Ballads, Stories, Legends & Songs

Ballads, Stories, Legends & Songs – Lawrence Heath

Ballads, Stories, Legends & Songs is an exhibition of illustrations by Lawrence Heath at the Guildford Institute in Guildford.

Many are illustrations for a forthcoming book on Surrey Folk Tales (The History Press: April 2013) by Janet Dowling. Some were album covers.

Most were what I could only describe as amazing woodcuts, or at least they were in the tradition of woodcuts.

For a few, he described what the illustrations were, but for the vast majority, it was describe the legend.

I only got a handful, and even then I do not know if I was correct. One appeared to be King Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone (I actually know King Arthur but not seen him lately). Another possibly George slaying the dragon. For the vast majority, I had not a clue what they were.

Printed sheets were available, on which you could have a guess, then pop it in a box. Whether this was just for fun or maybe win one of his illustrations, I am not sure.

Also available were printed postcards, very well produced, but somewhat bizarrely printed on both sides. Here he has lost a trick, print on one side and sell as postcards.

He also had postcards (again printed on both sides) for the exhibition, but sadly did not say what the illustrations were. The website printed on these cards an invalid website.

This is the most professional exhibition I have so far seen at the Guildford Institute. I hope he will exhibit again at Guildford House.

Ballads, Stories, Legends & Songs, Guildford Institute, 29 October to 16 November 2012.

Synchronicity: I was quite surprised to find Lawrence Heath was someone I was at university with, although I have no memory of him. Last week at the Guildford Book Festival, one of the authors I was also at university with (and was in my college), and as write presenting Newsnight (on which two people I know).

Cold afternoon in Guildford

It was a cold afternoon in Guildford, strong cold wind dropped the temperature even further.

Crass stupidity of Superdrug. On the pavement outside their store, a flag or pennant that was lashing people in the face as they walked past.

Amnesty International had a stall in the High Street. I learnt later they collected one signature for one petition and eight for another and raised £251 rattling tins.

I got to Guildford Institute later than I wished as delayed by popping in two churches on the way.

A candle lit for my friend Zoe who is going through a very bad patch.

For lunch at the Guildford Institute, I had some sort of carrot bake. I did not think I would like it but it was very good. Plus salad.

Followed by rhubarb crumble or maybe it was rhubarb and apple. I am not sure as the lady said there was not much left, and gave me a helping of an apple dessert, How I managed to eat it all as there was a lot in my bowl, but with lashings of cream and a pot of tea I somehow managed.

I looked in the bank, my only reason for being out, but the person I wished to see was not there and the person I asked had no idea when she would be in.

I decided it was time to go home, as all afternoon it had been getting colder.

I popped in Guildford House. I complimented the tourist information on being shortlisted for some award. It would be well deserved as they are always very helpful and go out of their way to be helpful.

Excellent art exhibition in Guildford House, well worth a visit.

Then it was home via Aldershot.

Walking though the underpass at Aldershot Station, I noticed there was still blood on the ground where on Tuesday a man fell down the stairs and smashed his head.

Lunch at the Guildford Institute

mushroom ragu with salad

Eton mess

What used to be one of the best kept secrets in Guildford, Friday lunch at the Guildford Institute, the secret is out. It is now one of the most popular places to eat in Guildford.

No matter how early I get there, and I am getting there earlier and earlier, and no, I do not wish to be there for breakfast, there is little left.

Today it was packed. I think if any other restaurant had half this clientèle they would be happy. Net result was nothing left. Well not quite true, it was a choice of mushroom ragu or mushroom ragu, that was it, there was nothing else left. I had my eye on chestnut and lentil bake. Now if only I had been there a few minutes earlier, as it was I did not dare dally on my way, but no, it was snaffled before my very eyes. Any later and the mushroom ragu would have gone too.

I have to admit, the mushroom ragu was not really to my liking. Mushroom and rice with a creamy sauce. Apart from a creamy taste, I found it rather bland a tasteless.

The meal deal is is main course with salad, free fruit juice, plus a sweet (tea and coffee is extra).

For sweet I had Eton mess and it was delicious.

From now until the middle of September it will be The Keystone (bottom of the High Street, across the bridge and behind the church) or the Thai restaurant in Jeffries passage (beside the Library, connects North Street with the High Street) as the lady who prepares and serves the delicious food takes her summer break.

The back courtyard at The Keystone is lovely on a pleasant sunny day. The downside is the smokers (I wish they would make it non smoking and restrict smokers to the front where they can breath in the traffic fumes) and on a Friday there is often drunk, obnoxious office workers slagging off absent colleagues (and no doubt they go off home saying what a hard day they have had at the office).

• Guildford Institute – tripadvisor

Lunch at Guildford Institute

carrot and leak bake with salad

scrumptious desert

It was one of those days, cool, rain, with the threat of a tropical downpour later. In the north of England more than a month’s rain expected within 24 hours, added to the wettest June on record, and similar to hit the south later in the afternoon or early evening.

Nevertheless, I decided I would go to Guildford for excellent lunch at the Guildford Institute.

On my journey there I met a couple of Russians on their way to London. They agreed to take a birthday present for me to a friend in Moscow which made me very happy.

