Random Jottings

Random Weekly Ramble

Well another week has gone by and it has certainly been a hectic one. Last Sunday James and Helen were holding a welcome party for Beatrice (they had a similar one for Florence) and I was doing some cooking for it on Saturday preparatory to driving up in the evening, when I had a call from Helen to tell me that Florence had come down with chickenpox. This entailed rapid calling round of projected guests, many of whom had small children and/or babies to warn them. Guest list somewhat curtailed but still plenty of attendees. Florence simply adores her cousins and the two elder girls Eleonor and Rosanna adore her too and they just took her in hand and looked after her all day. She was not too spotty and seemed fine until the afternoon when she suddenly tired and became very weepy.

It was wonderful to see everyone and as it was a good sunny day we spent a lot of time in the little paved garden quaffing champagne and chatting. I had to watch my intake as I was driving home that evening in order to sleep in my own bed and be back the next night as Helen had asked for my help in looking after Florence who could not go to nursery and panic stations all round.

So I spent Monday night to Thursday night helping out and looking after Florence and babysitting and watching Toy Story 1-3 over and over again but as I love them and think they are beautifully done, that was no hardship. Florence veered between being terribly busy and running about and then keeling over and sleeping on the sofa and poor little thing found it all most bewildering. Much better by the time I left and I am sure you will all understand when I say that though I simply adore both my grandchildren, I was very glad to get into my own bed and relax.  I feel totally shattered at the moment. Due to drive up to Leicester today to my sister's as I am going on holiday with her and my bro in law next week, but decided to put the drive off until tomorrow and very glad I did as I am still feeling tres knackered.

I have still managed to read three books this week, mainly because I retired to bed each night at about 9 pm knowing I would be up at the crack of dawn and one, The President's Hat, was so enchanting and delightful that I am saving a post all about it for next week. I shall take my laptop with me to Madeira and will be reviewing and writing from Funchal. I also need to keep in touch as I am organising various matters to do with the Felixstowe Book Festival and will be writing about that as well.   A blogger's work is never done...'sigh'

And now that I have ended this simply frightfully boring post I am off to seek my couch and hope that my aching back will unkink by tomorrow for my drive.

Au reservoir

Capturing the Light by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport

Now a book about photography and its discovery might not strike you as being frightfully interesting or exciting and in the hands of another author or authors, you might be right. However, when one of the co-writers of Capturing the Light is Helen Rappaport, one of my favourite historians and a writer who has the knack of drawing the reader into the world of which she is writing, then you are on pretty safe ground.

When I started reading Capturing the Light I knew it would be interesting and was confident that I would have no problem engaging with the story but I did not expect to find it so fascinating that I sat up late in bed one night to finish it.   The subtitle of the book is 'A true story of genius, rivalry and the birth of photography' and the two main protagonists in this narrative, Henry Fox Talbot and Louis Daguerre are so totally opposite of each other in style and temperament that it is impossible not to want to read on.

Both men spent years experimenting on the different methods of photography, struggling to find the key to creating and fixing an image and both in ignorance of each other's researches.  Henry Fox Talbot, an English gentleman running his country estate, carrying out scientific experiments in his own lab and keeping meticulous records of all his experiments and results, everything noted and nothing left to chance; Louis Daguerre a flamboyant French showman, a scenery painter, showman and Barnum type figure out for fame and fortune.   No two men could be more different. Daguerre kept no notes and we have no detailed workings of his own experimentation, disaster and failures before he managed to produce what we know as the Daguerretype and beat Fox Talbot to the finishing line.   My impression is that he was a bit of a chancer and, though interested in science and with a working knowledge, he tended to team up with others more professional and efficient than he and ride on their coat tails.   Talbot, on the other hand, quietly beavered away and was not so interested in the transient glory and fame which such a discovery could have brought him.

