Kettle's Yard revisited

Cornelia Parker drew on the windows with chalk.

Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, one of my favourite places,

has reopened after two years with new galleries, shop and café.

The experience once inside is much the same (and it's still free)

but instead of being able to just turn up and ring at the door

you have to pre-arrange a slot and wait to be collected 

and taken through to the house at ten minute intervals 

which somehow spoils the informality of the original arrangement.

Antony Gormley was hanging around.

He looked a little dejected in one corner of the gallery.
Perhaps he missed the old Kettle's Yard too.

Here's my homage.

The Secret Garden

By train to Cambridge.

And a chance to visit the Fellows' gardens at Trinity College.

Does anybody know what this is?
The branches are like thorny antlers.
. 

I knew I'd seen it somewhere before.
And then it came to me.

A round up

I haven't been around lately.

I've been round and about.

The first five pictures are from Kettle's Yard in Cambridge.

The bench is in Bateman's Garden, Rudyard Kipling's home.

The jelly fish was narrowly avoided underfoot

while paddling.

Artful simplicity

After the alarums and excursions of the last few weeks

it is a relief to rest my gaze in some peaceful places.

Kettle's Yard, Cambridge,

where you are invited to sit on the chairs 

and read the books on the shelves.
Artful simplicity. Admission free.

Alastair Hendy's Home Store, Hastings
where you are invited to covet discreetly price-tagged
utilitarian homewares
laid out in carefully created room settings

and rather to our surprise,
to eat in the kitchen, if you happen on the place
on a Saturday or Sunday lunchtime.

So we did, and I had an excellent crab bisque,
served up in a little saucepan.

Nostalgia and simplicity.
The watchwords for advertisers in a recession.
I'm as susceptible as the next person,

but I did baulk at the wobbly Victorian wooden loo seat.

And please, never bring back Izal toilet paper.