Rained off

Well, we wanted rain and we got it. It rained heavily in Wakefield today and our plans had not taken this possibility into account, so we did the one thing that I wanted to do and then we set off for home. We don't mind, we needed the rain and it is nice to be cooler. But I do feel sorry for all the events and activities that have been affected by the weather . . . including a Cycle Event.

Not the Cycle event with one well-known person currently gaining huge accolades and quite rightly apparently. No, this is an event called Ride London in which hundreds of people cycle 100 miles around London and Surrey. It happened today and our daughter and son-in-law took part. They have been training for along while and were determined to finish it. And finish it they did, despite the wind and rain that dogged them all the way round. Well done to them and all the other people taking part - a huge achievement. 

The Hepworth
I have wanted to go to this place for a long while and I got there today. The Hepworth is in the centre of Wakefield, overlooking the River Calder. It was opened in 2011 to house Wakefield's art collection and to provide a legacy for Barbara Hepworth in the town in which she was born. Winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2017, it is a remarkable building - lots of space and light. I felt this picture gives an idea of how light and space have been used, as well as showing how it is part of Wakefield itself. It also shows the weather!!

These pieces are actually part of a collection of working models that Barbara Hepworth made before casting her bronze sculptures. It was fascinating finding out about her working methods from these models. 

There is currently a very interesting photography exhibition - Modern Nature. "This new exhibition of photographs by leading British photographers, including Shirley Baker, Bill Brandt, Colin Jones and Martin Parr, examines our evolving relationship with the natural world and how it shapes us as individuals and communities." Some quite arresting photographs to make you think - how nature infiltrates the city, how we leave evidence of our activities in the natural world. Well worth seeing.