Orientest pearl

‘Great gifts are guiles and look for gifts again;
My trifles come as treasures from my mind:
Sometimes in shell the orientest pearl we find.
It is a precious jewel to be plain,
Of others take a sheaf, of me a grain, of me a grain.’
From an anonymous poem set to music by John Dowland in 1600. It feels appropriate to me at this high-consuming time of year. There were lots of little shells strewn about on the paved riverside path, and lots of gulls pecking below at low tide.

D began his day with a good zoom talk with Mike on his hillside in Japan. I did this and that.

Last evening we had a little time travel and watched ‘It Happened One Night,’ a favourite of mine as it reminds me of my mother.