Back In the World

After a mere ten hour sleep, I woke feeling a lot better than the last few days. Went downstairs and made coffee before taking Bella out for a most pleasant, if slightly cool stroll.  This weeping willow looked magnificent against the blue sky.

After that, it was off for a late breakfast/brunch at The Secret Garden Cafe at Prior Park Garden Centre. On the way back, decided finally (after living in Bath for over six years!) to pop into the Holbourne Museum - my friend Martin Kiszko, poet composer and balalalikist, performed his "Blue Poems for a Green Planet" there last night but I wasn't up to it unfortunately. The museum has been closed to build an ultra-modern extension to the original Georgian pile. Predictably this has aroused discussions, but I personally like it.

Very formal outside garden looking across to Great Pulteney Street.

 The entrance to the Car Park.

Liked the top floor most, with lots of Gainsborough portraits and some great paintings of famous thespians such as John Garrick, plus a small oil sketch by Constable and a water colour of Pembroke Castle by Turner. I rather admired this double-action harp and fortepiano that Haydn is reported to have stipulated for playing his music.

After that it was off to Larkhall, where I sat in the car and watched the sky while I waited.

Then it was back to the homestead, where I have spent the afternoon starting to get to grips with the PhD I have to examine in Dublin in a few weeks. This has involved me having to listen to Alvin Lucier's "I Am Sitting In A Room" and watching bits of a John Cale interview, as well as ploughing through pages and pages of writing.  I will need to give it quite a bit of time yet, but glad that my brain has decided to let me function again!

This day a year ago, Su (not mentioned so far today, but implied:-)!) went off with Bella for a walk along the canal by Avoncliff station, on the outskirts of Bradford on Avon. It was a lovely day.