Wednesday 22 December 2010

Seasonal Splash (5): Deck the Halls . . .

Christmas preparations: mince pie-making, 2009

Sadly the scene above is one from last year!

I wonder if you have read 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas. I love the illustrations by Edward Ardizzone in my copy. The descriptions are extraordinary: Dylan speaks of 'slap-dashing home' through the 'gravy smell of the dinners of others', with 'the pudding and the mince, coiling up' to his nostrils!


P.S. Steven of The Golden Fish posted a wonderful James Joyce description last year of the rich and regimented fare of Christmas Past: do take a look, and keep an eye open for the seasonal painting at the end of the post while you are there. Enjoy!

... Oh, and in case you are wondering why there is no holly here (after my title), please click this link

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3 comments:

The Solitary Walker said...

Wonderful book! I used to sell it when I worked for JM Dent Publishers. Even used to sell it in Laugharne. Mr Davies, the grocer, used to buy piles of all the Dylans, and also buy up all the end-of-stock volumes. He sold them among the cabbages and the baked beans. Everything had to pay its way! Suppose Brown's Hotel has changed a lot now, however.

Caroline Gill said...

Yes, Robert, you would notice some changes. The secondhand bookshop had shut when we were there last (I think permanently . . .) - and Brown's is different. The 'heron-priested shore' is much the same, thankfully, and the chips are good, if you can keep the seagulls at bay! We saw a number of Little Egrets there on our last visit.

Marc Latham said...

Nice post Caroline, and happy new year to your blog. You might like the http://www.birdforum.net/ that I joined a while ago; I recently received an annual newsletter from them, and just forwarded it to you.