hail the runner bean that kindest of crops

'I took the whole morning and afternoon service and sermon, but my father took part in holy communion...'

so says francis kilvert of this day in 1872. on wednesday he will spend it with the de quettevilles (this is an old brittany name, ok no horsemouth is wrong, normandy). one of their relatives is still about (writing for the daily torygraph horsemouth believes). 

meanwhile, in lawrence durrell's ceasar's vast ghost  his friend aldo is reading a travel guide to south eastern france by none other than francis kilvert's friend augustus hare. (what are the odds!)

thus is horsemouth's reading united.

hare also wrote ghost stories (or rather he larded his autobiographies with them) - one such is the vampire of croglin grange.

the robbie basho is from 1978 the night before he did a gig that was recorded. this, a short set in a coffee house was recorded also. 

--------------------------

a hazy morning here in the wild 

there are going to be lots of runner beans conversely the first crop of broad beans is in (and there are probably some left overs for his brother) and then horsemouth would have to get very lucky to get another crop out of these particular plants. there are fewer beetroot plants that horsemouth thought/ would have hoped. there will be enough onions. how we are for potatoes he does not yet know. the spinach has bolted and is basically done. the caterpillars have decimated the cabbage and the sprouts.

hail the runner bean that kindest of crops.  

horsemouth worries that he is in the wrong place (hell he knows he is in the wrong place) but there is little or nothing he can do about it. 

yet another imaginary conversation rendered null and void

a discussion of communal living

'the percentage of americans living in nuclear family households has declined significantly since 1970...'

but of course there is a huge economic factor with this. 

horsemouth is no longer living communally. rather than experience it as great and beautiful he experienced it as conflict. conflict over access to the living room, over using the front garden as a waste dump, over using the back garden as a waste dump. 

to be fair whenever he shared he felt these kind of stresses. and whenever he lived on his own he felt different social stresses.

beyond that there was the wider co-op which seemed to contain the absolutely average number of selfish and unpleasant people.  similarly when he worked. 

horsemouth was very grateful to the people who were active in the co-op and to the co-op's existence for housing him at a point when he was in great housing difficulty. he thinks it is a beautiful thing (except in its actuality). similarly for the work that fed him (except for day to day). 

the truth, horsemouth supposes, is that he is a grumpy bastard. 

and yet he misses the co-operative. there was a potential to do good there. 

this is yet another imaginary conversation rendered null and void. 

interesting. facebook was down. and then it was back up again. 

------------------------------------------------

perhaps the whole target of the iran war is not iran but china. china has handled the energy crisis well by using its strategic reserves. but this cannot continue. similarly for the rest of the world. 

the us strategic reserves are stored underground in giant salt caverns - whether these can be just turned on and off without risking their structural integrity could turn out to be a major issue. 

it is one thing to blunder into a stupid war with iran it is another thing to blunder into a stupid war with china. 

a bright morning with an interesting nip in the air. horsemouth thinks more chicken feed this week. 

imaginary conversations rendered null and void ('all three is a...')

kilvert is still back at his father's 

horsemouth is still writing his far future village band stuff but he's waiting for inspiration to strike again. until then he'll grind it out. 

yesterday a walk up the hill to deliver the eggs. on his way back down there was a girl ahead of him. she was just passed the bridge when he turned up the path by the military base.

she did not reappear.  

later a wedding at the abbey (horsemouth was told). there were bells. (they seemed to go on a long time).

the strimming of the chicken enclosure was successful when it was completed the chickens could be released. no chickens were strimmed in the process that's the main thing. 

horsemouth has realised 

that the thing in town he was worried about going to is on next week not the week after - he will therefore not be able to go. at a stroke all his anxieties pop (but also all his possible pleasures too). it would have been a good opportunity to catch up with loads of people (ah well). 

horsemouth can't tell you the number of imaginary conversations that renders null and void. 

later still a walk on the common. lots of people around. (but none of them were walking dogs). it looked pretty much as it looks above (except he didn't go that route). 

later still a zoom beer with howard. 

sculptures. erm...erm... pachy-o-derm. 'all three is a...'

the sheep are gone again (up the hill).

'age of decline and dissolution...'

'in an age of decline and dissolution, the roman world had shattered like a mask...' 

