Back south

Arrived back yesterday. Noted the different types of cold.
There: (Liverpool) was 'claggy' grey and dark grey/green cold. Everything, including people, covered in moss. Here: sharp, silver cold, dusting of sugar on the hills and parched-looking striped fields.

I was glad to be back; Christmas preparation here is just a gentle folly. In the UK it was a seething madness of plastic sparkly stuff. Call me an old git, but I do prefer it all a little more 'home made, holly, badly shaped mince pies', etc.

Anyway, it was interesting to see what the planners had done in Liverpool.
Liverpool 1 is a gleaming new shopping cathedral. An architect's dream of glass, well behaved trees and cheeky fountains. Actually all very impressive, if a little sterile.
Enjoyed a visit to the Tate, which I had all to myself — I could have made off with quite a few works such was the lack of of staff presence.
Great Rothko room. Huge reverberating deep maroon and red paintings that he made for a fashionable resto in N.Y, and then decided he didn't want to mix food appreciation with his art (they were never hung there). Apparently he wanted the paintings to give the viewer the feeling they were trapped in a room with all windows and doors bricked up, and all the person could do was to bang their head on the wall for evermore . . .  think he should have got out into the garden a bit more.

Excellent other expos on sculpture, and baked beans on toast in cafe next door.

Here's a few sketches from the trip, and a festive runt-sized wreath, more of which will be on sale at 'bazarre' art sale chez Garth on Sunday . . . will post an invite next.