St Jordi

Today is the feats of St Jordi and celebrates the Patron Saint of Catalonia, with tradition dictating that you must give your love a rose and a book.

It appears to be an amalgam of ancient legend and clever marketing, St Jordi like St George slew a dragon and the drops of blood took root in the earth and produced a rose bush, Unesco meanwhile thought it a good idea to have an international book day on this day and so sell a few more volumes, because this date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare, the death of Miguel de Cervantes, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Josep Pla, and the birth of Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Manuel Mejía Vallejo and Halldór Laxness.

It is said that the course of true love runs over rocks sometimes and so it proved when I took the current Mrs J for a coffee in the square this morning, the place was decked with Catalan flags, had stalls selling books of all natures, and was full of school children selling single roses.

Things started to go awry when I asked if I got a discount for 1/2 a dozen roses.
Lady wife asked "What do you want with............... Thwack " She was also not impressed with the edition of Mrs Beeton's Household Management wrapped in recycled Christmas paper, though I pointed out it is never too late to learn the distinctions between Apoplexy and Epilepsy or between Apoplexy and Drunkeness ( page 1036), How to prepare Hung Beef (page 277) nor was she impressed by page 794 How to make Hot Buttered Toast.

I searched in vain for the section on "How a Lady Should Graciously Accept a Gift" and so withdrew with her encouragement ringing in my ears.