Into the blue

We seem to have bid a hasty farewell to summer here in the UK and been plunged unceremoniously into autumn; wind, chill, rain and all.

I'm a little sad about that.

 

 

I am waiting in vaguely doom-laden anticipation for the nights to draw in, the temperatures to drop, and the imminent return of the relentless school routine. Getting up early is going to be a real shock to the system, for all of us.

 

There were still some lovely blue skies on Saturday as I went to see my hairdresser Kirsty; she worked her customary magic, amid plenty of coffee and chat.

 

I refused to be daunted by the rain this morning, and pottered into the garden as usual to take my photos. The shoes - wonderful though they are - were obviously a foolish choice, I just wanted to see how they looked with the dress.

 

1960s mini dress - Second to None, Walsall

1970s shoes and tights - charity shopped

Umbrella - gift

1960s bracelet - local vintage/retro shop

 

Well, I think they look pretty good, but you can hardly see for the montbretia.

 

That's the level of my professionalism - I've been photo bombed by a plant.

 

My sister Sabena gave me the Missoni umbrella for my birthday. I love it, it's the only modern designer item I own, but I am slightly worried that I'll leave it on the bus one day and be forever gutted.

The woolly hat came with some hand-me-downs for Claudia from a friend's daughter - she rejected it, so I swooped. I have a feeling I'll be needing it.

 

But we did have a lovely summer with plenty of sunshine.

 Here are some photos from a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park last month which I didn't get around to posting. It's one of my very favourite places.

 

 One & Other - Anthony Gormley 

 

 I love this; it reminds me of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, but an Everyman version standing on a tree.

 

An exhibition of work by Ursula von Rydingsvard.

This is called mama build me a fence. It's huge, and beautiful.

Sitting - Sophie Ryder

Molecule Man 1+1+1 - Jonathan Borofsky

Ten Seated Figures - Magdalena Abakanowicz

 

(Plus one seated Nina.)

 

 

Buddha - Niki de Saint Phalle

 

I thought of Vix and Krista, must be the wonderful colours.

 

 

 

Large Owl - Thomas Houseago 

 

 

 There is something refreshingly accessible and unpretentious about sculpture in the open air...

 

and in such a beautiful setting.

An annual visit is good for the soul; in fact, I'd like to go more frequently, that would be even better.

And look, Henry Moore's Draped Seated Woman is still here. She hasn't moved back to Tower Hamlets in London after all, or been sold off (as I wrote about here) and I have to say I am very glad to see her.

 

 

 

It is, isn't it?

 

And I'll be connecting with Patti and co at Visible Monday as usual.

 

After that, I'm off to my sister's in Buckinghamshire for a last blast of holiday fun.

 

See you when I get back!

 

xxxx

Give us bread, but give us roses

So I have been pondering a question - public art or public services?

In the summer, we made our annual visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, where modern and contemporary sculptures are displayed in beautiful parkland. You can wander among the sheep,  the Henry Moores and other pieces, get up close and touch them, and there are changing displays and exhibitions.

It's a great place to go with kids, plenty of space for running and cavorting, and interesting quirky art to stimulate their imaginations.

I love it there.

Wearing my recycled sari skirt, a gift from darling Vix.

So here are some pics from the summer, to give you an idea of what's on offer.

We were all completely fascinated by the giant sexy rabbit ladies!

I thought Krista would like the pink shed!

The sculpture of the woman (above right, with my girls) is a Henry Moore called Draped Seated Woman, and very lovely she is too.

Moore sold her to London City Council in the 1960s for below her value, with the intention that she should be on public display in a deprived area, and she lived in Tower Hamlets until the 1990s, when vandalism and the demolition of the estate where she was situated prompted her move to Yorkshire, Moore's home county.

Tower Hamlets now want her back, and it has been decided that the sculpture, worth up to an estimated £20m, will be sold to offset some of the council's budget cuts which will effect public services in this poor area of London.

There are numerous articles online which tell the story, including this one.

So back to my question - art or services? Sculpture or social housing?

I don't know the answer. My head says money to help vulnerable people matters more. My heart feels sad. I want there to be the funding and the will to provide both. Is that naive?

What do you think?

Is it frivolous to show you what I was wearing today?

Well, maybe. 

But I think it's possible to be an intelligent, thinking woman and still appreciate a new frock, don't you?

Late 1970s-early 80s dress - Ebay

Blue top, belt, boots, bangles, wool hat and silk scarf - charity shopped

Life would be considerably poorer without creativity, artistic expression, and giant lady bunnies.

  xxxx