Mid winter, but at least the days are starting to get longer again. Just six months to go before those glorious light nights of summer when the sky glows with colour at midnight. The simmer dim. 

Between now and then, several things to look forward to. There is to be a solar eclipse on March 20^th. On Unst it should be 98%, which, weather permitting will be spectacular. To see the full 100% one would need to be out at see somewhere between Muckle Fugga and the Faroe Islands. It will be the last solar eclipse visible from Europe until 2026, so I read.

I also have an exhibition to set up at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff. It will consist of the two works '12 Apostles-Face of Christ' and the 'Stations of the Cross-Forces of Creation' previously shown at St David’s. The exhibition will be there for the whole of Lent. Dean Gerwyn and I have discussed several ways the works can be used within the liturgy of Lent and the life of the cathedral.

Easter will see the unveiling of my work at Guy’s Hospital. I am marking the 25^th anniversary of my kidney transplant at the hospital with a wall installation to honour all organ donors on behalf of all grateful transplant recipients. The design is complete and is based around a spring flowering cherry tree. In the new year it will be cut out of stainless steel and then I will need to spend time painting some of it and joining other parts together to have all the pieces ready to be put up in the hospital atrium 2 in early April.

In addition I am also putting my mind to designing an artwork for St Andrew’s minster church in Plymouth. Several artists are competing for the commission and the first submissions need to be ready within a few weeks. 

An interesting experience! 

I am south at the moment in Kent and took a walk through a housing estate to the local Lidl carrying a plastic bag for the shopping.

On my way I noticed a police car driving slowly by.

After shopping I noticed the police car driving past again. It stopped and one of the officers got out. A moment later I heard ‘excuse me sir.’

I turned and the officer was addressing me. ‘Nothing to worry about,’ he said and walked towards me.

 ‘Are you alright?’ he enquired

‘Yes, I’m fine.’

‘Can you tell me where you’ve been?’

‘Yes, to Lidl and the pharmacy,’ I replied.

‘Sorry to have bothered you, but we’ve had a report of a confused gentleman wandering around in the middle of the road. He was white haired and we thought you matched the description.’

The officer politely bid me farewell and returned to his patrol car.

Five minutes later, the same police car stopped near me again. This time the other officer spoke. ‘Can you tell me what we stopped you about a few minutes ago?’ he asked.

‘Your colleague told me they had had a report of a confused white haired gentleman wandering in the street.’

“Just wanted to be sure,’ he said and they drove off.

Much amused by being mistaken for a confused old gent I told Helen. Her response was not one of amusement. ‘I’m always telling you not to go out looking like that. No wonder they thought you were a confused old man. Look at that awful coat. You’re not wearing that again south. It was a good job you shaved this morning or they would have put you in the car and taken you to a care home!’

It was a good job, I thought, that I still have a few marbles and sound middle-class.

I cannot fault the officers who were considerate and polite, but it made me reflect on how some people are frequently stopped by the police because of how they look, and their experiences of the police are nothing like as benign as mine.