~ Wondrous Words Wednesday ~

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share words we’ve encountered in our reading. Join in the fun and be sure to leave a link to your post over at Bermudaonion.  

Here are some of the words I came across while reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: 

 

This flag was removed & presented to a chieftain, who wore it proudly until the scrofula took him. 

Scrofula:   {origin: Middle English (1350-1400)}

~ primary tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands, especially those of the neck

( no longer in technical use ) Also formerly called: the king's evil  tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands

 

Autua subsisted in his Polynesian Eden on wild celery, watercress, eggs, berries, an occasional young boar (he risked fires only under cover of darkness or mist) & the knowledge that Kupaka, at least, had met a condign punishment. 

Condign:  {adj. (origin late Middle English (1375-1425)}

~ Well-deserved; fitting; adequate

 

 

Oh, we ate with Ayrs's daughter, too , the young equestrienne I'd glimpsed earlier. Mlle. Ayers is a horsey creature of seventeen with her mama's retroussé nose.

Retroussé: (adj.) (French)

~ (especially of the nose) turned up

 

This Oriental rug, battered divan, Breton cupboards crammed with music stands,   Bösendorfer grand, carillon, all witnessed the conception and birth of Matryoshka Doll Variations and his song cycle, Society Islands. 

Carillon: (noun) (French)

1. a set of stationary bells hung in a tower and sounded by manual or pedal action, or by machinery.

2. a set of horizontal metal plates, struck by hammers, used in the modern orchestra.

 

After I’d finished, V.A. kept swinging his head to the rhythm of the disappeared sonata; or maybe he was conducting the blurry, swaying poplars. “Execrable, Frobisher, get out of my house this instant!” would have aggrieved but not much surprised me. 

Execrable: (adj.)

1. utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent.

2. very bad: an execrable stage performance.

~ The Sunday Salon ~

  

Happy Sunday!  Today it's a beautiful, sunny day in Brooklyn.  It may be winter but standing in the sun feels so warm & it helps that there’s very little wind blowing. The temperature is a balmy 25 degrees!  Sure, I sound a little nutty but last week's temperatures were in the teens and it was winnnnnndy outside.  And, considering that I  got home late yesterday after several days in the hospital, I’d probably find it beautiful outside no matter what the conditions!

I was so excited in December when I got a new computer & was back on-line after several months off-line because my old computer decided it had served me well and was done one day  I had many plans: to visit all of the blogs I missed & readers & friends I hadn’t “spoken” to in months, revamp my blog, type up the notebook full of reviews I have for the books I read while off-line and so much more.  I didn’t know what to do first!  Then, a few days before Christmas, I got a cold. No big deal except, within a couple of days it was one of the worst colds I’ve ever had.  And it just kept getting worse especially because of my pulmonary hypertension, asthma and other lung issues, colds can be a problem for me.   I went to the doc, got meds, did what I needed to do to get better but I didn’t talk about it...a sort of denial, I guess.  I usually try to minimize my health problems because they are such a factor im my life, one I'm not so fond of :o)  I didn’t want this cold to impact how much blogging, posting, commenting, emailing I could do since I had been away from blogging for a while anyway.  And since I spend so much time seeing Drs. & being poked, prodded & blah, blah, blah,  I love getting away from  all that when I’m on-line.  But when I was only posting once a week & unable to reply to comments left on my blog…  I think I should have posted why on my blog.  So I am sorry I didn’t do that or have someone else do it for me.  When my cold became bronchitis and then pneumonia, I tried to get on-line and post but I just didn’t have the energy.  The only positive aspect of being ill was the kitty-cats kept me company, curled up on my lap & my legs & even on my pillow...it's great to rest while listening to the rhythmic purring of a cat But I do now, finally!

I have just a few goals in 2013: to get healthy; to improve my physical & mental health as well as my diet; to learn how to meditate really well; to learn & understand the concepts of Buddhism; to improve my book blog and to get my blogging “life” organized.  There are probably more goals I’d like to accomplish this year but these are the ones that have been on my mind for several weeks.

I recently posted my review of The Passing Bells by Phillip Rock, a wonderful book many bloggers are reading & reviewing thanks to the terrific TLC Book Tours.  When given the chance, I opted to read the trilogy.  I'm reviewing the second book, Circles of Time, in a week or so.  I was worried about getting my review done on time because ten days ago I still didn't have Circles of Time.  It finally arrived early this week & I dove in quickly!  I'm reading it slowly because I don’t want to finish it!  If It's as good as The Passing Bells  & I could've finished it in a day, from beginning to end, barely coming up for air!  I’m just finishing Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.  It’s taken me a while to read it but I also purposely read it slowly and it’s been totally worthwhile.  I started Ninepins by Rosy Thornton.  I love her prose style.

I hope you’re having a great Sunday

Enjoy & Happy Reading!