- lawrence durrell, ceasar's vast ghost. 

and this is horsemouth's view of the future. he thinks things are going to carry on getting worse rather than fall but he thinks eventually it will fall. he thinks the disruptions caused by global warming are on a whole other scale from previous crises. they are literally a global crisis.

in this he is a doomster. 

however, as with the romans, the fall will take centuries. for much of the time the world will appear to be the same but in fact the break up of nation states and power blocks will accelerate. 

the last three tracks on this album were recorded in nice on july 18th 1971 (so 55 years ago to the day) live from the place masséna. it all kicks of round about the 1 hour 14 minutes mark. 

starmer has departed and burnham will soon be in. horsemouth is pessimistic (he does not expect it to make a great deal of difference). burnham has little time to get anything he wants to get done done. soon enough we are back to the electorate (though it will feel like a long time). 

horsemouth was just struggling to feed the chickens while keeping the door to their coop shut. their enclosure is being strimmed, best to keep the chickens out of the way whilst this is going on.

while this post is dated the 17th it was in fact published the morning of the 18th (go figure).  

his busy social whirl begins again

the package has arrived from far off riogordo

contents - CD far future village band III with card cover and photo, handwritten note, chapbook A5 (roughly) card cover 8 pages double stappled featuring 3 case studies of the musicians and 6 photos.

horsemouth pronounces himself delighted. 

 if in doubt try kilvert

'last night the lord stood by me and invited me to drink of the fountain of life freely and I shall stand before the lord as bold as a lion.' - john cennick's aunt on her deathbed, as heard by him aged 9. 

kilvert is in langley burrell. 

yesterday (in 1872) he took his mother to visit the larges who told kilvert about the moravian settlers in east tytherton and the methodist and moravian preacher and hymn writer john cennick. 

here's a photo of their church and a plan of it. 

tomorrow kilvert will observe some haymaking. he will return to clyro on the 5th of august. 

yesterday 

horsemouth went for several walks on the common in the shade (through the woodland - along the side of it as much as possible). he harvested some runner beans (smaller and less stringy this time) and some tomatoes. there are still some broad beans to come (so there will be some for his brother). 

the bell ringing didn't go so well (but on the other hand it wasn't a complete disaster). after that the pub. 

damn he's just remembered he forgot to give sylvia the eggs. (his busy social whirl begins again). 

hmmnn. interesting. chance of rain in the afternoon. 

it is more an idea than a place.

'he advised me to keep a journal of my life, fair and undisguised. he said it would be a very good exercise, and would yield me infinite satisfaction when the ideas were faded from my remembrance.' 

- james boswell's london journal, 16th july 1763. 

'it is more an idea than a place. you will find this out quite soon' 

- local informant in lawrence durrell's ceasar's vast ghost. 

three years ago horsemouth was reading provence in walthamstow (it being more an idea than a place).  

horsemouth has been a bit anxious (not so surprisingly when he thinks about it). 

horsemouth has a visit coming up. it's not when he wanted it to be but at least it is happening. it will enable him to get in a number of social engagements and catch up with people (not everyone but at least some). 

ok. see even writing that down is helping him negotiate with it. 

he has been pleased that he has been writing but he is out of the first wind of it and will have to re-apply himself.  

it's the morning. horsemouth has done the chickens, to his recollection he forgot to take the recycling bin down the hill so it will now be another two weeks before it gets emptied. (pops his head out of the window to check - yes). 

the main water tank on the common is very low - horsemouth will try and excuse himself as much watering as is possible today. 

a mysterious and imprecise word

an almost entirely written the day before blogpost 

a walk on the common 

horsemouth took his camera and was mainly trying to focus on the animals and the abandoned technology. round the outside and then up to the top of the hill and back.

abandoned greenhouse

could be brought back into use horsemouth thinks. he thinks it's at the far end of a garden. 

the field downhill from it has a poly-tunnel anyway. (now a poly tunnel would be a useful thing). horsemouth's mum has two greenhouses but one is now in the shade of a rather large tree and so not much use for actually growing anything.

a mysterious and imprecise word

the 'mysterious and imprecise word that no one could define but which was readily understood by those who experienced it...'  is ballardian. 

you may as well add kafkaesque to that list but you may as well reply 'almost all of them'. in general all words are more difficult to define than people imagine and their meanings seldom stay stable that long.

the narrow road to the deep north

basho entered the city of kanazawa on july the 15th. he met a merchant from osaka. he wrote a memorial poem in praise of the poet issho.