He had a fiercely ambitious mother Lady Elisabeth Feilding who was angry when her son would not push or further his claims to be the discoverer of the photographic process and was jealous of the slurs cast on his reputation and the accusations of copying Daguerre.   Though disappointed at the lack of credit given to him in the wake of the announcement of the breakthrough by Daguerre it seems to this reader that it was more his reputation as a scientist in the community of his peers that he wanted to secure and to be appreciated.    I find his modesty rather refreshing and found myself getting rather fond of Henry as the book progressed.    He found little fame and fortune but lived his quiet and retired life, publishing scientific papers and continuing with his work while the flamboyant Daguerre enjoyed his time in the limelight and his fame.  Once he had hit the big time it seemed to me that he enjoyed it, had a wonderful few years and then retired to the country to enjoy his wealth and comfort and did nothing else to further the advance of photography.   This did make me wonder, as I have mentioned above, just how much of his discovery was due to him and not to those he worked with. Surely if he had been that brilliant and inventive more would have been heard from him? 

There are plenty of scientific facts and figures and details of the photographic processes given in Capturing the Light and they are not boring, nor do they pall. Roger Watson, who obviously produced all this information for the book, is a world authority on the early history of photography and knows what he is talking about. Obviously hugely knowledgeable and enthused by his subject he manages to make the discussion of which chemical works better than another wildly interesting.   The collaboration between Roger and Helen was an inspired one and has resulted in a rattling yarn, a good read and unputdownable.  Roger is currently the curator of the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock Abbey which I have visited some years ago. A beautiful place.

My father used to be an amateur photographer and I remember as a child sitting in his dark room, bathed in red light and watching him put his prints in chemical trays and the sense of wonderment when I saw a picture emerge on the paper has never left me. Photography has always been a hobby of mine and I have progressed through a Kodak box camera, a Halina 35 mm which I used for over twenty years, then a panoramic camera then through to digital and have loved them all.   I also once had a brother in law who was a professional photographer, he was from the USA and worked for a while for Kodak at Rochester in New York State. I went on a tour of the plant and visited the museum of Photography in that city so photography is very much in my blood.   I am forever grateful to him for teaching me tricks of the trade and also about 'framing' a picture, keeping something of interest in the front of a land or sea scape and oh the hours we spent arguing the individual merits of Kodachrome or Ekatchrome. I preferred Ektachrome as it was a film that gave you better exposure for indoor shots but the colour quality was not so good. Of course now we have digital and photoshop so no worries at all.

A really interesting and engaging book and left me feeling full of admiration for these pioneers of photography who have given us the chance to use a process that we now take for granted. We never should as I think it is a miracle.

Random Weekly Ramble

Have had a busy week and another one ahead of me so thought I had better post something before I get bogged down.   As I have mentioned before I now have wifi so am writing this in bed propped up on pillows. Have been awake for ages, in the summer months where the mornings are light I seem incapable of sleeping beyond 5.30 am which is a tad annoying as it means by the early afternoon I am keeling over.

I was in London yesterday for a family get together to celebrate the arrival of Beatrice who gets cuter and cuter each time I see her.   I had done some cooking to help with the lunch but most of it came courtesy of Waitrose and it certainly looked impressive - an entire salmon, wonderful raised pies etc.   Other guests arrived with salads and desserts etc.   It was a good day weatherwise and we were able to sit out in the garden for most of the event and it was really delightful sitting around chatting, talking, laughing and quaffing champagne.  I was driving home in the evening so had to be careful but even so managed a glass or two.

Poor Florence came out in chickenpox the day before so there was frantic ringing around to friends who were coming with small children and babies to warn them which led to a diminution in numbers, but we still had a good turnout.   Florence did really well but by the afternoon her energy levels were totally depleted and all she could do was cuddle her dad and weep. I felt so sorry for her. In the end she curled up on the sofa to watch Winnie the Pooh as she loves her DVD but within five minutes was fast asleep.     She cannot go to nursery so I am stepping into the breach and driving back up this evening and staying for three days to look after her. I know I shall be tired myself by the end of the week but as I am off to Madeira for a fortnight next weekend I am not feeling too worried about that.

I will be taking my laptop with me to London so I can post when I can as I have a review or two to do and also wish to alert you all to the programme for the Felixstowe Book Festival at which I am speaking and with which I am involved.   All is now in place, great prog and now we need lots of lovely people to attend so our wonderful speakers are not talking to empty rooms. I will be writing about it further this week but do check out the website.  

Quiet reading week, I have finished the wonderful Capturing the LIght and will be writing about that more fully in a day or two, re-read the Blue Castle which I have already posted about ( I Simply Adore that book) and the rest of the time I have been chilling and reading more titles by Erica James who I enjoy very much.  Well written, full of human interest and very relaxing to read.

