Although I'm all for big appetites and extravagance, I like to be reminded that good things can come in small portions.
:: A teaspoon of very cold lemon curd (I use Nigella's very easy recipe in How to Eat) straight from a jar in the fridge is sublime. Especially with a cup of tea as a variant on the old Russian habit of having a spoon of jam with a glass of tea (one of my favourite domestic details in nineteenth century Russian literature).
:: A long short story or a short novella is a treat for a rainy afternoon or a quiet evening. The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow is gripping; it's difficult not to rush the reading in order to find out how the mystery is revealed and resolved. It has surprisingly modern themes for someone who is perceived as a stalwart of Victorian fiction, and is just right for a single reading gulp.
:: A little £1 pot of pansies from Petersham Nurseries. I couldn't bring myself to buy plants at twice or even three times the price of their Columbia Road counterparts, and the tiny pots of pretty, nodding pansies were probably the cheapest plants in the place.
:: A 75p postcard from the V&A. I wanted to splurge on the Frederick Sandys catalogue raisonné after seeing this painting again at the excellent Cult of Beauty exhibition. The painting has some of the most exquisite flowers I've ever seen in a painting - at Proserpina's feet - and I would happily take just that portion of the canvas and frame it. (The exhibition is very lovely and all 'utterly utter' as they said at the time, with a good number of 'bored ladies' as Simon describes the Rossetti stunners, and plenty of images of a very mournful-looking Janey Morris.)
Instead I bought the postcard because it made me laugh. It was part of the Punch-led lampooning of the Aesthetes and the joke that they tried to 'live up to their tea-pots'. Not something that ever troubles me, although I couldn't possibly live up to my tea cosies.
:: I bought a small pack of very thin Clover quilting pins to go in a tiny pincushion made by Susie of Duxhurst Quilting. I love the dinkiness of the cushion and spend too much time arranging the pins by colour.
:: I have seen and felt the very short and slim books in the new Penguin Great Food series whose covers are beautiful. I don't really like short collections and selections as it's all down to the editing and I feel I should be making my own choices (and how do you condense someone like MFK Fisher or Samuel Pepys?) but if they sold the covers on their own, I'd have the lot. (Good article here.)
My Knitting book just arrived, it is fantastic! I want to make everything, so refreshing after so many knitting books having the same old same old. Love the knitted washbags x x
Posted by: lucy | May 11, 2011 at 11:07
The previous comment has made me very excited - perhaps I might get mine today?
I am off to the V&A exhibition next week - utterly utter sounds right up my street.
And dear Mrs Oliphant, I loved reading her stories and writing about her in my thesis - she was a bit of a disappointed woman, and had a tough life - no wonder she forgot what she had written about!
Pomona x
Posted by: Pomona | May 11, 2011 at 12:33
Ooh, just looking at that lemon curd has givem me a tingly feeling on my tongue. You're right, it is delicious with tea.
Posted by: Tales from the Village | May 11, 2011 at 12:50
LOVELY photos.
Posted by: Lisa G. | May 11, 2011 at 13:24
Susan Anderson has a knitted cupcake pincushion on her website - that would seem to blend two of your interests. Three, if you count quilting pins!
Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport | May 11, 2011 at 14:37
Love Simon's description of Rossetti's women, very apt!
Posted by: Fionnuala | May 11, 2011 at 15:18
Jane, I thought you might like to know that Penguin have a comp on their website to win all 20 of the Great Food series of books(darn have I just minimised my chance of winning them now). By the way I haven't commented before - really enjoy reading your blog.
Glynis
Posted by: glynis | May 11, 2011 at 18:32
pants :( I've just double checked the closing date for the Penguin comp & it was the end of April (but the page is still on the site)..I'll just have to dream on!
Posted by: glynis | May 11, 2011 at 18:38
Glad you thought the exhibition was good as I've just bought tickets!
My daughter arranges the pins in my new cushion and tells me off for using them! Yours look lovely!
Posted by: Nicky Eglinton | May 11, 2011 at 20:38
Jane,
Your blog, like your books, is always inspiring and comforting, but I really identify with this post. I often buy a greeting card instead of the painting I want, or take away the very smallest "fairing," from an event. Thank you for celebrating the very tiniest fulfilling aesthetic experiences.
Laura
Posted by: Laura | May 11, 2011 at 20:40
Yes, my Amazon man came today, too! One copy for me and one for my lovely friend for whom you signed a copy of your quilting book at Persephone. Congratulations! I've been knitting since I was five and this book completely captures the essence of what makes it such a special hobby and means of relaxation. Exquisite photography, too! So much that I want to make ...
Posted by: Jayne Croghan | May 11, 2011 at 21:43
Thank you. Just reading this post and looking at the beautiful pictures has put me in a serene state of mind. As my grandfather would say, "Ain't life grand?"
Posted by: Sarah Henkel | May 12, 2011 at 00:51
Oh Jane, you do make me smile. I was in London on Easter weekend visiting my youngest who moved from Canada last fall. We visited the 'Beauty' exhibit at the V&A and what I took away was two copies of the tea pot post card... it made me smile so much I was overcome with greed!
So looking forward to your knitting book!
Cheers from Port Hope (near Toronto)
Deby
Posted by: Deby | May 12, 2011 at 03:49
I've tried sour cherry jam in black tea, and that's lovely. I adore Rosetti and his co-hort - most utterly utter! Thank you for this post, Jane - it was deliciously Jane Brocket :)
Posted by: Emily | May 12, 2011 at 07:27
Am with you ref the curd...I too have made that recipe many times and it's heavenly.
Those little books are just gorgeous. What a talented designer (whomever it was).
And I loved the dinky pincushion (yes I would have arranged the pins like that too) and your tea cosy is amazing.
Am away to look at the links to the exhibition now.
Dawn x
Posted by: D A Nelson | May 12, 2011 at 09:46
PS I read that article the other day and it immediately made me want to buy all the books and try out all the recipes. I've noted down a few cook names I didn't know in case I come across the original books in future. Penguin should hire the journo who wrote it to do their PR for them!
Dawnx
Posted by: D A Nelson | May 12, 2011 at 09:48
Have been prevaricating for ages over what Persephone book to buy next as they all look good so have gone on your recommendation. Looking forward to reading it. Also Amazon are finally sending me my gentle art of knitting so lots to look forward to. Now how do I explain all the little 'extras' on the mastercard bill??
Posted by: Pamela | May 12, 2011 at 10:55
Dear Jane
I visited the Cult of Beauty exhibition on tuesday and was entranced, amused and informed. I had two thoughts. The first that the fashions which took hold in this period have never really gone away. How many of us have blue and white china collections? My second thought was that this exhibition had surely been put together especially for you!
Posted by: Lesley | May 12, 2011 at 22:55
Jane,you are such an inspiration to me. I read the GAOD a couple of years ago and it's one of my favorite books of all time. Today, at the Brown University bookstore I got Turkish Delight. Your stuff makes me happy. You rock.
Posted by: casapinka | May 17, 2011 at 21:01