'how beautiful it is

the snow on the ground

and the cloud in the west

that brings more of it.' 

snow seems a bit unlikely at the moment. (horsemouth would settle for rain). 

horsemouth has succeeded in doing something obvious 

hopefully it is the right thing to do. he should probably refuel once he has checked that the air is clear.  it should bring him peace of mind (but of course it doesn't). 

today the eggs (in as sure as eggs is eggs) and the recycling bin down the drive also. horsemouth is up and he has his coffee. it's a cool grey morning (but this means little, yesterday heated up successfully and today is supposed to do that also). 

according to the forecast the weather is consistently sunny and dry through to the 24th (this doesn't bring horsemouth the pleasure he thought it would). 

at least from here on in

 1872 kilvert is in langley having left clyro yesterday. 

okay a mostly written in the morning blogpost (at least from here on in), 

a grey morning and positively cool. horsemouth is wearing two layers (this is unheard of he's spent the last month wandering around in as little as possible). cloud til midday (says the bbc weather).  then bryter later.

at night horsemouth read a little of ceasar's vast ghost (mostly about the campaigns of marius) and then a little of seeing england (antiquarians, travellers and naturalists) which ends with the naturalist gilbert white of selborne in hampshire - horsemouth had been looking for his the natural history of selborne in his dad's collection. it is almost certainly there and almost certainly in a folio edition. anyway there's a few pages at the end of charles lancaster's book. 

the chickens were there to greet horsemouth at the gate this morning (he'd forgotten to lock them up last night). they all seem to be there. a 7am start (not too shabby). 

he probably won't go to abergavenny today. if he's off to the wen in a few weeks he can get his book shopping in then. 

available in physical form it is nearly here

'elsewhere horsemouth's writing has been progressing. at some point the first part of it will be available in physical form...'  

it's NEARLY here.

in the spanish post today (rob says) and then god knows how long it will take to reach the mule in deepest darkest herefordshire. launched by the correos it will fly towards horsemouth and then decelerate enormously as it enters the field of action of the royal mail. 

this is in no way the fault of the final postie who will deliver it to horsemouth (him horsemouth will thank). 

having been posted it will therefore be a piece of mail art. 

of course once horsemouth has the physical thing he will be better able to tell what it is and perhaps get some more insight into why he did it. 

this morning a cool grey morning (uncharacteristic of recent weeks and something of a relief and a disappointment simultaneously). the weather forecast shows rain mid week. 

today that walk up the hill with the eggs. 

yesterday evening a phone conversation with david. horsemouth may be visiting the wen soon (he'll keep you posted). 

sheep are back

the sheep are back. horsemouth thought they had gone away but his mum claims not. that makes it easier.

horsemouth has been watching l'homme sans visage  a french mini-series first broadcast 17th july 1975. it's in that great fantomas/ dr.mabuse/ supervillain  mould. 

he's been reading ceasar's vast ghost. in a way it is useful reading for his post-apocalyptic, they are old men rattling around old houses and towns with unhealthy obsessions (haute magie, mumification, tauromachia). 

================

yesterday a chat with howard (of the one and done variety). soon enough howard is done for the year. 

today a zoom call and probably wombling the eggs up the hill. possibly try some more writing of the post-apocalyptich (it seems to be writing itself at the minute). 

constrained by history

'constrained by history, now he shall not make

new friendships or attachments

for the circle of the old is closing in...'

