Second Half of Ben's Holiday

So this is about the second half of last week, a post I started on Monday.

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Thursday was a slow day; Friday was life/figure drawing, a whole bunch of errands, and I got my hearing checked again. No changes there, not deteriorating, but I am far more bothered by peripheral noise when I go to lectures, etc; it's yet another thing I have to learn to live with.

Saturday we went to a public forum on sculpture and public art. Two sculptors, Andrew Drummond and Phil Price, one Nelson City councilor and a strong proponent of the arts, Ali Boswijk, and a marketing man, (Brian Richards ??) was mediated by a comedian but an extraordinary mediator Te Radar. Overall I think it was an interesting forum, but I couldn't help thinking of two things: 1) in the end it falls, in this day and age, to how we want to brand Nelson, and 2) people who have the money and/or influence are not often seen there, but art lovers and artists (and we know how much money they have) are the ones who are interested in the subject. I enjoyed listening to the four members on the stage, and Te Radar, but I felt so helpless. Artists getting together have so little power/influence in this bottom-line-focused world. And for once, I came home feeling defeated, not elated.

Sunday I cleaned the house, Ben cooked, and friends Tim Wraight and Claudia Lacher came for dinner. They are such amazing people sometimes, (well, practically every time I see them,) I'm amazed they are my friends. We talked about Tim's presentation on Wednesday, about the concept of artifacts, the forum Saturday, the sculpture talk Tim gave earlier in the day, Claudia's knowledge of font design, her old flat somewhere in Europe housing a font designer, an architect, a graphic artist and a pattern maker and all the discussions that went on there, Swiss wood carving tradition, Swiss motifs, schnapps, bamboo fiber vs cotton and their environmental impact, etc., etc., etc. And how most, even the Big Name, artists in New Zealand are blessed if they break even financially.

And when they left, Tim whispered to me, once again, "I carve cake; I don't carve bread and butter. Weave cake!"

Once again, I'm stunned these stunning, amazing, beautiful, generous people are our friends.

PS: Ben's Boss's boss, unbeknownst to both/either/neither Ben and the Boss, not only paid Ben overtime for the holiday Monday he went into work, but gave him back the one holiday day. Ben only discovered this because the latest pay slip was "inaccurate". I'm glad good things happen to good people; and that would be Ben, not his moaning, complaining wife.

PPS: NO gardening done. However, he works thee weeks and then gets two weeks plus off again. Then he works three weeks, and then it's Christmas break. So there is hopes for Tahunanui Nature Reserve.