Jack’s Walk

I am terrified of snakes. Intellectually I know that most of them are harmless, especially where I live, but that knowledge doesn’t really help when I’m confronted with one. My heart pounds, I find it hard to breathe and my body freezes. It’s ridiculous, especially for someone who likes to walk in wildish places. So I’ve recently started to watch snake videos in an attempt to desensitize myself and I’ve now gotten to the point where I can watch a whole video without closing my eyes or cringing (mostly.) Why am I telling you all this? Because today I actually saw a real live snake and stopped to take his picture. I feel so brave. I took several shots, but I was a bit shaky and only one turned out. There was some heart pounding and I’m pretty sure I was holding my breath, but I didn’t freeze. Admittedly this snake was sitting still and not wriggling, but I’m not going to let a little detail like that keep me from feeling good. So now, I proudly present the first snake that I’ve ever said hello to.

©voyager, all rights reserved

 

Dance Of Death: Emperor and Empress.

If you missed the beginning, it’s here. Click for full size. ETA: I’ve found translations, but I’m not sure as to their reliability.

Emperor.

Emperor.

Todt zum Keyser:
HErr Keyser mit dem grawen Bart,
Euwr Reuw habt ihr zu lang gespart,
Drumb sperrt euch nicht, Ihr müßt darvon,
Und tantz’n nach meiner Pfeiffen thon.

Death to The Emperor:
Mr. Emperor with the gray beard,
You have long saved your repentance.
Therefore, do not struggle, you must from here
and dance after my fife’s tone.

Der Keyser.
Ich kundte das Reich gar wol mehren
Mit Streitten, Fechten, Unrecht wehren:
Nun hat der Todt uberwunden mich,
Daß ich bin keinem Keyser gleich.

The Emperor.
I was able to increase the kingdom considerably,
with war and fight prevented injustice.
Now Death has won over me,
so that I’m not [any longer] like an emperor.

Empress.

Empress.

Todt zur Keyserin:
ICh tantz euch vor Fraw Keyserin,
Springen hernach, der tantz ist mein:
Euwr Hofleut sind von Euch gewichen,
Der Todt hat euch hie auch erschlichen.

Death to The Empress:
I dance beforeyou, Mrs. Empress,
Dance after, the dance is mine.
Your courtiers have left you,
Death has here sneaked up on you too.

Die Keyserin:
VIel Wollüst hat mein stoltzer Leib,
Ich lebt alß eines Keysers Weib:
Nun muß ich an diesen Tantz kommen,
Mir ist all Muth und Frewd genommen.

The empress:
My proud body had much pleasure.
I lived as an emperor’s wife.
Now I must come to this dance.
All spirits and joy have been taken from me.

Life Is Not A Ringing Bell.

From rq, a most beautiful art work: So out of that comment conversation earlier this morning/today, I made some art that looks completely unrelated but came out of the emotions. Also it is called “Life is Not a Ringing Bell” and I have decided to dedicate it to Rick. Such a beautiful piece, filled with quiet emotion and love. Life is not ringing a bell, but it is having a partner who loves you enough to nag you into doing what you should, and having a friend who can express that so well. Thank you is so very inadequate. Click for full size.

© rq, all rights reserved.

The Healing Arts: Medical Report of the Walcheren Expedition.

Click for full size.

The Winding Up of the Medical Report of the Walcheren Expedition. Thomas Rowlandson, Etching coloured, 1810. Subject: Lucas Pepys (1742-1830), Robert Jackson (1750-1827), Thomas Keate (1745-1821), Dr. James' Fever Powder, Chelsea Hospital, Walcheren Campaign, Military Medicine, Medical Boards, Drugs.

The Winding Up of the Medical Report of the Walcheren Expedition. Thomas Rowlandson, Etching coloured, 1810. Subject: Lucas Pepys (1742-1830), Robert Jackson (1750-1827), Thomas Keate (1745-1821), Dr. James’ Fever Powder, Chelsea Hospital, Walcheren Campaign, Military Medicine, Medical Boards, Drugs.

