal mindedness and hope that so many of us felt. Nothing is perfect,drug use backfired and a hippy who was hit over the head by the law sometimes became a Yippie. I hope to have learnt as I have travelled through life and I think that I would rather not look like this now!

They are gorgeous though!?

 

Every summer should be a summer of love and every day a day of hope and discovery!