Veggie black pudding

By heck! R. S. Ireland are making a veggie black pudding. I used to love black puddings when I ate meat - a boiled one in newspaper on Bury market with the skin pulled back and a dollup of yellow English mustard in the slit! I shall have to look out for them when I go Up North next week. (Technically, I suppose it is possible to make black puddings without killing an animal if one's vegginess is on moral grounds?) What next? I vote for veggie faggots (if they can do veggie haggis, they can surely do faggots, savoury duck and saveloys?) and veggie 'steak' and 'kidney' puddings (like the gorgeous wild mushroom suet pud I had in Terre a Terre a while back).

Wet weekend in Brighton

Wet weekend in Brighton, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

I've been a bit lax on the old blogging front lately. 'Winter draws on' as the vicar once said. I got soaked yesterday cycling down to the Fishing Museum to see an exhibition by the Sussex Art Collective, featuring Lesley White's landscapes, Katherine Morton/Smith and the ubiquitous Nick Orsborn, who told me all about how the famous Festival posters started (his was the first in 1987). Got some nice haddock for my tea from the smoked fish man while I was down in the Old Fishing Quarter and had a quick cycle up and down the front.

A funny thing happened on the way home from the Catalyst Club on Thursday (excellent value as usual, with a free Viv Stanshall Sir Henry CD thrown in – of course I had them all already, but I'm always up for a freeby!). I was cycling up my road about midnight when I passed a chavvy-looking young lady on her doorstep shouting down her mobile telephone. 'Mister, mister!' she paused to shout after me. 'Can you open the door for me,? I can't turn the key cos I've just had me nails done', she pleaded displaying a full set of talons. I did the deed and she was very grateful, but didn't seem to understand me when I said it was a neighbourly thing to do!

The Indy was a jolly good read yesterday, lots of interesting articles (Spamalot, Ian Rankin) and of course the latest instalment of Chris Ware's Building Stories. Genius!

Finally, I had two days without internet last week thanks to nt-hell cutting me off inexplicably. It took over a dozen phone calls and three hours of my time, backwards and forwards between customer 'care' and tech support to get me back online, albeit with a new user name and password! Grrr. What a fragile world we live in dot dot dot

EnvironMental

EnvironMental, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

While shopping at Sussex Stationers on London Road yesterday, I heard a European woman's voice shouting down at me saying I wouldn't be disappointed if I came up. Naturally I fled - to the safety of a nearby Co-op. Today I ventured back today to what I now know is part of the Brighton Photo Fringe. Fringe to what you may ask? Why the Brighton Photo Biennial, taking place all over town. Back to our local show: it's an exhibition called EnvironMental, curated by Denise Felkin (website www.denisefelkin.com/36a now appears to be working) in one of those amazing Georgian houses hidden behind shop facades, comprising photos and videos mainly by local women plus sculptures by the Mutoid Waste Co, an outfit I remember organising warehouse parties back in the 1980s. Well worth a visit, and you get a good view of Brighton's other famous Banksy! Popped down to the Art School to catch some official photo art, but they're shut on Sundays!

Sounds in Space

Sounds in Space, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

After a pleasant afternoon sitting outside Capers on Gardner Street with a cappuccino and toasted teacake, popped along to the Jubilee Library to culture up with Sounds in Space, a performance by 20 musicians from CoMA Sussex plus New Music Brighton, part of Brighton Live. My old mate Gus Garside was on bass. It started with Library Hollers, for voice and books, but then went on to more musical pieces, albiet mostly improvised, with instruments dotted around the libary, up on the balcony and generally wandering about, for a truly quadrophenic experience – ending with everyone except the tuba and accordian players trooping outside to finish in the drizzle.

Jailbait

Jailbait, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

I can't believe I only got to my first Brighton Live event last night after a whole week of free gigs! It was to see the Gretsch twangin' snare snappin' bass slappin' raw rockabilly rock'n'roll of Jailbait, fronted by Mark Stoller (of Dorset fame), at Audio (formerly The Escape Club, and before that The Royal Escape). And what a great set it was too. I'd earlier joined Critical Mass for a bike ride from the Level down to the Corn Exchange where I had to queue to get into the second-night PV (for the plebs) at the Brighton Art Fair. Have you ever had the nightmare that you drop a full glass of red wine at a PV? Well, that finally came true (sorry Kate!), tho no artwork was damaged in the attack! Bumped into lots of old friends and checked out lots of fine art, tho it was a bit of a rush to get round before chucking out time at 7.30pm. Today Gus Garside is among the 20 or so musicians performing at the Jubilee Library, the finale to Brighton Live. If I'd found one of their wonderful orange brochures sooner (only saw my first one last night at Audio) I wouldn't have missed Jacob's Stories, The Poppycocks, etc etc. Ah well.

