Wednesday, 1 January 1862
Weather perfectly lovely.
Ἀς δοκιμάσωμεν νὰ ἀρχίσωμεν καλὰ τὸν χρόνον.1
G. came at 7.15. Spiro is a little better.
Worked at “Florence” till 11 ― recolouring sky, foreground, & city.
Put by my work, as calls must be made to day. Also ― Taylor’s bill of 59£ overcometh me.
From 11 to 2, made calls on Decies, Luard, Sargent, Woolff, Bridge, Stockley, Barr, Sir G. Bullen, Sir H.J. Storks, Peel, Boyd & Loughman.
2 to 4 ― penned out ― Cormayeur sketches.
4 to 6.15 ― walked by the Neo Parga road ― & the usual round. The Mountain’s wonderfully beautiful ― peach=rose, the sea dark purple gray ―N. wind.
Met Sir C. Sargent who tells me Spiro is better, & asks me to dine on Sunday, wh. I wish to do.
Dine at 6.30 ― & dress ― & pen out 1856 sketches, till 9.30, up to which time the Maudes, who have asked me upstairs ― are still at dinner: ― a serious bore, as I had rather fgo to bed. ―I must now send George to his mother’s.
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]
- Let us try to begin this year well (NB). [↩]