Ursula Von Rydingsvard at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

My travels in the UK took me up to Yorkshire to stay with a friend I've

known since I was eighteen and a student at what was

then Bretton Hall College near Wakefield.

This amazing place was where I studied Art for three years.

The college has been closed for quite a few years now.

The grounds however are what is now

Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

This amazing piece is made from cow intestines sewn together
it was beautiful.

When we were there we saw a large exhibition

of the work of an American woman -

Ursula Von Rydingsvard.

There are the Underground galleries which

are huge spaces that give the 

opportunity to display large pieces

of sculpture that can ' breathe '.

I really liked the pieces where the wood had been charred and also limed.

Cow intestines sewn together.

Just LOVE this piece.

There were also some wonderful large drawings based on pieces that she has made using pig's
intestines that have been dried and formed into pieces that are textile in quality.

In my next post I'll show some more pieces from YSP.

Memories of such happy summer days.

So the sun shone every day.

The days went all too fast but we had

such very happy times.

Georgia makes friends with Pie.

We visited a friend's beautiful house and I took some lovely photographs.
Georgia thought it was like the house of a princess
 especially when she saw the four poster beds with curtains !

Visiting more friends and chances to play on a swing in their garden.

A swing fixed on a tree - magic.

We visited our local summer market where children and adults can get the chance
 to abseil down the church tower.
 Georgia wanted to try but at 7 she was too young.
                                                           ( Thank goodness !! )

Georgia wearing a linen suit I bought here in France.

Playing with the inventions of two men - always boys  - such fun.

We are very lucky not to live too far from the coast so
off we went with picnic buckets and spades for the day.

Before adventuring down to the sea with Papi.

The sandcastle left behind waiting for the tide to turn.

Out in the garden there was lots of chances to take photographs to add to our collection.

Maybe a career in modelling ?!

Then the day before I took her back to England we went out again in "Ruby"
 and of course came back with a baguette !

My hat became Georgia's when we went out in "Ruby"

The start of three wonderfully happy weeks in July - Nantes.

In mid July our elder granddaughter came for a 3 week holiday.

I had not seen her for a few years due to my health problems

and surgery.

I cannot tell you what a delight it was to see her arrive at the

airport with Mr P ( Papi to her )

I'd booked for us to stay the night in Nantes as a surprise.

The bigger surprise however was to go to "Les Machines " to visit this wondrous place and to ride on the elephant and the carousel.
Moments of magic which will stay with the three of us for ever.

The Carousel is based on the 3 levels of the ocean.
This is the top for the things that are on the sea.

The flying fish were so beautiful.

Just loved this turtle's face.

We all went on the elephant and one ride for Papi and me on the  carousel but 4 rides on it for her.
She loved it and so did we.

Georgia inside  a fish - pulling levers to make it move its fins and tail.

Avery happy little girl.

However I think she enjoyed being sprayed by the elephant even more.

The children waited and encouraged the man driving the elephant to soak them !

It was so good to watch so many people having such a happy time

Moments like these last forever.

Papi and Georgia on the elephant.

Denis Sever's House Folgate Spitalfields London.

I have tried without success to find photographs other than my own of this wonderful house.

Sadly I cannot find any that I can use here and certainly not ANY of the interior.

Enough to say that after wanting to visit this incredible place we turned up, me extremely excited only to find that it was closed.

I knew that it was open on the 4th Monday of the month only to realise that in June we had a 5th Monday and that was when I was there.

Despite a very sad, pleading face and explaining that we were from France we didn't get in.

I do understand of course that it is a private house so times of opening are restricted.

One day certainly I WILL get in and share the magical experience.

In the meantime I managed to get a book all about the house 

18 Folgate Street - the story of a house in Spitalfields.

This really gives you an look into another world that at the moment stays behind the black door and the red shutters.