So I am off to camping -- ahem, primitive camping -- with my husband for a few days. The camping was actually my idea. The primitive part? Definitely his. So I am bringing six books in order to endure his marathon fishing sessions.
Speaking of books ... for a fabulous book about camping, albeit among the lions and elephants of turn-of-the-century Africa, I highly recommend "Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton." He was the lover of Baroness Karen von Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen) of "Out of Africa" fame. But oh, he was so much more. Fans of wayfaring British aristocrats will swoon.
Another tome, about the same time, place, and social set, "The Bolter." If you've read Nancy Mitford's "The Puruit of Love" or "Love in a Cold Climate," you will recognize "The Bolter" as Fanny's mother. However, she had a real-life inspiration in Idina Sackville, a beautiful mess of a seductress who scandalized British society in both London and Kenya. A truly decadent read.
Then of course, there are any of Peter Beard's diaries. How I would love a campsite like his in Hog Ranch, Kenya (photo by Alexandre Bailhache).
Ours won't be anything like his, I feel certain.
Okay, I'm heading off now for this big adventure. Until we visit again, after the holiday, have a great weekend!
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