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Today’s walk: Along the Adur and the Downs Link near Henfield
Not the walk we’d planned. We were intending to follow a route from the Waterside Walks in Sussex book, but when we arrived and checked the route on OS Maps, someone had helpfully reported a blockage along the footpath. So we quickly planned an alternative.
It was a beautiful day to be outside, and our improvised walk turned out to be lovely, with plenty of cooling off spots for Breezy. Looking at the map further, there are plenty of other walks we could do from the same starting point, so we’ll be back!
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Intensive care ward opens on rooftop
I was reading Dr Rangan Chattergee’s newsletter this week and discovered a link to this article.
Still in her hospital bed, connected to feeding tubes and life support, Hollie is the first patient to try out the new intensive care rooftop ward at King’s College Hospital in south London.
The first of its kind in the UK, the outdoor ward has enough space for six patients, who can be connected to power and oxygen supplies housed in a waterproof box next to each bed.
I’ve read a lot of articles and book chapters over the years about how beneficial a view of nature is when you’re recovering from an illness. There’s a pretty oft-quoted study showing that even just having a view of a tree from a window helps patients experience fewer complications and need less pain relief.
The idea of taking intensive care patients up onto a rooftop garden is just wonderful. I will be so interested to see how this progresses.
Photos are taken from the BBC article
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Hepworth in Colour
Another good exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery. This time to see Hepworth in Colour.
It isn’t a huge exhibition, but there are some interesting sculptures there, and some interesting drawings which she produced during the early years of the Second World War. Some of the worked backgrounds on the drawings are particularly interesting making use of layering and scraping as a technique.
As is perhaps predictable, I enjoyed the blue pieces the most. My absolute favourite was Sculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red), the vibrant blue inside it is just stunning.
In the second room, they set a few of the pieces against a brilliant orange background. It is so striking to look at.
And I couldn’t resist this view from the top of the stairs:
Downstairs, on the second floor, there are some photographs of her and Ben Nicholson’s London studio. They’re a lovely insight into how she worked and are well worth a look if you’re already there for a bit of Barbara Hepworth.
