A late spring on Plot 202

Many other plot-holders and vegetable growers have like me been finding the seasons not behaving as normal this year.

A courgette 

Conditions are very dry and the cold weather earlier in the month has delayed planting out - today though was warmer and as well as potatoes, peas and onions I now have courgettes along with (baby) Sweetcorn planted out.

Sweetcorn in grid formation

A few odd spuds

I have other vegetables in seed trays beginning to shoot in trays and some Tomato seedlings are being hardened up.

Another milestone

Hitting the £200

Not that Andy Murray

Conservatives see May as a an asset 

I've been on and used Twitter pretty regularly for the last 3 years or so - mainly as a habit to 'tweet' a picture each day.


The 'madness' of following lots of people is something I've dodged to date but I do look at what's 'trending' to see the latest  stories that are generating interest - puzzled today to see Andrew Murray being associated with Labour - what was the hard hitting Tennis player from Scotland up to?


Well it's another Andrew Murray and one far less likely to generate positivism in the Daily Mail - this one was an avowed Communist until late last year but now is (supposedly) working to get Jeremy Corbyn into No.10.

Is this a  message for the leadership?

Locally leaflet from our Labour candidate considers Amanda Redman (Actress) and Sadiq Khan (London Mayor)worthy of mention but not the Labour Leader - Tories are noticeably trumpeting their own leader.



 It sometimes feels as though there's a degree of deliberate contrariness being displayed by the present variety of Labour party -any opportunity to appear moderate seems to be rejected - still all will be decided in a few weeks time..

Struggling on

£195 now -When will we say £200?

Hopper analysis at CityLit

I think many of us find a fascination in the life that is portrayed in many of Edward Hopper's paintings particularly the lonely city-scapes.

 On Saturday I spent most of the day finding out about Hopper, his paintings and what was going on in US painting at the time of his peak activity by courtesy  of Rachel Sanders who lead the class at City Lit.

Loneliness is significant in the city and countryside paintings -many have no people and even those where there are people there are often just a few lonely and disconnected people often uncomfortable couples - the railway and buildings are part of Hopper's vocabulary.

Ahead of the session I did a little research into the work he is famed for and was fascinated to learn of his antagonism to his wife and the nature of his misanthropic behaviour.

Josephine (Hopper's wife) seems to have resented to an extent the degree to which she sacrificed her own career to him and for Edward he appears to have resented that his life mirrored to an extent that of his parents and there unhappiness.

House at Dusk (1939)

Although Josephine was the model for many of the females that Edward depicted an element of an earlier love is part of the 'woman' he features in his works.  


We looked at the artist in the context of what was going in American art around the time of the depression (The Ashcan school was mentioned) -we didn't dwell on the sexual tension shown in many of the pictures or the often used 'lighthouse'- I suppose having visited Freud's London Museum earlier on the week I thought that such parts of his life would be significant.

Room in New York (1932)

Hopper spent a long time making studies for his work sometimes as many as 50 - there is a connection (which seems to work both ways) between the style of Hopper's paintings and ' Film Noir'.


The 'eye' that Hopper uses often has a suggestion of Voyeurism and the women are often exhibiting sexuality frequently behind windows.

Nice Youtubes on Hopper, Nighthawks analysis and an interpretation (from his wife's Diaries) of how Jo might have thought about her married life .

Unlike many artists Hopper once he'd discovered his style seems to hold fast to it - my comment would be that he depicts his life lonely both with and without his wife  he died in 1967 her the next year.

Money - getaway 

The two hundred is within reach

Now am talking about  £192 50p

Posh baguette in Holborn

A building Hopper might like

Today at CityLit finding out more about American artist Edward Hopper and his work (more about that later).

A place of Learning

Lunchtime particularity enjoyable as I find myself  considering the London as a a place where Edward would have found material - also really have a bit of a thing at present for Pret-a-Manger's Posh Cheese and Pickle baguette.

A fast food  chain with values 

Having read an item in the paper about the guy (Julian Metcalf) who really established the business as a more ethical fast food chain who is now focused on Itsu - he really does come across as  having a philosophy for catering that sees the customer at the centre of the enterprise  

Here we go

Now £190