(Firstly, thank you for all your comments about my mosaic. I have answered some of your questions at the end of Saturday's post so if you had a question do follow this link.)
On Friday, Anth suggested a little road trip. Just the two of us, leaving behind the stresses and strains of the last few days.
"Where were you thinking?" I asked.
"St Ives," he replied.
With my eyes alight I asked him, "Do you know that there's a Cath Kidston in St Ives?" and then waited for the 'we can't afford it/I'm not hanging around shops all day, etc' comments that have been known to come out of his sweet mouth when shops are mentioned. They didn't. And fortunately, I didn't want to hang around shops all day given that there is Tate St Ives and the most beautiful of beaches to discover.
So, off we went down to Cornwall stopping for breakfast on the way. We have never been to St Ives before but felt it must be special seeing that Cath had decided it was good enough for her to open a shop down there (there aren't that many outside of London) and the Tate had a Gallery. I had been told that that part of Cornwall had a different sort of light to the rest of the country so it has attracted many painters and artists over the years.
I'll let the pictures confirm that.
View from the Tate - Porthmeor Beach.
Harbour.
We wandered the narrow streets and found Cath's shop (more about that tomorrow) and then went to The Tate.
It is a modern art gallery - smaller than as I expected, but wonderfully designed with lots of curves and symmetry. I'm not a big fan of some modern art and had to stifle a few giggles when a group of serious arty sorts came into a room to watch a scratchy projector film (with odd music) of pictures of screwed up tissue paper.
My favourite piece of art was this vision that I came across whilst looking for him after I had been to the ladies.
He looks so serious and sensible but the groovy trolley kind of lets him down! Oh I love that man for looking after my trolley whilst I go to the loo, despite it not being good for his macho image.
I think for both of us it was the colour of the sea and the sand which we loved the most - something I have never really seen in the UK before. So the different 'light' of St Ives must be correct somehow.
And tomorrow it's a little visit to Cath's shop. Hope to see you there.