Wednesday 18 July 2007

A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling -- Hans Holbein the Younger

Hi everyone -- this is the last picture. Hope you enjoyed the sequence.

See the picture.

‘Oh this cold. Let me have another handkerchief. I don’t believe I’ve stopped sniffling since I came to this house. Sometimes I wonder how I will survive here for the rest of my life – not that it’ll be long if Madam won’t let us have a fire in our chamber very soon.

‘Still, at least I’ve got Dash. There is no more pretty pet than a squirrel, I can tell you, can’t I, Dash, yes I can. See him take this nut from my own lips… There. He loves me well, don’t you Dash, and so you should for you sleep in a nest by my own pillow. If you could see him race about the chamber it would do your spirits good. He is so quick! So nimble. But that’s why we have to keep you chained when we’re down here, don’t we Dash. That’s why you have to wear that heavy chain, isn’t it. He’d be up in the rafters before you could say ‘knife’, dropping I know not what on us and pulling straws out of the thatch.

‘And he listens well, don’t you Dash. He hears all my small woes, and comforts me. He is a good listener and one who keeps counsel. Not like Chatty here. Chatty listens to what is best left unheard and repeats it. Chatty is Madam’s pet, and a fine pair they make.’

4 comments:

Anonymous Bosch said...

12 more please!
or maybe i should send you 12 photos of local people and you write a novel about them lol.
My trips to the Gallery have never been the same since i read this blog
=)

Clare said...

Anonymous Bosch, my walks around town have never been the same since I discovered your pictures!

Please do send me 12 photos to write about -- what fun! I reckon I could do little 400 word stories on each. And it would be great to be able to publish the pictures with the stories, rather than (for copyright reasons) making people chase links.

Anonymous Bosch said...

You can take photos from either of my Blogs!

Katherine said...

I would LOVE to hold a squirrel! If only they were not so....squirrely.