- lawrence durrell, ceasar's vast ghost.

on this day in 1872 the children at the school are mourning the departure of kilvert. or rather on this day he is told about it and tells us.  he is secretly gratified. 

horsemouth picked some tomatoes in the greenhouse which his mum pronounced very tasty. 

horsemouth should finish off confessions of a book collector before he starts on ceasar's vast ghost (but that's not his way). ceasar's vast ghost is great so far. it suits the hot weather. horsemouth did a little reading of it sitting around outside. 

coming up the weekend. after that the weeks of july and then the summer holidays begin (for the people who work). 

a good and hopeful message about bookstores. nice picture of a bookshop too. this may be why horsemouth copied and shared the article. he just likes the picture.  carpet, natural wood shelves, books (lots of books). 

elsewhere horsemouth's writing has been progressing. at some point the first part of it will be available in physical form and then horsemouth can get on and share it digitally. maybe he is in a good position to expand the reach of the chapbook. 

horsemouth has his coffee and he has unleashed the chickens. what next?

horsemouth and his old life (none of the above)

nicholas royle confessions of a book collector goes well but it is horsemouth's old life. 

horsemouth's old life

go to this second hand book shop walk over to that second hand bookshop, visit this or that charity shop along the way. read this book in translation or that book in translation. earwig this or that conversation and write it down, or write a quotation down in the diary from a book found in a college library. 

work day - fit in the book shop visits before or after bookings. 

leisure day - do the bookshop visits when boredom strikes. 

alternatively go into a library to check out the book sale. 

(later check local book-boxes)

and still more recently none of the above (or at least very little). 

horsemouth's accessions diary for the year is pitiful - whole months go buy without him buying or collecting a single book. he visits town and returns with a mere handful. 

at least his collection is still there in the shed on the side of the garage. it has not succumbed to damp. all this collecting is why he has such a big collection (this is perhaps unsurprising).  

where is kilvert?

on the 10th of july 1872 kilvert has travelled to abergaveny by train (via hereford) and is currently walking back from there to hay-on-wye via the black mountains. at llanthony kilvert and his friends meet a trainee monk from the monastery. they then proceed up the gospel pass 'into wales' (as kilvert puts it). 

it's been a busy time for kilvert. he's been to see the solitary of llanbedr, there's been a flood, he's been up to liverpool. 

meanwhile

'the sun determines everything that grows, while water becomes an all important symbol...' 

- lawrence durrell,  ceasar's vast ghost. 

horsemouth has been back out in the garden. he's finished picking the gooseberries and even picked some more runner beans. (there will be lots of runner beans this year). 

today

up to 33C. gradually cooling off from there. possibly some rain in the evening. possibly some rain sunday evening. no real rain until thursday. 

horsemouth wants rain so it can fill up the water butts so he can feel less guilty about using commons water to water the garden/ greenhouses etc. 

hacking back the nettles (at the harvesting of the broad beans)

in the morning a go at hacking back the nettles where they had grown up through the gooseberry bushes. as those were cleared picking the few remaining gooseberries that the birds hadn't snaffled or knocked off and left to rot on the ground. then the bins and the egg delivery.  (waste bin horsemouth thinks this time)

in the evening more of the same. but first horsemouth did some watering and harvested the broad beans. 

in between the hiding indoors and more writing (that is good). 

the pulling up the nettles went well (much better than horsemouth expected). he going to be able to get on with the gooseberry picking much more easily than he thought. 

picking the gooseberries resulted in several spikings of his fingers (most annoying). 

the broad beans and the gooseberries have gone into the freezer. it looks like there's some tomatoes to be had in the green house (woo hoo). 

this morning it looks like it's going to be sunny and hot again. 

horsemouth and the 'I'm a published author' dance

 'the night looks different  

already on july the sixth, 

for tomorrow, once a year, 

the weaver (vega) meets her lover (altair)...' 

- masuo basho in the narrow road to the deep north. 

this story forming the basis of the star festival which will have started last night. 

alfred watkins

meanwhile while he was in hereford horsemouth saw a blue plaque for alfred watkins, early photographer and ley-line theorist author of the old straight track. apparently hereford museum has extensive holdings of his works and photographs. 

horsemouth should have a hunt through his books on photography to see if he has any of watkins' work already. watkins supplied the photographs for d.r. chapman's hereford, herefordshire snd the wye.

the far future village band

so horsemouth got his fourth installment written (and very pleased he is with it too). meanwhile in far off riogordo rob has been printing out trial copies of the chapbook to go with it featuring the photos of the band and horsemouth's writings. 

