Tom Rachman. The Italian Teacher. Canada: Penguin Random House, 2019
I’m in the mood for something modern today and the cover of this Canadian book is such a riot of rich colour and texture that it fit the bill perfectly.
Via: Goodreads
©voyager, all rights reserved
I’m still recovering from my long day of waiting for my dear hubby to wake up from dental surgery, but today is bright and warm and the sunshine is doing wonders for my mood. Jack and I had a slow, pleasant walk around our own neighbourhood today and the flowers are starting to open and all the colours are finally coming back. My neighbourhood is also positively busy with life. I’ve seen butterflies and ladybugs, gnats and ants. The birds are busy building nests, finding food and singing their songs. The squirrels are digging, jumping, running and twitching their tails. Soon they will be harder to spot as the trees get fuzzier and leaf day approaches. Now is when the magic of spring becomes visible and my senses can take a long drink of the sweet outdoors. These are the flowers that are blooming today and the hyacinth is scenting the air with a sweet bouquet. It’s grand.
Avalus has found some frog spawn in his botanical gardens and he’s sharing it with us.
Kaulquappen. ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Thanks, Avalus. I’m glad all is well with these tadpoles. Marcus over at Stderr had his own adventure with frog spawn and it’s worth the read.
From Avalus who was lucky enough to witness the birth of a phantom midge.
Büschelmücke. ©Avalus, all rights reserved
James A Henshall. Book of the Black Bass. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Sons, 1889
I like the typography used for the title on this book, especially the way the ‘B’s’ and the ‘k’s’ change from above the fish to below the fish.
Via: archive.org
©voyager, all rights reserved
Yesterday was a perfect spring day with sunshine and warmth and all things good. Today is also a perfect spring day, but of the drizzly, rainy kind that feeds all the growing things. I’m not sure the little growing things really need the rain because the ground is still pretty wet from the last rain we had plus the winter melt, but the trees are doing thirsty work making leaves so they’ll use up any extra left over water. I know that there are parts of the world who are struggling with a too dry spring season and I wish I could share. Here it’s been snow and rain and rain and rain for many weeks. It should settle down eventually and I can only hope the trees get enough wet now to protect them from the blistering heat to come. The weather has changed so drastically over the course of my lifetime that I just don’t know what to expect anymore. I do love the trees, though, and I hate to see them suffer so let it rain on my beauties while they grow their summer suits. I can wait for the sunshine.
This week we have gorgeous spring blossoms from Avalus. This is a Mirabelle Plum tree and it’s magnificent. The critter in the last photo seems to agree, although it is likely not enjoying the blossoms as much as it will the fruit to come.
Mirabelle ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Mirabelle (2) ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Plums ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Squirrel ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Birds in Their Homes. Father Tuck’s Nursery Tales Series. 189?, London, Raphael Tuck & Sons .
A new leaf among the old. ©voyager, all rights reserved
After many weeks of hitting the snooze button our little forest has finally decided to wake up. Everywhere you look things are growing. The trout lilies are putting up leaves all over the place and I saw one or two trilliums from afar. I wanted to get closer, but the ground was a bit too muddy to wander off the path. I also didn’t want to trample any young, tender shoots still hidden in the leaf litter. The trilliums looked to be a few days away from blooming so I’ll go back on Wednesday or Thursday to see what’s what. Usually the first trilliums to appear are the red ones and they’re my favorite variety. I’ve been chasing the perfect red trillium photo for years, but the so far it’s eluded me. The red trilliums are wickedly difficult to photograph because the plant is short and the flowers point downwards so you need to get underneath the plant and shoot up. Not such an easy trick for an old dog like me. Someone suggested I use a mirror and I’m going to try that, but if it doesn’t work I’ll do the belly crawl a few times. I have a good feeling that this is the year I’ll finally get that photo.
Mystery plants. ©voyager, all rights reserved
Beauty in Common Things by Chambers, A. C; Whymper, Emily Hepburn, 1833-1886, illustrator; Dickes, William, 1815-1892 (printer); Stanford, Edward, 1827-1904 engraver; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (Great Britain). General Literature Committee. 1874. London
The gilded cover is an engraving of all the plants displayed in the book. I’ve added 2 of the interior plates below the fold for anyone interested. [Read more…]
Front cover from The greymare romance, written and illustrated by Edwin John Ellis, London, 1891.
(Source: archive.org)
Who doesn’t love a good horse romance story?
From archive.org
Thanks for everyone’s kind thoughts, the antibiotics seem to be doing something, though everything I’ve read about pertussis includes the warning that the coughing fits can last up to 3 months (depending on the source – shortest I’ve heard is 10 weeks, in China apparently they call it the “100-day cough”). So I’m not looking forward to that, because in about 3 weeks I have a big conference (in Madrid!) where I have presenting responsibilities and I was hoping the “long cough” (as it is called in Latvian) wouldn’t be quite so long…
However, I am looking forward to discovering more art like A Year Long Journey by Ryo Takemasa. Only one example, you must visit the site to see more:
Cover for Kate Greenaway’s Almanack for 1893, London, [1892].
(Source: archive.org)
From archive.org, where you can view the entire book. I warn you this site can be a bit of a rabbithole.
