Currently, I am reading the 20th, and next to the last, book of the Master and Commander Series, "Blue at the Mizzen". It is so very good, and I am a bit sad as I am about 3/4 of the way through, and know that there is only one more to read.
The story revolves around a hydrographical voyage around the Horn to Chile, and this time, Dr. Stephen Maturin has a major role. As you may or may not know, Stephen is a physician (not a surgeon, but a learned, educated doctor); he is an intelligence agent for the British government; and a Naturalist, something very near and dear to his heart. Throughout the various voyages, he has collected and categorized samples of flora and fauna from around the globe.
In the 18th Century, Natural History was quite the thing, as gentlemen scientists, as they were called, were taking a look at the greater world around them. The science is actually the study of organisms inclduing plants and animals in their environment, with a lean towards observation rather than experimentation. That is why we see so many wonderful prints or studies of a plant with its corresponding bud, seed, stamen, root system, etc.
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1701-1788), was a French naturalist, and perhaps considered the father of the science. His work influences two generations, publishing his 36 quarto volumes entitled, "Histoire Naturelle, generale et particuliere", that covered three "kingdoms" of nature: plants, animals, minerals. This work was heralded as written in "a brilliant style" to be read by "every educated person in Europe".
Next week I will be venturing forth to London to spend some time with family there. One of my favorite visits is to the Natural History Museum on Kensington Road. It houses over 70 million items within 5 collections of botany, entomology, minerals, palaeontology and taxonomy.
As the years go by, I have more and more interest in this type of thing. I love to watch the birds outside my balcony. I feed hummingbirds, and they are a delight to see each day. I am beginning to like to see butterflies up close. Saw a whole house of them at the Belagio Atrium this Spring. Generally, I hate bugs, but these are absolutely gorgeous. Who knows what's next?
Meanwhile, I will try to visit the museum while in London; currently there is a butterfly exhibit. The museum dates back to 1753, when Sir Hans Sloane left his extensive collection to the nation. It was housed in the British Museum until 1860, when a new museum was built. It, in itself, is incredible (see below).
As I get ready for Orthodox Easter, and packing for my trip, I think I may be signing off for awhile, but I hope to return in about two weeks, with new stories to tell. So, I say bye for now!
The story revolves around a hydrographical voyage around the Horn to Chile, and this time, Dr. Stephen Maturin has a major role. As you may or may not know, Stephen is a physician (not a surgeon, but a learned, educated doctor); he is an intelligence agent for the British government; and a Naturalist, something very near and dear to his heart. Throughout the various voyages, he has collected and categorized samples of flora and fauna from around the globe. 
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1701-1788), was a French naturalist, and perhaps considered the father of the science. His work influences two generations, publishing his 36 quarto volumes entitled, "Histoire Naturelle, generale et particuliere", that covered three "kingdoms" of nature: plants, animals, minerals. This work was heralded as written in "a brilliant style" to be read by "every educated person in Europe".
Next week I will be venturing forth to London to spend some time with family there. One of my favorite visits is to the Natural History Museum on Kensington Road. It houses over 70 million items within 5 collections of botany, entomology, minerals, palaeontology and taxonomy. 
When I finally decided to call it a night, I reflected on how nice it was. I thought of folks from the "Enlightened Age", without big screen tv's, Ipads, cel phones, sound systems, electric light fixtures, etc. .....All our modern conveniences. I decided to put them all away for a bit, at least for this week. It's certainly an adjustment, but I am thinking that the price is worth it.
When Orthodox Easter rolls around, this year May 5th, we get to see some of the lovely Eastern European religious traditions in all their splendor. One of the most beautiful is the Ukranian tradition of "writing" the Pysanky eggs, the wonderful, colorful eggs that are painted and distributed to family and friends before the Resurrection. I say written becuase the word "pysanka" comes from the verb "pysaty", or to write. The designs are not painted on, but adhered on the egg surface with wax . It is a complex and time-consuming layering process, truly a labor of love, that I will not go into here, but the results are outstanding. And, they last many years, if taken care of. 
quite beautiful, intricate, interesting. But, someday, we are going to have a whole population of crepe-y skinned, wrinkled old folks with sleeves, tattooed arms, or calves, or at least of those tattoos we can see. 
In Japan during the Edo period (the 1700's), tattooing was practiced, but the Asian culture has always been a bit more free where self expression and the physical body is concerned, even if it is veiled in their particular, erotic mystery. 
Today marks the composing of the famous La Marseillaise, the battle-hymn of the French republic. It was composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, an engineer in the army, eventually attaining the rank of captain. The song, composed at Strasbourg, where he was stationed, has immortalized him. He wrote the words after a patriotic dinner in a fit of excitement (see painting at right). He was a royalist, by the way, and thrown into prison, in 1793, narrowly escaping the guillotine! He was eventually freed during a reaction to political events, the Thermidorian Reaction, as it is known. 
Another great patriotic artistic expression is by French painter Eugene Delacoix's "Liberty Leading the People". Painted a little later in 1830, it depicts Liberty as a goddess/robust woman of the people. The cap on her head, the Phrygian cap, came to symbolized liberty during the French Revolution, 1789-94. It hangs in the Lourve, but many people know it from the cover of Coldplay's album, Viva La Vida. 
I've been watching Ripper Street lately, a crime drama set in the Whitechapel area of east London, set post Jack-the-Ripper days, around the late 1800's. Great costuming, great set design, and extremely interesting, rather complex stories of what goes on in the underground, the seedy area of this neighborhood, where people are suspicious and scared of the Ripper's return while trying to make their daily way. The first episode dealt with a copy-cat killer of sorts, but then moved on to other noteworthy plots of intrigue and suspense. I just love it, and the character of Homer Jackson, an American, a Pinkerton, with a mysterious, shady past (below, left). He is the surgeon and forensic pathologist for the precinct who has bodies brought to his "dead" room for analysis.
