Saturday 8 November 2008

Reading Week

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter
Jan Vermeer van Delft (after 1664)


I had a letter from my mother today!
The sheer pleasure of receiving this unexpected envelope
and the joy of reading the news from home.

I have not read a letter for ages.

or a book,
or a magazine
or a newspaper.

I think that I will curl up in my quiet, tidy home
and have myself a Reading Day

or shall I make that a Reading Week?

Don't worry, I will be back soon
but in the meantime here are some new blogs
that you might not be familiar with:

The Coffee Lady has been writing every now and then
and she says that she is planning to write more.
I hope so
do read her moving contribution to the kitchen poetry theme.

She recommended The Glass Doorknob
which I used to read and enjoy
and then stopped - who knows why?

I knew Limecat long before I started blogging
and we only discovered each others blogs accidentally
- she kindly visits the Chez
even though she is a pukka Craft Blogger with an Etsy Shop.
And I am not.

Limecat recommended Sarah Campbell
which is also a craft blog with great pictures.

Columbia Lily recommends Nikki at whimsy-girl
"She is consistently cheerful and upbeat,
and unbelievably creative.
She always makes my day a little brighter...
"

Viv does not have a public blog
but she kindly sent me a long list of wonderful blogs to read
She recommends Simple Me
and Joanna Goddard

Can I sneak in Trashy here?
Will anybody notice that it is
a gratuitous recommendation from me??
Beware - you may start seeing Donkeys EVERYWHERE.

And finally Helen at A Time to Dance
who is an enthusiastic recruit to Blogland
and a very generous commenter.
Welcome, Helen!
You have joined a wonderful and friendly group of people.

21 comments:

The Coffee Lady said...

Have a lovely week! How nice of you to mention me. I will try to live up to your recommendation.

Jackie said...

Oh I wish there was more time...oh well back the sewing machine

P. said...

I like so much Vermeer. This is a nice painting. Looks like it is his wife expecting one of their several children.

ALfazema

Anonymous said...

I went to the opening of the Vermeer exhibit with my father at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, years and years ago. It was a black tie event, attended by the Queen of the Netherlands.
At the time, I had a small infant and was feeling so frumpy and exhausted and depressed all the time. That evening, I put on a beautiful dress and walked with my father through the gallery, studying Vermeer's exquisite paintings. Afterward, we ate in the giant open foyer of the entrance to the gallery, at tables filled with Dutch tulips spilling out of giant vases. Being there with my father and sharing such a magnificent evening was just what I needed.

And that is why I will always love Vermeer. He made me feel alive again.



PS-Thanks also for a wonderful new list of blogs to visit. I can't wait to read them all!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for my mention, most appreciated and I hope to see you around my blog of the woods more often.

Thanks again

Sarah

RW said...

Enjoy your week.
Thanks for sharing these new blogs.

trash said...

Hang on! that was me!! OMGoodness. Right at the end there you said my name!

Gosh, now I really feel awful for having sent you blind.

Eleanor said...

Oh, new friends to discover!

P.S. I love reading Eurolush's comments in your box and your comments in Eurolush's box.

P.P.S. I am certain that your kitchen will feel much much bigger once all of us bloggers leave it for a while. Thanks for the endless cups of tea!

A time to dance said...

Thank you so much - two complimets in one day saying that I left generous comments....I like to see myself as a truthful 'commenter' and an appreciator of all you talented and eloquent ladies out there....................
Thank you for your inspiration and for sharing your creativity and enthusiasm you are all a tonic!

A time to dance said...

ps am I right in thinking that Vermeer painted 'The girl with a pearl earing', I love te painting and the book, he has a wonderful sence of light

Limecat said...

Thank you for your kind words, Mrs Magpie, they are much appreciated. But as for you not being a pukka crafter....

Tsk. Your wonderful words and beautiful pictures are your craft, at which you are nonpareil.

(or is it "the" nonpareil? I expect MrM will correct me if I'm wrong).

Christy said...

aah...I have a four day weekend and plan to check out some of these sites! Thanks for passing them on...and for the shoutout!!

Anonymous said...

For those of you who have a Fab Films list, can I recommend "Girl with a Pearl Earing"?. It captures the Vermeer quality of light extremely well and encapsulates the 17th century period in Delft beautifully.

Mary said...

Oh enjoy that reading week.

And thank you for stimulating that fantastic memory of Eurolush's.

And thank you also for that list of bloggers.

x

M said...

Gosh, Vermeer really got the whole light thing didn't he!

It's been a long time since I read a letter. I used to be a prolific letter writer. Now all that comes in the mail are bills. :(

Have a lovely reading week.

dottycookie said...

Have a wonderful relaxing week.

JuliaB said...

Happy reading!

carrie said...

And what will you be reading while we're reading all these wonderful blogs? :)

Have a happy week!

Limecat said...

With regard to Vermeer, the whole period of the Dutch rise in the seventeenth century is absolutely fascinating. Such a little country, and so often overlooked, but they were IMMENSELY successful and very, very clever. They had enough confidence not to be detrimentally restricted by ideology, which took some doing in those days.

And in 1688 they took control of England. So wear your clogs with panache!

Anonymous said...

Limecat - I would have thought that logically it should be "the nonpareil" as "a nonpareil" implies that there is more than one which is slightly illogical.

Sounds like a book by Georgette Heyer - most of the characters in those novels would not have read anything more demanding than the bets book in their club.

Anonymous said...

By the way, MrsM is the nonpareil or should that be nonpareille ??