Its Tuesday night and I am in York. I came up on Monday to see people and to do the York Christmas fayre. Its been a real pleasure to see friends and old work colleagues. I was beginning to think that I might not do this again, mostly rooted in how I’ve been recently but I realise that this is more to do with my anxiety about this months oncologist review. Its entirely possible that I could start 2022 having more scans and then being prescribed more chemotherapy. It all hangs on whether my PSA level has risen again and the state of my tumors in my hips and the cancer in my lower spine. I seem to have arranged a busy December and I wonder if I have just deliberately kept myself in a “doing state” so that I did not have to think too much about what might await me and what that might mean. However it seems this has moved Christmas on a bit. I can feel a “to do list ” coming on to tie up the loose ends.
Having had a wander around the York fayre I found myself disappointed. There are fewer stalls than usual and most are stacked with food, booze or scarfs and hats. There are no original art stalls like the last time I was here, when I bought a couple of lovely miniatures. I did the loop a couple of times and then found a gem of a stall. Suddenly I was drawn to a small stall where a couple were buying a print of drawing, however it was the main content of the stall that drew me in. I watched in frustration as a couple and the stall holder could not make the contactless payment work. In the end they resorted to old fashioned money. Apparently 5g phone did not like 3g payment terminal. At last they left and I could get to see the bits of the stall that I wanted to. For me it was a no brainer, but of course I cannot tell you what I bought or someone would have their Christmas surprise ruined, but I came away pleased.
My meanderings took me to the Shambles and the attractions at the end of it. People were milling around in a kind of stupefied Christmas COVID way being neither cautious nor relaxed. It was a strange feel, even the merry go round seemed to be sluggish.
Before you ask I did of course make it to the best home made chocolate shop in the world in the Shambles. I bought the family a Christmas treat of the biggest presentation box of their chocolates. It contains one of every type of chocolate they make plus a couple extra of my favourites. I foresee much contemplation and rivalry over the choices to be made.
I drifted around the Christmas streets of York and found myself in York Fine Arts. It has three floors of art. An awful lot of prints but some original works. I was wandering around the floors when a painting caught my eye, I liked it, it was not excessively expensive but when it comes to buying art I am hesitant. There is a working class bit of me that thinks there is something not right about buying art for yourself. I can buy art for others but it seems so strange to buy it for myself. I can always think of other ways to sped the money. It seems a wild extravagance, a bourgeois indulgence. Any way I hung around looking at it until the guy at the counter noticed an came over to chat. We talked and I neckily asked him what his best price was. To my surprise he knocked 10% off the ticket price. I told him I wanted to sleep on it but I would be back in the morning. Later in the evening I sent the link to the store to my partner to see the painting. The upshot is that its down to me. So we shall see. Watch this space.
I moved on to meet a friend to have afternoon festive tea at Betty’s. When I arrived I found people queuing to get in. I’m not one for queuing so I hung around waiting for my friend to arrive. When she did arrive I was guided to another entrance to the establishment. We went up some plush stairs to the what I can only describe as the “nobs” tea room. A pianist was playing Christmas carols and occasionally the Snow man theme song. The sandwich’s were nice but crustless, scones were served with jam and cream, small cakes were provided and my coffee arrived in a silver pot. My friend insisted on a photo of me scoffing goodies for the blog, so here it is.
It was a very pleasant way to chat to a friend and to catch up with each others news. It seems we all have crosses to bear and that life is never simple but it also appears that there comes a moment when circumstances and events adjusts peoples priorities and they become aware of what is actually important to them in their lives. From then on its a balance between managing the inevitable shit that comes to us all and the good stuff, which I have to say turns out to very frequently be the ordinary stuff of life. In my case it is seeing my friends and hearing how they are. We finish the tea and we walk back towards the car park via the Christmas lights. We say farewell and I drive back to the hotel to ring my partner and talk art work.
Coffee is a drink I like but today I am awash with it and it makes me feel crap. So I have retreated to the bar for a pint of lemonade and lime to quench my thirst and to write the blog. The hotel bar is full of young people drinking hot chocolate and older people having a bed time beer. I shall return to my room and add todays picture to the blog and then it’s bed for me. Early start for an art wheeler dealer.
