In God's Name, Give Us Back Our Bells

[liadnan]

Small* prize for anyone who can identify the quote. Utterly irrelevant to all that follows.

I return from a weekend in Hampshire** to discover that...

my books have fallen down.

A word of explanation for those who haven't been to my palatial residence. Due to a concatenation of circumstances, viz and to wit: (primo) my landlord not providing a civilised quantity of bookcases, and (secundo) my being terminally incapable of actually getting off my arse and doing something about it; that part of my library I keep in London (not including books loaned out some time ago not that I'm looking at anyone in particular but I digress) usually looks something like this. Triple parked, which is very inconvenient but at least keeps them out of the way. (Plus another load round the corner. When I'm pretending there's some structure to all this, I pretend that's history, plus a small bunch of travel books.)

Now it looks like this. (Actually, as you can see, I have re-stacked them a bit, but then I got bored.)

Arse.

Plus my tax return, and more immediately important because those lovely chaps and chapesses at HMCE want it by the end of the week, my VAT return, is buried underneath. Still, I suppose I could just send them the pictures with an explanation: after all, I've spent the money on the books anyway.

How much does Staff cost again?

Yes, this post has been a thinly veiled tryout of livejournal's picture-hosting.

*Very small.

**My father seems noticeably worse. It's been a slow slide, for several years now, but I feel it's accelerating. And when I'm in the mood to pray (with all the usual caveats and conditions) I don't know what to pray for. But I'm not going to write about that.

Comments

[fuckjaws.livejournal.com]

My apartment came with built in shelves along the walls. This is the first time ever I havn't had to deal with an entire slew of books trashed about the room.

[liadnan]

I would kill for shelves.

[fuckjaws.livejournal.com]

Well, it sort of got ridiculous. I had about a million of those tall and narrow IKEA shelves in my room. Now it's all in the wall and takes up so little space.

[nicnac.livejournal.com]

Oooooh. *dribbles at the sight of book collection*

Have you room for a tidy*, quiet** lodger who can cook*** fairly well?

*That's a lie
**So is that
***That isn't

[liadnan]

I haven't got room for a newspaper. Could do with a cook though...

[helixaspersa.livejournal.com]

Now I understand (about the Antonia Forest connection) - I wondered what it was. Presumably you do know that several of them have been reissued recently? Years ago I used to order them up and read them in the lower reading room in the Bodleian - bit embarrassing with the staff on the order desk, but worth it for a luxurious few days at the end of every term.

An impertinent thought re: the post above: if other people who are more distanced from the situation pray for your father, they don't have to know what to pray for, they can just do it anyway. Lots of people don't mind being asked and are glad to oblige.

[liadnan]

AF: yes: Girls Gone By. I need Thuggery Affair, Ready-Made Family, and the second Elizabethan one.. plus I'd like to replace my knackered puffins of the school ones.

My own praying is of a semi-agnostic and lapsed order I must confess.

[calixtan.livejournal.com]

ahaha, that is a great picture. i have friends with houses/apartments/dorms that look like that.

[anarcha.livejournal.com]

Your books look like my CDs. But I think that there's actually an appeal to keeping them in that fashion.

Stacks of well-worn books indicate someone who loves reading; well organized, antiseptic bookshelves indicate someone who loves to look like he loves reading.

The former is better, I think.

[liadnan]

But does mean I can never find anything I want.

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Oooh! *drools* I had seem pics of your flat before and all through my trip last year, I kept on waiting for an invite to examine these lovelies at close quarters.....They are so pretty....

I am sorry to hear that Uncle is doing worse. When I don't know quite what to pray for, I tend to leave that upto God as well. I just describe the situation and request that the matter be handled according to the best interests of all concerned, whatever those might be. If the idea doesn't appeal to you, just let me know and I'd make it a general prayer.

About the quote, the only thing it brings to mind is a story set in France, about a Giant who stole the bells from Notre Dame, because he thought they'd sound/look pretty on his mare. And when you say a 'very small prize', are you referring to a diamond or emerald? ;)

About the quote

[liadnan]

Indeed: see reply to cornaidd below.

[dr-lovely.livejournal.com]

Gah ! Get thee to an estate agent ! You need a better flat now young Marcus. With bookselves. Am also sorry to hear about your dad. Best wishes.

[liadnan]

But I like living in Primrose Hill. Also, re: furniture, you can talk. Was going to post some photos of the cocktail party we had in your flat to illustrate my point, but thought better of it....

I'll take the emerald.

[nicnac.livejournal.com]

François Rabelais - Gargantua (1534)
http://www.adoremus.org/1001bells.html

The story's title character, an amiable if irreverent giant, removes the huge church bells from Notre Dame, thinking they might "sound very sweet tinkling on his mare's neck". When the whole of Paris gets into a violent uproar, Janotus, Doctor of Theology and eldest member of the University faculty, is empowered to "apprise Gargantua of the dreadful damage they have suffered through the loss of these bells". Armed with holy water, Janotus reluctantly pays a visit to the giant's home. "It were but right that you should return our bells, for we are in sore need of them!" he begins. "Many a time we have heretofore refused good money for them from the citizens of London (near Cahors) and of Bordeaux (in the land of Brie) If you restore them to us at my request, I shall gain one and one-quarter yards of sausage by it. O Sir, Domine, restor bellsimus nobis, give us back our bells! Truly, est bonum urbis, it is for the good of the city".

Re: I'll take the emerald.

[liadnan]

I shall entrust it, and Ritu's diamond, to the Royal Mail forthwith. (It's J.M "Greatest Translator Ever"'s edition in Penguin Classics.)

Re: I'll take the emerald.

[nicnac.livejournal.com]

No rush, I can wait until your back is better :)

your father

[sobelle.livejournal.com]

What to pray for?

At my advancing age, as I watch family and friends fall by the wayside, I've decided that prayers for a gentle passing should be my resolve.

It took my sweet father 5 months under constant medical care to finally succumb to the mutiny of his heart... and whereas, at the moment of that initial visceral storm, I had not wanted him gone so quickly as to not be able to say goodbye... I now, too late, can unselfishly wish that he could have flown quickly to death without the pain and loss of his determination and independence.

I sought your LJ out this evening in what becomes a sad but increasingly typical behavior for me, caused by the unexpected death of a friend today by heart failure. Younger than me, he was a rarity, a fair and impartial Criminal Courts Judge with family and friends who loved and admired him. Within the space of less than 20 minutes he was fully gone to us.

It reminded me to go tell those that I value in this life how much I do care for them.

You are one of those dear ones that I send that message to this evening.

love, aunti vaughn