Start gearing up for Valentine's Day

We are about 3+ weeks out from Valentines Day and all things dealing with the heart here is just a little snippet that you can repackage to your "intended" to demonstrate knowledge of the romantic.  Our shelves have more practical gifts as well (hint).

The music dates from about 1400 in the Rheims (France) and written by a fellow named Baude Fresnel who used the nom de plume "Cordier" (of the heart - Cor).   Of course the manuscript decorated a perfume bottle (Chantilly) and someone may be impressed that the music was bound into the collection of French songs called "The Chantilly Codex" this one added last to the volume.

It was up to the performer to put the text in exactly (it is in the form of a "rondeau(x)" - not a round but a poetic form - usually 8 lines - more than you want to know) and knowing that helps you figure things out. Otherwise it is just interesting to look at

So in this prelude to Valentines Day you just might start looking toward the object of your affection and show him/her the picture of the manuscript and say "Beautiful Good Wise" (belle bonne sage)...you might score a point or two...otherwise go to the perfume store.....or better yet, Greenport Wines and Spirits --- a shameless plug if there ever was one.

A grand idea!

We have an idea.  It goes past putting on that happy face for the season, but goes to doing something good "first".  For the next little bit, be the first to say hello on the street, to open a door for someone else (m or f), to offer a compliment, to smile, etc. 

That's right. Just do it first.  How can it hurt?

We are very serious about this. These nice things shouldn't be just at this time of year but why not start now?  Please, thank you, thanks a lot for that, you look great, what a nice day, how are you....get the hint. 

Try it for a day or two. See if the shoe fits better.

Life seems too busy for a day by day

There is one Christmas Carol that seems odd compared to the Joy to the World types. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?  One idea is that someone wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning:the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
* The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
* Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
* Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
* The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
* The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
* The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
* Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit - Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
* The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
* Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit-Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
* The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
* The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
* The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

Well there you have it. OR NOT. Who knows. Nice story though. Merry Christmas

Swans? Who forgot the swans?

We did.  We forgot. We got busy. Big wind coming in. Stormy weather and we just lost track of  the swans.

We bad.  As it is below) we still can't find 3 of them.

Six Geese a Greyleg

No fooling.  We kept trying to figure out what is so valuable about a goose that lays an egg other than gold and our 12 days of Christmas has 6 of them - not golden..but that would keep up with the five golden rings of yesterday.  We do, however think there might be more a connection similar to the golden rings and the pheasants. (you might want to look at the last post).

Greyleg Goose

There is a goose/gander in England called the Greyleg - for obvious reasons.  They are pretty nifty looking and perhaps, just perhaps, they little verse changed over time and for ease of singing.

I.e.   Six geese a grey(leg) to greying to laying because some folks had no idea what a Greyleg was or is.

Makes sense to us. But then a lot of things make sense that don't.

Lack of knowledge is the mother of all stuff made up.

5, count 'em, 5 gold rings

We are stumped here.  In the poem/song the music stops and Five Golden Rings...comes out slowly and clearly.  We looked everywhere for what it meant, from the biblical to the "five marks on the door" and nothing seemed to fit that made any sense. 

The one we like best is probably the germ of it...5 ringed neck pheasants...it fits the bird stuff in the rest of it...

We are clever but we may not be right.

Black Bird Bye Bye - day 4

We crawled through the tall grass of trivia regarding day 4 of the 12 days....

The line four calling birds is an Americanization of the traditional English wording four colly birds (did you know that????), and in some places, such as Australia, the variation calling is supplanting the original. Colly is a dialect word meaning black and refers to the European blackbird Turdus merula.

The line four calling birds in some versions is four coiled birds. Religiously, The 'four calling birds' are the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; or their Gospels.

 

Hmmm