It was supposed to be a relaxed day ... and when it got so relaxed that it was just about boring, I stopped sitting at the computer and went out into the continuing sunshine, striding up the hill and down the other side, to Crouch End, and to the library. on the pretext of needing a book on medieval architecture to augment the short series of classes at City Lit.
Found this -
Published in 1992, it has illustrations based on some of the 25,000 photos taken (and developed, and printed) by the author's husband, as they travelled 67,000 miles around the 23 countries of Europe. (The name of the person who did the drawings isn't given, not in this volume (there are three volumes) at least.) Back in 1992, colour photos were a luxury; the entire book is monochrome -
and suffers from strange layouts and overcrowding. Keeping costs down, of course ... yet how much did that illustrator get paid?
The library's book sale had been on for over a month and was looking severely picked-over, but I found this
and thought it might be worth 50p to help me distinguish the Cluniac monasteries from the Dominicans, the Franciscans from the Benedictines. What delight to open it and find many delightful, colourful images -
All that kingly and ecclesiastical pushing and shoving for power is rather fascinating, in fact the historical bits of the medieval course interest me more than the architectural minutae.
I took the long route home, the streets I've only ever walked on once or twice, despite having lived about a mile away for some 30 years.
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| Spring gorgeousness |
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| More spring gorgeousness! |
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| Original street sign? The area was built up in the 1880s |
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| Neighbours |
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| Stairway to ... well, just the upstairs flats |
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| Sadly neglected house |
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| Alternative geography |
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| "Strange creatures" |
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| Cyclops |
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| Hare or rabbit? |
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