Lunch at the Guildford Institute was excellent. There was little choice and that is one of the problems with its growing popularity, what was once Guildford’s best kept secret of the place to eat, word has got out.

• Guildford Institute – tripadvisor

There is always a meal deal, buy a main course and a desert, plus a free glass of fruit juice, tea or coffee is extra.

I chose carrot and leak bake with salad. It was excellent. As was my desert which I think is called lime crunch.

I popped down into the library and was shown a book they had been donated on stained glass. To my surprise I found a glass pictured that I had picked up in Finland.

I had hoped to find a copy of Aleph. No luck, but I did manage to pick up a copy of The Alchemist.

I would have liked to have gone to salsa that evening at Bar des Arts, but I feared the rain and it was Friday, and Friday night on the streets of Guildford with drunken scum is not a pleasant experience, and so I decided not.

Top Story in The Digital Mission Daily (Saturday 7 July 2012).

Top Story in The Digital Mission Daily (Wednesday 11 July 2012).

Diversity in watercolour

Under the Clock, Guildford High Street

Peaceful Venice

An exhibition of watercolours by David Harmer at the Guildford Institute in Guildford.

Lack of presentational skills!

Framed paintings covered in glass, unable to see clearly due to reflections.

Unframed paintings even worse, covered in crumpled up plastic.

No information on artist, no contact details.

Only one copy of a sheet of paper giving minimal information on the paintings, nothing on the artist. I had to ask the Guildford Institute to run me off a copy, which they kindly did.

I was baffled why by each group of watercolours was a notice telling me these were original watercolours.

The bandcamp model: Guildford Institute provides free exhibition space. The artists pay commission for use of the space on the work they sell.

Synchronicity: My eye was caught by a painting of Venice, where I had recently been, a Swedish friend (who used to live just outside Guildford) more recently. Venice features in The Fire, the sequel to The Eight, which I am currently reading.

Synchronicity: A lady was sat beneath one of the paintings of Venice discussing the positional notation of numbers. This was introduced into Baghdad from India. It is discussed in The Fire, the sequel to The Eight, which I am currently reading.

Lunch at the Guildford Institute

delicious chickpea bake and salad

scrumptious desert

For the first Friday in about a month, it was not cold and raining.

I decided therefore to visit Guildford for lunch at the Guildford Institute.

The day started off quite cool, and I thought it was probably going to be yet another cold, wet day, but it turned out quite warm, pleasant and sunny.

The High Street lined with stalls. A Craft Fair, part of the Guildford Summer Festival. Most of the stalls overpriced tat, but one or too worth looking at. The Project Peru stall had quite colourful wares. A nearby stall interesting stuff carved from wood, but my favourite a basket of carved wooden ducks.

I picked up a programme for the summer festival from the Tourist Information Office at Guildford House. I flipped through it after lunch. Very depressing, not a single thing worth going to, but at least to their credit they do run a summer festival.

Friday lunch at the Guildford Instute is always worth looking forward to. The last few times I have found the food has either run out or almost with little choice left. This time not too bad a choice. Often hard to decide.

I had chickpea bake plus salad. It was delicious.

For desert some type of lemon pie. Not sure what it was called, but it too was delicious. I added cream.

I had a meal deal, main course and desert which comes with a complimentary glass of fruit juice.

If you want tea or coffee it is extra.

In addition to excellent food being served, also a free exhibition space for local artists. Currently Diversity in Watercolour, though very badly presented with glass and plastic sheeting hiding the watercolours.

Wandering down the High Street after lunch I came across two young musicians, one on acoustic guitar and the other on saxophone playing in the street. I signed them to Any And All Records, the world’s fastest growing record label.

For Friday lunch, the Guildford Institute is one of the best places to eat in Guildford. For vegetarians, the only place to eat in Guildford.

Top Story in The Digital Mission Daily (Sunday 1 July 2012).

Top Story in The Digital Mission Daily (Monday 1 July 2012).

• Guildford Institute – TripAdvisor

In the Frame

In the Frame an exhibition of paintings by Maureen Hellyer

In the Frame an exhibition of paintings by Maureen Hellyer

In the Frame, a recent art exhibition by Maureen Hellyer at the Guildford Institute in Guildford.

Oil paintings of scenes in France, Italy, Spain and in and around Guildford.

The style is very much that of the French Impressionists.

Spiral

Spiral - James Jenkins

Spiral reminded me of a spiral galaxy, though would much prefer images from the Hubble Telescope of a spiral galaxy.

One of a series of paintings at an exhibition entitled The Colour of Abstraction at the Guildford Institute.

With the exception of Spiral, meaningless abstract daubs.

I upskittled blackberry juice, someone before me brown sugar. I offered as an exhibit, but was not taken up on the offer. I thought my efforts superior to the daubs on the wall.

The theme was the works were meant to be peaceful. Gaudy irritation would have been a more apt description.

- Frankenstein’s Moon

A picture at an exhibition

Rosemary for Remembrance - Ann Sinclair

artists on closing day of U3A art exhibition at Guildford Institute

With apologies to Mussorgsky.

