Having a Kent Day

We've just had a lovely couple of days in Whitstable, Kent. I couldn't find an exhibition I fancied reviewing for December’s Workshop on the Web and then realised that Prism had a follow-on there from their Mall Gallery show. Are we mad, going all the way from Dorset to Kent to review an exhibition? Well we probably are, but we needed a break and were tempted by the idea of what we call a ‘Kent Day’.

These special days started when I used to teach a group up that way as a mentoring exercise – two or three times a year. They were a lovely gang and produced great work. I had to go up the day before and Clive often came with me so we would have a fun day. It went something like this:

1. Take packed lunch. Eat it at bird-watching lake at Oare (with binoculars). Good birding there.
2.   Then drive to Ashford for retail therapy at the outlet shopping centre. Good excuse for a little spend.
3.    Have coffee and cake to hold off hunger pangs.
4.    To the cinema complex for a snooze or a film – sometimes both.
5.    Back to hotel for a char-grilled steak.

We followed this time honoured pattern on Friday and it was lovely. Saw the latest James Bond and purchased some Chrissie pressies. Good meal and, joy of joys, Clive has discovered gin and tonic. Since he became diabetic he can’t drink wine for some reason and it’s miserable not being able to share. Someone suggested G & T and it was good. Not that we booze a lot, but the odd glass now and then is a lovely treat.

Reviewed the exhibition next day. Just to whet your appetite here is a general pic of the gallery. Small but intimate and the hanging was well considered.

I love this piece by Lisa Earley Seen but not Heard. Here’s a detail. Her layers all work together beautifully.

Another piece I liked was Moonlight on Water by Sheila Cahn. Such a lovely rippled effect.

You will find more about this exhibition in Workshop on the Web in December. The reviews are on the unrestricted area so everyone can see them. It is on until January in the Whitstable Museum and Art Gallery.

When we came home on Sunday, it was to an urgent need to finish Lynda Monk’s new book, due at the printers and freshly back from the copy editor. We made it and, although I hate working on Sundays, it was worth it to start the week so well. It is a lovely book and it Should be available in early December.