The Aardvark Blog

So much has happened, and so much is coming up
30/06/2018

The Aardvarks are back from a few weeks' holiday and looking back, I realise that it has been over a month since my last blog. First, many thanks to the people of the Loire and the Cher who were friendly, helpful and very forgiving of English people who did not always know exactly where we were going.

This year we were in the central part of the Loire, based for a week in a great house near to University accommodation and the Botanic Gardens of Tours (which we somehow managed to miss seeing). Tours is a fantastic city, full of life and music. The great city-wide party for the 21st of June was simply fab, and something we should emulate here (are you listening Hereford?). Bands and sound systems every 50-100 yards, a total cacophony of different music, with thousands of young people everywhere (a depressing number of them smoking, but there you are).

Before we left for France we had a brief visit to Lewes, which I am ashamed to say I have never been to before. A truly beautiful town with two great antiquarian booksellers. If you haven't been, plan your visit without delay. Also not to be missed is Monk's House, the Woolf country cottage at Rodmell, just south of Lewes. One of the most appealing cottage gardens I have ever seen, and the downstairs of the house is packed full of Bloomsbury mementoes.

This year on the Loire we saw the four great chateaux of Amboise, Close de Lucé, Chenonceaux and Chaumont. All unmissable with particular praise for the gardens and international garden programme of Chaumont and the general position and grounds of Chenonceaux. Also spent some time looking for wine, so visitors to the shop can be expected to be bored once more by Arthur Aardvark's thoughts on the variety and perils of the Touraine wine scene (massive variation in quality and approach - not to mention price).

Still, we are now back and can't wait to get started with another Brampton Bryan Summer! Before we do, I would like to thank and pay tribute to the artists whose work we featured in 'Out of the Hills' this June. I was so delighted by the quality and variety of work on offer, and I would pay particular tribute to the organisational skills of Kim and Maggie Davis. They were simply superb and the show reflected the hard work and dedication that they had put in to all aspects. I am also pleased to say that after a slow start, sales picked up throughout the two weeks, and the end total was a very respectable one given the somewhat difficult environment for art sales at the moment.

Still enough looking back, let us look forward with delight! Next up will be the start of the Aardvark Sale on the 14th of July, which also marks our second fantastic JAZZ BRUNCH. I cannot praise the quality of the playing of Paul Brooks and the Ludlow Jazz Collective too highly. They were simply on fire last year, and you have a chance to hear them this year for free (Brunch itself will cost from £8.00). Not to be missed.

Then in August we have Scarecrow Sunday on the first Sunday of August, and the day before, on Saturday 4th of August a new art show curated by Rob Fountain entitled 'Summer Sextet'. It is always a tremendous pleasure working with Rob who combines affability with true artistic sentiment. This is the second show we have put on with Rob and other artists based near Bleddfa (and further afield) and it includes work from a number of artists we have not previously shown.

And along with the art and jazz (not to mention another Light Prints Book Club evening on 10th July) there will be even more books coming into the shop as I work through some of the big purchases I made in June, and pick up another exceptional parcel of history books in the middle of July. Truly at Aardvark 'Sumer is Icumen in'.