Well now, where was I? It is about 5 months since I last posted anything here.Apologies to my occasional readers.But those who also follow me on Vexilla Regis. Blogspot and FACEBOOK will know that I have not been totally inactive.
I just wanted to wade back into the waters of But Nought and my life story to-day by noting that last night I finished my fifth reading of the Patrick O'Brian novel " The Fortune of War" in the Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin series concerning the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic era. ( How effective British image making has been - we say "the Royal Navy" as if there could be no other " Royal Navy" yet we have in our own " Royal Australian Navy").
"The Fortune of War" ends with the victory of H.M.S. SHANNON over the U.S.S. CHESAPEAKE, ending a series of four humiliating defeats in a row, of Royal Navy ships at the hands of the fledgling United States Navy in the Naval War of 1812 - " Mr.Madison's War as many Americans called it.
As usual the writing has been superb and Patrick O'Brian has inserted his characters into a very factual account of the very real historical events with consummate skill and minimal effect on the historical record. Throughout one is given his customary education on ship -handling in the days of sail, naval tactics at the time, dress at the time, foods, medicine, society, politics and on and on. It is a joyful education to read his books and the accuracy of the many and diverse aspects of them we know give us the confidence to accept those we haven't known. And whenever one checks what he says, it is exactly right.
So, a salute to Patrick O'Brian! And now to begin again "The Surgeon's Mate" next in the series!
I am also reading Chinua Achebe's " The Arrow of God" and have quickly gotten into once again enjoying the great man's writing style and his delving into the riches of Igbo culture , which he respectfully opens for our instruction and writes about for our enjoyment as well.
My current Spiritual reading at the urging of a dear friend, is "Christ is Passing By" a collection of homilies by Saint Jose Maria Escriva. They are excellent material, insightful and easy to read because they are written more or less in our own time.
That is all more than enough to occupy my steady reading time - quite apart from the casual reading done on the Net!
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