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Snowe
30 January 2003
I'm sorry, but I do just have to share this with you; it's going to be murder to type, but it is beautiful.
From 'A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye', author unknown, c 1572:
To Make a Dyschefull of Snowe
Take a pottell of swete thycke creame and the whytes of eyghte egges, and beate them altogether wyth a spone. Then putte them in youre creame and a saucerful of Rosewater, and a dyshe full of Suger wyth all. Then take a stycke and make it cleane, and then cutte it in the ende foure square, and therwith beate all the aforesayde thynges together, and ever as it ryseth take it of and put it into a Collaunder. This done, take one apple and set it in the myddes of it, and a thicke bushe of Rosemary, and set it in the myddes of the platter. Then cast your Snowe uppon the Rosemary and fyll your platter therwith. And yf you have wafers caste some in wyth all and thus serve them forthe.
Sic. I think. Isn't it a joy?
Also a joy, I have the cover for the first vol of the US edition of Outremer (the first of six, over there), and I like it very much. Even despite its indisputable blueness. I am, I confess, not fond of blue; I never wear it, and there is very little in the house. Except, obviously, on book covers. Not much I can do about them, except cover them over; which in general is too much trouble (besides which, they'd still be blue beneath, and I would still know), and specifically in this instance I don't want to. Why would I, with a John Howe picture and a fine design? Oddly, it's the second time JH has illustrated vol 1, as he did the UK edition too. Actually, I don't know if that is odd, or if it happens often; it would feel odd to me, if I were asked to write two different stories around the same illustration. But art is another country: as witness my troubles with film, with comics, all of that visual stuff. But I am just starting to put framed pictures on my walls, perhaps I'm getting better...
© Chaz Brenchley 2003
Reproduced here by permission of Chaz Brenchley, who asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.