Footnotes to a Conversation, September 19, 2022
Green, Green Grass
If asked about the origins of the ubiquitous lawn, I would have suggested North America or possibly England. But I would have been very, very wrong. The first mention of a grass lawn is in an 11th-century Japanese gardening book. Interest in grass lawns was further stimulated by artists’ renditions of wealthy people’s estates, by Christianity with its focus on idyllic meadows of paradise versus the irrational forests of the damned, and by team sports. A new generation of artists and gardeners are urging their abandonment. [The Guardian]
French Protests
I read two books this week about the same area of France and with references to Calvinism and the rise of Protestantism in France.
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier recounts the story of a young American woman researching and coming to terms with her family’s history in France, interspersed with accounts of the life of one of her ancestors. It’s a story of women coming to terms with the fact that they don’t fit in and contains lots of interesting historical background.
To Kill a Troubadour is the latest in the Bruno series by Martin Walker. There is some discussion of Protestantism, but the focus is on Occitan politics and culture. I highly recommend both books. (The photographs are of Perpignan where the street signs are bilingual in French and Occitan. It’s home to the Palace of the Kings of Majorca.)
Housesitting
I’ve been housesitting in a home overlooking the Juan de Fuca Strait for the past 12 days. Coming from the Prairies, I’m continually astonished by the amount of sea traffic: container ships, cruise ships, ferries, fishing boats, tug boats, and assorted smaller boats. The wind got up so the air was full of paragliders, kites, and sail-boarders. It was a colourful sight, especially at sunset. At night, I could see the lights of Point Roberts – the United States is only a few miles away!
I’ve also been applying unsuccessfully for housesits in Europe. It’s a discouraging process. First, I have to psych myself up – yes, this would be a great place to visit; yes, I want to start travelling abroad again; yes, I can do it. And then I don’t get the housesit and I decide it doesn’t matter because I’m so happy where I am. And then the process begins all over again. Wish me luck!
In the meantime, I have housesits arranged for another 4 days overlooking Juan de Fuca Strait in October and 2 weeks over Christmas with my wee buddies in Oak Bay. I would really like a short housesit in Sidney to browse in all the bookstores and walk along the seawall. So far, no luck. I am so fortunate to be able to work remotely!
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.