….I show him a good countenance, but love him not for his base ingratitude to me….
No one can accuse Samuel Pepys of being unproductive. He has a lot of political situations to deal with and has to consort with people whom he admires and with whom he does not and if you read the diary today by clicking the link you will see the sentence that I have highlighted.
I think the term “good countenance” really sums it up. it is the functionality of society as a whole that is the key here and if we treat someone with respect, that helps them to treat someone else with respect by giving them an example of behaviour. I am not talking about the term used in arguments ” but with respect…..” because that is normally a preview to an implication that you do not respect the person or their views. I’m talking about the default stance that we take in every day life. I think we just need to be disciplined and if we are in a less than good temper we should probably consider repairing ourselves before going in the public arena. Bob Dylan would not take this advice because he is as he is take it or leave it but then artists are in a slightly different category.
Today is Saturday and for once the weather forecast is not die so we shall venture forth to Wells where there is not only the market but also a model railway exhibition.
My wife needs gluten-free food so we normally cook gluten-free bread with varying degrees of success. You would think bread is the easiest thing to cook consisting as it does of flour, yeast, water and maybe some salt. I believe that you could spend your whole life time making bread and would never master the whole art because there are no less than 300 different types of bread available in the world. The way it can go wrong, even using a bread machine, are legion. You can have ever so slightly more water then you should have and the loaf will collapse, insufficient time allowed for the bread to rise will result in a solid bit at the bottom, not having the right type of baking dish typically one that has been well used can result in the bread sticking to the bottom.
one of my less successful cooking attempts. However, the bread tasted delicious.
Unless you understand what function the constituents perform I don’t think it is possible to master the task of breadmaking. It requires considerable discipline and consistency. If you are new to breadmaking I suggest you follow the instructions exactly. When you are at a more advanced stage, then you can experiment and I would say this about all types of cooking.
I have just received one of those ….. it is with deep sadness… notes from a local art gallery saying that after X years of trading they are going to close their doors. I will keep the details anonymous for obvious reasons.
The reply I have just sent to them may give comfort to those who are in financial difficulties be it an artistic offering or indeed any type of commercial business.
Brian thank you so much for your email and offer of help, it really means a lot. And yes, overheads have been the greatest issue for us and we have had to bend under their weight, but you are right to say to not allow it to break us. Hopefully we will go forward with greater strength and understanding within the fine art market. Thank you for your generous offer to look at our website critically, I would be most interested in your opinions and suggestions. As Tesco rightly say, every little helps. Thank you.
I wrote back later on in the day with a whole list of suggestions but quite frankly I was closing the business I wouldn’t particularly want to read it so it remains to be seen whether that be any further response. She is South African so they are a tough breed and they tend to fight and survive so I think on balance I will hear from her. I was pretty blunt about her website. I have tried constructive criticism many times before but in most cases it is too much for people and they go into the defensive that is why I asked beforehand if they would welcome comments.
Anyway, off to Wells by bus. We often go to Wells. It is the ideal tourist centre because everything is within about 300 m and it is packed full of history, culture, good food, markets, you name it there will be something to interest you.
The second part of today’s diary will be mainly pictorial.
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