The view from here

My week began with not one but two new arrivals

This little package from La Belette Rouge A VERY BIG THANK YOU

Second new arrival, this is a rare contemplative moment, he maybe over 5 years old but he has the body and enthusiasm of a puppy. We spent over 5 hours at Battersea Dogs Home last Sunday and decided on this abandoned Staff. We have named him Firat, a Turkish name that I had chosen if I was carrying a boy and coincidentally the Au-pairs boyfriends name too!
He is a joy such a lovely dog we spend all day shaking our heads as to how anyone would not want this dog.

On Friday I took my year 12 students to The Photographers Gallery
to see Deutsche Börse Photography Prize


Taryn Simon (b.1975, USA) nominated for her exhibition An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar at The Photographers' Gallery, London (13 September -11 November 2007).

Tod Papageorge (b.1940, USA) nominated for the exhibition Passing Through Eden - Photographs of Central Park at Michael Hoppen Gallery, London (7 March - 12 April 2008).

Emily Jacir (b.1970, Palestine) nominated for her installation, Material for a Film, presented at the 2007 Venice Biennale (7 June – 21 November 2007).

Paul Graham (b. 1956, UK) nominated for his publication, A Shimmer of Possibility (steidlMACK, October 2007).

My vote went to Emily Jacir, but most of the girls voted for Tod Papageorge, I was really heartened to see an artist being nominated for a publication rather than an exhibition. I would have no idea how to get my work in a gallery but there are now a number of really good publishers that you can access via the web now that make publishing a book a very real proposition.

The way an image is laid out on the page and juxtaposed with other images is as creative as curating any exhibition.

I do not know why, but the sight of such hideously kitch plastic flowers in the gallery's toilet made me laugh.

I then walked up past St James's park

past offices with beautiful and very real flowers

under a stunning blue sky

to WHITE LIGHT / WHITE HEAT at Hauser & Wirth

This dog was not for sale but was so beautifully regal I had to take a snap.

I then went to see Georg Baselitz: Mrs Lenin and the Nightingale at the White Cube

It blew my socks off, the colours were stunning and such fluid brush strokes too.

White Cube in Masons Yard is a superb space for displaying large pieces of art work, it is a large square block countersunk into the ground and juxtaposes brilliantly with its more traditional neighbours

Downstairs were these water colours which were exceptionally covetable

Axel Hütte: Out of Darkness at Waddington Galleries Cork Street

IAN DAVENPORT FABSTRACTION on at ALAN CRISTEA GALLERY

A wonderful retired couple walked in whilst I was looking and I overheard them say they had bought a couple of his paintings but could not live with them so sold them. How wonderful to be able to breeze around Cork St buying up a little of what you fancy.

One of my favourite colour combinations at Nicole Farhi.

I have far too many clothes but this top from COS was irresistible. I love that colour blue as it brightens up both grey black and brown. However having had a sort out this weekend, memo to self "you do not NEED any more clothes"

Apart from a loose black Tee. I tried on three in Banana Republic and all three clung to my belly like a cling film body wrap. They put far too much elastaine in their jersey to be flattering when you have a thickening waist line

Exhausted I slumped atTerroirs, a wine bar with 'rustic food' I met my sister after she had finished work, the wine list is brilliant but two things really niggled me.

First, I walked in without a booking and after a 'builders' sharp intake of breath and pulling a few faces they agreed to give us a table as long as we were out by 7pm, fine but when we left at 7pm it was a third empty, so why the rush. So many places do this what on earth do they hope to achieve other than irritation.

Second, was that we sat down to eat at 5.30pm but we were then told that only bar snacks were available until 6pm! seriously what on earth is that all about. The rest of the menu is cold apart from 4 hot dishes that only needed to be warmed up, what a stupid system. Other minor niggles were the olives I like an olive to place hairs on my chest and make my eyes water. They gave me a bowl of insipid Briny berry's and they charged for the bread, which at the prices they were charging was unacceptable. Most of the food is very protein and carbohydrate heavy but utterly delicious a triumph of good sourcing. I will return, but only for a snack and a glass of rosé.

And so to bed...