It's always fun to go and see a new installation on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square - the plinth that was meant to carry an equestrian statue of William IV, but now has a riderless horse skeleton instead. This Hans Haacke piece is called Gift Horse and has a ribbon displaying a live ticker of the London Stock Exchange tied round a foreleg. No chance of looking it in the mouth: its Stubbs-inspired bony jaw seems pretty tightly shut. I was here to see (a) the Durand-Ruel show in the National Gallery - o.k., and good to see a lot of poplars in the same room, but apart from the opening room, a mock-up of part of D-R's own salon, complete with its decorated doors, it wasn't especially noteworthy, and (b) the Sergeant exhibition in the NPG, which was surprisingly much more interesting. Who knew that Vernon Lee had such bad teeth?
The bonus - which goes undepicted, because my camera wasn't out - the roaring engines caught be off guard - was the red white and blue fly-past of the Red Arrows (all looked up - shades of Mrs Dalloway) commemorating VE day.
Meanwhile, back in 20 Hillside, my father waters the garden, and Simba contemplates the meaning of existence.
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