I'm It

My friend - or at least I thought she was my friend - Lorraine got tagged by her friend Lorene. Okay got that Lorraine was tagged by Lorene, now Lorraine decided to be school yard bully and tag me and when I tell my mom she's going to get such a smack.

Anyway here's the game. Open the book nearest your computer (and be honest not something artsy-fartsy so you can impress everyone) turn to page 56. Post the 5th sentence in italics - I've added that bit - plus one or two before and thereafter for context.

As I've already explained to Lorraine the nearest book was Gielgud's Letters - the collected letters of Sir John Gielgud - yeah so I'm naturally artsy-fartsy okay! I turned to page 56 but pages 55-56 are chapter separators: Page 55 says The War Years and page 56 is blank. So I picked up the next book that was sitting on the sofa: Georgina Masson's The Companion Guide to Rome - god I guess I really am artsy-fartsy! And page 56 line 5 yield up this gem:

The Arch of Titus stands on top of the Velia, a spur of the Palatine that juts out towards the Esquiline, closing the Forum valley at its south-eastern end. It is a superb site, and the view from the arch was for centuries a favorite subject of the vedutisti, the painters of small view of Rome, whose work was eagerly bought as souvenirs by the Grand Tourists.The arch, erected in AD 81 to commemorate the capture of Jerusalem eleven years before, in medieval times was called the "Arch of the Seven Lamps" from the relief representing the spoils of the temple, including the seven branched candlestick. The silver trumpets with which Joshua brought down the walls of Jericho and the golden table of the shewbread are also shown.

Masson's a bit baroque in her language but its one of the best guides to Rome around and a damned good read to boot.

Now I get to be schoolyard bully and I'm going to tag: Dora, Tate, Tony, Subtle Knife (yes I know she's moving but she installed her PC herself and I'm sure the books were the second thing she unpacked so ...) and if Sage hasn't done it already Sling.

18 novembre - Santa Matilde di Hackeborn