The martyrdom of St Bartholomew

This is Damien Hirst's gilded sculpture of the martyrdom of St Bartholomew as it stands on permanent loan in the church of St Bartholomew the Great (to distinguish if from The Less which is nearby).

I went there this morning on my way to Kings Cross at the end of my London jaunt. This is a very graphic depiction of the flaying of the man. Different versions have been used to teach anatomy over the centuries!

It doesn't really bear dwelling on for too long!

As I was leaving the church, I saw an old friend, Zoe. She and I used to make a lot of music together, back in the day. She is a church warden at this church and I didn't know that.

We had a quick catch up before I had to head to Kings Cross. Disruption of overhead cables somewhere near Newark or Grantham meant that several trains were cancelled. Mine was to Inverness and was still scheduled to leave on time. It was only 30 minutes late to Newcastle so that was not too bad.

I sat next to Jennifer who lives near Falkirk. We were soon chatting (quietly in the quiet coach) and the journey passed very pleasantly. She is a Samaritan and one of her daughters, a teacher, has set up a programme of mental health initiatives in Scottish schools.

It's been a beautiful evening. Dick and Angus are busy in the garden. I've 'spied both cats but they will not come home until much later with a large labrador in the garden.

Mum and I have been catching up. Margret is back from her visit to Turkistan. I've done dressings for both these ladies.

I think we all deserve an early night!