We love walking to school with the children. Some of the best conversations are had on these journeys. It is also lovely to see them striding out with such confidence.
Down one of the lanes to school we spotted strange creatures in the trees over a fence.
T had art club after school today so it was J’s turn for a treat at the lovely French cafe we like to frequent when in North Finchley, Joie de Vie.
I love being able to plait hair again! When LiveWire T’s Mum was little she used to insist on an odd number of plaits and each one had to have a different coloured ribbon – sometimes seven plaits and all the colours of the rainbow.
On the way to school this morning we spotted pansies in a front garden.
Today’s feast of art was at The Royal Academy for The Summer Exhibition. Here are some of our favourites.
By Bob and Roberta Smith
Poupee Bleue by Abdoulaye Konate
Untitled Throne, decommissioned arms by Gonçalo Mabunda
Bob and Roberta Smith
Alter Ego – two silver plated objects, one flattened by a 250 ton press, hanging on threads. Cornelia Parker
Detail from Swell by Sara Dodd. So delicate and made of porcelain, looking like sheets of filo pastry.
This was our absolute favourite, bronze and aluminium, called Silent Journey by Ann Christopher.
I could keep posting for ever tonight!
If you are a fan and you get the chance to visit this exhibition before October, do! It was brilliant, detailed and fascinating. The headphones that come in the price are wifi linked so that as you move from one exhibit to another, the soundtrack, be it music or one of the musicians talking, comes on at just the right moment.
These songs were the soundtrack to our lives in the 70s. I especially loved Dark Side of the Moon and Ummagumma, and listening to so many songs was to take a walk through a photo album in my mind – a fabulous way to spend two hours! It was good, too, to be in the cool and out of the sun, temperatures today of 32.5C!
It was another day of 30C and we ventured out to see the Giacometti exhibition at Tate Modern, where photos are not allowed. The walk around the area was fascinating and brought back memories of being there 40 years ago when our son was in Guy’s Hospital having heart operations. I spent hours in Southwark Cathedral when D was in the operating theatre.
What a scorcher, as they say! We don’t get heat quite like London heat in the far South West of the U.K where we live. We have melted the day away here! We all found respite in the coolth of the park where the children played, we all enjoyed ice creams and I enjoyed the scent of the roses and the sunlight through the Copper Beech leaves.
Supper was roast chicken and a delicious mix of salads including Sweet Potato Salad presented beautifully in one of Nicky Stephenson’s gorgeous pots.
On our walk this afternoon, J, LiveWire2, was on a mission to find beautiful things for me. First was this tiny feather which he held very carefully so that it didn’t blow away.
Next he spotted a clump of daisies in the sunshine.
Later, playing in the garden, T, LiveWire3, crawled under the Ceanothus to retrieve the ball and came out with tiny blue blossoms in her hair.
Here we about to cross the Tamar into England across the Brunel Bridge on our way to visit the London branch of the family.
We collected LiveWire No 3 from school and took her for a treat in our favourite French cafe. Despite the heat, she wanted to keep her coat declaring she was Bat Girl!
Boris is a very beautiful cat who looks like a Colourpoint Longhair but who really is just a moggy as his label declares. His little sister, Bob, is black and sleek and very purry, especially at story time.
