Carmentalia 2014

One of those non-sleeping nights, so I might as well get finally to my long overdue update. It seems much has happened since I last summarised a month ago just before the Ides of December and during the Latin yuletide. Now it is just before the January Ides and during a brief complex of four Roman festivals (the Agonium, first Carmentalia, the Ides, and the second Carmentalia). Carmenta (relating to the word carmen  or ‘song’) is the goddess of prophecy and poetry. Her first celebration is also known as the Juturnalia and sacred to the goddess under the name of Juturna who, like Carmenta, is a water-deity and patroness of aqueous sources. Juturna, whose name contains the same root for brightness as in the names Janus, the deity of the January Agonium, and Jupiter, the god of the Ides, had a well named for her in the Roman Forum. So while we celebrated the Ides festively – though getting no further than Barney’s, the coffeeshop next door, for the Carmentalia, Richard continued with his current painting (“The Committee Has Spoken”) while I organised my work area and a few other parts of the house, worked just a brief amount on pagan pagan mysticism (as distinct from gnostic pagan mysticism) and did the laundry. For the evening, Jim came over, and, along with some negronis, we had a relatively quiet but pleasant evening.

Since the start of the Roman Yule, we had an unexpected visit from Iain who now has John’s flat in Glasgow. I had already lent him £200 when his mother died suddenly and which he was to pay me back in Amsterdam but has not. Other than this, Richard and I attended the opening of “Body Language” at the Saatchi Gallery in the Duke of York’s, went to Tate Modern for the completely splendid Paul Klee exhibition, and enjoyed the Nonsuch Singers’ “Spirit of Christmas” concert at the Holy Trinity Sloane Square Church which included Eamonn – having drinks afterwards at the Royal Court bar with Eamonn, James and Eamonn’s brother and sister-in-law. The music included works by Thomas Adès, Gerald Finzi, John Gardner, William Mathias, John Rutter, Will Todd and Ralph Vaughn Williams.

A second visit to the Tate Modern for the regular collection we did on the Consualia, the day that the Romans buried the old year. The next day, with Helen and Wendy who had come down from the West Country, we visited both the Courtauld and the British Museum. For the following Saturnalian rituals, we did our old favourite area around the Leadenhall Market including St. Michael Cornhill which is about as pagan as a church could be.

We had a lovely dinner with Vivianne and Chris Crowley and their guest Claire in their new house in Clapham the day after the Saturnalia. For the Opalia on the 19th, we got caught in the drenching thunderstorm (the night that the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre collapsed) as we were heading for the Pagan Federation solstice celebration in Conway Hall. The Kith of Yggdrasill performed an impressive ceremony.

On the Divalia we returned to the City and encountered more rain. We were too wasted to remember the solstice moment, and this was probably about when Richard tripped on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral and was sore for a week or more afterwards. Later this day, I learned from Bob that Mary had passed (http://michaelyork.co.uk/Domus/Travel-Logs/mary2013-14.html). We had first met in Florence when I was 21. She died in her sleep on the Saturnalia, had not been in pain, and in her own way exited as marvellously as anyone might wish.

While it stormed outside for the Larentalia, the last day of the Yule, we enjoyed domestic bliss inside snug and warm. We fasted for Christmas Eve, and on Christmas itself, I talked to both Wakil and Ajit in Banaras and then enjoyed a fabulous turkey and goose meal prepared by Rix and Sylvester at their place along with Gin, Chloe, Woody and Cosmo. Later we went to Ben and Tanya’s (more champagne and then some Kilochman). Also there were their children Saul and Mali and Ben’s parents Stephan and Hilary.

The rest of the time in London was mostly devoted to packing and writing. We did have Sunday lunch at the Sloane Club with our neighbour Peter, Barbara and Patrick, their friends Steve and Annie, and Peter and Gilli Wheeler. The next day we left for Amsterdam. For New Year’s Eve, Warren had come over earlier and prepared a delicious seafood dinner. For midnight, Richard and I watched the fireworks and activities from the bay window – avoiding both the cold and rain.

And so far 2014 has included a lovely visit by Robin (Marie-Laure’s son) and Mona from Paris, a visit to the Malevich Exhibit at the Stedelijk Museum, our 40th anniversary celebration on the 7th catered by Claire Sullivan and served by Lotte and Alva and attended by Stephan & Koen, Giny, Michael, Solveig & Hans, Iain & Celso, Carole, Eric & Yvonne, Silvia & Jos, Warren, David, Santima, Faye, Saskia, Rachel, Thomas, Bart and Chloe – 24 of us in all. We also learned more or less at the same time that a water pipe burst during the arctic freeze in Rhode Island and much of the condo has been destroyed – including books and notes of mine and paintings of Richard’s. The Lexus, however, is OK – as is Richard’s studio. Joe is mercifully handling all of this for us. One could be upset, but as life continues to accelerate in our autumn years, holding onto the materialistic becomes increasingly of lesser importance. Instead, we are amazed over forty years of companionship and happiness and for the good fortune we have had and continue to have and for our many, many wonderful friends.