London

Kerry was going down to London any road for a meeting so we decided to make a weekend of it.  London used to drive me potty, too many people for a starters.  However nowadays I don't mind it.

The driver for making a weekend of it was the Lucien Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  I don't need any excuse to go to the NPG but Kerry creams herself over Lucien Freud.  We were chatting sometime after our visit to Brian who is unfamiliar with Lucien Freud, "Is he any relation to Clement Freud?", we laughed, partly because it brought back the comical miserable face of the now dead broadcaster but also because we thought it would be in no way true.  "What about Sigmund Freud?", asked Kerry.  Now we were just rattling off everyone we knew named Freud.  But as it happens, Lucien Freud IS the grandson of Sigmund AND Clements older brother!  "Blimey", I thought.

I enjoyed the exhibition but I think I enjoyed the NPGs permanent fixtures more.  Every portrait is fantastic (apart from 1!).  The old masters use of light in the paintings is utterly fantastic and when I came across a couple of portraits by Yousuf Karsh I literally went weak at the knees!  He is one mother fuckin portrait photographer!  The whole visit got me in the mood for some portrait photography.

The one and only image that I feel doesn't belong in the NPG is Patrick Herons portrait of AS Byatt.  If I ever take over the running of the gallery it's going straight in the bin.

I also noted that Battersea Power Station is up for sale for ½ a billion pounds.

"Battersea Power Station"

"Old woman on the Tube"

"Man having a fag"

"Very restrictive activities in the park"