I bought her a coat but it’s tartan and she hates tartan.

I’m so tired. I know that’s the most annoying, self pitying way to begin a blog but it’s also the truth. So there.

I just got back to Bristol from London. I went with Ian to the Tate Modern (to go down a giant helter skelter) and the National Portrait Gallery (for a David Hockney exhibition). Both were really interesting and we had such a good day but it meant getting up early, very early and then waiting in the cold for AN HOUR before the coach turned up. I actually lost feeling in my feet and watched my will to live disappear into the morning. To make matters worse, we had to endure an hour with this awful Bristolian woman – Mrs Miller (she introduced herself). As you can imagine, she was no happier about waiting for the coach than us but she was a whole lot more vocal about it. Ugh, she kept going on and on. She rang Bakers Dolphin and got an answerphone message saying that the office wasn’t open till nine. So then continued to call, despite it not being nine yet and just making herself more and more irate. After a while she said that she was going to go, even though the bus was coming and said I should tell them she was, ‘climbing the walls.’ This was a lie. She hadn’t even stood on the bench in the shelter. It was annoying but sometimes you just have to accept things don’t you? Why get in such a state about things that are out of your control? Oh, we also had the company of a little Yorkshire terrier called Mitsy for a while too. She was with a human lady owner and shivering so much that her whole body shook which Mrs Miller had to comment on:

Mrs Miller: That little dog’s cold.
Owner: Yeah I know. I bought her a coat but it’s tartan and she hates tartan.

What? Why give her the choice? That’s overindulgence at its worst surely.

Anyway, after that ropey start to the day, we got on the coach and were told it was late because there weren’t enough drivers. I don’t think BD could only have found out about that today so will send in a letter of complaint from ‘Unsatisfied of Clevedon’ and see what happens. Will keep you posted.

Once we got to London I was really surprised as to how quiet it was. I was prepared fro swimming through masses of people but things were more subdued than I had anticipated. We went straight to the Tate Modern and got timed tickets to go on the slide and then went to the National Portrait Gallery. The David Hockney exhibition was great, we both really enjoyed it. It was inspiring to see someone’s work and development as an artist in one place. The exhibition focused on his very early work through to his most recent and also had sketchbooks he had worked in on display. It was great to see how he built on his style resulting in work that was unquestionably his. If that makes sense? I don’t know how to describe it. I guess I just mean that it was interesting to see how he managed to make his work stand out, how he developed sketches and drawings into his photographic work. I’m waffling, I’m sorry, I’m tired.

Anyway, I have more to talk about but I also have to eat so for now I’m off and will write more again tomorrow.

xx