Petit Prince, Off Days, Revenge

Antoine de Saint-Exupery published the magical Le Petit Prince on April the 6th 1943. I have found it inspiring since I first came across it and still do.

Look at www.goodreads.com should you need some quotes. He also lived a very interesting life.

I was looking at the life of Daphne du Maurier and her marriage to General Sir Frederick Browning. Lots of food for thought for a later day.

Here is Le Petit Prince :

I came across a great article in The Telegraph about gifted writers having an off day....Shakespeare, Shelley, Wordsworth on the list.

I thought their off day up their with most people's top day. Shakespeare compares envy to the colour of an orange. This from Wordsworth :

And to the left, three yards beyond,

You see a little muddy pond

Of water--never dry

I measured it from side to side:

'Twas four feet long, and three feet wide.

On my mind and at discussion over the table is revenge, retribution, divine justice, anger, how to deal with those who have wronged us and who commit acts of great evil in general.

Should we stand back and be free of enmity and let 'karma' takes its' course ? Should we acknowledge that wanting revenge 'digs two graves.' Should we realise that to be free of whatever malice has been done to us we 'walk away.' I have saved a great Radio 4 Off The Page Audio to listen to - Grudges.

I am trying the latter - saying to myself whatever harm has been caused to me at least I don't have to live with the fact that I have caused harm to that extent.

Food - mmm. Saw a Tom Aikens tweet which was all beautifully verdant and spring green. I thought of watching Nigel Slater by the fire later. This should keep me company :

It's not personal. It's business.

"It is so easy to believe that you'll always be ready to handle everything life presents to you, but a day--many days--arrive and you can't bear it, you can't even dream that you have it within you or around you to cope or to survive. Hold on to that emotional, dreaming person--the one who feels--and keep family and friends and the things you love and the things you live for deep in your head and your heart. Eat and laugh a lot; love deeply; give fully. It doesn't just go by fast; it comes at you with alarming speed and stealth and damage.

"You will not be prepared. You will be knocked off your feet, your foundation. Make sure it's a strong foundation, and make sure you know how to get back to it and on it and re-build it.

"No one is ready for what ultimately arrives, but some are lucky and are able to not only survive but to get others through it all.

"Work on that. Feel more. Laugh a lot. Draw a circle of loved ones around you."--

Marlon Brando/Interview with James Grissom

Happy Birthday, Marlon Brando April 3rd 1924.

Summer is a Verb Not a Noun - Thank you Jack Wills

It's a gorgeous day. Yesterday I sat outside and read the papers with a glass of Rose.

I decided to shop. I love Jack Wills - for the children and yes for me. Same vibe as Mumford - amidst all the dross and grimy old mangy old you knows it's clean, healthy, civilised.

I took the title for this post from their website. I thought it inspired. Very good marketing people.

Look :

My daughter has a summer birthday like me - every year since she was tiny I buy her a birthday dress and a dinner dress - so she can change for dinner !

She now has the most wonderful collection of exquisite  i love gorgeous dresses.

Look :

Today marks the anniversary of Graham Greene's death. Interesting article here.

Look :

Whilst on books this is lovely :

As for food I really enjoyed reading this.

Now go and make hay everyone ! Happy Sunday.

Zola, Sandhurst, Martinis, Van Gogh, Crayola

Emile Zola was born on April the 2nd 1840. Here is the Wikipedia link, he's a fascinating man, I did my dissertation on L'Assommoir and Le Ventre de Paris is fantastic.

I understand from my new friend Facebook that the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst was established in its' current guise on this day in 1947.

I just read Belgian Waffle's post - eyes left. She talked about Martinis. I had a Martini incident with someone quite unique - nothing grimy or rude just bloody funny and once in a lifetime.

I may write about it at some stage.

It's also Alec Guinness's birthday. 1914. This wonderful book gave me the idea ( and my sister ) to play on Facebook - yes I know about 300 years after everyone else.

This from Vincent Van Gogh to his brother :

'Admire as much as you can, most people don't admire enough'

I read this in Aix then went on a pilgrimage to Arles as I was in the neck of the woods. It is lovely. Gauguin came to stay and they had these wonderful discussions about whether or not they could afford to go for a drink or buy paint. 

Just came across this wonder from Ottolenghi which has to be done. Heading out for a sunny day tipple so will come back re Crayola.