Art, tears and cheese

The SB and I went to Cambridge on Friday to see an amazing exhibition, WE the Moderns, at Kettle's Yard. Focused on the birth of Modern sculpture, the exhibition itself was like seeing old friends. We are Modernist obsessives and have been known to swoon at the sight of a Brancusi, Epstein or Modigliani. Didn't know much about Henri Gaudier-Brseska, though, nor did I know much about Kettle's Yard despite the SB's three years at Cambridge.

What I liked immediately about Henri G-B is the fact that the second bit of his hyphenated name is his wife's surname.
Kettle's Yard itself was founded by H.S "Jim" Ede, former curator of the Tate (Britain- the original, natch) which put him in a unique position to acquire an incredible amount of quality 20th century painting, sculpture, drawings, ceramics, etc and put them in his house, which he then opened to students. The house itself is a collection of cottages knocked together and full of light and life. Ede left his entire home and art collection to the University of Cambridge which now looks after it, and I cannot stress what a delightful experience of discovery it is to visit the house and gallery. Please go. And make sure the house is open when you plan your visit. www.kettlesyard.co.uk. I swear you'll never want to buy another thing from Ikea.

So after that we went for a drink in The Free Press, one of the SB's old drinking haunts from her days on the Cam, and she told me she's fed up of my moping around and general miserablist mood (ok, i have been feeling a bit depressed of late). So I started to cry which is not a good thing in a crowded pub on a Friday night. We were going to have dinner at Midsummer Common, a glorious two-michelin starred restaurant in Cambridge, but instead we had a row on the Common, got sushi from the M&S Simply Food at the station, and came home.

Saturday was a write-off. I have a bad cold, and have been feeling sorry for myself (see SB's proclamation above) so I spent most of the day drinking lemsip on the sofa. Went to Duckie, and we had two great acts on which lifted my spirits- Hannah & Susannah, and arty duo who gave us a glimpse into the sordid twilight world of the heterosexual, and Donald Spark, a young Chinese hula-hoopist with a tutu and a mohawk. Cute!!!

Sunday I made my signature fish pie for friend David & bf Robert who came over for lunch, then David said he couldn't eat smoked things and there's smoked haddock in my signature fish pie so had to rustle something up from a few slices of cold roast beef and mashed potato for him. Not really my style of doing things, but needs must as they say. Highlight of my day was seeing my article published in the Observer Magazine special on Ultimate Travel- look here, kids!
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2007/feb/18/cruises




Only a few days to go until Lent begins. I was going to give up cheese, but the SB thinks it's a stupid idea. She says I should take up something instead of giving up something. So I have decided to see a spiritual advisor for Lent. No, not a spiritualist, but rather someone with whom I can openly discuss issues of faith, and why, for example, I feel my blood pressure rise uncontrollably when I attend church. Some might say, "well, don't go then." If only it were that easy for me. So I'm going to check out this place- the London Centre for Spirituality. www.spiritualitycentre.org