Autumn Cottage Diarist

Long to Reign Over Us

A new portrait of our Queen, Elizabeth II, who is eighty years old today.

I am a totally committed royalist, deeply thankful for the stability that the constitutional monarchy has given this country. Her Majesty herself has been a model of duty, stoicism and actually, rather a lot of wisdom. Someone on a TV programme this week described her style in
difficult times as "keeping her head down and just keeping going" - and I happen to feel that that is not a bad model to follow.

Despite all her privileges, I do not believe that she has had an easy life. She has had an even more  difficult decade, and has, in the past, seen her sister and all three of her children go though marital breakdowns. Thankfully, Charles, her son and the heir to the throne now seems totally happy with Camilla, the woman he so clearly and deeply loves, and whom I feel will be a fine Consort to him when he does finally take over the reins of Monarchy.

But I hope (difficult though the waiting and "living in limbo" must be for him) that that event will be a long time in coming. Her mother went on past her own centenary, and I am convinced that as long as she lives, Elizabeth will continue to reign.

When she acceded to the throne, she took on a life long commitment - a commitment that I believe she still takes profoundly seriously. It gives me a sense of security that her wise counsel will continue to be heard by those around her that most often need to listen!

Happy Birthday, Ma'am - and a Health Unto Our Majesty!

(Photograph from The Daily Mail newspaper)

Easter Treasure Hunt

After another boot sale foray today, I never bring one of these treasures home without thinking "I wonder where this came from?".

Just look at this beautiful, engraved Caithness glass bowl - obviously a
trophy, awarded for a heavy horse ploughing competition over 25 years
ago - but was it not a treasured item in the home of the winner? What
story lies behind the disposal of that, I wonder?

The little Pedigree doll - who dressed and played with her? Who snuggled up to the dear little teddy bears? How many secrets were whispered into their ears at night-time, for only the toys to hear?

The handpainted cup - whose pride and joy was that to display, in the "best china" cabinet, brought out only on special occasions? And whose holiday to Switzerland was marked by the gift of exquisitely embroidered handkerchiefs, which will now grace the beds in my dolls houses?

Apart from the thrill of buying these items for just a pound or two each, I love to chat to the stall holders at car boot sales (this one was the annual Grand sale at our local hypermarket. Closed compulsorily only once a year, on Easter Day, they generously allow a Charity sale to take place in their car park).

I hear many stories of much loved toys and other items passed on as a result of their owners doing the same - with no families to hand down their treasures, or families who see them as just "clutter", these items come to me, and I keep them, and receive immense pleasure from them, as custodian, until such time as they come to be passed on again. Don't you think I'm lucky?

Little Windows into the Picturesque

  Sometimes I find things that I want to share just for the sheer delight
in discovering something lovely and wanting others to see it and enjoy it.
This is the case with these four utterly charming 19th century Swiss
lithographs - found in yet one more book that I have uncovered in the
"major sort out" that I am having at the moment.

Don't worry - these will not be discarded - either into a dustbin or to
the "boxes for the dealer" that are increasing in number by the day.
Delightful items like this will always stay in my possession - and if
anyone wants a higher resolution image of any of these shown here, just
say the word - but for now, just enjoy them.

Pieta & Passiontide

Two exceptionally moving programmes on TV and radio this week, both featuring the Rev. Julie Nicholson, whose daughter Jenny was one of the 52 victims of the terrorist bombs in London last July.

Rev. Nicholson has been in the news recently, having resigned her ministry as a parish priest in Bristol because she felt unable to lead
her congregation through the liturgy which beseeches forgiveness, as she herself feels unable to forgive those who carried out these dreadful acts.

In "Every Parent's Nightmare", broadcast on Monday night, she talked about her feelings, and about how the image of the Pieta, that of the Mother Mary cradling the broken body of Jesus in her arms, had become deeply meaningful for her. She spoke of how important it had been to be able to anoint her daughter's body when it was finally returned to her as "a last act of love"....though she had been unable to hold her as she had so much wished to do.

The same programme featured two parents whose only son was shot five
times in the head simply for being "the wrong religion" in the sectarian
violence of Northern Ireland, and also a mother who cares for her very
disabled and life-limited daughter. While talking to her, Julie Nicholson commented on how lovingly that mother cradled her own child's living but highly dysfunctional body and again the comparison with the loving caress of Mary the Mother was brought to mind.

