Thursday, February 27, 2014

Down Here on a Visit


Oh, those pitiful mannish women - with their neat tailleurs, dress-for-success bow blouses, and ostentatious corsages!

And speaking of sapphism, we are terribly busy here at the Apartment Muscato (ex-Villa) in preparation for an imminent visit by my dear sister and her SigOther.  I suppose she rather is the clever sister, being so much older (he announced without a trace of cattiness, I assure you), but I keep up (although I do try eschew chokers, what with being a stout party and all).

Sister can in fact be rather formidable, as can Mrs. Sister, but it's still not really on a par with what for me is the standard-setter of such occasions - the fateful days when poor dear Georgie Pillson is descended upon by his own rambunctious pair of visitors, his sisters Hermie and Ursie.  I doubt, for example, that our guests will come with either dogs or tennis rackets (or was it golf clubs? I think it was golf clubs).  They are distinctly more respectful of bibelots than that dangerous pair, and in general at least a shade more restful.

So if it's quiet hereabouts, you'll now why - we'll be off playing tour guide, being fed (Sister has excellent taste in restaurants), and poring over a great album of family photographs into possession of which she has recently come.  In the meantime, if you're looking for some high-quality reading, you can get your own copy of Mrs. Culkin Banning's immortal work here.  Enjoy.

7 comments:

  1. It was, indeed, golf clubs. And if your Sister and her SigOther are considerate enough to arrive during daylight and/or at the agreed time, they'll be doing much better than Hermie and Ursie (and terrier) did. Have a lovely time and then tell us all about it.

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  2. Dearest Georgie! And, although the television presentation was rather a mishmash, can one ever think of him without picturing the equally dear Sir Nigel?

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    1. The performances were mostly marvelous, but I rather regret seeing the series (however much I enjoyed it), as I had had my own very specific ideas about how the rooms looked, and of course that's such an important part of the stories. Sir Nigel was spot on, but I had always though Mapp rather more... ample, shall we say, than Prunella Scales.

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  3. Agreed on all points...the Garden Room, in particular, was not at all as I had imagined It and, nowadays, Prunella might well have worn a 'fat suit'...

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    1. But weren't the costumes marvelous!

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    2. The costumes were inspirational, Miss McEwan's in particular - and utterly spot on for the demi-monde of the 1930s. If either Sister or Mrs Sister turns up in one of Lucia's Victor-Stiebel-esque numbers, I demand to see pictures! Jx

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  4. Oh, now I'm going to have to reread all the Lucia books. This is not a complaint, mind you.

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