Onions

I've used up every tissue I can find scrunched up

On my bedroom floor; the ones under my bed,

From the fathoms of my coat pockets,

The ones from the depths of my handbag -

Smeared with lipstick.

Yet through my blocked and ever-running nose

I can still smell onion on my hands.

Backwards, it says, "Snow, I know",

Or, more pertinently, "It's 'no', I know".

Forwards,

My excuse for tears.

William Kentridge - Weighing... and Wanting (1997)

Betjeman and Kentridge

On my umpteenth time at St Pancras International station in London, I discovered a bronze life-size sculpture of the poet Betjeman.

He reminded me of William Kentridge.

I consider myself fairly lucky to have seen an extensive exhibition of Kentridge's work at MOMA, while I was in New York. I'd known nothing of Kentridge beforehand. I feel it to be one of the best exhibitions I've seen - I was truly moved.

Melbourne's One and Only Peugeot 104

My dad's little baby... And Robert de Niro. Shooting in Spring Street. A supposed Paris of the seventies - and I told people in New York that Melbourne was visually European! This picture doesn't have me convinced as I can see Little Bourke Street's Chinatown behind de Niro. But we might even get mum into the cinema to see dad's car's big screen debut.

Picture: Tim Carrafa, in Herald Sun 7.7.10

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

What collections at the V&A!

Not one single gallery or museum did I see in its entirety while abroad.

[Actually, that's not entirely true. I believe I scoured the Guggenheim all the way up and around, and did the shop. But, this was my very first museum visit.]

In both the Brooklyn Museum and the British Museum I only got as far as the Islamic collections, in which I spent an hour and a half anyway.

My mind couldn't stretch any further. Plus, it was closing time.

While at the V&A I couldn't resist buying tickets to the temporary exhibitions after spending an hour with Rodin in the sculpture room. The permanent collections I assumed would be there on my return... For that day it would be a spectacular quilt exhibition; a collection of Horace Walpole's collections from Strawberry Hill; and a small room of some of Grace Kelly's clothing.

Too excited was I to be spending a few minutes in the presence of those beautiful chiffon dresses from 'Rear Window' (my favourite film) and 'High Society'.

Plus, both Grace Kelly and Auguste Rodin were born on November 12th - my birthday also.

In the meantime I got snap-happy. And, the exit of every exhibition led you straight into the V&A book shop. Did I manage to resist? No! I bought I a book on masters of photography and another on William de Morgan's tile designs.

The Natural History Museum, London.