Sometimes a particular picture catches our eye, and so it was for me, one picture out of maybe a hundred caught my eye. It was a strange picture. It clearly had an Alice theme, but with dark Gothic overtones, hints of Edgar Allan Poe. I was intrigued and baffled. Why the cross and open grave as the centre piece of the picture? It was unfortunate the artist had decide to put glass over her painting as the refections made it nigh impossible to see the work. The title of the work, Rosemary for Remembrance, gave not a hint, far from it, as it seemed in no way connected to the painting.

I was in Guildford for the day, or at least lunch and the rest of the day. It was whilst having lunch at the Guildford Institute surrounded by paintings that I spotted this strange painting. It was part of an exhibition by Guildford U3A.

It was an altogether strange Alice cum art cum Paulo Coelho cum Orhan Pamuk day out.

My day started seeing an American lady looking rather lost outside St Mary’s. I stated the obvious that it was locked, and added that sadly it was rarely open. For her it was a pity as she was in Guildford for the day for its Lewis Carroll connections. There must be many disappointed visitors like her. More must be done to keep St Mary’s open. I like to sit in St Mary’s in quiet reflection, when I find it open that is.

I explained a little of the history of St Mary’s, told her Lewis Carroll had a house nearby and gave the occasional sermon in St Mary’s. And I gave her a couple of websites where more information could be found on Lewis Carroll and Guildford.

keithpp.wordpress.com/ —> Lewis Carroll
www.heureka.clara.net/art/ —> Lewis Carroll
www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/ —> Guildford

I then had lunch at the Guildford Institute where I spotted the strange painting. It was part of an exhibition by Guildford U3A.

I always pop into the library, a lovely little private library. Chatting to a lady I suggested she read Paulo Coelho. I pulled off the shelves one of his books and gave her websites where she could find more information on the author.

keithpp.wordpress.com/ —> Paulo Coelho
www.heureka.clara.net/art/ —> Paulo Coelho

Leaving the Guildford Institute I chatted with a lovely young Spanish woman who was a keen fan of Paulo Coelho. I gave her websites where she could find more information.

keithpp.wordpress.com/ —> Paulo Coelho
www.heureka.clara.net/art/ —> Paulo Coelho

I was then in a bank, more Paulo Coelho fans.

Then a secondhand bookshop where I met a charming Indian who I had never seen before. Any books by Paulo Coelho? Yes. Please show me I said, knowing there were none. Oh, she said, there are none. I then explained I had bought all eight the previous Friday! It turned out she too was a Paulo Coelho fan and she told me that he was a very popular writer in India. She also liked Orhan Pamuk. I was impressed! I gave her websites for more information.

keithpp.wordpress.com/ —> Paulo Coelho
www.heureka.clara.net/art/ —> Paulo Coelho
www.heureka.clara.net/art/ —> Orhan Pamuk

Fancying a cup of tea I thought I would pop in the little tea shop in Guildford House. It has been closed for weeks if not months. Apart from the Tourist Information that has now relocated to Guildford House it all looked closed, so I inquired, to be told, yes it was open. The tea shop was devoid of customers. Apparently few people had bothered to do as I had and inquired, they had walked past assuming it was closed. I asked had they been compensated for the loss of trade whilst Guildford House was closed. No, was the response, and they had still been charged rent!

Walking down the High Street I chatted with a lady who was just finishing a drawing of the Old Town Hall. She said she would be turning it into a water colour. She had come all the way down from Malvern for the day for this one painting. She showed me a photo of a painting she had done in Oxford the previous day. As she had lost her train times, I gave her my timetable, which I said would give her the times of trains from Guildford to Reading. I gave her a website for information on Guildford.

www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/ —> Guildford

All in all, a very interesting day.

A private library

Guildford Institute Library

A history of the Guildford Institute

One of the best kept secrets in Guildford is a private library, part of the Guildford Institute.

I happened to be passing by, saw the door was open, and walked in. I was welcomed with open arms. It was an open day for members and no one had turned up. A couple of members did then drop by to return books, pleased to find it was open. Then one member actually turned up for the open day.

Remember those old secondhand bookshops where no ever bought any books (probably why they no longer exist), but you could spend hours engaged in interesting conversations? If yes, then you have a pretty good idea of this little private library.

I happened to be in Guildford for an event that evening, part of the Guildford Book Festival. Open day in the private library could therefore be seen as a non-festival book event. I suggested that next year they become part of the official book festival, hold an open day for the public. You never know, they may even recruit a few new members.

http://keithpp.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/eyewitness-account-of-tiananmen-square/

The library holds an important collection of Victorian books. This also includes Victorian periodicals including Punch, The Illustrated London News, The Graphic, The Engineer and The Studio. The library also houses an important local history collection. The library is not though stuck in the past. Each month it adds the best in contemporary fiction, plus non-fiction and biographies.

The library is open to non-members, but only members may borrow its books.

Not content with one of the best keep secrets in Guildford, the Guildford Institute has two of the best keep secrets. The other is the excellent lunches served during term time.

Established in 1843, the Guildford Institute is now run by volunteers. Its library dates back to the 19th century. What was the original library, and now used for talks and lunches, often hosts exhibitions.