The Rectory's hot water system 'needed a good deal of forbearance'. Over the Christmas vacation I had seven people using one hot water system. My hot water heater coped quite well, in general, but that isn't to say there wasn't a little competition for an early slot in the bathroom on Sunday mornings.
Annis 'sometimes hankered after the fleshpots'. Now that I've stopped laughing, I'm not quite sure how to take this. On one hand, her dad is a rector and she might possibly be familiar with the historical/biblical meaning...on the other hand, there's the Brightonish meaning. Let's just hope her idea of 'fleshpots' was more along the lines of dinner and a movie. For those of you who are not familiar with the term, here's a definition:
flesh·pot –noun
1. fleshpots,
a. places offering luxurious and unrestrained pleasure or amusement: the fleshpots of Las Vegas.
b. luxurious and unrestrained living.
Word Origin & History
lit. "pot in which flesh is boiled," hence "luxuries regarded with envy," especially in fleshpots of Egypt, from Exodus xvi.3:
Jake's parent's housekeeper is named 'Poppy'. Lovely floral name. It reminds me of my early youth living in Northern California. Wild poppies grew all over the place - but I seldom picked them because I was sure I would be arrested. It's amazing the things a five year old believes. Jake's office secretary is named Mrs. Butt. Ouch. Let's hope it's pronounced differently.
At their wedding Mrs. Twigg gets through an enthusiastic rendition of 'Oh, Perfect Love'. I had never heard this hymn before - the lyrics are lovely, but are they appropriate for a Marriage of Convenience? I suppose wedding hymns for MOC's are thin on the ground. I looked up the song on youtube - the version I'm posting has a lovely little choir practicing for someone's wedding. Just imagine the lady soloist as Mrs. Twigg.1. O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
lowly we kneel in prayer before thy throne,
that theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
whom thou forevermore dost join in one.
2. O perfect Life, be thou their full assurance
of tender charity and steadfast faith,
of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
with childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.
3. Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
and to life's day the glorious unknown morrow
that dawns upon eternal love and life.
Annis is annoyed that Jake has wandered into the party with a gorgeous girl so she turns to a fellow...'extravagantly dressed for one thing, and he stared at her in a way that made her uncomfortable, but any port in a storm.'
Jake rents Porsche Carrera while in Italy. Hey, when in Rome, etc...
Betty Barbara here--
ReplyDeleteRe: shower timing. You don't want first shower, the water is never quite hot enough. 2nd or 3rd is best. (This from the person who is always first into the shower. The only time I have really hot water at o'dark:30 in the a.m. is if I had run the dishwasher late the night before!)
Re: MOC hymns. Well, you see, there aren't any, really. In most MOC's the only people who know that it's an MOC are the hero and heroine. Everyone else is supposed to be convinced that it is True Love!!
Like you, I was unfamiliar with the hymn--it is quite lovely.
Spotted--a town cross-over! Jake's parents live in Minster Lovell. Why does that sound familiar?--because that's where Sarah and Radolf (Roses Have Thorns)will be getting married! It appears to be a very charming place.
Betty Debbie--
ReplyDeleteYou will be happy to know that the Porsche 911 Carrera does come in black, but to get a spoiler, you will need the 911 GT3.
"O Perfect Love" was practically de rigueur for all Protestant weddings from c.1920-c.1965. Used to, families could sit around and make fun of various sopranos butchering it at weddings (much like anyone whose name isn't Frank Sinatra attempting "My Way").
ReplyDelete"O Perfect Love" was sung at my wedding in 1975. :)
ReplyDeleteAlong with, "We've Only Just Begun," and another - I think perhaps, "O Promise Me."
And they were sung by a beautiful contralto.
We had an outdoor wedding, and my attendant carried a candle in her bouquet. we both wore big floppy hats. All the 1970s wedding cliches!
When my nephew got married for the 2nd time (2nd for both, and it was white gown with more frills than taste, black tie - just plain silly if you ask me. All of their three children were in the wedding.) Anyway - when he got married, his new brother- and sister-in-law sang a song I can't put a name to just now - it was another cliche` wedding song 15 years ago. My nephew, who has Down Syndrome, said, very loudly, "It's KERMIT the frog!"
And that's just who his brother-in-law sounded like!
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In the ultimate MOC movie Random Harvest (starring redhead olivia Greer Garson and too-short-to-be-an-RBD Ronald Colman), the significant hymn at their first wedding and the thing that breaks off his 2nd wedding practice I think is o perfect love.
ReplyDelete-- Betty van der Baersma