And to close, last night when I arrived home I was in time to see the broadcast on Sky Arts of Rheingold, the first part of the Ring Cycle from the Met, all of which they are showing over the next few weeks.   There have been some criticism of the production and I can see why, I found some of it a bit lacking, but the entrance to Valhalla at the end was terrific and of course, Bryn singing Wotan means that I would love it anyway. His Wotan gets better and better and I am so looking forward to the rest of the Marathon.  Then this week I am going to attempt to purchase a ticket for Die Walkure at the Proms this summer as, once again, Bryn is singing and I would not miss that for the world. Fingers crossed.

Back soon, chickenpox allowing....

The Blue Castle - L M Montgomery

A new edition of my favourite L M Montgomery book, The Blue Castle,  arrived the other day. Goes without saying I have a battered old edition which I will never part with as well, but could not resist this simply delightful copy published by Hesperus.

I have read the Anne books, the Emily books, the Story Girl books and every single piece of writing I can lay my hands on by this author, and this one is top of my list.   I read it every single year without fail and love every word of it.   I know I have raved about it before on Random but make no apologies for doing so again.

Valancy Stirling is 29 years old. She is part of  a large, solid, middle class family where appearances and standards are all and which rule their lives.   Plain, depressed and despised by her family by her lack of a husband and prospects, her life is dreary and dull.   At night, however, when she goes to bed her imagination runs riot as she dreams of her Blue Castle:

"Valancy, so cowed and subdued and overriden and snubbed in real life, was apt to let herself to rather splendidly in her daydreams...........she had lived in the Blue Castle every since she could remember....she could see it plainly with its turrets and banners on the pine clad mountain height, wrapped in its faint blue loveliness, against the sunset skies of a fair and unknown land.  Everything wonderful and beautiful was in that castle"

And then one day, her life changes. She hears some news which makes her decide that she is going to defy her family and do what she wants to do.  She finds that once you start speaking your mind and saying what you have thought for years, it gets easier and easier to carry on doing so.  The reaction of the clan to her newly discovered outspokeness makes for very amusing reading. To the utter horror of the Stirling clan Valancy leaves her home and takes up a post as a housekeeper to Roaring Abel, who spends most of his time drunk but in a rather fine booming sort of way, nothing mean or nasty about him at all. He has a daughter, Cissie, who the entire town regards as a fallen woman, having had an illegitimate baby. The baby died and she herself is not long for the world.  Valancy, who was an old school friend many years ago, ups sticks to look after her and keep house.     Here she finds herself, a purpose in her life and she meets Barney Snaith.....

Valancy's life is transformed and there then follows the most delicious story about her finding of happiness and the simple joy of being free, of doing just what she wants with no time restraints, time to be herself. She blossoms and the Stirlings decide to wash their hands of her and tell everyone that she has had  a breakdown and is quite quite mad.

This is a Cinderella story and, as such, pure magic and the ending will make you smile and feel happy. This is why I read this book over and over again and will continue to do so in the future.   L M Montgomery is one of my all time favourite authors and, having read her journals and knowing what a hard and difficult life she led, makes me sympathise with Valancy even more.  

Simply gorgeous book and, like all the Hesperus titles, a beautiful little edition.   Do buy, read and love and don't forget to let me know what you think of it.

Capturing the Light - Book Launch

I will be reviewing this title in the next few days but just wanted to alert you to it as it is a fascinating and interesting book. Helen Rappaport, who is one of my favourite historian writers, has collaborated with Roger Watson a world authority on the early history of photography.  He is currently the curator of the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock Abbey - yes, it is that Lacock where Pride and Prejudice and Cranford were filmed, and I cannot imagine a lovelier place to be based.

A collaboration can be fraught with problems and sometimes can founder, but not in this case as the book produced is immensely readable and in case you are worrying the scientific bits might  be a tad dry and dusty, take my word for it, they are not.

I attended the launch on Monday evening which was held at Daunt's Bookshop in Marylebone High Street, surely one of the nicest bokshops in London, and it was good to meet up with Helen again and to have the pleasure of meeting Roger, plus assorted Facebook contacts who I have only known from their comments and chat.   Lovely to meet in person.

And you can see the window display was something else......