It's no go for Gauguin but green light elsewhere .

Went to the National on Wednesday . We had comps for the Gauguin portraits exhibition .

Now , normally I wouldn't have bothered , having had an aversion to said Gauguin since I was obliged to study him a bit for my academic History of Art exams .I could have said "comps or not its no go " and buggered off to loose myself in the Jan Van Eyck self portrait ( as I regularly do ).

I thought , though ,  that I should employ the same principle I do to most things - take a fresh look then open your mind before you open your mouth .
I carefully separated the man , the paintings and the customs and expectations of his time .


That's a half hour I won't get back .

There was a gallery attendant ( looking like Edris Elba ) perched on a little chair .
I said " do you like these ?"
He said " sometimes I do "
 I said " and like me sometimes you don't ".
We had a quiet giggle together and I went off to buy a Dega postcard in preference to a Gauguin .


Today we went off in the rain in the bumbling country bus . The route took the usual detours to villages beginning to prepare for Advent .

A curry for lunch , three bookshops  and then round to the market square . They had had " switch on "last Sunday.

The square  had a huge tree and garlands on gables and old lampposts  .

Everything was bedecked in white and Emerald lights .

In the fading light and drizzle it spoke of the bright white light that hope delivers .

It spoke of how  ever present  and timeless greenness is in spite of all circumstances  .

We sat on a bench in the dark and drizzle .
I remembered where we were this time last year ( see post Dec 19 / 12 / 2018 ) and my heart danced in the lovely light .
"Come on " the saxophonist said " or we shall miss the bus " and I grinned at him out of all proportion to what he had just said .