a play of shine

My garden blazes shades of amber
in this autumn of light

west sun diamond bright
on the spider net

leaves pricked half-way
between sky and earth glow gold

a ruby red apple
burning russet flames.

These are my heart-stones,
held safe for winter,

a curation of light,
a play of shine.

Alice Christie
24 ix 13

Il Santino, via Santo Spirito

We eat out a lot on holiday:
places that we have researched in advance,
recommendations from locals,
menus that catch our eye.

My best meal during our week in Florence
was a spur of the moment choice:
Il Santino on Via Santo Spirito.

Il Santino is a tiny wine bar
attached to a well known restaurant,
Osteria del Santo Bevitore.

We stopped for a light Sunday lunch:
a tomato salad, glass of wine, good bread.

The food is freshly prepared in front of you
and the wine is chosen according to what you eat.

There was a curiously zen atmosphere,
very peaceful and relaxing.
We read 'Il Messagero'
and planned our week in Florence.

I finally permitted myself to breathe out
during that hour perched on cafe chairs.

I can't promise Il Santino will transform your life too
but I can definitely recommend
the tomato and mozzarella salad.

In the Renaissance Workshop

I approached the first day with trepidation.
Painting is not my recreation of choice.

Did the sight of goose feathers and oak gall ink
increase or decrease my confidence?

"Decrease" is the correct answer.

But all was not lost!
I have not forgotten how to use tracing paper
and so could fearlessly copy masterpieces
and reinterpret them in the Basic style.

This is Ellie, History of Art graduate,
demonstrating crazy quill and ink skills.

The Renaissance Workshop used a variety of ingredients:
silverpoint drawing on a surface of crushed bird bone,
oak gall ink, lamp black ink,
rabbit skin glue, ox glue.
sienna, ochre, umber, vermillion,
lapis lazuli, azurite, orcein,
lime white, lead white, gold leaf.

And egg yolk.

Here is a master class
by Professor Alan Pascuzzi,
academic, artist and teacher,
on how to crack an egg.

The egg yolk is used as emulsion
for pigment in tempera paintings.

First apply gold leaf to your icon
and then paint.

With egg yolk.

Simple. No?

This is the lovely Marianne
carefully re-creating an icon.

I should explain that egg tempera dries quickly
so you have to know what you are doing.
Which I did not.
(Imagine a learner driver on the M25)

Wet fresco plaster dries even quicker.
You need to finish painting within an hour.
Which I did not.
(Imagine a learner driver in the fast lane of M25)

Here is MrM concentrating hard.
I think he looks quite adorable.

I must regretfully admit
that MrM's icon was better than mine.
Mine looked like Wendy the Witch.

*****

We both had a most enjoyable week
and the informative lectures,
site visits and practical sessions
have completely changed
our appreciation of Renaissance art.

Many thanks to the British Institute
and to Professor Alan Pascuzzi
who was incredibly patient
with his Renaissance 'apprentices'.

Florence en plein air

We have just returned from a week in Florence.

I don't want you think this was
a week of hedonistic sight seeing, shopping
and sampling the various gelateria.

Oh no.

MrM decided that we needed to do an art course,
looking at masterpieces in the morning
and learning the techniques in the afternoon.

What could possibly go wrong?

Renaissance Art for Beginners
is not for the faint-hearted reader.

I thought it was only fair
to give you a day's warning.

Get a good nights sleep.
Have some rescue remedy at hand.
You have been warned.

In the meantime
here are some photos of Florence.

You're welcome.

This poem is tired...

I am sorry that I have been away.

I was so tired.

Not depressed, stressed or ill...

 just plain, old fashioned tired.

Not the sort of tired that needs a good nights sleep.

Not the sort of tired that needs a holiday in the sunshine.

This was run-out-of-steam, hit-the-buffers tired.

I knew what the problem was,

I knew what needed to be done,

and I have done those things

although it has taken a while.

Now I will pick up where I left off.

There are things to tell you

so let's get busy.

*****

Thank you, my friends,
for your gentle and concerned emails.
Every one of them meant
a great deal to me.

*****
Credit to Murray Lachlan Young
for the title of this post
from his brilliant performance poem
on Radio 6 this morning (9.06)

MrM, counsellor

Plato Teapot
Designer Martin Hunt (2004)

MrsM
The thing I dislike about myself the most
is my ability to completely forget
that I have made a cup of tea.
I turn around 10 minutes later
and find a half cold, stewed mug of tea.

MrM
You need to get out more.
In the spectrum of personal vice
that is not really making the grade.

MrsM
But I can't understand
how I can forget
I have made a cup of tea
within 2 minutes of making it.

MrM
You are busy. End of.

MrsM
Right.

image : © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

indulgences

Tonight I am NOT going to indulge in self-pity
about the (insert rude word here) new Finance System.

To prevent myself from doing this
(which is very tempting)
I will take a tip from my dear friend, Nancy,
and make a list of small indulgences


1.
Jade nail polish for toes

2.
Carmine asters in a blue jug

3.
White sun dried sheets

4.
Opening the back door
to look at the pale rain-washed sky.

5.
Creamy mounds of vanilla frappucino

6.
Stroking the visiting tortoiseshell cat

7.
A message to MasterM.
"I raise you a brown bulldog in a green swing"

8.
Talking autumn clothes strategy with MissM.
"grey is the way forward"

9.
Looking through my collection of photos
of blue Portuguese tiles.
(It's large)

10.
A tray of perfect red strawberries
- a gift for our new neighbours.

Right - that's enough.
I feel better already.

I will call the helpdesk tomorrow.

nightlight

After a long day of driving I light the candles and sit outside with MissM. We drink hot chocolate and chat about this and that.

A warm still night, the summer stretches out before us, anything seems possible.

cherry-ripe

simple pleasures...

sometimes you need to stop
what you are doing,

pause,

and count cherry stones

the world comes to me

"Tea break at the cave
with the best lemon drizzle cake
we've ever tasted.
Thanks Alice!"

I couldn't go the cave this year
so I sent a cake by special delivery.

This message on twitter made my day.

(image : @danmclean3)