My weekend reading of Deborah Lawrenson's wonderful new novel The Lantern
"The next day in the fields during our break for water, I asked the others how they would describe the blues we could all see. It was a case of trying out the words to convey to Marthe the startling beauty all around.
'Blue like the stripe in the rainbow,' said Aurélie.
'No, more purple,' said Mariette.
'Not that dark.'
'A mauve, then. Don't forget the green and greys underneath, and the chalky pink and brown stones in the soil between the lines.'
'A colour that hesitates between blue and purple,' Auguste cut in. He did not usually join in our conversations. I found I liked his phrase very much."
The book is excellent on the cultivation of the herb, the old techniques of extracting the essential oil and on its many uses from antiseptic to purgative to flu remedy, but quite apart from all that, and much more detail, it's a really super novel.
I adore the scent of lavender, but commercially produced scent and soap which are called 'lavender' vary so much. I buy a lovely French-produced lavender soap from the health food shop in a local town, and yet the lavender soap produced by Morny is totally unlike lavender to me!
Which brings me to a programme on UK TV this evening. There is the first part of a short series on Perfume on BBC4 starting at 9 pm. If anyone is as interested in fragrances and how they are produced, this might be worth watching.
Posted by: Margaret Powling | 28 June 2011 at 06:45 PM
I wish I could get lavender to grow in my garden.
Ann
Posted by: Ann | 28 June 2011 at 07:11 PM
Oh, thankyou, Margaret! I didn't know that was on but I shall certainly watch it. Fascinating!
Posted by: Cornflower | 28 June 2011 at 07:22 PM
I don't know if this advice will help you at all, Ann, but I hope it does as lavender is such a lovely plant: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=127
Posted by: Cornflower | 28 June 2011 at 07:28 PM