Rambles

Reading - A tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Watched - Wild Swimming on BBC2
Listening - Angel by Massive Attack

Why when trying to save money is one faced with this option? Do you fancy some duck from Chinatown? Um, yes and I will sell a body part to have some. It might have something to do with beer consumption.

What hasn't happened since my last blog. I went to go and see the John Sergent and the Sea exhibition at the Royal Academy which was fabulous and did contain the great phrase that the Impressionists were radical and dangerous. I know that at the time they were and rebelled against the traditional standards and expectations but it was amusing to read.

One of his paintings was of Oyster fisherwomen on a beach in Brittany and it showed how his style was quite wild with free hand brushstrokes and some absence of detail in his prep paintings. However for his final paintings he had to paint to the traditional standards with clarity, composition and absolute detail. It was great that the exhibition showcased this.

Almost finished reading 'A Tale of Two Cities' which is both brilliant yet complex. Sometimes you want Dickens to just get to the point but he has left me with some haunting images, like the knitting women who are already the judge, jury and executioner for the French Aristocrats they will revolt against. I am going to have to read some more Dickens methinks.

Things are changing in life, Mike is moving away from Bristol which is a shocker but I wish him well and Elisabeth is moving to Oz in October. Just spent the day with her, drinking tea and eating cake and making strong statements that we will keep in touch with each other. I'm so hopeless at this but will do it-even if I send her a few lines about eating Scampi.

I'm off to Oz in less that 5 days. It is beginning to get exciting now. I have my books for the plane and my suit for my second wedding where I hopefully will not cry the whole time. Maybe Sophia will cry the whole time in some kind of reversal?

The glory of Saturday awaits with marking for school and being beaten at Tennis by Ramit. I'm planning on returning his serve 2/3 of the time this week. Maybe a 6-3 game might be on the cards-I can only hope.

Last mention but never least - I love my wife x