The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon

A most enjoyable sojourn exploring the convolutions of Venetian calles, bureaucracy and crime in the company of the  cultured, well-connected and clever detective, Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleagues.

The first mystery presents itself indirectly and historically, in that it happened fifteen years previously with tragic conseqences.  I don't wish to give any spoilers away, so I will just say that, once again a lot of brilliant and patient untangling goes on, and there is potentially a happy ending.  This book is almost as good as a trip to La Serenissima herself, a joy to read and a most agreeable return to Donna Leon's Venice.

Falling in Love

I fell in love with Venice when I visited in 2007 and left part of my heart there.  A dear friend suggested Donna Leon's series of detective novels set in Venice, and on starting to read about Guido Brunetti, the principled Venetian Inspector, I fell in love with him and his wonderful family.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read his most recent outing, and "Falling in Love" did not disappoint.  I was transported into Brunetti's Venice and the problems he faced in working out what was going on, and how to protect the vulnerable.  Venice is as strong a character as is Vianello, or Elletra. or indeed, Flavia.  La Fenice, the Opera House, is at the heart of the  story, but the roots spread far afield.  Donna Leon's wonderful writing is in evidence: "Irritation packed its bags, opened the door and, pulling  impatience along by its sleeve, began the long walk downstairs."

It's a thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written, constructed and characterised book.  It is a rare treat and I am very happy to recommend it.

Appearing on the Screen

Among my many activities (when well enough to attend) and affiliations is with the Avon Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Last Saturday we were lucky to be given a workshop on silk screen printing at the meeting, run by excellent teacher and member, Sarah Harris. The last time I did screen printing was some decades ago, when we used paper masks in the screens as a means to print posters. This time, we were printing onto fabrics and using painted screens (using screen filler, a rubbery sort of pain. My elder daughter, Sarah, came with me, and she worked a wonderful flower design, a theme she has been exploring for a while.




I, on the other hand, worked with a rather art-nouveau-ish image from our Venice trip: peacocks from a wrought iron gate at the monastery of the Mecharist Armenians on the island of San Lazzaro, which caught my eye and imagination during our visit there.

I think my most effective image came from printing on hand-made silk paper, and best displayed on a darker background, like the glorious blue of the oil cloth that topped off the printing bed pictured above. It was very fiddly and time-consuming to work the screen, and all too easy to make mistakes - I had to go with the flow with those!

I enjoyed this technique, and will be doing more once I invest in some screen filler and screenprinting inks or medium. It was an exhausting workshop for me, and I had to go to bed for a longish nap when we got home, but it was worthwhile. Fortunately, the rest of the weekend was quiet so I was able to catch up some more on my rest.