Heat of the moment

Clearly I am in the wrong sector. I am reliably informed that at the Boat/Boot sale at Overy Staithe this afternoon I offered to sell two items at £2 each or £5 for the pair. Oh well it's all in a good cause.

Another Bank Holiday!

If it's Friday or Monday it just must be a Bank Holiday - or so it seems!  Can't quite remember a normal week as it feels like everybody's been on holiday or celebrating or... for weeks.  Equally the sun continues to shine which is fantastic unless you want the garden to grow - and at the moment there is just no sign of rain in the forecast.

In the gallery, NICKY LOUTIT's exhibition got off to a great start with a really well attended private view and some pleasing sales.

It's been really encouraging to see that Nicky's highly distinctive paintings have been so appreciated and that there is a market for serious art in these slightly strange times.  The exhibition has received some deserved coverage in the press and there have been a number of visitors who have travelled considerable distances to view it.  It runs for another two weeks, so there is still time to see it - and they really should be seen, reproduction only conveying some of their quality. Since its opening it has been visited by over 200 people which is not bad for a small gallery competing with wall to wall sunshine and a royal wedding!

Speaking of which, in the same time we have celebrated two family birthdays, one on the Welsh Borders looking out over the sublime landscape of Hergest (Mike Oldfield) Ridge

 and one one closer to home here in Norfolk, which got pleasingly entangled with the Royal Wedding!

I suspect the next few days are going to seem rather quiet by comparison!

Burnham Market Horse Trials

Apart from The Hoste Arms, Burnham Market is now probably best known for the Horse Trials. But as with lots of things, the closer and the more convenient an event is, the less notice you take.  That has now been put to rights - courtesy of my good friend GERARD STAMP, who not only paints rather well but has a very competent horsewoman in the shape of his daughter, Eleanor.

Prompted by a phone call, I closed up a bit early yesterday and went up to Sussex Farm just in time to see Eleanor complete the Show Jumping and the Cross-Country.  Found watching the former almost too tense when you know the rider, but enjoyed the cross-country; Eleanor's mastery of the water jump looked complete from my uninformed perspective. Pleasingly this seemed to be the official view as well!

As with most things in Norfolk you always meet someone you know - in this case, quite remarkably, NICKY LOUTIT whose exhibition opens with us next Thursday. Rounding the visit off with a very agreeable pint of Wherry at The Hoste, my only regret about this unexpected interlude was that my timing ensured I just missed Sarah and the wonderful Brays Pork Pies who were leaving the Trials just as I arrived.  My pleadings on the internet last night were obviously to no avail - there was no special delivery this morning!  Maybe I will have to go back, after all.

A summer Saturday!

I know it's not, but it does feel like it. Last night at Gunton, following an evening excursion to the miraculous Mr Clover at Acle to collect posters for Geoffrey Robinson's exhibition in Norwich...

and more advertising for the studio.

Seriously tempted to stay and sample the new Gunton Apple Juice, but headed west on what must be the best 30 mile drive in the country. Does Norfolk look good at the moment?  Oh Yes! The garden is easily 3 weeks ahead now, with flowers, birds and bees - one of which stung me yesterday, just to prove the point.

Interesting visitors - Hertfordshire, Heacham and Helsinki... and the Old Rectory, for good measure.  The big question is..... Silver by Nature? or Don't Push it? Difficult.

It's Spring!

Spring has most definitely sprung here in North Norfolk.  My guess is we must be a good few weeks ahead of last year, with a number of herbaceous plants well into growth. Only hope they're not in for a nasty shock in April!

In the gallery, it's MIKE BERNARD who is in favour - though ironically it's the London pictures that are grabbing the attention. We even had a visitor who enjoys the same view from his London pad as Mike's Butlers Wharf picture portrays and was somewhat surprised to find it in a Norfolk gallery.

On the food front, sounds like The Duck Inn has found it's feet again, with a couple of good reports - so time for a new look I think. As an avid fan of the wonderful BRAY'S pork pies, I was somewhat disconcerted to find an advert for 70% discount on burgers on their blog.  Having contacted the wonderful Sarah, it seems like they can't see it -  highlighting the hidden hazards of blogging!

A good friend

Last weekend saw an unexpected and untimely trip to Lympstone in Devon, to celebrate the life of a good friend, Carol Tolson, tragically cut short in an accident.

Many of my exploratory visits to artists in the west country in the early days of the Grapevine were based around our friendship with Carol and Robin, and business and pleasure became pleasingly intertwined. How many of our Devon artists realised my visits coincided with our vain endeavours at Exeter School Quiz Nights, I wonder?

Saturday's memorial service was a deeply moving tribute to Carol and the packed church bore eloquent witness to a life filled with music, love - and a little bit of chaos - that contributed so much to the lives of her family, her community and her friends.

Contrasts

In the words of the great Michael Flanders, "Welcome March with wintry wind, Would thou wert not so unkind!" Clearly the weather has not changed much in the fifty plus years since he penned these words, the first days of March being dominated by an extremely chilly breeze from the North East. Overall, though we seem to have to got away fairly lightly after such a snowy start to the winter.  In fact the last weekend of February sort of sums it up. Saturday saw my reader and her friends getting throughly soaked on Brancaster Beach, whilst the following day saw glorious sunshine and clear blue skies for much of the day. Monday, unsurprisingly we were back in the world of the gramp. That's grey and damp to those who have yet to visit The Boathouse at Overy Staithe.

These contrasts have been evident on my close season travels to artists old and new.  Renewing my acquaintance with Shopshire (almost as good as Norfolk) saw a hoar frost followed by glorious afternoon sunshine, topped off with one of the biggest moon's I can ever remember hanging over that strangest of hills, Clee Hill above Ludlow.  Importantly this trip finally brought the wonderful of work of SUE CAMPION to the gallery. You can find more about Sue on the other Grapevine blog, http://norwichgrapevine.blogspot.com/.

My first trip west of the year included staying with my very good friend GEOFFREY ROBINSON to select work for his new exhibition with us in Norwich. Again, contrasts. The intense colours and clear outlines of his work couldn't have been more different than the grey swirling mist of the Hampshire coast.

Heading on west, I am never sure how to deal with Bournemouth. Whichever way you go, it does seem to go a long time, but eventually you find yourself in that other miraculous county, Dorset. The bare, high land of Thomas Hardy west of Dorchester - and onwards towards Devon.  Astoundingly wet, but still wonderful. My final visit on this trip was the studio of MIKE BERNARD on the north coast.  Mike has still to return to Norfolk, but he has found his old sketchbooks, and we have just a taste of what is to come.

And just to complete the saga, leaving the wet of the south and west behind, I returned to North Norfolk on one of those truly remarkable days when the light just makes you glad to be alive.