Friday, February 15, 2008

Discovering Southampton

Moogsdad and I both felt a little worse for wear this morning having eaten far too much lovely curry and drunk too much lovely wine last night!!! So much for romance - we vegged out in front of the TV watching this!


The children are now off school for a week for half term. We had errands to run this morning as we needed to get some souvenirs together for Angie's daughter's school project as our lovely guest Flat Avery will be zooming back across the Atlantic this week. We've had a great time playing host and will be sorry to see her go.


We moved to Southampton nearly 10 years ago and, I'm ashamed to say, have explored so little of what is, in fact, a very old and very interesting city. The Titanic sailed from here on her fateful voyage and many Southampton folk died in the disaster. We still haven't visited the Titanic exhibition at the Maritime Museum but it is now most definately on our list.




Image borrowed from here
After finding the Tourist Information Office to pick up some goodies we decided to forget housework and packing for this weekend in favour of visiting the City Museum and Art Gallery. I have wanted to visit for so long!!
The gallery has a fantastic collection of modern art and sculpture. I love the work of Antony Gormley and was thrilled to find they had a sculpture of his -Untitled (Diver).


His most famous works are obviously The Angel of the North





image borrowed from here



and Another Place but I remember first 'discovering' his work when the Iron Man
was installed in Birmingham's Victoria Square and all the Brummies were up in arms
about it!!!


image borrowed from here

I love the strength and peace that his work evokes and just wish we had more public art like it.


We are now back home and I cannot avoid the chores any longer!! We are going up to the in-laws later this afternoon and then Moogsdad and I are heading up to Birmingham tomorrow to sort out my Mum's things as Dad has been on at me for some time about 'getting rid' of her clothes etc.


It's not going to be fun but it's something that has to be done and it's the least I can do to help my brother out. Dad originally wanted us to do it in the school holidays at Christmas but I put my foot down on that one!!!


We will be back on Monday night and have an exciting day planned on Tuesday!!

I am having my first meeting with an imaginary blogland friend - it seems Trashalou actually lives quite close to us and we are meeting up, complete with naughty children, at a local Country Park!!!!


We have a plan to escort the children round the woodland play trail while we compare our lovely cameras :)


I can't leave you with nothing so how about some more French and Saunders?


Hope you have a lovely weekend - see you next week :)


xxxxx

18 comments:

Locket Pocket said...

Hope the weekend is better than you anticipate - although it will be so hard to go through your mum's things. I will be thinking of you and sending positive vibes Brummy-wards!

Lucy x

Thimbleanna said...

Oooh, I love seeing pics of "Jolly Old England" LOL. Have fun meeting with Trashalou and I hope the sort out goes well -- sorry! ;-(

artisbliss said...

Glad you survived your modest over-indulgences. What we do for love!

I am all for public art, and it is interesting to see public art from other places.

I hope you can achieve a sense of peace going through your mom's things. At least it will be a task completed.

mc said...

Thinking of you. Peace and blessings.
c*

dottycookie said...

Will be thinking of you this weekend.

I'm sure your bloggy meet will be fab - have a lovely time!

Monkee Maker said...

Good luck this weekend, Lesley, and have fun next week with Trashalou.

..... just remember to do a head count and actually take the right children home with you ....

:)

ps. We watched that too - LOVED the bus full of naked normals at the end!

trash said...

Thinking of you this weekend - not least b/c of having to negotiate the M6!

Here at Trash Towers we are also very excited about Tuesday. Except for CK. He thinks we may wake up Weds. morning en route to the Far East having been kidnapped. Keeps mutteriing about chains and registering with the police and cages knitted form steel wool. I just laugh.




Errr.... you're not planning anything like taht sre you?

Bethany said...

Very cool sculpture...and my daughter is a Titanic enthusiast (if you can call it that). I will be thinking about you this weekend as you visit your Dad... I hope it's not too hard.
We had wine and chicken with curry last evening too!!! But we didn't watch what you did...I'd have a complex after that one!

the vicious chicken said...

Good luck for the weekend, Lesley. Will be thinking of you. And enjoy your bloggy meet-up with Trash next week :o)
VCxx

Kitty said...

Oh gosh Lesley ... (((hugs))) ... for you this weekend. I remember doing that job with Mum ... but do you know what we did? We kept a lot of his shirts and used them in our sewing - mum even made a fantastic 'shirt quilt'.

I hope it goes alright - I'll be thinking of you.

And how fantastic that you're going to meet Trashy - can't wait to read all about it. :-D x

French Knots said...

Will be thinking of you this weekend. I found there were lots of things I did not want to get rid of so brought them home with me, some I still have and others went when I was ready. Be kind to yourself. x

Julie said...

I hope your weekend brings back some good memories out of this difficult task. I will be thinking of you. Kitty had a good idea. Kate North used her Dad's Hawaiian shirts in her quilts. Tuesday sounds exciting! have a lovely day with Trashalou. (I shall have to go and see who she is now! ;)) )

Leanne said...

My thoughts are with you this weekend those sort of jobs are always hard. Have a nice time with Trashalou
X
Leanne

(Angie) Norththreads: said...

Your the best, thanks so much for participating 7 giving her a chance to visit overseas! I hope your visit goes well, I would love that !!!!!

Jodie said...

Have fun on your catch up , and i hope the clearing out is not too sad.

Unknown said...

Hope the sorting out is going ok :(

Thank you for the culture lesson - I am USELESS with UK geography pop facts - so that was most interesting!

Patti said...

Hope the sorting out went ok.

Love the Antony Gormley pics. I love the angel of the north.

Have fun with trashalou

Louise said...

I hope sorting through yours mum's clothes was not too difficult for you. I wanted to keep some of my mums but before I knew it, my step-dad had sent all her stuff to the charity shop. I couldn't say anything as this was his way of coping, but I just wanted one item, silly really, but this is what would have comforted me at the time. x