Queen's Gallery.

Today I imbibed some culture at the Queen's Gallery. If you are a local buying a ticket to see one exhibition entitles you to see every exhibition for a year.

The Queen and her antecedents have always had money to buy the best. Her private collection is unequalled and astonishing.

At the end of last year I had the privilege of seeing Leonardo Da Vinci's original notes on anatomy. Framed, explained, and compared to modern equivalents. Amazing stuff.

This time I went to see Thomas Rowlanson's Caricatures. Cartoons of Pitt, Fox, Napoleon and the Prince Regent. The kind of thing that Punch magazine used to make political and satirical comment with, though that was a generation later.

Even Rowlandson witness the equivalent of today's phone hacking scandal. The Duke of York's love letters to his mistress were read out in parliament. The betrayal of trust as much a feature of the matter as the revelation of adultery.

After I met A (D's nephew) and we played Stone Age, one of those 'collect resources and build a village' board games. A beat me soundly, but it was a good game and we both enjoyed it.

Off to watch a movie now. Books tomorrow I think.

BTW, this is a door handle.