David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


30 July 2009

Ça va? Oui, ça va. Le Tour goes on ...

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Stage 1 : Kangaroo Flat, circa 1956
Uncropped photo by mum. Taken at the lotus gates, which she designed. Dad about to dink me to school on his way to the pharmacy. He with Gladstone bag on the handrail, me with leather satchel over shoulder.



Stage 2 : Bendigo, circa 1979
By then my brother M is a pharmacist at the Queen Victoria hospital, Swanston Street. He has arranged a storeman job there for me; so with swag and case I'm off to Melbourne (on the train) then to cycle through the traffic to and from work each day.



Stage 3 : Yesterday, in the rain, at "Bonzaview"
Same bike as above. Now I watch the world slowly tour through it.

2008.08.01_bicycle in the rain_FLAT_400w

Stage 4 :