1) A Flickr friend posted a photo he took today at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, which reminded me that I was there exactly a year ago today. That was such an amazing trip. It feels forever ago, not just a year.
1a) And it was so hot that day! Today in Boston is the antithesis of that blazing Barcelona sun: grey and cool, lightly breezy, with the promise of rain later.
2) A few weeks ago there was an article in the NYT about Emma, Duchess of Rutland, chatelaine of Belvoir Castle, and her podcast Duchess. The last two weeks I’ve been bingeing the podcast, and it’s quite good. The daughter of a Welsh farmer, Duchess Emma interviews other chatelaines of Stately Homes to find out how they’re run and how each one experiences living and working in heritage. If That Sort of Thing, particularly horticulture and tourism, interest you, I’d strongly recommend it.
2a) Coincidentally, one of the books I bought in London back in May, The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey, is all about Belvoir and the current Duke’s grandfather, who died while purging the archives of some family secrets. While it could have been condensed by about 50% (just tell us!), it’s quite a good book.
3) Some people have the analytical talent of asking just one small question — and it makes you think about more that just an outcome you desire. I suggested something about [Insert Item of National News Here] to an online friend this morning who asked me “Who does that benefit?” And it really brought me up short, in a good way.
3a) This is similar to “management by influence,” which is often how I had to finesse reunion committees out of bad decisions — but it’s a skill I possess in only the narrowest terms. My point is, I admire those who can express it more calmly and farsightedly.
The western, or Passion, façade of Sagrada Familia.