The epilogue to Dancing the Maypole is unfolding (just a very little way to go). Yesterday I went into Stamford to help a friend pack up her flat. You know you’re out of shape when after attempting to squash five overcoats into one of those air lock bags lifting the bundle makes your arms ache (to be fair this was after hours of packing bags, taping up boxes and generally getting in the way and rudely asking every five minutes ‘is that rubbish?’). The Goblin dropped me off on his way to work so I had an hour before she was expecting me so I headed for the meadow by the river to take photos. It was a lovely day, but exhausting. Today I woke up late feeling like I could cheerfully sleep the rest of the day so I crawled back in bed with the book I’ve been reading (Harriette Wilson’s Memoir’s) and stayed there for hours without any intention of getting up. You’ll be hearing more about Harriette! I’ve known about her for ages, but as she was a pricey prostitute (courtesan) I presumed it would be boring. I’m the bore for passing judgement before I’d read the first few pages.
She has the most fantastic voice, but even better than that she couldn’t be bothered with boring people (particularly boring men no matter who they were). This is the woman who published a list of the people she was going to write about and advertised the fact that anyone who paid a mere 200 pounds would be erased from her memoirs. We know who didn’t pay for her silence! This isn’t just a list of famous people she knew. These are vignettes of her life and her sisters (three of whom were also courtesans though one married her Lordly lover and retired). Some of the stories are hilarious. It’s like having your ear to a magic keyhole into Regency England. You can’t see what’s going on, but you can hear them talking. I highly recommend it and I’m only half way through. Harriette wasn’t a great beauty, but I can understand why she captivated so many men. She always said what she thought. She was a truth-fairy! In the age of cant (as Byron called it) she must have been a breath of pure oxygen. So that was my day. I was so tired I couldn’t feel anything beyond my sore aching muscles and drooping eyelids so writing was beyond me, but it was a healing day. Tomorrow I’ll crack open the story and see what happens next.
Here are some of my favorite shots from Monday morning…
What a kind person you are to help your friend packing to move from her flat. And being so consider not intruding on her morning to early. That is why you were blessed with these excellent pictures. Each shot is stiking and tell a story. The light to dark inky leaves on the water, the fowl enjoying their morning sun, and even the reflection of the sparrow on the water. Thanks for sharing.
I love the photographs. Eagerly await the finished story. Those pictures remind me of the arboretum we have here in Minnesota. I just took some pictures there. Anyway as the say in the Netherlands (I am 1/4 Dutch) Tot straks (til later)
@donna
I don’t know if I was a help or a hindrance, but I enjoyed the day. I felt very very blessed to see all those lovely views (and capture a few). There’s this great Creativity self-help book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It really helped me learn how to take care of my inner artist. One of those ways is through seeing (or finding) beauty. Often it’s not what we look at, but how we look at it or even from where we look at it. One step to the left can take us from an average nice view into a magical view. That never ceases to amaze me!
@Levita
Thanks Levita! Today, if the sick Goblin doesn’t need too much attention, I shall nose my way back into the epilogue and see what happens. The Netherlands are on my list of places I want to visit. I have some ancestors (too far up on the tree for me to calculate a fraction) who originated from the Low Countries. I SO want a pair of those wooden shoes (to wear).
Well since I am really tan and have curly hair it would be very out of sorts to wear them. So you go on and wear them.
@Levita
If I ever get to Amsterdam and have a pair made for my flat feet I’ll be sharing photos! 🙂