I'm sure you will be familiar with today's image as it graces many a Christmas card. It is George Dunlop Leslie's Frozen Out...
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| Frozen Out (1866) George Dunlop Leslie |
I was thinking of this image as I walked the dog in the park. I do love the colder, brighter weather and Lord knows we've had enough rain for a while. It was deliciously crunchy underfoot as we pottered across the grass and I thought longingly about owning a muff. Ah, it is muff season again and I still do not have one. This is a shocking lack in my wardrobe, and one I must rectify. Look at the muffs in this picture, they look snuggly. I have muff envy.
One aspect of this picture I had missed before is the tiny dog on the right hand side of the picture. He is so small and I bet he is frozen. Surely a tiny jacket could have been found for him? If he has any sense he'll hide in one of the muffs and not get any more frosty.
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| Mmmm, Tudor-y.... |
He seems to be eyeing the birds with distrust, mind you, you know as well as I do that a swan can break a man's arm. That is a massive swan... it would be entirely unfair of me to suggest that the girls were attempting to swipe the swan for Christmas dinner. He'd feed loads of people and would be deliciously illegal. All swans have belonged to the monarch since the twelfth century, so the Queen will do for you if you decide to have a go at one, plus there is all the faff of removing the skin with the feathers so that you can 're-clothe' it in order to have it as the central part of your banquet. Sod that for a lark, and anyway I'm a veggie now and there is little chance that a nut-loaf will break my arm.
So wrap up warm, my friends, and sally forth into the frost. I'm off to acquire a muff, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Swans used to be eaten by the aristocracy up to Tudor/Elizabethan ages. They ceased to be a popular dish when all swans in England were declared the property of the monarch, so catching one to eat could result in a short (or not so short) stay in the tower. Two livery companies have been granted a special dispensation to own swans, hence the annual 'swan-upping' sessions. During these, representatives of the two companies are allowed one day to catch swans and mark them with either one or two notches on their beaks. Any unmarked birds remain the property of the monarch.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not eating one. Mind you, I like the Stanley Spencer painting of Swan Upping at Cookham.
ReplyDeleteLooks like peacock again, then?
ReplyDeleteIf I must, but only if Quorn do a fake version. The real thing is far too noisy...pretty, but noisy. Much like my daughter.
ReplyDeleteMeh, roast it up, stick a few plumes at one end, send it to table with a flourish and who's gonna know it's not really peacock? Apart from the peacock, of course.
DeleteOne fake peacock coming up. Do you fancy sprouts with that?
ReplyDelete