Day 159 - Gifts in Many Forms

Weeping openly into a book, moved by its bold style and its sense of faith. Full of admiration for its author. Thank you, Dominique, for the recommendation.


Two very pleasing dog moments. A pair of muscle-bound bull terrier type dogs bowling each other over and playing like boisterous boys. The were both boisterous boys, in fact. One of them was beige like a cushion. Both of them smiled. Just before that, a posh lady playing ball with two butter-wouldn't-melt spaniels. The especially eager one in the red bandana made excited squeaking sounds whenever she was about to throw the ball, then bombed after it. Altogether, a very refined affair, until the other dog had a poo and bandana boy dived in and munched it up before the lady could get there. It wasn't so much the scatological groo of it as the surprise and the incongruence of such a pretty dog doing a gross thing so matter-of-factly. I laughed. 


A pigeon-boy puffing and bowing to a non-plussed lady pigeon. I saw a man look on with normal London pigeon disgust and I wanted to say 'No, look at what he's doing - this is really beautiful!'. I didn't. I sat on that. I was touched.


Unexpected gift - walking from Oxford Street to Piccadilly, I passed the door of St. George's Church. I felt an urge and went in, only to find a full orchestra rehearsing in there. Well, chatting, at first, but then rehearsing. I stayed for 20 minutes or so. Their music was beautiful. The concert was A Dance to the Music of Time. I was excited and planned to go, but I've just clicked that it was tonight, not next Thursday as I thought. I'm very grateful for the beauty of what I heard today. The Orpheus Foundation. That's who was behind it. Thank you. 

Thank you, Ruth, for the gift of a pass to go and see the Hockney exhibition with you (and lovely Chris). It was very impressive. Lordy, that man is prolifc! He must be making art every moment he's awake! I especially liked some of the darker landscapes, very early, a painting about Switzerland and some iPad-generated flowers. Throughout the exhibition, the colours were dancing. There were lots of slow, hypnotic films too. I could have stayed longer there. Lovely to see Ruth, as always, and to see her doing something that she loves. 


I am grateful also to her for her encouragement and motivation to get to the pond early. I missed that this morning, and my day ached for it. Tomorrow. I'll be there. Now sleep.