Funny Thing Art

Art, it's a funny thing is it not?

Last night we went to see the play "The Pitmen Painters", I expected to be entertained and enjoy what is a fascinating and true story of the Ashington Group of artists. Whilst i did enjoy it a lot, I found myself surprisingly moved not just by their story, but that this was in some way mine too. These miners were of the generation of my Grandad, himself a coal miner in the north east, (as were my dad and his 10 brothers), the class struggle as it played out the 30s and 40s and the emergence of opertunity as a possibility was something that I recognise now was the dream of my forefathers, and I was perhaps the first generation to genuinely benefit from that opertunity.

This morning after breakfast ( we stayed at the Royal College of Physicians) we walked back to our room via a small museum of surgical instruments, nice things like leeching jars, and various things for cutting and bleeding folks (medicine used to be such fun), I was caused to consider the pioneers of my chosen profession. We then walked passed University College Hospital and I thought how flipping marvellous the NHS is.

I'd not even got to the galleries that I was planing to see and I was all for going right to Downing street and having words with the prime minister about the right for free tertiary education and health care according to need not means, and to tell him to stop messing with a great country.

Not having an appointment with Mr Cameron I went as planned to the British Museum for the morning and the National Portrait Gallery( my first ever visit) pm both absolutely fantastic places to visit.

Today's blip was a difficult choice there are some interesting shots in the camera i think. But I decided to go with this my last photo of the day of Paul Day's 10 metre bronze statue in the clock end of the amazing hall that is St Pancras Station. Critically derided, every time I pass it I hear someone say that they really like it. Funny thing art is it not.