Otway World Tour cancelled

Well, the John Otway World Tour 2006, late October, early November, has now been cancelled for the second time! Otway was still £100,000 down and Air Tahiti from whom he was hiring the plane were mucking him about. Will I ever get around the world? The Cavern gig in Liverpool on 27 October is still on, so see you there!

The Pipettes

The Pipettes, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

With a name like The Pipettes how could I not like them! At the Corn Exchange last night they were more than ably supported by The Hot Puppies, a band with a sexy gorgeous singer and some theramin action. The sound at that barn of a place was however appalling. So was the beer! I'd met Carol Seatory at the Waggon and Horses for a pint of Harvey's before the gig, while we watched the youngsters queue to get in. Doors opened theoretically at 7pm, but we had to stand around (no chairs!) until 8.30 when the support came on. The room was thinly populated at first by girls in polka-dot dresses and lots of young lads with multi-purpose phones, some tiny kids with their mothers, a few dykes dressed as boys (in school uniforms) and the odd old snogging swinging couple (not you Jo and Laurence!). The Pipettes came on at 9.30 sharp with a Ronettes type drum beat and went through their album 'We are The Pipettes'. I'm not that familiar with their repertoire, but I believe they are all originals, albiet with remnants of 'Teenage kicks' and 'Oh Mickey (you're so fine)' rattling in my head during 'Pull shapes'. The Shangri-Las they are not, but with their sychronised dance routines and catchy tunes like 'Judy', 'Your kisses are wasted on me' and 'I Like a Boy In Uniform (School Uniform)' how can they fail? Love to see them with a big Phil Spector band with brass and string sections. Shame the monitors hid their sparkly shoes. And I don't know which one of the three I fancy most...

Bicycle Ballet

Bicycle Ballet, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Car free day! Shame nobody told the motorists. Those two drivers who crashed head-on outside the Phoenix gallery would have been a lot safer on bikes! I spotted the mayhem as I was on my way to watch the Bicycle Ballet, which was actually quite entertaining (apart from the smelly coloured smoke!) from my high-level vantage point. It was pissing down earlier on, but the sun came out just in time. Spotted Nick Sayers amongst the 'dancers' - with clothes on! Off to see The Pipettes tonight at the Corn Exchange.

Up North

Up North, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Just back from the North of England - land of cheap beer, black puddings and black peas. I went up for a family wedding (congrats Lee and Kasia!) but stayed on for the LMS weekend at the East Lancs Railway. I was hoping to see Princess Elizabeth, but alas the excursion it was on wasn't cancelled. I did see the Jub Leander, 4F 44422 and Jinty 47324. Overheard a couple of old trainspotters talking about seeing 'Semis' (why?) at Preston and I'd forgotten that's what we called the Duchesses, the most beautiful locos ever built!

On the Monday afternoon I visited Bury art gallery, where I was appalled to hear that the council was planning to sell off the family silver - their Lowry - to cover some debts! The gallery staff were resigned to it happening - it's already been removed from view.

Also visited Lois in the Peak District and had an exciting Tuesday afternoon in Speedwell Cavern, on a boat, 200m underground, in an old hand-hewn lead mine! It felt like a Disneyland ride but every so often I had to remind myself it was for real! We were in a metal boat floating on icy water in a tiny underground cavern! The hard hat earned its keep, scouser guide Paul kept up the banter and Lois's two-year old son Joe loved it! The Peak District is awsomely gorgeous!

