This is a tale of books, having pulled out Frances Spalding book of John Piper to flit through I began to want to read her Vanessa Bell book, which I had left behind with many others book in the old house. So I tackled Amazon only to find that it was either a £121 to get a good copy or £16 odd for a paperback, well you can guess which one I sent for. The booksellers make a good profit, my copy had a £2 sticker on it!
My love says who is Vanessa Bell? Bloomsbury people I say, not sure whether to call this artistic group dissolute or anything else but they are fascinating and of course Vanessa was sister to Virginia Woolf, very artistic in her own right, painted within the house at Charleston in her own style along with Duncan Grant and she even designed fabric. I'm not saying I like her art, but I like the expression of it if that makes sense.
The lives of the moderately well off in the early 20th century is a tale of class and inherited wealth, the Bloomsbury group were breaking away from the social and polite manners of this time and enough has been written of them individually but Vanessa was a striking woman, not only for her beauty but because she followed her artistic career whilst running a home and caring for three children and managing to keep her lovers in line as friends as well.
The lives of the moderately well off in the early 20th century is a tale of class and inherited wealth, the Bloomsbury group were breaking away from the social and polite manners of this time and enough has been written of them individually but Vanessa was a striking woman, not only for her beauty but because she followed her artistic career whilst running a home and caring for three children and managing to keep her lovers in line as friends as well.
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Snowdrops are never quite wild, these planted in a little copse have covered the ground under the trees. |
The snowdrops are two weeks early this year.
http://www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk/snowdrops.htm
