"une clairière dans un forêt"

Speaking of gardening, I just came across a flamboyant description in Gautier ("Quelle surprise!" I hear you all saying) of an English garden on the Avenue Gabriel. And whereas I've been pretty good so far at just chugging through and ignoring any descriptive terms I don't know (since, really, it's not going to improve my appreciation significantly to know exactly what kind of sumptuous garment is dripping from the Countess' ivory frame), I just can't stand to blip over plant names in quite the same way. Donc, voilà la liste:

myosotis forget-me-not
cactier raquette
asclépiade incarnate swamp milkweed
millepertuis St John's wort
cymbalaire toadflax
joubarbe Sempervivum (succulent genus which includes hens-and-chicks)
lychnis des Alpes Alpine catchfly
lierre d'Irlande Irish ivy
aristoloche birthwort
grenadille bleue blue passionflower
gypsophile baby's breath
glycine de Chine Chinese wisteria
périplocas de Grèce silk vine
vernis du Japon Japanese lacquer tree
tuyas du Canada American arborvitae
plane de Virginie American sycamore?
ray-grass = ryegrass?

Now that I've looked them up, I don't feel so bad about not recognising them. Many are species which I simply haven't come across here, and even some I know aren't known by these names any longer in French (e.g. I'm assuming Gautier's plane de Virginie is what is commonly called platane d'Occident, i.e. a tree I've known all my life as a "sycamore").

Huddle-muddle

I was pretty pleased with the turnout for pre-Touché cocktails on Saturday. Even monshu seemed to enjoy himself, which was a relief because he was supremely unenthusiastic after a late nap earlier in the evening. Then the first guests arrived and it was a couple he doesn't get along with, so I scented disaster, but soon after Calphalon Bear arrived and they began chatting about art. As per instructed, he and his husband had brought a cute friend, a salt-and-peppery transplant who lives in the neighbourhood and got into it with me over the demise of Charlie's Ale House (where I never ever went) and its replacement by Acre (which I love). About the same time, the Scoutmaster arrived with his useless boyfriend and we got the mint juleps underway. Devon Market had beautiful spearmint in stock, so I used one bunch to make simple syrup and most of another on a half-dozen juleps. "Your putting in too much mint!" he complained. (He wasn't drinking any, but he's an honorary Kentucky Colonel--whatever that means--so he claimed kibbitzing rights.) Cute New Bear loved his, so he can go hang.

All in all, we had maybe a dozen people. Diego and Uncle Betty finally made it and UB told me he wanted to try making something called a "brown, bitter, and stirred" he'd had at a pub in Logan Square. Turns out this was actually the name of some kind of recent mixology challenge, and the version we ended up making was something called a Bitter Maestro, partly because we had the specific amaro called for, Amaro Nonino. Everything else but the dash of grenadine we had to fake: bourbon instead of rye, Calvados instead of applejack[*], and Lillet instead of Dubonnet rouge. Talk about a cocktail with a lot going on in it! It seemed to work, but I think I'd have to have more than a sip to know for sure.

I wasn't even planning on follow everyone else to the bar afterwards, but I'm glad I did since it gave me the chance to catch up with a few lads I wouldn't've seen otherwise, such as the elusive clintswan and SquareBear (who opened our conversation with one of the most amazing stalkerish lines I have ever heard). I also ran into a knot of South Suburbaners, who I'm surprised remembered me given that I met them at the North End a decade and a half ago and have hardly run into them again since. I really should've been more messed up the next day than I ultimately was, but I plan to stay in tonight and not presume upon fate. After all, the end of the week is filling up with events like there's no tomorrow.



[*] Yes, we used the Chauffe-Cœur. (Imagine the sound of my heart breaking.) Uncle Betty is luck I love him like a gay Latino brother.