Last night Glen and I watched the 1968 movie classic Lion in Winter, based on the play of the same name which premiered on Broadway in 1966. So many memorable quotes from this grand drama of a royal dysfunctional family! Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine exudes bitchiness and wisdom as she breezes through each scene with her dry drawl.
In one scene the three sons squabble, well this happens in most scenes. Phillip pulls a knife on his brother John. The dialogue bristles with snark and insight.
Prince John: A knife! He’s got a knife!
Eleanor: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians!
How clear we make it. Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war: not history’s forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can’t we love one another just a little – that’s how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world.
As a Quaker I adore Eleanor’s lines. The Religious Society of Friends has long maintained a Peace Testimony, yet we are not without our own attitude. As I often remark during my presentation,
We are Quaker. We don’t get violent, just passive aggressive.
I’ll share another quote below. But first, I have some pictures to share with Sheria from SA. (Soon I will have some for Cary in Ireland!). I am sure Sheria won’t mind if you take a look too. My laptop is ill, so I had a ton of photos from the last half of my UK/Europe trip that I never posted. I recently bought an incredibly light and inexpensive Acer netbook and have just loaded up some pictures. So here goes:
Trevor's house & garden
Pretty & Pungent
Chestnut tree detail
Festive Tulips
Midsummer performance
Cotswold stone wall
Southampton Quaker's Garden
Peak District stream
Flower by Peak District stream
Glen & Mark at Giants Causeway
Glen on Southern Welsh Coast
And this photo of the dishy Glen Retief reminds me of a quote from Lion in Winter (a favorite I share with my Seattle friend Jane–Holding you in the Light today as you attend your conference!) Speaking of her wanderlust and love of travel, she remarks
Eleanor: I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How’s that for blasphemy. I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn… but the troops were dazzled.
Peterson Toscano's A Musing 
i wait with bated breath, dahling. bated breath. 😉
these ones are lovely. nice job. nice boyfriend. 🙂
xoxo
I want to take pictures as beautifully as you do! 🙂
Oh my gosh, yes: “We don’t get violent, just passive aggressive.” We’re so good at helping other people with conflict. We need something like a Quaker mediator service that serves Quakers!
On the other hand, I’m having a learning experience in my Meeting right now which is so far not entirely pain-free, but is nonetheless delightful and deeply held in the Light. In this experience, folks are being completely up-front and open about elephants in the living (Meeting?) room. No passive-aggressiveness yet with it.
I’m learning so much.
Much love!
Stasa
Cary, soon and very soon. Yes, and Glen is dishy!
Stasa darhling, will I be singing to you soon at FGC? I do hope so. Bring your camera and we can go on safari. I am interested in hearing more about what is happening at your meeting (if it is something you can share).
Now where on earth is Sheria??? I have a feeling we will hear from her soon. It is the beginning of the weekend and she does like to have fun.
Peterson, if you were straight, I would say you really know how to get to woman’s heart, because you just did! Sorry I couldn’t reply resterday as am on the vaal river for the weekend and only got to visit your blog today. These photos are so gorgeous just like all your photos. I was almost brought to tears just looking at them…If you were here in South Africa, I would have given you a big hug… Now am lost for words, what should I say? I love them,and I just love you, because I think you are really a nice guy (Hope Glen wont be jealous, tell him it’s not that kind of love). Much, much love!! Thank you.
And, thanks for everything you did for me when we worked together… I mean those focus promos you recorded for me blew me away; they were out of this world!! They gave a new twist and new life to the programme. I was just too young and naive to really have shown you how much I appreciated everything. As a matter of fact, that is when I realised what a nice and caring person you are. You showed me you really cared and I knew it. Peterson, your caring spirit shines brightly! Thank you…
This may show how far I got caught up in church polity, I’m just now getting caught up with your fabulous blog. I love that quote from Eleanor, of course, I am the Peterson dubbed Lioness in Winter. Some day I shall be Eleanor — truly. I can’t wait to share Ethiopian food! Thank you for the quote and the Light, much to share from conference. Shannon and I hung out for a bit before one worship service — you were thought of well.
Much love my friend.
Greetings from North Carolina, USA. I found your site while looking for the fabulous quote by Eleanor in “Lion In Winter”, which play we saw tonight at a local theatre.
Loved the quote. Plan to use it in a book.
And absolutely adore your photos… the Cotswolds photos reminded me of my visit there about 8 years ago… I’d Love to return.
You are talented. Thanks for sharing the beauty.