25. 04. 08. Thursday. Beautiful day. Early start and drove to Claire’s in Montpellier. After a cup of tea we drove to the Villa Eugenie where we hi-jacked Claire’s first sculpture and then drove on to Sauve. We parked the car and went on a wonderful walk through La Mer des Rochers. The sun was warm and the air was full of the scents of thyme and broom. The path lead through the garrigue and what was once an old fortress and across a chaos of rocks. We had taken a picnic so stopped in some shade and had our baguettes and salad. Oddly enough where we stopped 
we discovered a momento mori to a friend of Claire’s elder brother complete with engraved stone, the remains of his ashes and two old umbrellas. Returned to Sauve after lunch and then drove on to Sommières where we stopped at a café by the river and had Monacos and ice cream. On then to Baillargues where we met Jacques and saw his new expo and then back to Claire’s for tea once more before driving home to Clermont on the scooter.
Month: April 2008
Ladies’ Week
20. 04. 08 Sunday. Julia and Daisy have been here with me this week in Clermont. We all came down last Saturday on the dreaded Ryanair red eye from Stansted. We left Windsor at 3.45 am via cab in order to to be at the airport 2 hours before our 6.05 am departure. The advantage is that you get a lot done the next day before you collapse in a heap. We had a car from Saturday until Wednesday so did numerous errands out and about. Sunday we went to Marseillan to the Flea market where Julia found a great baroque mirror for 5€ and then an iron bed for 50€ in Pezenas. Monday we were in Montpellier for Ikea and an art store called Coste Peintures – I have finally found a reasonably priced art store, 100 cm x 60 cm canvas for 9.70€. Tuesday prepared room for painting and picked up head of bed from Pezenas. Bill and Dominique came by with staple gun and Dominique fixed my e mail. Wednesday, into Montpellier early to drop off car. Checked out some galleries and had lunch in town. Saw show of local artist Vincent Bioulés. Thursday painted room. Friday stapled fabric to ceiling – fairly hair raising. Saturday Daisy and I went into Beziers on scooter to check out sea grass carpets, lunch at Les Negociants. This morning Bill took Julia and Daisy to airport and I spent the day cleaning the house. A very productive week.
Last Day in London
08. 04. 08 Tuesday. Daisy and I went up to London today. Our first stop was the Sir John Soanes’ Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields where Daisy was convinced that the house is haunted particularly after discovering a skeleton and a life mask. The effect was also enhanced by the general low light and the large number of pieces of decorative antique stone in the place. We had our lunch in the square opposite and then took the tube to King’s Cross to the Gagosian Gallery on Britannia Street. This is a magnificent gallery in what seems to have been an old warehouse. Very cool with white walls and grey concrete floors and all the black attendants in dark suits. The show was new work by Howard Hodgkin which worked well in this environment. 
His lush, bright colours really sparkled against the white walls. I had never seen any of his big pieces before as I thought that he always worked in a pretty small format but here were some wonderful sumptious canvasses full of grand gestures. A great show. From here we took the tube to Old Street and on to the White Cube in Hoxton Square. We had already been to the White Cube in Mason’s Yark off Duke Street so this was a chance to visit the sister gallery. Again it seemed to be in a converted warehouse complete with interior white walls and grey concrete floor. This show curated by Harland Miller and was based on sending a number of artists various pieces by Edgar Allan Poe. The show was their reaction to the writing. Their were pieces by the usual suspects, Damian Hirst, Tracey Emin and Anselm Kiefer and a number of others whom I had never heard of. 
Interesting stuff ranging from a hot skull, to a beating heart to a lead coffin for Lord Usher. Part of the show was at the White Cube but far the more interesting pieces were in the basement of the Shoreditch Town Hall. This subterranean space was a maze of small rooms in various states of decomposition, quite dank and dark and a perfect site. Daisy was very impressed with the whole thing. Once out in the sunlight again we took the tube to Canada Water and Daisy bought a new riding hat at Decathlon. From there back to Waterloo and Windsor for tea.