Transcription
Mr and Mrs Stuart Cook
"Lower Farm house"
Hambledon GU 84 HE
Engeland
Rhoon 7th August 1988
Dear Ursula & Stuart,
"Horas non Numero nisi Serenas" or in proper English:
'I count only the happy hours.'
The building above right is the " San Giorgio church' in Venice build by the architect Palladio. The latter inspired Inigo Jones and Christopher Wrench and became his epigones.
Or should I say it differently: 'Those English architects committed industrial espionage 'avant la lettre". They pinched Palladio's ideas and brought these to England.
We escaped the busy St. Mark's Square. It was so busy that on a warm summer day during the holidays it resembled the seaside promenade in Bournemouth. We went to 'San Giorgio island'.On the left picture you see that we waited in the shadow on the "vaperetto' to bring us back Our sons were very brave,.
With stiff upper lips the sons underwent their parents enthousiasme for visiting churches , musea, amphitheaters etc. in Vicenza, Padua , Venice and Verona. We appreciate, that it is not easy for Floris & Reinoud to be children of us, after all you do not choose your own parents. However, they had one excellent, windy, week surfing before the long (5 days) march of unnecessary cultural outings and another week upon return to placate them with their fate.
We returned from vacation on Saturday morning (July 30) and on Monday Vera brought Floris (age 17 year) to a farm South-West of `Paris.
Poor Floris he has to work from 08.00 hours am to 09.00 hours pm
to harvest the crop. The main purpose for sending him is , that he would shore up his fluency in french. Reinoud will go for one week to a camp in Wales. As you will appreciate, we are preparing ourselves for the year 1992, when Europe will be one market. We all become Europeans and nationalistic thinking is provincial.
On another topic: When we returned from our holiday, I was told that a manager in Amsterdam had been hired: finally a Dutchman!!! How many years passed before clues in that direction began to emerge? I would not bother you anymore with the poor organization of this institute.
I only count the happy hours! Thank you for your postcard from Spain. Yesterday I saw the BBC's Open University program with the background story of Picasso's Guernica, which reminded us of our 'Blitz' visit to Spain and your hospitality.
Wish you and Ursula + kids many "horas serenas" (happy hours) Love from Vera & Adrian
P.S. The captioned Latin saying has been copied from a sundial.
This instrument is really counting only the happy sun-hours
