The Wild Willy Man

It's Bank Holiday Monday, and the sun is out - hoorah!

This is the day of our BIG County Show which is held at the rugby ground on the outskirts of Corbridge. Its a magnificent event. Huge tents displaying rabbits, guinea pigs, and other pets, marquees filled with best dressed sticks, flower arrangements, sponge cakes and home crafts. There are parades of gorgeous farm animals, falconry displays, motorbike displays, Cumberland wrestling, and a fabulous funfair. There is even an RAF Battle of Britain Memorial flypast with a Spitfire.

What a great way to spend Bank Holiday Monday...

...if you like hoards of folk, nose to tail traffic, and spending a bloody fortune. So we steered well clear!

Instead, I decided to take the kids for FREE to Belsay Hall where there's an art exhibition on called 'Extraordinary Measures.' Belsay is a big favourite of ours, and when I thought about it, I hadn't taken the kids out on an adventure for ages - since the 'bloody lump,' in fact.
For the last 6 months, I've only really been ferrying them about to their activities - gym, cricket, drama, swimming....the bare minimum. I don't think I've really felt like doing anything else, but today, I really felt like getting out!

When we checked in, the kids were given a very fancy 'art detective' brochure to make them feel like important art critics. One of the artists displaying their work is a fella called Ron Mueck.  He sculpts figures using a sillicon-ish stuff. One of the exhibits - 'Wild Man,' was the best. He is a giant bloke sitting on a chair, stark naked. The detail is unbelievable - the hair on his body, his veins, the folds in his flesh AND...

...The 9 year old's mouth dropped in disbelief when he saw the big naked man with his bits hanging out, and I was amazed that the 6 year old didn't point, laugh and declare in a very loud voice - 'look at his willy!' I think she was stunned into silence - for the first time in her life!

It was such a good exhibition, that after a stroll around the gardens, a look around the castle, a jam sarnie and a hike around the woods, the 6 year old asked if she could go and see the wild willy man again. We did. He's great. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos, but I've attached a picture of him. You'll just have to use your imagination to place my 2 shocked kids standing next to him. I don't know who looked more horrified - wild willy man or the 6 and 9 year old!

I am now starting to worry about the 6 year old's 'What I did in the holidays' essay. It might read something like this -

'In the harph turm hollidays my mum diddint want to gow to the show in corbrij. so insted she tuk me and my bruvva to see a wiyld man with a big willy in a big horl. it was reely gud but the man sed she wasent alawd to take fowtergraffs.'

It was a splendid day out, and despite my 'baaldy heed' I am now starting to relax and feel like the old Shents again. The Shents with a bit of energy to do the things she wants to do without the weight of chemo on my shoulders. Hoorah!