Our jolly good fun day out

Wendy and I went up town today to see the Antony Gormley exhibition.It was brilliant , as expected, and the fog room was quite an experience. The fog really did restrict visibility to a hand in front of your face .It was wet and , cold and bright and more than a little claustraphobic.

Why did he make this installation , you may ask.

I quote from the author

"Architecture is supposed to be the location of security and certainty about where you are.It is supposed to protect you from the weather, from darkness, from uncertainty.Blind light undermines all of that.You enter this interior space that is the equivalent of being on top of a mountain or at the bottom of the sea.It is very important for me that inside it you find the outside. Also you become the immersed figure in an endless ground, literally the subject of the work."

Yep, just as I thought(!!??)

There were loads of other greatly moving exhibits also and my idea of art is something that elicits a good response from you or something that is obviously incredibly talented.

This was the former. Well worth a visit.

Wendy broke her oyster card on the way by sticking it in the machine instead of touching it on the yellow circle.She blamed me of course saying she had just copied me.

Yes , well, hey there, I had a one day travel card!!

We walked over Waterloo bridge , had a wicked sausage toad in the Wellington pub and then mosied back through the embankment gardens.

Got home before the rush hour.Great day out.Knackered now.

Ive been ill.......or...The Norwalk virus and me.

I know, its pathetic isnt it? I thought the last bout of illness would be it for a year but no.
I wont go into to details but suffice to say my 48hours involved sleeping, the toilet, more sleeping, more toilet...you know the rest.
Anyway, my dad and my uncle Alec both had it so we all decided we must have got it at the hospital.
Better now, blogging again.

My wish visiting list 2

Blind Light.......Anthony Gormleys exhibition at the Haywood Gallery

My wish visiting list

The yorkshire sculpture park

Auntie Elsie and the polish woman

My Auntie Elsie is in her eighties and doing pretty well.However, she fell indoors a day or so ago and fractured her wrist. Nick and I went to visit her in Wexham Park hospital. Shes doing ok so far.

I am here to write about the woman in the next bed. There we were sitting talking and listening to Els when the nurse comes in to change the womans incontinence pad (I know we shouldnt discuss this in polite company so I wont.)

Anyway, the curtains were drawn and all we could hear was " aye aye aye aye aye!" wailing from the next bed. The nurse was explaining that, contrary to the patients opinion, she wasnt trying to kill her, simply to make her a bit more comfortable.

It didnt help that the poor woman couldnt speak a word of English and the nurse, not a word of Polish. Now one would think that my Aunt Els, having been married to a Pole (of the Eastern European variety , not Homebase) for probably 50 years, would speak some Polish.

Not so.

Not a word can she utter.

So that didnt help.

Anyway, nurse leaves, curtains drawn back, patient in view.

I made the mistake of smiling at her and telling her my name , to which she replied that hers was "Toshi" in spite of the fact that it said Antonina over her bed.Maybe Toshi meant something else? Oh well, too late now.

Biggest mistake I could have made because from then on there was no peace for the three of us.

"oy oy oy oy" was the constant cry to get my attention.Closely followed by "Shooshi, shooshi shooshi" which I worked out meant toilet. I went for the nurse three times but she was busy serving tea. I told Toshi I couldnt take her so she picked on Nick! She tried to get my attention again by attempting to get out of bed, an attempt that I did prevent.

What a worry tho. I did feel for her because it must be particularly undignified to lay there knowing you need to go but helpless to get there.

Next time, Ill take a porta potti.

Nazdrovia, Toshi.

Displacement activity

The lyrics (and the tune) of this Simon Webbe song are just what you need when you want cheering up. Thats my verdict anyway. Try and catch the song, cant give you a link but its on limewire, called Coming around again. You know when something is just enough to make you feel happy? Like a holiday, a new friend, a long awaited contact, losing 3 pounds in weight, etc etc?

Ive been sitting in the darkness
But the sunlights creeping in
Now the ice is slowly melting
In my soul and on my skin
You know those good times my friend?
They're coming around again.

We've been so long waiting
For the all time highs
We've got a damn good reason
To put your troubles aside
You know those winter sorrows
Hanging round to dry?
Better throw them away
Gotta throw them away
All those colourful days my friend,
Are coming around again.

Just thought Id share them.
Also, now this is an experiment to see if I can do it, my confused friend http://kenjoy.net/music/downloads/eclipse.htm has just completed a new album and some of the tracks on that have a similar uplifting effect.Check it out

Yet more pics of Roma

Me (spot the satsuma)
and the gang in Le Lanterne

The gang at the colosseum


The Trevi Fountain

Piazza de popolo Near the Roman Forum Roman Forum