Monday 14 June 2010

Flower-filled, to counter apocalyptic visions


Another three day weekend in three locations. Norfolk, London, Northamptonshire. Tiring, and no time to put on a wash or buy milk for Monday's breakfast, but plenty of train time to read at least*.

Home-grown salad, dusky pink lupins, poppies as big as saucers and a truly scary scarecrow. Charity shop browsing and buying far too many books. A muntjac deer, startled on the lawn.

Trooping of the Colour at Horse Guards Parade, polished brass, scarlet jackets, well trained horses, marching bands. The RAF Red Arrows at the fly by. Red, white and blue smoke streaked across a blue and white sky.

Bleeding hearts and borrowed trainers, a walk brisk walk through still-green wheat fields, a pub lunch. Excitable dogs and a nonplussed tortoise, wild poppies blazing in the hedgerows.

Home in time to fall into bed and start the week all over again.









*The Road by Cormac McCarthy, harrowing, with its vision of an apocalyptic, burnt-out world, moving in its depiction of how humanity and love can remain, even in the most desolate of situations. Turned the final page whilst sitting in the late afternoon sunshine overlooking a green field, took a deep breath and left its ash-filled pages for the lush greenery of the English countryside in early summer, and felt so, so grateful.

Then Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, only a few chapters in, but already absorbed by its eloquence.

9 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures, sounds like you had a lovely weekend.

    Cormac McCarthy is a favourite of mine, he writes with such power of emotion.

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  2. I have The Road on my mountain of Books To Read, and I can never quite decide that I have the strength for it. Everyone who's described it to me has used the word "harrowing" so I think I need to feel un-harrowed to begin! Maybe next month ...

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  3. how weird. i knew, i just knew (before i scrolled down the post) that you were reading The Road. i found it unspeakably moving/harrowing and cried several times during reading it. McCarthy takes you to a place where you truly do not want to linger.

    thank goodness then for the bucolic nature of an English summer. beautifully captured by your glorious photographs.

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  4. Beautiful photos, and a very active weekend. The scarecrow is something I have not seen before. Scary.

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  5. Aww I'm sorry you didn't get much rest my dear!

    Sounds like a beautiful weekend anyway :)

    I hope you enjoy Moon Tiger! x x x

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  6. That scarecrow reminds me of V for Vendetta. Scary indeed! What beautiful photos - love the little wise tortoise face.

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  7. Sorry haven't replied sooner over the muntjac - you must be right, they are taking over East Anglia!
    One good thing came out of being up at 4:30am on Friday, that was a muntjac came across our lawn promptly followed by a baby. Totally gorgeous
    xx

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  8. that is the creepiest scarecrow i have ever seen.

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