M

We went to the Fs for lunch and to admire the new sofa. I discussed tripods with K and RT's book with M who is enjoying it. The book is the diary of a doctor who hid in a village near Sokolka as a result of the January Uprising of 1863 against the Russians who controlled a large area of what is now Poland.(The other parts were under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Prussia.) The uprising was brutally suppressed and some people had to hide. This doctor whilst in hiding, helped villagers by teaching them various things, including about agricultural machines and documented what he found there. He described the food which consisted mainly of cabbage, salted herrings and rye bread. If I understand correctly, the peasants were the actual property of their lords. They had pretty good reasons for wanting something better, it could be said.
M has designed posters for many years.