I should have been spending a few days with my mum this week, but as London is now in tier 2 measures ,I was unable to do this. Although not altogether unexpected it was of course disappointing for both of us. Consequently, I have been finding much comfort and calm in nature, art and poetry this week, which is always a good place to find both!
Poetry
After a recent visit to Keats House in Hampstead I have become very interested in this poets short but fruitful life. It was such peaceful place to be and I’ll be sharing more of my visit there soon. In the mean time, I have been captivated by Ben Whishaw reciting John Keate’s poem To Autumn. It is so appropriate for the current season.You can listen to him here. Do have a listen, its just beautiful.
Art
I was sorry to miss the Gaughin and the Impressionists exhibition at the Royal Academy recently. However I was very pleased to discover a virtual tour on the Royal Academy’s website. The tour is about 25 mins long and gently takes you around the paintings with some calming music playing in the background. It was a lovely way to view masterpieces from Monet, Renoir, Pissaro and so many more. And all from the comfort of my own sofa with a cup of tea.
You can find the virtual tour here.
Nature
Getting outside for walks or runs and just to be in the fresh air has been so important to us all this year hasn’t it. I think most of us have perhaps connected with nature and the changing seasons in a way we haven’t before. This has certainly been a positive outcome of the pandemic. Walking in one of the parks near to my home just this morning was a real treat. We managed to catch the sunshine before the rain started. The leaves on the trees and the ground were golden and the air was fresh and clean as it only ever is at the start of the day.
As we step off the edge and into another week, I wish you all a peaceful and calm few days.
I think autumn is my favourite season and the colours this year are so vibrant. Stunning!
Did visit RA exhibit then went down rabbit hole reading about Gauguin’s less than salubrious time in French Polynesia and felt really conflicted after :;
Author
Ahh its tricky isn’t it when we discover things we would perhaps rather not know!
It would have been lovely to see you!
Keep safe and well xxx
So missed your proposed visit but hope it won’t be too long before we can get together. Xx
The feeling led me to pull Natalia Ginzburg down from the shelf; I felt a sudden need to reread “Winter in the Abruzzi,” an essay I consider one of the most perfect and devastating ever written. It’s only five and a half pages; I managed to read it while shepherding my son through another utterly chaotic, thoroughly well-intentioned Zoom class for second graders. And a respite it turns out to be, as the appalling, crystalline last paragraph of the essay makes clear: “My husband died in Regina Coeli prison in Rome a few months after we left the village. When I confront the horror of his solitary death, of the anguished choices that preceded his death, I have to wonder if this really happened to us, we who bought oranges at Giro’s and went walking in the snow. I had faith then in a simple, happy future, rich with fulfilled desires, with shared experiences and ventures. But that was the best time of my life, and only now, that it’s gone forever, do I know it.” The essay closes with a date, 1944.
Author
Thank you so much for this comment. I was not aware of ‘winter in Abruzzi’ but will try and track it down. From the quote you have included it sounds quite incredible. Her writing is so poignant. I hope you are making it through all the Zoom classes and that you can continue to find respite in words an books.