Rockets

Tonight in Faversham it's crispy dark with stars faintly speckling the sky. They may be magnificent but they are distant and veiled. Their glory tonight is outshone by the rockets which swoosh up from moment to moment, from bonfire parties around the town.
The profound pagan meanings of these few nights - the end of the old year with it's pain and fear - and the welcome of the new - whether expressed in moderne alternative poetry or Catholic liturgy - all this is mostly squandered and lost.  People just want a traditional fire and fireworks.
We have been for a glass of wine with friends along the road - Tony and Deborah. Their lives are dedicated to music and painting and their house is exquisitely furnished with Georgian things appropriate to the style of the house.
We are going to Rome tomorrow and went to ask them what places they recommended we should see - as they are both quite expert in the ways of the City.
They recommended the Borghese Palace, the Castello Angelo, the Villa Giulia, the Palatine Hill, the Museum of Modern (ie 19thC) Art, and a few other places.
Tony says how dark Rome is, the undertones.
We also spoke about the Mani - their friends who have a tower house there, and the influence of Patrick Leigh Fermor - regular readers of this travel blog will know how much I revere PLF.  Apparently, last year, Tony happened to meet up with a German Naval commander in a back street cafe in Chania - this chap knew nothing of PLF and the capture of General Kreipe (Ill Met By Moonlight) - said it was all rubbish!
Ha!
Well, tomorrow night at this time we should be in Rome. I will have a second writing obligation on this trip as I have entered the 'Write a Novel in November' competition, and have to complete 50,000 words by 29th.  I think the novel will suddenly now have to be set partly in Rome as I find travel so inspiring, but it may mean having to curtail the blog to get the novel written.