Rev Nicholson appeared once again on "Woman's Hour" this morning - a long standing and highly regarded programme here in the UK. She  again spoke of her own personal tragedy, but was accompanied today by women of the Jewish, Catholic and Islamic faiths as they all considered and spoke about what their concept of God may be.

Her observations and those of the other participants offered me considerable food for thought in this Holy Week. I oscillate between belief and non belief, but always questioning, questioning, and
contemplating the mystery of this world. But for now, a good working model of God for me is the one that was often stated so simply on the old Victorian texts that hung in many a bedroom and parlour. What is God? "God is Love" they proclaimed - and that is, and actually always has been good enough for me.

2000 years after the death of Jesus, cutting across all Faiths, don't you think one of the most powerful manifestations of this Love-as-God is indeed visible in the image of the grieving mother cradling her child?

Cross and Creed are optional.

(this image from Pulitzer.org)

All the News That's Fit to Print

Part of the Spring clean here at Autumn Cottage this year entails
sorting through the remnants of the antiquarian book and print business
with which I was involved for several years.

I've been sorting through old copies of "The Illustrated London News"
from 1875 & 1897 - and the job is taking far, far longer than it should
because I am, of course, sitting down and becoming completely engrossed
by some of the articles.

A weekly publication, it reported extensively on the events of the
British Empire at home and abroad. Before photogravure and photography
finally appeared in the 1890's & 1900's, the ILN was also illustrated
with extremely high quality engravings, taken from sketches done by some of the most prominent artists of the day.

Advertisements also became more prolific and very picturesque as the
century progressed - small, text only advertising in the 1860's and 70's
giving way to exuberant and entertaining images of the 1890's. The
movement of history and prosperity can, indeed, be followed just by reading the ads, without ever resorting to reading the text!

And more poignantly, the great events of the day were reported as they
happened - from our vantage point over 100 years later, we know all too
well what became of just one happy couple, whose marriage is headlined
below.

Throughout the reading of these journals, the thought came time
and time again to me  that if we do not learn from history, then we are
condemned to repeat it - and from the "current affairs" described on
these pages, (they were even then, beating each other up in the Balkans ) it seems that that is exactly what Nations and individuals do....over and over again.

A Survival Plan

To avoid the Death of the Soul,
It is important that, each day, you ....

Put on your make-up and brush your hair
Choose and eat one item of food with complete love and intention
Find at least one scrap of beauty in the day and write it down
Listen to a piece of music which fills your heart
Read at least one sentence that fills you with hope
Do one thing, however briefly, just for yourself

Do not long for someone to be
What they do not have it inside themselves to be

Learn to believe that this is not your fault.

Look inside yourself to see all that you could be
Allow yourself to start to be all that you could be

Allow yourself still to have a dream
Do not share the dream with those who cannot hear it
But speak it only to those who can also see the vision

Learn to believe that you can turn the dream into reality
Begin to understand that only you can make it live...

Lose no time! start now to formulate a plan to keep your Soul alive!

What will you put in your own plan to keep your Soul alive?

To Be A Pilgrim

Rejoicing in the spring sunshine, we ventured forth on Saturday to our
much loved City of Winchester.

Winchester of the Romans, Winchester of the Pilgrims, coming in from Southampton and up to Winchester before travelling on to the shrine of
St Thomas at Canterbury, the Winchester of Queen Mary 1st, marrying the Catholic Phillip of Spain in the Cathedral - the Winchester of Jane Austen, who died and is buried here.

Just around the corner from the house where Jane died is this little church, built over the gate arches, and dedicated to St Swithun, Bishop of Winchester in 852 AD. His shrine was said to be second only in importance to that of St Thomas in Canterbury, until it was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538.

Swithun had been buried, at his wish, in a humble grave in the Old Minster churchyard, but several years later, it was decided to move his body to a more illustrious position inside the Cathedral. It is said
that the Saint disapproved of this move, and caused the transporting of his mortal remains to be halted by torrential rain - thus, St. Swithun's Day (15th July) is even now waited upon with trepidation , for if it shall rain upon that day then so it shall for forty days more!

"St. Swithun's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithun's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair."

There is now a modern long distance footpath leading from Winchester to Canterbury, and known (unsurprisingly) as "The Pilgrim Way". It would be a challenge to walk part or all of this, would it not?  Hmm - a challenge which I might explore further as summer comes.