I don’t know if it is me getting older or the sands of time have speeded up but I just don’t know where the time goes these days.

This time last week Mrs O and I were in Leeds, a wetter than wet Leeds even though in the past I have seen the Aire so high is was ill-advised to cross some of the bridges. This was an incessant wetness that followed on from the tragic events in Paris just 30 hours previously. We had driven up there to celebrate a joint 50th birthday celebration. Nothing was dampened in spirit at that do and big thanks to Jan and Gareth for hosting the event at Salvo’s Salumeria. This was the first time Mrs O had eaten there. I have feasted there off and on since the late 1980’s and that first visit is as memorable as last weekend’s.

It was then a grim, really grim drive over the M62 into the grimmest of all places on the planet- Manchester. I’m sure there are pockets of attractive areas in this blot on the landscape but I am minded of Bill Bryson writing about Denver. It just goes on and on and on and this is something I have experienced since the late 1980’s also. Getting to the outskirts via the motorway infrastructure around the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ is relatively efficient if you call 0-40mph on a motorway efficient, but those last 6 miles are a complete pain. I never seem to know where the heart of Manchester lies, but then I’m from Liverpool so I would think that. I was teaching Requirements Engineering for three days. How those three days flew by, and how short the hour seemed for the people sitting the exam at the end of the course but the 5½ hour drive home in biblically wet and windy conditions seeemed to go on forever.

Thursday was a busy office day followed by the oenological event of the season at Portman Road where we tasted and spat out about 50 wines then for me on Friday, London all day for a board meeting followed by a sprint to Snape in the evening to catch a PV for a very talented artist , Adam Riches who is showing with a talented local landscape artist Ben Wardle.

We had missed the opening of Movies and Revolutions at The Freudian Sheep as we were in Southwold for the ‘Ways with Words’ literary festival so it was off to see that yesterday lunchtime and what a show that is. It is in the last week so hurry along and catch it while you can http://freudiansheep.co.uk/Current%20Exhibition.html

To cap off the week , Bill Jackson had invited us to a PV at Walpole for last night so having grabbed a bite to eat after ‘The Sheep’ it was another foray into the wilds of Suffolk, and was it a wild night. Rain, wind , sleet, snow, gritting lorries and Siberian like temperatures. The show, ‘The Weakening’, is well worth seeing. I had seen some of Bill’s work as he posted his work-in-progress but as always with art, it must be seen in the flesh. I was not disappointed and I loved the title of his series – ‘Pictures for an Exhibition’. I have a series called ‘Pictures of an Exhibition’ although nothing like the same subject matter. My two favourites were ‘Conversation With Myself’ and ‘Edge of Lightness’. To see 6 different artists respond to to a poem so differently but almost not differently is wonderful. We slipped away before the readings and music to drive through horizontal but not laying snow. The SAAB seemed to relish the Scandinavian like conditions. How I like heated driving seat. We hunkered down with dark and stormies and took in a Skandi drama. It seemed appropriate.

‘The Weakening’ is only open at weekends, today, 28th,29th November and 5th -6th December at The Antar Salon, Marlinspike Hall, Walpole. I’m sorry but I don’t have a telephone number or a website to point you at. I suspect it is reasonable daylight hours though and use the entrance opposite St Mary’s Church. There are quaint old signs pointing you to the car park which I suspect might be a tad churned up by now so don’t wear your best shoes for stepping out. Wellies or boots might be best.