It is the Liberation Day holiday today and earlier I had an unexpected visitor: it was the neighbour's daughter whom I had helped with some research before Christmas. She came bearing these lovely Sicilian pastries and this beautiful, handmade pencil case from Bardonnecchia in the mountains around Turin, where she is now working. I could gaze at objects like this for hours, imagining the workmanship and love that has gone into their making. The fact that someone whom I had only met once before would go to Bardonecchia, see it and think of me makes it all the more special.
17 comments:
The thought and the pencil case vie with each other for loveliness.
That is a lovely comment, James. Thank you.
So thoughtful...a thought and treasure for life . x x
Welshcakes -
those pastries look entirely desirable. How very lucky you are. And how envious am I...
I thought of you t'other day when I was reading some Thomas Hood. "Faithless Nelly Gray" is one (bad) pun after another. So how does a translator go about tackling such things? How does a translator approach such awful puns. Would "Faithless Nelly Gray" make any sense in Italian? Or, failing that, in Sicilian dialect?
My goodness, such bounty. I would love to have both myself. The Italians are good at gift giving, sometimes embarrassingly so.
What a beautiful pencil case, seems items such as these are not appreciated as much these days. Those pastries look wonderful....I best not show my kids, I'll have to start baking.
That is a lovely pencil case, I love to see wood crafted like that :-)
and what a lovely thought too!
Absolutely gorgeous WCakes... and so fitting for a woman with a passion for cooking & a teacher ...:) she obviously thought you were special (as you are)
I want the first type!
It's nice to know people appreciate you, I always think.
Thanks, Anne. Yes, I will treasure the pencil case all my life. What a question, Ludlingtonian! A translator could make sense of it but it would take many hours, for " a good translation should never read as if it is a translation" . So there are times when you would just have to put a footnote to explain the original nuance. And good translators, of course, translate only INTO mother tongue, not from it.
They are indeed, jmb. They are so generous!
Thanks, nunyaa. so sad that these items are not appreciated, sometimes, these days. But they are, here!
You are so kind, Abbey.
I'm sending them down the cyber-whatever now, Crushed!
These gifts speak loudly of the giver and the receiver.
I love that pencil case, and I can see anyone thinking of a teacher when viewing it. And those cookies (biscuits) look very tempting. It was wonderful of her to come bearing such lovely gifts.
Thasnk you kindly, Calum. Hi, Leslie. Yes, it was so thoughtful of her.
Ah - the perfect accompaniments to your morning cappuccino and your new office.
Both look wonderful but you will have a beautiful case once to goodies are eaten!
Yes, a lovely comment from James, and true too, this is a gift to treasure.
Hi, WW. I thought of taking it into my "office" but I want to gaze at it at home, too! Glad you like the case, jams. Hi, Ellee. And treasure it I will.
Post a Comment