Recipes and Recommendations for Imbibing
Beauty through Books and Beverages
By Annie Nardone
Pages, Pints, and Pours greets the autumnal season with Winston Churchill’s remedy for the stress of September schedules. Plus, this month’s libation is fit for royalty!
THE PAGES: PAINTING AS A PASTIME BY WINSTON S. CHURCHILL
“Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day.” —Winston S. Churchill[1]
History remembers Winston Churchill as a 20th century British prime minister and statesman. Few know that he was an avid painter who created over 500 paintings in his lifetime. Churchill wrote Painting as a Pastime as an inspiring essay encouraging the reader to cultivate a hobby that is different from anything required in vocation and will “utilize a part of the brain that needs reawakening.” He writes that “It is only when new cells are called into activity, when new stars become the lords of the ascendant, that relief, repose, and refreshment are afforded.”
The first half of his essay establishes the need for a hobby outside of familiarity. He praises books, but feels that reading is too close to our daily routine, and “we should call into use those parts of the mind which direct both eye and hand.” Painting is his solution.
A few of his earnest arguments for painting follow:
•“The first quality that is needed is Audacity.” Just leap in and start.
• Painting is a friend for every stage of life, even into (and I love this) “the surly advance of Decrepitude.”
• You are never too old. Churchill began painting at the age of 40, captivated from the first brush stroke.
• Over time, the eye is trained to see the beauty, subtle color, and light that surrounds us.
• Memory is strengthened by the process of looking at the subject, then the palette colors, and finally rendering on canvas.
• Do not aim for perfection; enjoy painting as a complete distraction from worry and stress.
The beauty of this little book? Churchill writes with exquisite phrases and pure joy for the topic. I have never been more inspired to “Buy a paint-box and have a try.”
“When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject.”—Winston S. Churchill[2]
PINTS AND POURS
The lives of Churchill and the royal family connected through times of war and peace. According to Adrian Tinniswood’s book, Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the Royal Household, the Queen Mum enjoyed a “drinkypoo” at noon luncheon.[3] In tribute to Churchill and the Palace, I have included the Queen’s favorite here, which I’ll call by her pet name for the beverage.
DRINKYPOO
2 shots Dubonnet
1 shot gin
Pour both into a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake, and strain into an aperitif glass. Garnish with a narrow twist of lemon peel.
DRINKYPOSH
Lemonade
Ginger beer
Mix 1:1 and pour over ice. Wrap a lemon slice around a piece of candied ginger and secure with cocktail pick for garnish.
—-
Annie Nardone is a lifelong bibliophile with a special devotion to the Inklings and medieval authors. She is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute and holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University. Annie is a writer for Cultivating Oaks Press and An Unexpected Journal. Her writing can also be found at Square Halo Press, Rabbit Room Press, Clarendon Press U.K., Calla Press, and Poetica. Annie is a Master Teacher with HSLDA and Kepler Education and strives to help her students see holiness in everyday life and art. She lives in Florida with her husband and six cats, appreciates the perfect cup of tea, an expansive library, and the beach with family.
-------------
[1] Winston S. Churchill, Painting as a Pastime (Unicorn Publishing Group, 1948).
[2] Ibid.
[3] www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6201161/The-Queen-Mothers-favourite-alcohol.html
