Ciclo Dei Mesi - Luglio - ca. 1400
Torre dell'Aquila, nel Castello del Buonconsiglio di Trento
Torre dell'Aquila, nel Castello del Buonconsiglio di Trento
July, the month of haymaking.
Named in honour of the Roman emperor, Julius Cesar.
Nowadays haymaking in Europe is more or less over by July, which means that climatic conditions must have changed considerably over the past 1200 years.
The Sun enters the House of Leo.
The man born under Leo shall be hardy, he shall speak openly, and be merciful; but he shall be arrogant in words. At thirty years he shall be damaged, but shall eschew that peril; he shall have goods by temporal services, and as much as he loseth, he shall win. He will go often on pilgrimages, and suffer pain of the sight. He shall fall from on high; at thirty-six years he shall be bitten of a dog, and shall live ninety-four years after nature.
The woman shall be a great liar, fair, well-spoken, pleasant, merciful, and may not suffer to see men weep. Her first husband shall not live long, but she shall live to get great riches, and shall have children of three men. She shall live seventy-eight years after nature.
Kalendar of Shepheardes 1604
Am I the only person who finds Lorrie Moore's
"A Gate At The Stairs" a little too simile-laden?
I have just finished reading the novel. To begin with, I loved her
lyrical language, read many sentences twice and three times to inhale their full flavour, wanting to get to know both the characters of the story and the author, who was new to me. By about page fifty I needed the story to proceed a little less wordily. Half way through, I felt it dragging, although it certainly picked up speed again after Tassie learns of her employers' secret.
The reviews have been glowing and I feel slightly uncomfortable
saying this.
For those of you who have forgotten that I have a castle sitting just outside the garden hedge, here is a reminder. All that separates me from the castle grounds is a hedge which consists of rose bushes, and a dry moat. My hands and bare arms are scratched and torn, bleeding and punctured by the pricks of a thousand thorns. This is the time of year when I prune my roses for a second and third flush; I need fearless, leather-skinned Gardener back. Being unable to work while wearing gauntlets, I must suffer the consequences.
wow that last pic is tremendous...the colors and the ruins....mmm....leo, now you are in my house...and it got a bit of it right...those darn arrogant words...lol...
ReplyDeleteThere was a biography of Cleopatra published last year that was praised in reviews this way: The author never wrote a boring sentence.
ReplyDeleteWithin two chapters, I was longing for boring sentences. Either a story is good enough to carry itself part of the way (and one would think that if any story met that criterion, it would be Cleopatra's) or it ain't and should be told as a short story. I like my reading to make feints toward literature, but I like for it to go somewhere, too.
Don't feel bad. You probably gave a more honest critique than most and I'm pretty sure I'd agree with you.
Friko, I do hope that your roses will have another blooming session, that your rose-thorned injuries will quickly heal, and that Gardener will be back on the scene before too long.
ReplyDeletexo
I wish we could compare arms - mine are scratched and bleeding from pulling Himalayan Blackberry. Roses are still in their first flush here, and oh so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe view from your garden is rather spectacular - do you still see it that way or is it old hat now?
There is something to scratched arms from trimming roses or picking blackberries that is rather comforting.
ReplyDeleteI'm presently reading Chabon's "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" and am having a hard time with the story because I get hung up on how good his writing is and start thinking about his writing rather than the story.
Oh Friko - thank you for sharing that beautiful photo of your garden tumbling down out of the castle ruins. What could say "England" more than that?!
ReplyDeleteThe photograph of your castle is gorgeous--though what a price you must pay, eh? Of course I love the illumination of haymaking at the head of the post and the accompanying quotes. As for Lorrie Moore: I don't know this book, though I long ago read some of her short stories. The stand-out was "People Like That Are the Only People Here." I remember hearing her read once, too, and commenting wistfully that this story had become so famous it had eclipsed others of her stories. I think she may have been right.
ReplyDelete'The reviews have been glowing and I feel slightly uncomfortable
ReplyDeletesaying this.'
I notice it is only a 'slight' discomfort. :)
Hello:
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful expression, 'I have a castle sitting just outside the garden hedge'. Surely this must become the opening line of your own novel with its sense of mystery, intrigue, and place?!
We confess not to know of Lorrie Moore which makes us feel 'slightly uncomfortable'. Is this a first novel or is our ignorance to be compounded further?
Like you, we could never garden in gloves. Our 'balcony' work is effortless and requires nothing beyond a pair of nail scissors.
