vita sackville west

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of British writer, wife, lover, mother and gardener Vita Sackville West. May her memory be preserved forever.



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Knole House

Knole House

The patron saint of English garden writers, poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West grew up in her family pile Knole House, one of the largest homes in Britain. She was so heartbroken, her father's only child, at having to leave Knole due to the rules of male primogeniture upon the death of her father in 1930, she wrote half seriously that she considered murdering her father's heirs.

She threw her anger and energy into what in in 1930, must have appeared absolute madness when she purchased the derelict ruins of Sissinghurst Castle and along with her husband Harold Nicholson created what is now one of the country's greatest gardens Sissinghurst Castle Garden.

Sissinghurst Castle

Eighty years on, a new generation of Sackville-West's occupy Knole House. The 53 year old current Lord Sackville of Knole inherited the title in 2004 when his uncle died, and recently announced he plans to throw history and tradition on its ear. Keep in mind his Lordship is young and his only son and heir is now 12 yo, but Lord Sackville has announced his preference for leaving Knole to one of his daughter's, instead of his son.

I have visions of a young Jane Austen character. Think Sense and Sensibility with me here. A young well-to-do woman, with expectations of a large inheritance is suddenly left penniless when her father's executors turn the dogs on her. You can see it coming can't you?

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Lenct-monat

Bruegel-The Fight between Carnival and Lent

In western Christian churches, today marks the beginning of Lent, a season of fasting, reflection and penance in preparation for the coming celebration of Easter. But where does the name Lent come from? What does it mean?

As we discovered this last week, in some Celtic neighborhoods long before they ran out of room and settled in Scotland and Ireland, March was known as Lenct-Monath or the long month, as the hours of daylight were becoming longer than night.

Before going soft, the Roman church celebrated 2 annual periods of penance, fasting and preparation- during the weeks prior to Christmas (Advent) and Easter (now). The Easter fast most always begins in March- hence the Lenct fast. The name stuck, traveled well and eventually became modernized- to Lent.

In other news:

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Vita Sackville West, the patron of garden writers and creator, along with husband Harold, of the fabulous gardens at Sissinghurst Castle. Her collected garden columns are a treat to read, but more provocative is the biography writen by her son Nigel Nicolson of her life with husband Harold "Portrait of a Marriage."

They loved each other deeply, just not exclusively. In many respects they lived too soon.



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