ATOP ON THE TOPMOST TWIG – The Vampire's Wife

Atop on the topmost twig

It’s Sunday morning and I’m reading the poems of Sappho, made ever mysterious by their fragmentary nature. So beautiful! Love, Susie x

One Girl

Like the sweet apple which reddens upon the topmost bough,

Atop on the topmost twig, — which the pluckers forgot, somehow, —

Forget it not, nay; but got it not, for none could get it till now.

Like the wild hyacinth flower which on the hills is

found,

Which the passing feet of the shepherds forever tear

and wound,

Until the purple blossom is trodden in the ground.

Poem - Sappho. Translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Painting - Death of Sappho by Miguel Carbonell Selva

GOODBYE. LOVE, SUSIE

I just want to say that it looks like this may be the last Stuff Post. Due to factors beyond our control, The Vampire’s Wife has stopped trading. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who have supported us here at The Vampire’s Wife. It has been a deep privilege to be a part of this magical thing – a project that quite literally saved my life. Perhaps, in the end, ten years is long enough. I don’t know. My husband, Nick, and I love this company, and I will miss all the wonderful people who worked so hard to create such beautiful things. And I will miss doing the Stuff Page, and I thank you all for your contributions along the way.

IN PRAISE OF MARILYNNE ROBINSON

I haven’t heard a sensible word from my husband all week as he finally gets around to reading Marilynne Robinson’s new book, Reading Genesis. ‘Oh God, you’ve got to read this, babe!’ he keeps saying. ‘Wow, you’ve got to read this!’ Meanwhile, I’m deep inside A Year in the Life of Wendy Whiteley by Ashleigh Wilson, which is having much the same effect. I’ve had a lovely time in Sydney, reading and swimming in the McIver’s Ladies Baths, Australia’s only rock pool dedicated to women and children. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as swimming in the rain, except perhaps watching Nick perform in the evenings at the State Theatre. Beautiful.

THE EXTRAORDINARY WENDY WHITELEY

My husband and I spent a lovely afternoon at Wendy Whiteley’s house, overlooking her amazing ‘secret garden’ in Lavender Bay in Sydney. Wendy and her husband, the renowned artist Brett Whiteley, set up their family home there in 1970 where they lived together for two decades. Brett painted many of his iconic Sydney Harbour pictures in the house. Brett was a defining influence on Nick as a young art student and musician living in Australia. It was a perfect day spent with an absolutely fascinating and powerful woman.