Thanks Nick and (11)

A good read - completed

It's good to report positive things and having completed reading Marina's memoirs (a powerful and painfully honest account but with a central message that was not quite revelatory) I've now got another Great Christmas present to devour, this one from my brother and having the possibility of reading and consulting ahead of visits to London's National Gallery.

The book, features some work I've looked at (Like Van Eyck's The Arnolfini) as well as work I don't know (the rule they've imposed on themselves is only one painting by each artist)  has a nice preface by Tim Marlow.

And they are great 

A painting favoured by Russian visitors 

Now at  a record breaking £17.94

Religion and Faith

As I take more and more of an interest in faith I realise that a single faith alone has more than enough to intrigue me.

On the radio this week the BBC is running as its book of the week  The Reformation - even reading the title is an education to me, the split between the Catholic Church and the Protestant (around 500 years ago) it seems stems from first; the nature of Indulgences and then and also; from the 'worship' of Mother Mary.

My understanding is that 'Indulgences' were seen as a way of mitigating sins and shortening ones time in Purgatory (more on that later)  but there was perhaps some clouding around how they could be paid off and some whiff of corruption may have got in there.

Problems around the worship of Mary (Jesus's Mother) also surfaced in the Protestant Reformation  -- (and it's still, it seems a pretty hot issue) - the area of controversy is that some may pray to Mary as the Mother of God to intercede - I as a largely  ignorant person in terms of faith (and much else) can see how this could become disputed but the apparent venom that still persists does seem worrying.

The Doors

With its number 11 this is another close door this time in Longfield Road - I like it because it's marked bot in words (ELEVEN) and number.

I guess the meaning/derivation of Longfield is pretty much as it sounds, there's a village in Kent that's called this too

Well it's Ealing (again)

A number that makes clear the designation