Its been a wonderful summer holidays. As I have 3 school age children, obviously I have to stop working for 6 weeks over the summer when they are off school.
Actually, I don't know how to stop working, its integral to my lifestyle.
I've had a child free break when we travelled down to East Sussex to visit some friends, and discovered the wonderful Towner Gallery. There's a John Piper exhibition and I managed to contain my excitement and look grown up, staring at paintings thoughtfully, while secretly my heart was thundering inside my chest and the urge to stroke and lick the paintings grew stronger with every image. I managed to contain myself though. Also on show was a piece by Claire Morgan, who is evokes a thought provoking visceral reaction whenever I see her work. I don't have the words to do either of the artists mentioned justice, so heres a link to the Towner Gallery. Its well worth a visit.
http://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/
Then last week, a return to my family home on Anglesey, where we got soaked in sea fully clothed one day, soaked by the rain up a mountain the next and by the third day, I gave in and took my clothes off for a bracing but liberating dip in the sea. It had become obvious that the water wanted me to join it, so I thought it best to give in and keep my clothes dry.
We also visited the old mansion house that is hidden away in the woods near my parents house, its in a dangerous and dilapidated state, but that doesn't stop us trekking through the mud and trees just for some photos and to see what gifts the patriarchal stone wants to bestow on his prodigal visitors. This old haunt always gives me treasures, bits of victorian glass, plasterwork, slate. And this time, a piece of very old speckled mirror. Who knows how long it was buried in the gardens that nature has reclaimed before being pushed to the surface for the serendipitous moment when my family and I meandered past.
