Blog Archive ~ February 2010
Return to London
Arrived back in England on Friday night, having completed the final editing of And Thereby Hangs a Tale. It's always a great moment when you pass a book over for the last time, knowing you won't see it again until it's in the bookshops. It's currently scheduled to be published on May 21st.
Tags: blog
Who was strung up first?
Yesterday I went to the Henry Moore exhibition at Tate Britain, which concentrates on his work up until the 1960s. It's a remarkable exhibition, and I learnt two things about Moore that I didn't know before: he was the official Second World War artist - which indeed made his name - and his drawings of Londoners sleeping in the London underground stations are incredibly moving, and almost not believable until you see them in front of your own eyes.
Tags: blog
Queuing in the rain
This morning, I joined my colleagues from the Lords and Commons, for a private showing at the Royal Academy of Arts of The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and his Letters. This has been one of the most successful shows the RA has put on in its history, and you only need to be there for a few minutes to see why. It is a wonderful collection of the master's work, and I didn't realise what an assiduous letter-writer he was, in particularly to his brother Theo.
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The greatest cricketer?
I had a post yesterday from an Indian reader, asking how I felt about Sachin Tendulkar's latest magnificent achievement. I wasn't sure what they were referring to, so I rushed downstairs, switched on the television to learn that he is the first cricketer in history to score 200 in a One Day International. There's not much left for this man to achieve.
Tags: blog
In development
I went to see the George Clooney film yesterday, Up in the Air, a most unusual subject for Mr Clooney to take on. I can't think of anything worse than being awarded a platinum card for having completed 10 million airmiles. I do about 10,000 miles a year, and have no desire to do any more.
Tags: blog