Walcheren Campaign:

The Walcheren Campaign involved little fighting, but heavy losses from the sickness popularly dubbed “Walcheren Fever”. Although more than 4,000 British troops died during the expedition, only 106 died in combat; the survivors withdrew on 9 December. […] Along with the 4,000 men that had died during the campaign, almost 12,000 were still ill by February 1810 and many others remained permanently weakened. Those sent to the Peninsular War to join Wellington’s army caused a permanent doubling of the sick lists there.

As for ‘Look Ass Peeps’ (Lucas Pepys):

In 1794 Pepys was made physician-general to the army, and was president of an army medical board, on which it was his duty to nominate all the army physicians. When so many soldiers fell ill of fever at Walcheren, he was ordered to go there and report. As a consequence the board was abolished; but Pepys was granted a pension.

White

One of our cacti has blossomed this year, one whose blossoms open only for one night. So I had to take the picture in late evening sun.

And as I was walking from the glasshouse, I took a shot of the elderberry too.

©Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Dance of Death: The Ossuary and The Pope.

I got right distracted today while working on the Healing Arts posts, distracted right into the amazing world of The Dance Of Death. There’s a large body of work by different artists devoted to this particular aspect of death, and they widely range in style, to say the very least. All of the art work is very beautiful, and is often poignant, witty, and sly. The main message being that death is no respecter of persons.

So this will be a sort of companion series to the Healing Arts. I’m going to start with Basel’s Dance of Death by Hieronymus Hess (1799-1850). These are based on copies of a mural which was done around around 1435-1441. The wall with the original mural was lost long ago, in 1804. Some fragments survive and are housed in a museum. We open with The Ossuary and Death’s first conquest, The Pope. Death looks positively gleeful walking off with the pope.  I’m quite enchanted with Hess’s portrayal of Death as a mostly fleshed character who must maintain modesty when it comes to the private bits. Death also changes gender in Hess’s portrayals, and there are obvious character shifts in Death, dependent on just who is being claimed. In The Pope, it almost looks as if Death were wearing a skull mask.

The Ossuary. Click for full size.

The Ossuary. Click for full size.

Death and the Pope. Click for full size.

Death and the Pope. Click for full size.

Jack’s Walk

 

©voyager, all rights reserved

Today Jack and I walked an unfamiliar trail that wends along the Thames River and the place was positively mad with life. Wild flowers crowd the path and the plants and trees are huge and grow all jumbled together. Wild iris grows with forget-me-nots and buttercups and the Queen Anne’s lace is taller than me. And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes. The air was warm and sunlight filtered in and out through the trees. We were surrounded by birdsong and the thrum of insects. I let the wild grasses tickle my hands and plucked a few tender shoots to nibble on as we walked. A light breeze carried the fresh scent of water and the deeper scent of earth. My senses were sated. This is the landscape where I spent hours wandering alone as a child and today its familiarity connected me to that forgotten part of myself. It felt special to share it with Jack and I’m pretty sure we’ll be coming here more often.

Rock, Paper…Plant.

Last week, a colourful bucket full of hand painted stones was on the reception desk in 7 (infusion). The stones were painted by a 3rd grade class for all the people undergoing chemo. We chose our rocks, they are lovely little tokens, like carrying good wishes with you. We also brought home books, and a lovely plant. I will probably be snoozing most of today, having been up all night with the big, bad butt pain again. It’s a right pain in the arse, literally. As usual, click for full size. As for the books, I finished Bird Box, reading it on 7, and the ride home. It was interesting. The concept was certainly intriguing, but fell a bit short on execution. There were questions which never get answered, leaving me with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. Notwithstanding, it was still a good tale, and it was a quick read. It’s a debut novel by the lead singer of the band The High Strung, Josh Malerman. A movie has been made, and will be released by Netflix this December.

© C. Ford.