Almost idyllic

Saturday, October 20th., Villa des Nefliers.

It has seemed to me these days that I am living, as distinguished from preparing to live. 

Villa des Nefliers

In autumn weather; plenty of heavy continuous rain, which is pleasant to hear when you are safe in the house and busy in the house, and the ground floor and the bedroom floor are both warmed. Work in the morning on the play, which goes pretty easily. Sleep, reading, and journal after lunch. New books coming in every day. Grand piano. Discovery of playable Schubert. "Clayhanger" in its third English edition. Agreeable tension of anxiety of waiting for news of this book's reception in America. Journey to Paris now and then. Miscellaneous browsy reading in the evening. Good appetite. Regular, varied and pleasurable "love" as the husband of a Frenchwoman!

The drawbacks to this idyll are - no progress in drawing, fairly bad sleeping, and some neuralgia. But then it must never be forgotten that since the end of May last, thanks to evening bread and milk, I have never had more than one hour's continuous stomachic headache ..... It cannot be long before some infernal nuisance supervenes. Such a state of content will not be allowed by destiny to last much longer!

I have been re-reading Haggard's "Allan Quatermain". Whatever one may say about Haggard (and a good deal has been said), he can tell a story. No matter how preposterous the material he completely engages the reader. Ideal for the sort of quiet, escapist sort of read we all need from time to time but never admit to. "Allan Quartermain" is a bit didactic at times. I suppose that, having achieved success, Haggard felt able to 'let himself go' with opinions about modern life. Still those parts are easily skipped. For me, Umslopogaas is the central character in the novel, easily eclipsing the rather pallid English gentlemen Curtis and Goode. Haggard had a real affection for the Zulu people and almost escapes the racism endemic in the English upper classes. I may re-read "Nada the Lily" next to get a really good dose of bloodshed and death!