... and horsemouth will be doing his 'I'm a published author' dance again. 

there will be a far future village band IV horsemouth will be practicing his whistling. 

will horsemouth write more? we shall see.

of course the return to the world of physical art objects solves some problems with the sheer overproduction of digital kipple (and its so-called 'ease of distribution) and replaces it with problems of its actual physical production and distribution. 

today 

another warm day. egg delivery and bin down the drive. the birds look to have snaffled all the berries. 

confessions of a book collector (the sun behind cloud cover)

so horsemouth is up to three stories/ character studies for the far future village band.

will he write a fourth? we shall see.

yesterday

nothing in the charity shops but after that a walk on great western way and then back across the river by the bridge used by the original hereford to abergavenny rail route. 

he dived into the oxfam near hereford cathedral before getting the bus out to pick up some books he had spotted earlier.

- nicholas royle, confessions of a book collector £3.99 (fake picador)

- teffi; memories from moscow to the black sea  £4.99 (nyrb)

the royle is good and enjoyable (horsemouth started reading it while waiting for the bus). royle namechecks some important bookshops for horsemouth - halcyon and skoob, and some important books and writers -anna kavan's sleep has his house and ice for example). he's good on inclusions in books (letters, photos, ticket stubs etc.), multiple copies, different covers etc. 

the teffi horsemouth will start on soon. (he has to admit he has never heard of it before). 

-------------------

ok written in the morning.

horsemouth was up early (or at least he thought about it from an early hour). the royle goes well (p. 85 so far). a greyish cool morning (the sun behind cloud cover). 

ok (phew) horsemouth has got the next part of the far future village band written. he thinks the solution is the correct one (wouldn't want to make it too maudlin). 

monastic trio day (was last month)

an entirely written in the morning blogpost (and maybe a brief one) 

so horsemouth has written two (short) fictional far future village band pieces (maybe he should get on and do a third). 

his plan is to go into town today (because it's there, because he hardly ever goes). the second hand book buying is not marvellous and there's no concessions yet for the old mule for the bus journeys in and out. consequently it will not be cheap. 

really it is for the thrill of the chase. he has enough books already (more than enough). and there are plenty of books in the house he could develop and interest in if he so chose. 

he should try abergavenny again. (the selection is better).  hay is just too far. 

he has practically finished reading the ice monkey by m.john harrison (and very good it was too).  this shows that he can sit down and read when the material grabs him. 

today is monastic trio day. the anniversary of alice coltrane being in the studio and recording some of the tracks from the LP release of monastic trio this day in 1968. alice coltrane on harp (mostly) and rashied ali on drums. ok no horsemouth has got this wrong it was june 6th but let's enjoy them anyway - broadly from gospel train onwards excluding altruvista. 

severed connections

so horsemouth has started reading the ice monkey a collection of stories by m. john harrison. 

he wanted to start on pavane by keith roberts but he couldn't find it in the stacks.

it starts with the story the ice monkey. like climbers, m. john's later novel about climbers and climbing, he shows that he really gets the absurd nature of the risk and the reward. 

the new rays is that uncanny valley cancer treatment as horror. could be robert aickman. the incalling is more squalid horror. 

settling the world has one of the greatest (and most misleading) opening sentences,

'with the discovery of god on the far side of the moon...' 

friends from university, ex-wives (severed connections). the quarry and running down an almost perfect story for the GB75 era (and originally published in 1975 but subsequently revised for this edition).

it ends with egnaro which also finishes up the viriconium series of stories. there is another world somewhere that you can gain access to (if you just know where to look). 

horsemouth is looking forward to re-reading it all. egnaro he re-read recently. 

--------------------

yesterday horsemouth did some writing (well typing things in on the laptop). this will appear in another place. he had a zoom beer with howard. movies, books, exhaustion (on howard's part) rather than work and plans. 

today

the weather is mild. more writing (typing). probably a walk. the continued hunt for pavane. make a list of possible far future village band bits of work. 

the world of the far future village band

a very british apocalypse.

there is the apocalypse of john wyndham, of j.g. ballard, of m. john harrison's running down. for all the utopias there are dystopias but also apocalypses where the new world cannot yet be made, but the old world can be destroyed. 

of course 1970ies tv was rife with it - the changes, survivors, practically every episode of dr. who because in the 70ies collapse was all around.

the three day week, GB75, a fairly secret army...

the 80ies and 90ies there were tedious years of progress (during which, strangely, the material bases of peoples lives were systematically undermined). in 2008 yet another financial crisis hit, followed by brexit, followed by covid, all symptoms of a shrinking malaise. 

