The Snow Country

The first line of this marvellous book is perfect:

'The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country'.

Yasunari Kawabata

Favourite Places - Hotel Bristol

Another of my favourite places. The Hotel Bristol in Paris

The Summer of 1967

Herry's family and friends having tea in the bottom of the swimming pool at Stocks in October 1967

Left to right: Tim Handcock, Belinda Martin, Cilla Clempson, unknown, Annette (with Justin in her arms), Mike Lawford (probably - back to the camera), Annie Skipwith, Patrick, Belinda Luxmoore (kneeling), Jess (in chair), Nick Duke, Ricky Skipwith, Piers

I guess I was the photographer even then - but where is Fuff?

Click on the link below to hear what we were listening to in those far-off days

Favourite Places - The East Banqueting House

The East Banqueting House, Chipping Campden

Wadwick House

Wadwick was where my grandmother Nina Herbert lived for the last ten years of her life. It's at St Mary Bourne, near Whitchurch in Hampshire. Click the heading for more detail and family history

Richmond

A spectacular day to drive to Hampshire across the Thames below Richmond.

Earth Hour 2007

The World at Night

A 'lights out' will take place in Europe for five minutes at 18.55 on Thursday 1st February to encourage people and governments to take global warming more seriously.





The second image by Anna Stahlberg is of skiing in Are, Sweden in the same week, where fortunately it was -22C. London however has just experienced its warmest January for a century (see the third image taken in St James' Park on 31st January where even at 5pm it felt as warm as spring).



Lights Out at the Orangery. We didn't want to go back to electric light...

Ruth

Ruth Howard (nee Pugh, later Stevens) at her nursing home in Lexden, Essex near her daughter Auriol. My mother's first cousin, they played and rode together as children as described in this fragment. She lived near us in Hampshire and was always close - and known as 'Aunt' Ruth. After my mother died she became father's companion. Still beautiful now at 96.

Friends

That life may be more comfortable yet,
And all my joys refined, sincere and great,
I'd choose two friends, whose company would be
A great advance to my felicity:
Well-born, of humours suited to my own;
Discreet, and men, as well as books, have known.
Brave, generous, witty, and exactly free
From loose behavior or formality.
Airy and prudent, merry, but not light;
Quick in discerning, and in judging right.
Secret they should be, faithful to their trust;
In reasoning cool, strong, temperate and just;
Obliging, open, without huffing, brave,
Brisk in gay talking, and in sober, grave;
Close in dispute, but not tenacious, tried
By solid reason, and let that decide;
Not prone to lust, revenge, or envious hate,
Nor busy meddlers with intrigues of state;
Strangers to slander, and sworn foes to spite:
Not quarrelsome, but stout enough to fight
Loyal and pious, friends to Caesar, true
As dying martyrs to their Maker too.
In their society, I could not miss
A permanent, sincere, substantial bliss.

From The Choice by John Pomfret

The Orangery in Winter

I wish the garden looked like this; it's been horribly mild so far. This was taken in 2001. Roll on a decent winter snowstorm!

The morning after I posted this, we woke to snow. This is the garden in the early morning