Wednesday I travelled on the Wirral Line via Liverpool to see the Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight. It was closed last time I tried to visit but this time it was open and what a joy it is, crammed with top-quality Pre-Raphaelite paintings and other Victorian delights, including lots of marble naked ladies! On Thursday I took a day-saver to Rochdale to visit their gallery. All Northern towns have collections of Victorian art - that's where the money was back then. It's a lovely museum, and unlike Bury is proud of its industrial heritage, with fascinating exhibits on King Cotton and mining. Loved the architects' drawings of mills and their model villages. But why oh why do museums have to give themselves silly 'modern' names like Touchstones? Sounds like a themed young-persons lager pub! Nice to see the cafe serving Fairtrade food tho. Talking of food, I managed a 60p cup of black peas at Ramsbottom station on Saturday and took in the world black pudding throwing championships, also in Rammy (or Tupp's Arse as we used to call it), on Sunday. The idea was to knock off giant Yorkshire puddings from top of some scaffolding - a photo on Flickr. Hope the food wasn't just thrown away at the end of the festivities.

Patrik Fitzgerald

Patrik Fitzgerald, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Ain't Brighton brilliant? Where else could you enjoy an afternoon Bank Holiday mini-music festival in a bungalow back garden for a minimum donation of 2 English pounds? Well, probably lots of places, for I didn't realise that there's a whole network of 'house venues' around which bands and solo performers can organise tours. This was the final date of Brooklyn-based Mia Riddle's UK tour (with 3-piece backing band), supported by 3-piece band Little Lights – xylophones (or metalophones) are big this year, both Mia and Little Lights were using them! Another tour that culminated here (because they had no London date) was the phenomenal The King Blues from Hackney, whose name doesn't convincingly convey what they play, which is a sort of urban reggae string-band punk folk, with lots of whistling and ukulele action from the lead singer with the sweet voice Itch. They were the headline act and rightly so (they were followed by an indoor session from Brighton's Jacques Brel Phil Jeays) - they even sold out of CDs before I could get one, but I did get a badge - and you can get a signed CD for less than a tenner from their website.

Surprise addition to the bill was legendary punk poet Patrik Fitzgerald, who's been living in New Zealand. I did manage to grab his CD - and get it signed. He was very impressed by my 'All sewn up' badge from way back in the 70s. The whole event was put on by Pog's Paul Stapleton and as well as their full-band excellent sing-along set ('la la la... go vegan, etc), band members Deacon Brown (who opened the proceedings on keyboard and guitar) and Wob (my nephew ex-Anal Beard Richard went and hid when it was suggested he made a guest appearance!) did spirited solo sets. Tim Holehouse also did a great acoustic set, and local hero Attila the Stockbroker read some poems. It didn't rain, tho it was a bit windy! So, what a great way to spend a Bank Holiday -10 acts, 2 CDs, a Quorn hot dog (ta Tammy) and a badge - thanks Paul for a great day out. More photos on Flickr.

Edinburgh observations

Edinburgh observations, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Two observations about my 10th visit to Edinburgh this year (11th if I count that VLSI conference in the 1970s).

Pies: Edinburgh is a great place for pie eaters. The health food shop Real Foods at Tollcross where I got my mueseli has two whole long shelves of pies and pasties in its chiller cabinet (too nervous to take a photo!), including Henderson's branded ones (tip: unless you like soggy pastry, don't let the wee lassie at Henderson's microwave them for you!). The 99p pasties and 80p samosas from Real Foods were fantastic! Why can't we have the same variety down south? Edinburgh also has the Piemaker shop on South Bridge (sadly the Tollcross branch has closed) for a quick street snack.

Smoking ban: yes it's great there's a smoking ban now in force, but if you just like sitting outside a pub and watching the world go by with your pint of 80/-, you'll have difficulty finding a table these days, cos they're all occupied by the smokers!

Edinburgh 2006

Edinburgh 2006, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Edinburgh this year was intense - all that walking (mainly up hill) and drinking - but was probably the best yet. The following is a bit of a list - sorry!

Wednesday 16 August: flew by Airbus 319 G-EZAA from Gatwick - the easyJet experience (my first) was painless, but the airport was a nightmare - long queues for check-in, longer queues for security. Had to remove my shoes and belt! But after a bus journey, a traditional pint of 80/- was waiting for me at The Caledonian Bar at Haymarket, then it was the traditional walk along the Quarter Mile to the Pleasance for the traditional first-night's entertainment. Saw them recording The Edinburgh Show in the courtyard, but please, someone tell me what is Zina Saro-Wiwa for? She's neither use nor ornament, and Matthew Sweet is not much improvement. Why do they have to try to be funny in the presence of comedians? Bring back Mariella, I say. Then went to see Ed Byrne's 'Standing Up and Falling Down' at the Grand, who was really great.

