Sculpture

Our friend Teddy Hutton creates beautiful things. He sometimes opens his studio for 3D courses. Last summer, we signed up without knowing what to expect and didn't know if we'd manage anything remotely interesting. The pathetic ashtray/bird's nest combo I mastered age six, my last 3D attempt, came to mind.

We were stunned to come home after three mornings with sculptures we actually don't mind looking at. I love Henny's abstract horse's head which has a featured place on our terrace. Our success was in no small way down to Teddy's subtle mentoring, so when he recently offered another go, we were keen.  I couldn't make the dates, but Henny could. The lack of mobility in her hurt shoulder meant she had to keep within a small framework. She came up with this little bust. It's simply beautiful. And some think a self-portrait though the artist denies it.

Red Carpet

Here's me retro-blogging again. I just ran across this picture of the Virginia Creeper on the garage roof, taken 25 October 2010, just before we had it completely hacked back. Always with reluctance, as it's beautiful, but also massively heavy. Roof tiles were cracking under the strain. Our lovely neighbour M. Macris was concerned it was heading his way; time for the short back and sides. We're hoping we can contain it on the wall, but it grows Little Shop of Horrors fast, so we'll see who wins.

London Souvenir

I love it when Henny comes to London. Makes me enjoy the city all over again. We do whatever comes into our heads. Like ride the London Eye. A strange meteorological phenomenon also occurs -- she brings the sunshine! It was raining cats and dogs when she left Béziers, yet the sun shone in London. On her first visit a few years back, we did the obligatory Thames river cruise, basking in the sun on the warmest day of an otherwise lousy summer, and by then it was mid-September. The excuse for this visit was to see Haydn's play Becky Shaw at the Almeida. Very funny. Haydn was excellent. My word and The Independent's. On recommendation of my pal Liz Kain in Toronto, we saw Tangled in 3D, Disney's take on the Rapunzel story. Really enjoyed it, and we got to conjure the Blues Brothers in these cool shades.