In which we examine the events occurring on the eve of the new year
The company was nine:
Vlindinhauer Haverhast
Vlindinhauer's wife, M
Josh who has again asked to be called Number Six
Oleg
Julia
Ryan
Rose
L
Sabitathica
The food was wonderful as usual. M is a very good cook. The setting was different this year, a table having been arranged in the Hall, the former diningroom functioning for the night as a conservatory.
Libations included Brenevin aka Black Death, armagnac, a fountainful of sparkling wine, and Turkish coffee.
The banishing of worldly desires:
All present participated in a ceremony found in Buddhist tradition in which a bell is struck 108 times over the course of an evening to hold at bay the 108 worldly desires in 2009. If you're interested, I happened to sound notes 31, 32, and 33.
The auguries:
We read the patterns left by the grounds of our Turkish coffees, bound by the intent of the moment to portend what 2009 has in store for each of us.
My grounds told of:
a man who worships the sky,
possibly the same man being struck by lightning,
a burning tree,
towards the end an event which was unclear to me but which looked significant.
The music:
In addition to the, what, 17-hour playlist? there was live music. We as an ensemble repeatedly performed (some would say "rehearsed") the song In the Court of the Crimson King. For those who aren't familiar with this song, it figures in the upcoming film A Robert Browning New Year. And we sang Auld Lang Syne near midnight.
The fireworks:
Nearer still to midnight there were fireworks by the jetty. It was cold and windy and the flame wouldn't take for what felt like several minutes. The year began for me with a baptism of sorts when the sea rose from its own deeps to lap my feet, wetting me to the ankle.
The walk:
After the evening wound down, L & I walked to our hotelroom in the biting cold. My father said he'd heard it was -43 degrees that night. My guess was -20. It was so cold I thought there was a chance L might not make it, and the next morning after talking about it we discovered we'd both had thoughts of me carrying her and knocking on the doors of perfect strangers asking for warmth.
Projects unfinished:
1. Tannhauser, in its entirety;
2. Ferreting out the Then Yesterday Society mole who infiltrated the upper echelons of the Now Today Society. There seems to be a strong case against Josh - I mean Number Six - maybe even enough of a case to skip the formality of a trial. We shall see.
3. There remain more good times to be had, more good times to be had.
