Afternoon in Guildford

A strange day. Late morning cool and autumnal. An hour or so later, very warm and humid.

A Craft Fair all week in Guildford High Street (ends Saturday). Part of the Guildford Festival, which started last weekend with Mass in Blue in Guildford Cathedral.

The bullet has finally been bitten. Instead of patchwork quilt repairs of the cobbled High Street, it is to be dug up and the entire street repaired. Cost £1 million.

Looked in Holy Trinity, which was open. It was laid out for a Leaving Ceremony for Guildford Grammar School, a boys school which now admits girls. I assumed this was some ancient tradition for an ancient school. Maybe it is, but now apparently it is something every does.

But as a result of the Leaving Ceremony, no candles. I spoke to one of the ladies guarding the church. She apologies and said, you can light one of the big candles on the altar, which I thought was very kind of her. She went off to get matches, then went off again and came back with a couple of prayer cards.

Lunch at Guildford Institute. Only myself an elderly couple I know.

Pastel water colours on the wall. They were quite interesting, but once again, glass in front. When are artists going to learn, it is impossible to see your work when you put glass in front?

In one of the art galleries top of the High Street, they have a Ronnie Wood painting of the Stones filling the window. Saturday night The Stones are playing Glastonbury. After much hassle, Mick Jagger is going to let the BBC broadcast one hour live, ie not the entire set. [BBC Two live Glastonbury feed]

The Star Inn, bottom of the High Street in Quarry Street, are this year running the Guildford Fringe, which is quite an ambitious undertaking. Tickets and programme from the Tourist Information, Guildford House, halfway up the High Street on the left (opposite Sainsbury’s).

Walking back down the High Street, I had a chat with a Chinese artist who was exhibiting his work. I suggested to him the Guildford Institute in North Street and The Barn in Farnham may be good places to exhibit his works. He could not understand the mentality of No Photography, as he said it is good publicity. Exactly!

I do not know what has happened to Milk & Honey. They were closed for two weeks for refurbishment. That was four weeks ago, they are still closed.

I sat in the Castle Grounds for a while, but it started to get cool.

Catching the train to Aldershot, the stench from the toilets was very unpleasant. What is it with train companies, is it too much to ask that they keep their toilets clean?

A strange day, it started cool and autumnal, lunchtime and during the afternoon, very warm and humid, by early evening, cool and autumnal.