Staircase at the Courtald

Thank you for your sympathy re the sick bug - we reckon it was the lunch at the wine tasting as the others who were ill were also in the veggie option for food. I was still asleep at 10.30 when Mr C brought me a cup of tea. We arrived at Chloe’s at 2am this morning. There was a signal fault on the Elizabeth line which held us up for 15 minutes then it was an hour on the Uber but only cost £19. A lovely driver but he chatted the whole time so I was tired!

We got the bus to the Courtauld - there wasn’t a special exhibition but we enjoyed art from 14th century to the present. A group of public schoolboys were having a special lesson on the Manet - barmaid in mirror painting. If only all our children could benefit like this. Only one woman artist was on display - there is a Vanessa Bell room but it was closed. I was pleased to see the ugliest baby Jesus ever to add to my collection - he looked like a middle-aged man with receding long hair and a paunch. I enjoyed some of my favourite artists - Cezanne, Bomberg, Hitchins and Lanyon. The staircase was impressive.

We got the bus back - took an hour and a half but free - then we had a quick turnaround to get out to Finsbury Park to meet Tracey (Chloe and I first met her in Kyrgyzstan and she showed me Venice where she has a flat last October) for supper.

I’m going to risk a G&T. Chloe and Graham are lovely hosts but because of our late arrival it has been a bit of a rush.