Thursday 17 August: went to see AL Kennedy at the Stand upstairs, got picked on, but not as much as Sam's friend Finlow from the Isle of Man. She was better than the reviews made out, but why oh why would a successful author want to do stand-up? Popped next door to the portrait gallery for the Harry Benson photojournalism exhibition, pricey but well worth it (Sam is a 'friend' so got in free anyway!). In the evening saw Luke Haines at the Underbelly - he sang about Sarah Lucas, Gary Glitter and the Brighton Trunk Murderer amongst others, plus there was an erudite Q&A session.

Friday 18 August: raining! Saw 'Moon the Loon' at the Pleasance (no reference to Viv Stanshall, but an entertaining play none the less). Made the traditional annual pilgrimage to The Stand for Simon Munnery's AGM, and was treated to an extra hour in the garden of the nearby Star Bar afterwards, in the pouring rain! Great value - see photo above. In the evening it was 'Political Animal' in the Underbelly Baby Caves - compered by Andy Zaltzman, our night featured Aussie Steve Hughes, surreal Tony Law, and the very funny Stewart Lee. Great venue!

Saturday 19 August: art day. Started at the Fruitmarket with the subtle work of Marijke van Warmerdam (too subtle for me! but thankfully the film loops were quite short). Then it was over the road to the City Art Centre for two floors of gorgeous Art Nouveau posters and three of Albert Watson's fantastic gigantic photos. Popped over to the Gilded Balloon to check out Ben Rowe's pictures, then to the Spiegeltent for more drinks and celeb spotting (eg Keith from The Office!). In the evening we made the traditional pilgrimage to Peter Buckley Hill's Free Fringe gig at the Canon's Gate. When in doubt, this is the one to make for - four perfectly acceptable comedians and it's totally free! Top of the bill was Robin Ince and on the strength of his performance we decided to see The Book Club the very next day.

Sunday 20 August: The Book Club at the Underbelly, with Robin Ince and others (including the batty Josie Long). We'd been thinking of seeing some dance, and this gig fulfilled the ambition, with dance (and free-form accordian) to Danielle Steel's poems. There was also a great Gnarls Barkley running gag (literally) and Dr Who trivia. Top night (afternoon) out.

Monday 21 August: day off, knackered and all cultured out.

Tuesday 22 August: day trip to Glasgow to visit GoMa, Rogano, the wonderfully refurbished Kelvingrove, full of gems, and the Museum of Transport. Dumplings at Chop Chop back in Ed.

Wednesday 23 August: more art with David Shrigley's prints (his activities sheet for kids was hilarious), some obscure paintings at DoggerFisher (what do you expect!), then Ron Mueck at the RSA - amazing! and very creepy seeing those giant and wee hairy people almost breathing! We'd already done the galleries on Fopp Street (Cockburn Street) - one on rave culture and another with not very interesting cartoony paintings - and had decided to give Adam Elsheimer, Mapplethorpe, Van Gogh and the sexual politics thing at the Talbot Rice a miss. Popped along to the Book Festival to celeb spot, then to Roti for a sublime slice of red snapper, and to The Canny Man's in Morningside for a wee bevvy, before Daniel Kitson's C-90 at the Traverse. Unfortunately as we were going in, the usherette spotted our tickets were for the Tuesday! I got a refund!

Thursday 24 August: trip to Leith to see Sam's mother and an exhibition in the Corn Exchange that was literally a load of cobblers, err cobbles. Why? There were also brass rubbings of manhole covers too and a nice wee goody bag with free magnifying glass (Lauren Kirkman). Also caught an exhibition of erotic B&W photos by Michael Wildman at the A1 Gallery. He was there and gave us a guided tour. Wee couple of drams at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and then back to Auld Reekie for Andrew Maxwell at the Pleasance Cabaret bar. A great finale to a great week.

Friday 25 August: more long chaotic queues at Edinbugh airport and home on G-EZID.

Luke Haines

Luke Haines, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Just back from just over a week in Edinburgh, for the festival. One of the highlights was seeing Luke Haines at the Underbelly (with a Q&A session thrown in). Saw lots of great comedy and art - a list will follow - and not a dud amongst them!

