Well due to a large area of depression I have been quiet, the weather is the dullest grey imaginable. But things do happen, yesterday we went to Helmsley for a cup of coffee at the Walled Garden cafe by the castle, unfortunately it was closed, but found a lovely little cafe in the town centre, dog friendly, and good coffee, somewhere we shall be going back to. A few tourists mooched around Helmsley and I bought some gruyere cheese from the delicattessen but no emmenthal cheese for fondue. There are things missing from this part of Yorkshire and also aubergine is one of them.
We had been to the vets, Lucy has been limping around with her old war wound, on the pads of her foot. The vet said it was a common occurence in cocker spaniels, so tomorrow she goes for a small operation on her foot and to have her teeth cleaned. LS said 'wow, we have a whole day off from her' our mad as a box of frogs silly dog, but we will both be worried ;) And what a commotion there will be after the operation and having to keep a dressing and sock on her!
Also just finished Carr's A month in the Country, the jist of the story is about a young man just back from that terrible first World War, he is paid to restore an 500 year old painting in a church. He sleeps in the belfry of the church and has a friend Moon who is an archaeologist and is digging for the grave, in an adjoining field, of a knight killed about the same time as the painting. Our narrator uncovers one of the most common paintings of the time, The Day of judgement, those ascending and those descending, and amongst the people is a prominent person with a scar on his face. He is villified at the time by the villagers, and is a bit of a mystery. Of course as the book ends the person in the grave that Moon uncovers turns out to be him, they find a Muslim crescent on his chest - our knight is a heretic, sold his soul to save his skin.
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St.George and the slaying of the dragon on the left and St.Christopher on the right |
It reminded me of Pickering church with all its vast walls of paintings, the stories of what happens to the wicked writ large in paint, I have written about these paintings in a earlier blog, they remind me of the picture books you read to young children. The tones of morality of course are not for children but naive people who could not read. It struck me that Banksy is the street artist of our lifetime, his morality shines out like a beacon on street walls, we are reminded in vivid terms what really makes the world turn around....
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| Too many Banksy's to choose from. Ironic. |
Yes, I loved the JL Carr book too Thelma.
ReplyDeleteRe Lucy having to have her teeth cleaned. I sprinkle PlaqueOff on Tess's food every evening. It seems to be tasteless as she doesn't reject it. It is seaweed and since she has been having it her breath has been sweeter and her teeth seem much whiter. I got it at the pet shop - quite expensive but long lasting because you need so little.
Re wrens - they are such pretty little birds aren't they? They never come to the bird table, but I see them from my kitchen window as they go along the hedge bottom searching for food.
I'll keep that powder in mind Pat, LS always swears by the beneficial nutrition of seaweed! Wrens are so tiny but compact, sometimes I am sure that the terrible 'red list' of diminishing birds is there just to frighten us, though of course I know some are rapidly disappearing in the fields, but then look at the robin...
DeleteBanksy is an amazing artist dealing with social issues. Even better than Wei Wei.
ReplyDeleteHe started in Bristol, and as I lived in Bath wich is just down the road, in his non- famous days, the art of graffiti spread to our town as well. Wei-Wei, doesn't go down a bomb in this household because one of his projects was smashing old Chinese bowls.
DeleteWhat an interesting post today.
ReplyDeleteThe wall painting is so wonderful. How amazing to be able to see it.
Must look up the book.
cheers, parsnip
Hi Parsnip, it is a gentle little book, a small story scratched out from the countryside. Wall paintings can be found in a few churches, mostly they were painted over with lime wash to protect them, or to get rid of them, Victorian priests had high moral standards;)
DeleteI mentioned today to Jim that surely this January is the wettest and darkest since we have lived in Kentucky--he's not sure that is so.
ReplyDeleteLucy does seem to have a rather mad turn of mind--as I often remark to our cats, its a good thing that we love them enough to tolerate their disruptions.
Morning Sharon, she lived up to all expectations last night wandering around moaning, but she can get up the stairs and jump on the sofa, so from now on it is the business of getting tablets down her.
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