Piranesi, Cidade de Deus, and a bunch of other stuff

I really find it hard to blog these days. Time is a precious commodity, and I always seem to have too little of it. So let's cut to the chase.

This weekend the munchkin and I traipsed to the Piranesi exhibition in Ghent, as SO had to work. It was an interesting experience, partly because it was our first visit since our last excursion (British Vision, same museum), where she had been admonished by one of the museum guards for tickling the toes of a giant marble Henry Moore sculpture. Add fatigue to this cocktail and you have all the ingredients for a failure.

And yet, it all worked out, strangely. Yes, she was slightly annoying at times but I fully understand why. The engravings were all laid out in glass-covered display cases, and she wasn't tall enough to fully see them. It meant a lot of picking up and putting down. She fell in love with an engraving of an angle and a griffon and had me go back to it three times, much to the amusement of other visitors.

And above all, I got the opportunity to see the Carceri d'Invenzione up close. I love these haunting labyrinthian structures, with the minuscule people in them and because the munchkin was more interested in the seating arrangement which they had created in the room, I was able to take my time.

In other news, on Saturday evening, we sat down to an evening of bad TV, when, around eleven, the film Cidade de Deus came on. Based on the eponymous novel by Paolo Lins, it was a riveting two hours. I'm trying to remember when Guy Richie made his 'Lock, Stock and Smoking Barrels', because I almost feel as if he transposed the storylines and the approach of this film to his own. If you get a chance to rent it, then do, by all means.

The past weekend also saw us driving to the seaside. Thankfully, the sun pointed its shiny nose halfway, so we didn't drown in the rain. It made us realize that we hardly ever go to the coast these days. Work, playdates, friends: so much to distract us.

Finally, today marks our twelfth anniversary. Amazing to think we have come this far, and even have a child. The road has not been without bumps, but I know we are set for life, like a couple of swans, and frankly, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with. So here's to twelve more...

Now excuse me, as I have to go manhandle a chicken for tomorrow's dinner.