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| Sajid Javid, Minister of Health |
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| Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer |
First, a quiet chuckle of appreciation that Boris and Rishi have belatedly accepted the need to isolate after a meeting with Sajid minutes before he felt groggy and discovered, despite being double-jabbed, he had Coronavirus. Needless to say, the volte face came only after heated and widespread criticism of their intended taking of daily tests, not available to the general public. I do not enjoy the spectacle of the illness of others, merely, in this case, the delicious irony that a day or so before Boris announces the much-vaunted end of all restrictions in The Great Leap To Freedom for everyone, the sheer recklessness of this Governmental decision is demonstrated. As is the irritating over-the-top Boris joy at the finish of medically-approved Covid restrictions far too early in the present Delta variant up-swing in Britain. Also nice to see politicians remembering that, eventually, they will need the votes of the nearly-ignored!
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| Biskajersplein. |
In the
meantime, in beautiful Brugge, the air is so sweet as one wanders
around; I suppose it is the scent of the summer season but it seems
more fragrantly pervasive this year, particularly in the area of the
Biskajersplein under the linden trees. Aromatic and full of promise.
I walked along the Goudenhandrei yesterday to discover that, at last,
Jon Lott’s The Bruges Diptych is finished. The Triennale opened
officially on May 3rd so I suppose July 18th is
only a little late in arriving at completion. I hear that there have
been bureaucratic hold-ups, physical difficulties, neighbourhood
problems of the ‘not in my backyard’ variety, and perhaps some
delays over materials. BUT all is resolved, though I do privately
wonder why on earth the neighbours might complain instead of
welcoming the honour. True, the Diptych is Seriously Large and may
well block light from the
houses behind; true it rather overwhelms
the allotted space but it IS
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| The Bruges Diptych, Goudenhandrei. |
temporary and will disappear soon after October 24th. In the meantime the idea of the architectural diptych containing the new temporary pavilion in one half with the other half filled by the rear of the original waterfront house of Jan van Eyck,[though long-gone but still imagined] is pleasing. In keeping with the theme of the Triennale, we can conjecture the difference, perhaps the space, between what can be seen of the pavilion and the nearby house and what might take place behind the city’s facades. My own totally mundane question is over the COST of materials and labour to produce what is almost a house; an elaborate construction even for the Triennale and almost ready to house a homeless family! But it is beautiful and imposing.
I have seen almost all the Trauma exhibits and keep coming back to my favourites; The Strangler in
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| Part of the Danse Macabre in Sint Maartensplein. |
In the meantime, gradually I have resumed coffee with the girls on Wednesday morning; Mah Jong with eight players; the get-together at the Oud Huis Amsterdam on Thursday evenings; occasional, weather permitting, Petanque at Minnewater. Plus the occasional walk with a friend for coffee. Etc. Normality is creeping back though the older citizens like me intend it to be a slow return to what used to be. Double-jabbed I may be, but caution reigns!
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| The Strangler |
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| In the meantime, my terrace blooms on in profusion! |
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| Entire Danse Macabre. |