50 over 50

Finally got to see the 50 over 50 exhibition at the University of Brighton Gallery, Grand Parade, part of the Celebrating Age Festival. I was very impressed by the standard (why am I surprised?) and enjoyed almost all of the exhibits. Chris Stevens' oil 'Versace', depicting a young black man against a wall decorated by NF grafitti, is a worthy winner of the 5 grand prize and I loved another big canvas 'Turkish market' by Judith Jarvis. Most of all I was drawn to the pencil works: David Crew's 'Hidden Past' of a graveyard (worryingly, quite a few of the exhibits studied illness and death!) and the thin reversed out abstract lines by Geoff Catlow, who must get himself a life! Liz Skulkina's graphite-like prints on draughtsman's paper are wonderfully subtle, but two layers would have sufficed. There are also a few pieces of sculpture: notably Michael Allen's giant fabric flea, and Joan Ainley's multiple of a camouflaged poppy 'Search: recall reflect remember' stood out. The only local I recognised was Roger Bamber, and there was quite a lot of outstanding photography besides his. So why wasn't judge Cyril Mount represented? And why only 50? Maybe next year it'll be 60 over 60! The exhibition continues until the end of August. Don't miss it!

Fort Rox

Fort Rox, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

I'm not one for festivals - I like my home comforts too much - but Newhaven Fort was an inspired location for the first Fort Rox, curated by British Sea Power. The prospect of seven bands for 10 quid, from noon to 6pm on a Saturday afternoon was very appealing - the only downer was that rain had been forecast for the south east! I arrived as Jacob's Stories were half way through their set: a beardy bloke on guitar and a lady cellist Abi Fry (who joined BSP later). I liked what I heard very much, and later bought the CD from the merchanise arch (the only CD for sale!). The shop also sold BSP badges and wonderful silk-screened posters by BRAG (British Rock Artists Group), a collective inspired by the gig posters exhibition in the Festival. Next up were local band Charlottefield, who made a bit of a racket, then The Research, a tuneful low-fi threesome (two girls and a boy) from Wakefield, who I absolutely loved. Nick arrived at this point, an hour late. I'd already been disappointed by my visit to the bar - the only beer on offer was pissy Carlsberg in a plastic bottle for £3.50. Also spotted Erica and Melita who were on their way to the VIP area (where beer was also £3.50 a bottle) and Nick's ATP friends Georgina and Michelle who were on the same train as me but I didn't properly recognise.

We then decided to take advantage of a one-quid tour of the ramparts, which was far more extensive than I'd imagined. We went right up to windy precipitous heights above the cliffs overlooking the Channel with fine views of Seaford Head to inspect the gun emplacements, under the expert guidance of a French lady called Francoise. From the hills above the fort, we heard the wonderful Scottish songs of My Latest Novel, which came as an unexpected pleasure. Back on terra firma, it still hadn't rained and in fact was sunny off and on (and I hadn't packed a sun hat!). But during The Duke Spirit, a kind of 70s-feel band with a blonde lady harmonica player, a fine drizzle started to descend. Excitement was mounting for the headliners, with women in 1940s outfits distributing home-made fabric flags and twigs to the awaiting hoards, including the Mayor (favourite band Staus Quo) and Mayoress of Newhaven. BSP didn't disappoint, even with the absense of Eamon, gone to The Brakes full time. No twigs or birds on the dark stage, but they were joined towards the end of the hour-long set by a Great Bear. Things started to get a bit out of hand and Who-like at the end, resulting in Noble breaking his guitar! A great day out, polished off by a welcome couple of pints of Harvey's in the garden of a public house by the docks called The Ark. Next year Lout Promotions, please install comfy chairs for the oldies, and a barrel of Harvey's in the bar and it'll be perfect!

The band I missed was The Honeycuts from nearby Lewes. They are all on MySpace, so make up your own mind!

Spooky

Devant fan Mr Peekaboo mentioned over coffee today that he'd always thought I'd taken my name from the BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch, which starred a Mr Pipes, so called because he made noises in the plumbing. The spooky thing is that when I tried to 'blog this' from my browser, it failed, twice!