and here we are...

horsemouth's far future village band reading list

pavane (keith roberts)

to be frank horsemouth can remember next to nothing about this book. other than it features a world where the protestant reformation never happened and the catholic church maintained a stranglehold on the development of technology (this may not be as factually correct as people imagine it to be). 

anyway it is set in modern times - but modern times where the best technology available is the steam-driven traction engine. 

horsemouth is pretty sure he has it somewhere in the garage. he's had a look. he can't see it. he'll try again later. there's always a danger he has returned it to the commonweal (to the book boxes).

the world of the far future village band

well it's hot. hot and dry or hot and luxuriant. kind of a cross between the dark ages and shogunate japan. rice is the main crop grown around the inland lakes (such as remain uncontaminated by saltwater). the sea-levels have risen but rivers have silted up (or been dammed also) creating inland lakes and seas. 

kind of like richard jefferies after london. 

a strangely accented french seems to be the lingua franca (or perhaps that's just for puppet shows). 

there seem to be lots of dances. lots of animal based dances. lots of flute ensembles. 

a stomp around on the common

yesterday

horsemouth got in a grump and went for a stomp around on the common (exactly why he is unsure). generally he dislikes his mum's work schemes (particularly if they are being worked out on the fly). 

it is time for a re-think

the old dispensation has worked so far but horsemouth is growing increasingly anxious trying to square up what he has to do with what he wants to do. 

in general horsemouth thinks he needs a holiday. (it's just working out how he's going to do it if his brother is not able to cover for him). nonetheless there is stuff he needs to do in town. 

indeed he could just do with a day off just doing some book-browsing in hereford or abergavenny.

vegetable growth

it has been suggested he pick the broad beans in about a week (better to get them when they are young, tasty and tender than later on).  the runner beans and tomatoes are coming soon and everything else is progressing ok. 

it's the morning. horsemouth is near to hung over without being actually hung over. the bell-ringing went ok (horsemouth is not making as much progress as he would like).  afterwards the angel of grosmont (and a lift back). 

to the top of the hill

 yesterday

horsemouth got in a walk on the common. up to the top of the hill. he circled round two tourists who had driven up and were drinking a cup of tea while sat at a camping table.

he also delivered the eggs to the crossroads and took the recycling bin down the drive. (that reminds him he must go and collect it).

the rain the day before had put some water in the water butts (which horsemouth used on the garden). 

one of the chickens has died so they are now down to thirteen chickens (these are the lucky ones). it hadn't been looking well for a while.  all the others look ok. 

horsemouth has had a crack at singing the first verse and chorus of le chaland qui passe (er. it needs work).

today 

horsemouth is unsure. probably the bells later on. at the moment he is up he has fed the chickens and he has his coffee. the coffee is good, nothing leaps out of the grauniad at him. he sneezes. he blows his nose. 

outside it is kind of uninspiring. low dark cloud and cool. 

ok horsemouth tells a lie it is starting to cheer up. 

horsemouth worries about lack of rain. he could do with the water butts being full again so he doesn't have to use commons water which is in short supply. (ah well what will be will be). 

turn the page (calendar day)

so how is calendar day? horsemouth will have to tell you when he gets there. 

photo from donaueschingen, october 16th 1971 (maybe october 17th) 

a gig by don cherry with moki cherry on tanpura. eagle eye cherry is just visible behind the dog (yes there's a dog onstage).

horsemouth could find out who the other people are (see youtube clip details). look at these hippes! look at how brilliant this is!

the album cover this is taken from is not performed by this line-up but by a trio of carlos ward, abdullah ibrahim and don cherry (and very good it is too). 

yesterday

it was actually raining (briefly). (like horsemouth has forgotten such a thing was possible). this is good because it replenishes (to some extent) the water butts and excuses horsemouth from watering duties.

ok it rained for a little bit.  slight chance there would be more in the night. remind horsemouth to go and check on the chickens. 

ok it's calendar day

calendar            july features

triple negative         creatures trapped on the land their city sunk beneath the abyssal plain

ifaw                         3 of giraffes

rspca                        knight of squirrels    

dave and sally         dave and sally (charity run)

looks like a beautiful morning out there - horsemouth will start on his journeyings.