I checked Amazon.com for reviews of that book, and they weren't so glowing. One concluded that it is a sad book, which means I will not be reading it. I seem to live the mood of whatever book I'm reading while I'm reading it, and I don't want to go there.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if haying methods have changed, perhaps more than the climate. If you had to do it all with scythes and wooden rakes, maybe the first cutting wouldn't be so efficient as to rule out a second...?
And that castle!!! Your photos always enchant me. I'd be up and wandering around in it at all hours!
It seems that all castles are surrounded by thorns.
ReplyDelete"The man born under Leo shall be hardy, he shall speak openly..." Only when he's not lion.
ReplyDeleteI am mad about yellow roses, my absolute favorite. I need a good yellow rose bush for my perennial bed. I must search for one that can tolerate 103 degree heat. A third blooming? Amazing. Meanwhile back the hayfield....in the year noted, Europe would have been at the beginning of the little ice age, hence the short summers and July harvest. Dianne
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful view of and from your garden. How much better does it get than having a castle in your back yard?
ReplyDeleteHaven't read the book and typically don't read reviews of books or movies for that matter. I figure anyone who writes reviews has seen or read so many they are jaded. But I'll probably not read this one.
Every corner of your garden is delightful , though shredded arms does seem a high price to pay .
ReplyDeleteAs for the assessment of Leos ....?
Well , it's true , I lie like a trooper .
I'm still working on the pleasant , merciful and possessed of great riches bit .It's just as well I'm going to live till I'm 78!
Certainly worth trimming away the rose bushes and their thorns to get a sight and scene like that. And -haven't read the book - but am strangely intrigued!
ReplyDeleteAfter I read your beautiful words, a quote sprang to mind:
ReplyDelete"I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills." - Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen).
Your post made me feel exactly as I did when I read Out of Africa: as if I wanted to go to that place immediately, that it would be the exact place my heart would finally be filled.
As a Leo myself, I am not sure what to think about the other part of what you have written! :)
I read all your back posts – you have been prolific and written some spirited posts. I was away in Tennessee then spent too many hours glued to my TV watching the Tour – but then I won’t be watching much TV for the rest of the year. I like your blue raincoat – very fetching (from the back.) Last year when we were going to San Antonio, Texas, and rain was in the forecast I went to the local department store here to buy a raincoat and could not find a single one – they said it was not the rainy season ….
ReplyDeleteYour tale of the seven maidens – ouch…. I am sorry for gardener and hope he will get back to you soon and be in good health and spirits. If I had such a view of a crumbling castle from my garden I think I would get back to my paints and easel that are packed away and start painting again – what a view!
Can't speak to the climate or the book, but your castle photo is spectacular! A feast for the eyes! May your rose-wounds heal promptly :)
ReplyDeleteAlways so much, dear lady,
ReplyDeleteladen with variety, with different
directions, different conclusions;
a cornucopia of ample servings of
wisdom, humor, and love.
Didn't know that about July.
My favorite roman emperor was
Glutius Maximus.
The book you mention is one like
the constant flow of books my
sweet wife reads; hardly remembering
the titles, but blessed with a voracious
appetite for reading.
And as to your gardening treatise,
this is how I saw it:
For Those of You
For those of you who have forgotten
that I have a castle sitting
just outside the garden hedge,
here is a reminder.
All that separates me
from the castle grounds is a hedge
which consists of rose bushes, and a dry moat.
My hands and bare arms are scratched and torn,
bleeding and punctured by the pricks
of a thousand thorns.
This is the time of year when I prune my roses
for a second and third flush;.
Being unable to work while wearing gauntlets,
I must suffer the consequences.
the literary Lorrie is a darling of those in the know- but I trust YOUR instincts more!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Waikiki;
Comfort Spiral
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> < } } ( ° >
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such beauty around you!
ReplyDeleteSuch an enchanting view! But what are a few thorns compared to another round of such beauty as this...
ReplyDeletethere's absoultely nothing to be worried about or embarrassed about if you don't enjoy a book just because everyone else says you should - it just means you have a mind of your own
ReplyDeleteLove the view of the castle
I envy you your castle, Friko. I might even be prepared to tolerate the thorns to be able to view it! I know I've said it before...but you REALLY do live in a magical setting. No wonder you have such a creative mind!
ReplyDeleteAnother intriguing post from you. I'm reading a book that's making me quite miserable but something in it drives me on, more than the usual 'I've started, so I'll finish.' I shan't read the one you disliked.
ReplyDeleteYour poor hands and arms - I hope they're less sore now.
A charming miscellany! I can't help envy you that castle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing "your" castle and the secret of ever-blooming roses.
ReplyDelete