Sheffield - Steel City?

In 1894 in a conversation with Lord Avebury - John Ruskin said:

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing
Wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating.
There is no such thing as Bad Weather - only different kinds of Good Weather"

Truly the words of an optimist who saw the world and its complex beauty and shared it with us in an exquisite outpouring of simple yet mindblowing art forms. As I walk the streets of Sheffield town with its dark gothic stone now dwarfed against the 'milennium funded' EU renaissance of glass and steel towers - I am trying desperately to hang on to Ruskin's optimism. The weather is grey and cold - and I have had to surrender and purchase a jacket (as if I needed another one).

I arrived here yesterday after a smooth and peaceful ride on the East Coast express - the countryside was a picture in symphonies of green - punctuated by the occasional bright yellow field ripe with wheat or sunflowers. Wild Yarrow in vivid pinks, bright yellow and orange daises, wild holly hocks swaying in the breeze, the sprinkling of white Queen Anne's lace and drops of deep red poppies scattered over the landscape creating an impressionist canvas as the train sped through on its way north.
Aah! Yorkshire - how I do love it ... and the Peak District is particularly beautiful - villages consisting of brick houses piled on top of each other in rows like cans on a shelf - their chimney pots - now silent for the summer(?) clear silhouettes against the azure blue sky. (that was yesterday).

I arrived at Sheffield - and was immediately impressed by the changes - especially architecturally. (I was last here in 1999) Lots of wonderful and creative post-modern glass, steel and reflective surfaces - but unfortunately some tacky crap - pre-fab concrete modernist nothing!!!
It is great to see Gillian again - some of you may remember her from my 50th birthday visit. Her house is absolutely gorgeous - and the garden a very typical english delight - stone walls and steps - flowers tumbling down them - flower baskets filled with cheerful petunias, stunning clematis, wisteria on lattice fences ...vegetables - sharp edges of artichokes and echium rising against the blue sky ...we started the evening in the warm sunshine with a jug of Pimms and olives ... the night unfolded a wonderful dinner of Fresh salmon, grilled artichokes, lentil and spinach salad and washed down with a bottle of Puglian wine. An evening of friendly chatter - films, music, painting, books - exhibitions and general catching up on the last ten years was completed with a delicious english pear and gorgonzola....I had the best sleep I have had in a while.

I have spent the morning in cultural overdrive while Gil is at work. An amazing exhibition of John Ruskin's works at the Milennium Galleries - walks around the town and sketching in the Peace Gardens - and then the best of all - I could not believe my good fortune - At the Graves Gallery - an exhibit called Moore/Hepworth/Nicholson - A nest of gentle artists in the 1930's. In the 1930's a group of artists includng Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Ben Nicholson took working holidays at Happisburgh on the Norfolk coast from their usual abodes in Hampstead, London.. This exhibition is a sample of their work at this time - it reflects their friendships (quite similar to the Bloomsbury group of the Woolfs, Bells, Strachey etc) and most importantly their influence on each others work and lives.

The synergy is amazing, the sculptures on display absolutely magical - it is wonderful to see the way ideas have been transposed into form - the interplay and communication between them - the drawings and skethces ... and the sculpture. I feel like I have died and gone to heaven - but no - I am actually sitting in the Graves Library internet room Blogging - sadly as I am unable to upload images on these public access computers you will have to suffice with my words.

Well I'm off to lunch - I think a good Yorkshire 'plough persons' at one of the local pubs will be good. This evening we may be off to see Ken Loach's new movie produced by Eric Cantona (ex Man Utd player turned actor/director for those ignorant of such important cultural detail). The movie is a comedy Looking for Eric and is showing at the arthouse cinema in a Ken Loach Film extravaganza ... wish I could stay longer...

Bye for now - will try a post from Manchester.
I may as well close with a Ruskin quote:You cannot be angry when you look at penguins
Love to all of you Lxx