Highlight of the week was a visit to the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy. This is probably the best art exhibition I have ever been to. His exploration of the landscape of East Yorkshire was .. er.. inspiring ...sorry to employ such an overused word but it is exactly the right word for the context. It was inspiring because it made me want to rush home and be creative myself. It was inspiring because it presented a positive and realistic vision of the world that was such a nice contrast to all that dreary 'conceptual art' that imagines itself to be 'challenging' but is merely tedious. It was inspiring because Hockney's use of colour was so outrageous and dynamic that I felt my eyeballs had been pierced by a multitude of psychedelic needles.
After spending two and half hours totally absorbed in the exhibition I staggered outside, exhilarated and exhausted, eager get home have a fresh look at our local woods and record the year's most dynamic event: the coming of Spring.
Spring charges in and before I realise it, I'm behind with my allotment work. Old Lol, on the next plot has already got lots of planting done. I can feel his sharp eye noting that I haven't got my weeds under control or finished my digging. Still I have plenty to pick: parsnips, broccoli, Spring cabbage, leeks, Japanese bunching onions, parsley, endive, kale, rocket, beet leaves, Green-in-Snow [Oriental mustard] and a variety of other bits and pieces. In the garden I've been picking ear fungus from some decaying elder logs I put in a damp shady corner last year. I'm experimenting with more fungi this year and hope to produce my own shit-ake mushrooms. I mention all this because I'm proud of it and also want other people to appreciate the delights of growing food. It's part of our life style and I believe its where the future lies: we need to become high-tech peasants if we are to survive and enjoy living on this planet.
Phil
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