Mr Solo

Mr Solo, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Mere worthless words cannot describe how marvellous it was to see Mr Solo at The Engine Room, Brighton last night. It was a packed bill, starting with Foz? accompanying various strange people from the Las Vegas Mermaids in something involving balloons, teddy bears and popcorn (I love yummy things?). More balloon action from balloon man Ryan Parker, doing a doggie workshop, then it was The Utopians, starring our promoter for the evening Heidi Heelz. Another interlude of balloon nonsense, then a caped Mr Solo took the stage for an hour-long set comprising almost everything off his album (on sale in the corner) 'All will be revealed', including two goes at his single 'Number One' aka 'Home sick home'. For 'Distant stars' he was joined by two angelic ladies called Sparkle Motion. Foz? was guitaring in the dark throughout, but took to the stage for the encore, during which unfortunately I had to change video tape! A tremendous night out, and all for three English pounds. Many thanks Heidi.

High Society

One of the perks of getting old (no - I don't have my bus pass yet!) is getting into things free! I thought it might rain yesterday, so popped into the Duke of York's cinema for a free-to-oldies showing of High High, High Sauce Eye, High Soss Eye Ah Tea, part of the Celebrating Age festival. What a toe-tappingly spendid film, and Grace Kelly has to be the most gorgeous actress who ever lived. She was sensational. Well, Did You Evah? And that's jazz! We were also treated to a 1950s travelogue on Brighton which caused much mirth by the contemporary usage of the word 'gay', eg 'The Palace Pier has to be the gayest pier in Britain' etc, and much overt sexism in the commentary. Plus there was a Pathe news item on The Promettes, trainee models dressed as air hostesses working out of a caravan and giving helpful advice to tourists (but not single men!). We got a scratchy animation from the National Film Board of Canada called Blinkity Blank (1955). And in the intermission three ice-cream girls, dressed in period costume, appeared - but unfortunately they didn't venture up to the balcony where I was sitting with my wobbly glass of Budvar so I couldn't tell if choc-ices were on offer. Come to think of it, they didn't have bars in cinemas back then, so I got the best of both worlds! No 'Buttons' to throw out unruly customers. No B-film, but I'm not greedy! Many thanks to the DoY for that lovely gift, and I'll be along to see Cars, presently.

Critical Mass cuts crime

Critical Mass cuts crime, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Have you ever wondered where the coppers are when you need one? One concerned citizen couldn't believe his luck when he spotted this month's critical mass accompanied by its usual huge number of cycle bobbies and their van. He'd just witnessed a couple of dodgy looking geezers half-inch a bag from a marquee in Brunswick Square. Immediately six of our cycle bobbies sped off on their Smith and Wesson police bikes in pursuit. As we looped back onto the seafront we saw the alleged thieves helping the police with their enquiries. Tip to would be criminals – avoid Brighton seafront on the last Friday of each month between 6.30pm and 8pm.

Watts Gallery

When I lived in Guildford it was always a treat to visit the nearby village of Compton. It was great for jumble sales, antique shops and homely tea rooms – and The Watts Gallery. Watching the Restoration Village TV programme on BBC2, I was surprised to see The Watts Gallery listed as one of the buildings under threat. It always was a bit run down, a secret place you could take people and watch their eyes light up as we ventured inside. The curator at the time was Wilfred Blunt, brother of the famous spy Anthony Blunt, later replaced by Richard Jeffries. It was built in 1903-4 by George Frederic Watts and his second wife Mary in the Arts and Crafts style. His short-lived first marriage was to the 16-year old actress Ellen Terry – his famous portrait of her shows her smelling camelias, a flower with no scent. Victorian symbolist and allegorical painting may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this gallery, purpose built by 'England's Michaelangelo' is a gem and my kind of museum, with its mixture of important pictures (as well as the Watts, some lovely ones by Albert Moore and Edward Burne-Jones, I seem to remember) and domestic items - plus fabulous back studio rooms containing many maquettes and two full-size plaster sculptures: Physical Energy (in Kensington Gardens, London and Cape Town) and Tennyson (outside Lincoln Cathedral), which we were sometimes allowed to peep into. I visited the Gustave Moreau museum in Paris recently and in my opinion, Watts gallery is the more important. Mary, as well as repainting some of Watts' pictures after he died, to cheer them up, started a pottery to help the local unemployed and the more talented of them helped her to build the marvellous Art Nouveau memorial chapel in the nearby graveyard, where GF is buried – it was a favourite subject of mine to draw and paint. The outside of this remarkable red building is covered in intricate Celtic designs in terra cotta; inside it is decorated in sumptuous blue, red and gold gesso with pictures of angels, and an alterpiece by GF. Well worth a day out in Surrey. So vote now and save the Gallery!